Page 28 of Loyalty, Lust, Love
It felt good to be noticed, but she didn’t let it go to her head. Their sudden interest in her didn’t feel authentic, so she paid them no mind. Besides, she didn’t know the first thing about talking to boys.
“You thick as hell. You definitely didn’t have all that ass the last time I saw you.”
Lynx didn’t hear the boy's initial comment to get Fateema’s attention, but he heard his last statement.
“Are you serious? Learn some respect!” Lynx barked.
“Here you go with your proper, by-the-book ass. You don’t even like girls, so mind your fucking business.”
Before Lynx could get in the boy’s face, Fateema got between them.
“No, Lynx!”
Even though Lynx wasn’t an athlete, he was highly trained in martial arts, which only his friends knew. He had a tall, lean, muscular build, and Fateema knew Lynx could seriously hurt someone if pushed. The guys mugged each other before the other guy turned and walked away with a smirk.
“He looks like trouble, and that’s the last thing you need with senior year about to start. C’mon,” Fateema urged, pushing him backward.
She was right. They both already had scholarship offers from several universities, and he didn’t need to put them at risk. He eventually turned around, and they continued walking around the yard.
“We haven’t even been here five minutes, and the bullshit has already started. I should be used to guys checking for you at this point.”
“Ha! Checking for me? You’re funny. No guys have ever ‘checked’ for me. They make comments, but none of them are trying to talk to me on some real shit.”
“Bunny, the comments they make are their way of checking for you. Niggas are just dumb and don’t know how to talk to girls respectfully. Ever since your body transformed, niggas stay saying some slick shit about you.”
His words piqued her interest in what boys said about her.
“What do they say?”
Lynx didn’t have a problem being honest with Fateema, even if it might hurt her feelings.
“Stuff like what that guy said. Basically, they just want to have sex with you.”
She knew that to be true, so she didn’t let the provocative compliments pull her into their webs. Talking to boys other than Lynx, Joaquin, and Adam was foreign to Fateema unless he was classmate and they were talking about schoolwork. Until she interacted with someone who seemed to genuinely like her, she’d continue to keep the opposite sex at arm’s length.
“Lynx, hey. I’ve never seen you out,” a girl said when she approached them.
“Hey, umm…”
“Presleigh.”
“Right. Presleigh, this is my best friend, Fateema.”
The girls exchanged greetings, and Fateema noticed Presleigh’s was a little dry. It didn’t surprise her because she was used to the girls who smiled in Lynx’s face being irritated with her presence.
“Why don’t you come out more?” she asked, linking her arm through Lynx’s.
He shrugged. “I don’t like to be around large groups of people I don’t know. I prefer small, intimate gatherings.”
“Intimate, huh? I like how that sounds. When are you having one?”
Lynx looked down at the girl, confused. “Having one, what?”
“An intimate gathering. Actually, we can plan one of our own.”
Fateema rolled her eyes before saying to Lynx, “I’m going to find the girls.”
“Okay, I’ll be right here,” he replied.
