Free The Way We Roll by Stephanie Perry Moore

out a crowbar. I wanted to bash Sharon’s head in. I’ve never been a violent person. I don’t fight, except for kicking Mikey’s butt over the years. But Sharon had crossed the line when she’d vandalized my property. If my mom wasn’t going to make her pay for it voluntarily, maybe a little blood would do me just fine.
    â€œWhere you going with that?” Kade asked as he grabbed the crowbar from my tight grasp.
    â€œGive that back to me! I need to take care of business. It’s on now!”
    â€œYou are not going to hit nobody. Did you see Sharon do this?”
    â€œWhat, you taking her side, too?” I said, getting all upset and defensive. “You’re just like my mom and my girls telling me I’m not sure. Dude, you should have stayed with Sharon.”
    â€œListen, calm down,” he said as he pulled me close. “Baby, I want to be with you. Just because I don’t want you to fight her doesn’t mean I want to be with her. Come on, now, think logically on this one.”
    â€œThink logically. I’m trying to think logically. She’s going to admit she did this. I’m going to scare a confession out of her bony behind right now. You can get on my side and join me, or you can get the heck out of my way.” Because I was so angry, I shoved him to the side.
    â€œKade done met his match with that one!” someone in the crowd hollered.
    â€œKade, seems like you need to go back to the Beta!” somebody else shouted.
    Then a group of Betas was walking toward us. I was happy—Sharon was coming my way. All I needed was the weapon.
    â€œSomebody said you sayin’ I did this. Don’t be putting lies like that all out there,” Sharon said as she got up in my face.
    â€œOh, so you think I’m scared of you?” I said, pushing her back.
    Some of her sorority sisters grabbed her, and Kade grabbed me.
    â€œWait, wait, y’all, let me go. Let me go,” Sharon said to them before she turned to Kade. She was smiling at him. My man, with his strength, put me behind him. He started listening to her. I was breathing so hard I was about to pop.
    Sharon begged, “I need you, Kade. You don’t understandwhat’s going on with us. We have a deep connection.I just need to help you see it. I need your time. You got to talk to me.”
    Kade would not let me get around him. “We were just inside, Sharon, going through this. Come on. Please don’t make this end ugly. I’m with Malloy now.”
    â€œMalloy, Malloy—what can she give you that I can’t? You feel like you’ve used me all up, and now you want fresh meat? Well, I got a news flash for you. She’s no virgin.”
    I couldn’t believe he still kept holding me back from beating down this chick. She had crossed the line in so many ways already. Now she was all up in my personal affairs even more.
    Edging around Kade I said, “You don’t know me, and you broke the wrong car window. You better be scared.”
    â€œAre you threatening me, Malloy?” Sharon asked.
    â€œPlease, Kade, let me talk to her,” Hayden said as she moved Sharon back. “Please let me talk to Malloy.” She added, “I can calm her down.”
    Because Hayden and I were working on our differences, I had no problem hearing her out. We walked over to the side. But Hayden just started talking trash. Like I owed Sharon a break. Hayden thought I was just gonna drop all this. Here I had thought she was going to apologize for her girl.
    â€œAre you kidding me? She broke my car window. And I am just supposed to drop it? She’s basically saying I’m some skank. Yet here you stand telling me I’m just supposedto move on from that? And then she has the nerve to accuse me of spreading lies about her? Whatever, Hayden,please get out of my way.”
    â€œYou want to pledge. I’m trying to make that happen, but you’re not