Free True Story by Ni-Ni Simone

town!
    â€œHey, girl!” Khya yelled, waving us over to the booth where she and Bling sat with Shae and Country. She scooted over and patted the space next to her. “Y’all sit here.”
    â€œWassup?” Zaire gave my girls a head nod and their boyfriends a pound.
    â€œSo here’s what I was thinkin’ we could do.” Khya popped her lips. “I figured we could throw down on the mo-down. And then go bust out the bumper cars. Okay?”
    â€œHeck, yeah!” I said, extra amped. “Yo, let me tell you I couldn’t wait to get here and rock the bumper cars! So that I could what? Tear y’all up!”
    â€œOh no you didn’t!” Shae said. “Did you hear that, boo?”
    â€œI sure did, Cornbread.” Country looked at me and then to Zaire. “Yo, my man. Your girl is trying to bring it.”
    â€œI guess so.” Zaire mustered up a smile.
    â€œYou wouldn’t be trying to bring it, would you, Seven?” Bling said.
    â€œWhaaat!” I looked at them and giggled. “It’s already brought. Tell ’em, baby!”
    â€œYou got it,” Zaire said dryly.
    I wanted so badly to turn to Zaire and say, Let’s just leave. It’s obvious you don’t wanna be here . But I didn’t. Instead, I did my best to play his dryness off, because the last thing I wanted was to defend him.
    I reached under the table and squeezed one of his hands in hopes that it would help him loosen up some.
    It seemed to work, because he leaned over and asked, “So what’s the best burger up in here?”
    Country responded, “Yo, son, you gotta try that triple bacon, triple beef, double deep-fried onion on a sub roll.”
    â€œThat sounds like a heart attack.”
    â€œIt is.” Country smiled.
    â€œI’ll try it then.”
    â€œIt’s gon’ put some hair on yo chest, chief!” Bling added.
    I looked at my baby and smiled. Finally he seemed to be getting into the groove of things, and soon we were all having fun.
    We ate, joked, and laughed at just about everything.
    â€œAw, man, this food was the bomb,” Zaire said. “Next time we’ll be able to stay a little longer.”
    Stay longer? What? Was he serious? I looked at Zaire. “Why are we leaving so soon?”
    â€œI have to work tomorrow.”
    â€œI didn’t know that.”
    â€œI told you that.”
    â€œNo, you didn’t.”
    â€œI told you that when we were in the truck, love.”
    I couldn’t believe this. Like seriously, I wanted to floor him.
    â€œOh yeah, sweetie.” I did all I could to hide my embarrassment. “You’re right. You did.”
    â€œYou’re really leaving, Seven?” Khya frowned.
    â€œYes,” I said with attitude.
    â€œOkay,” Shae said, and I could tell by the look on her face that she wanted to say more but didn’t.
    Zaire gave the guys pounds and I waved bye to my roomies. I walked out of Jay and Buster’s pissed, and Zaire walked out oblivious.
    I was quiet the entire ride back to his house, and the only reason I didn’t have him drop me off at my dorm was because the thought of Shae and Khya giving their unsolicited opinions about my man was something I did not want to hear.
    Of course, in true old-man fashion, Zaire went to bed soon after we got in. But I couldn’t sleep. This whole deal bothered me. I wanted to be out with my friends. Not lying in the bed, bored.
    I reached for my cell phone and wondered who I could call, pour out my heart to.
    I needed to talk to someone about what I was feeling. But I knew for sure that Shae and Khya were not an option.
    I should call my mother.
    Oh, I must be trippin’. ’Cause that’s the true definition of cray-cray.
    But sometimes... talking to her is okay.
    No. She never forgets anything and she always picks the worst time to toss my admissions in my face.
    Call her.
    You need somebody to