Ayanna

      It had been about two weeks since I'd started school and the females hadn't gotten any less hostile. Oh don't get me wrong, none of those girls were approaching me but I could tell they wanted to. I wasn't sweating the small shit though because honestly if I wasn't me I'd hate me too. Oddly enough I was sitting in my English class looking real patriotic in a red, white, and blue outfit while I read Dark Desire by Christine Feehan, which clearly had nothing to do with Hamlet while the rest of the class was jotting down the notes in preparation for the test we'd be having at the end of the week.

      "Miss Grandberry!" the teacher exclaims after having given me annoyed looks for the last twenty minutes.

      The class turned their attention to me ready to see the deviant, which in this case happened to be me, get embarrassed but I wasn't phased at all. I simply slipped my silver faux onyx and swarovski crystal studded bookmark into my book before closing it and turning my attention back to the teacher.

      "Yes Mrs. Mason?" I asked the woman politely.

      "Since you feel you don't need to listen to my discussion, why don't you explain to me the conflict going on here?" she replied in a challenging tone while a badly bleached blonde giggled from her seat in the back of the room.

      "Well as of right now Hamlet is going through the motion's because his father has just died and hasn't been in the grave long enough to be mourned before his mother marries his uncle. Hamlet believes that there was this huge plot against his father and his uncle's behind it but can't prove it because one, it would be treason, and two, his mother has basically told him to go with the flow. So he has a huge dilemma; does he do what he feels in his heart is right or does he just go along with the status quo. Is that good enough for you?" I asked her after answering her question.

      She nodded, albeit grudgingly before pulling her attention off of me and going back to the class. I glanced down at my watch before opening my book and reading again. When the bell rang I was near the end of my novel and really wasn't feeling the idea of heading to another class but what could I do? My father dealt with the fact that I sometimes skipped school, he would fucking kill me if he found out I ditched. His rules were a bit archaic. It's okay for me to maim someone but if I come home with an F...well then there's going to be problems. I figure the fact that he and my mother actually give me rules they enforce means that they love me and are better parents than most so I take it with stride.

      Everyone gathered their things while I stood and left the class. Just as I was half way towards the vending machine at the end of the hallway, I was in dire need of some Lipton's Green Tea, when this cute gray eyed guy with the smoothest dark brown skin I'd ever seen approached me. From that point on I knew that either he didn't know I had a man or was stupid enough to approach me knowing who my man was. Either way, I'd decided to be nice. My mother always taught me to reject a guy kindly...it saved you from having to deal with a vengeful man over a broken ego.

      "Can I help you?" I asked him as the late bell rang telling me that my Government teacher would be pissed when I got to his class.

      "You're Ayanna right?" he asked me.

      "And you are?" I asked him.

      "Joseph Rinaldi," he replied with a sure smile on his face, "but you can call me Joey,"

      "So what's up?" I asked him as I leaned against the wall.

      "I wanted to invite you to my Halloween party this Saturday," he replied as he handed me a black envelope with silver blood splashes on it.

      "Isn't that kind of short notice?"

      "Well you're not exactly the easiest person to get in contact with," he replied with a lazy smile as he looked me over.

      "Hmm," I replied as I took him in. Honestly he was very cute but I could tell that he was one of those guys who were used to having their way and if he thought his tiny bit of game was going to get him anywhere with me, then he was sadly mistaken. "I'll think about it."

      "You do that," he called after me as I walked away.

Hazel

      "Are you coming to the party tonight or what?" I asked Ayanna as she flipped through my VIBE magazine.

      Oddly enough, I was four years older than Ayanna but she and I got along better than any of my other cousin's. Maybe because there were so few females in our family that we both understood how over protective the males in our lives were. I'd moved to Miami six years ago for college. Actually it was just to get away from my family but their asses ended up here anyway. Luckily I lived far enough away from them and their nonsense that they left me alone...for the most part.

      "I don't know. I was actually going to get in some much needed rest..."

      I sucked my teeth before saying, "You have the day off tomorrow. Relax then. My sorority and our frat brothers throw the best parties. You have to come."

      "Hazel..."

      "I'm not taking no for an answer so you might as well come," she replied.

      "You know good and well that I'm not the party type, besides it's not like I'll know anyone there anyway,” she tried.

      "Like that's stopped you before. Plus you will know some people. Kendra and Tashima are coming..."

      "That's all well and good but who's Tashima?" I asked her.

      "You haven't met her yet?" I asked shocked. "That's Torian's girlfriend."

      "Oh, I've heard about her," she muttered with a nod.

      "Girl, the stories don't even match up to her. The two of you would really get along well," I replied as finished getting my outfit together. "Besides there will be some fine ass men out tonight."

      She looked at me sharply before saying, "See there you go starting shit."

      "Oh, yeah," I replied as if I didn't already know. "You and De are still fucking with each other. You're too young to be settling with just one guy. What you need is some new dick; a sexy ass man with a nice dick who knows how to work it."

      "You are so nasty," Ayanna said with a laugh. "Besides there's nothing wrong with the man I have and, please believe, that he hits it right."

      "I've heard," I replied shortly.

      "When?" she asked me curiously.

      "Remember, I was home on break when De had to move to MIA and I was staying at ''uncle'' Dru's house," I replied and her mouth dropped in shock.

      "You hear-"

      "Surely did and it was so disturbing," I replied causing her to snort.

      "Yes," she started sarcastically. "I'm sure that your nasty ass was disturbed to hear Darnell and I having sex."

      I just laughed and walked out of my closet and slipped on my flip flops, after adjusting the straps to my simple brown cotton dress, and led her out of the apartment so that she could head some and do her thing so that she'd be ready for our little impromptu Girl's Night Out tonight.

Ayanna

      "Where are you going again?" Darnell asked from his spot on my bed after I came out of the closet dressed simply in a pair of low cut denim jeans and a black cotton tank that had a plunging neckline.

      "Some party with Hazel," I replied with a shrug as I sat at my vanity set to quickly put on some make up.

      Hazel was supposed to be here in fifteen minutes and I had more than fifteen minutes worth of preparing to do. I'd just finished perfecting my dark smokey eye and was in the process of brushing mascara over my freshly glued on crystal studded eyelashes when I noticed Darnell cock his head to the side as he stared at my reflection in the mirror. I grabbed my deep red lipstick and smoothed it over my lips before turning to him and asked him what was on his mind tonight.

      "You're not wearing only that are you?" he asked after I stood and slipped my feet into my black YSL tribute pumps.

      "What?" I asked him with an arched eyebrow, "Do I not look good in what I have on or should I say don't have on?"

      "Looking good isn't the problem," he replied as he left my bed and walked over. Even in my 5.5 inch heels, he towered over me. "The problem is that I'm pretty sure there's going to be other men there and I don't want them nigga's staring at my girl."

      I smirked lightly and pushed my hair over my shoulder and quickly switched my simple diamond belly ring with a cute white gold and diamond encrusted dragonfly shaped belly ring before speaking.

      "You should be glad other men find your girl attractive," I replied as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

      "I still don't want them looking at you," he replied petulantly before leaning down and capturing my lips in a kiss.

      "Unh-Uh!" Hazel's voice called out of nowhere, "Break that shit up."

      Darnell and I both gave her a one finger salute before parting. Thankfully I'd used my all-day lip stain so my lipstick hadn't rubbed off on his lips. I glanced over towards the door to see, not only Hazel, but Kendra and the girl I assumed to be Tashima. Both girls were looking over my room in awe, though I think Tashima's had more to do with Darnell's and my little show of affection than the large, well decorated, space that served as my living quarters.

      Hazel was dressed simply in a yellow shirt with one shoulder strap and a dark blue denim mini skirt that hung low on her hips. Oil and body bronzer added a golden glow to her already tanned complexion and four inch feather covered brown Alexander McQueen pumps graced her feet white a matching purse was slung over her shoulder. Looking at her, I felt my outfit would have made me a bit over dressed but luckily the other two girls even us out. Kendra was dressed in a black bubble mini dress that complimented her shape and a pair of metallic jeweled pumps. Her make up was natural making the dress less dressy but she was still more formal that Hazel. Tashima, on the other hand, managed to look over dressed and under-dressed at the same time. A denim and leather accented zip-up vest covered her torso and pushed her breasts up so that an ample amount of cleavage was showing while the matching jeans hung low on her waist accentuating a behind that gave J.Lo a run for her money and simple black leather ankle boots covered her feet.

      "Why are you not ready?" Hazel demanded with her hands on her hips.

      "Why did you barge in my room?" I spat back at her before motioning for the girls to take a seat on my chaise lounge before heading back in my closet so I could finish getting ready.

      I detached the necklace that came with the blouse I wore and replaced it with a dark pear shaped amethyst pendant hung around my neck and fell nicely on the pillow of my cleavage, simple hoops graced my ears, and a platinum marquise bangle dressed my right wrist while a Chris Aire watch covered my left wrist. I headed over to my dresser and dabbed on my Chanel N°5 perfume before heading over to the girls.

      "Where did Darnell go?" I asked Hazel curiously as I motioned for the girls to lead the way out of my room so I could lock the door behind us.

      "I think he said something about talking to your pops," Hazel replied and I nodded and followed her outside.

      Hazel, like many other Floridians, drove a convertible and that didn't leave much room so instead of riding with her I decided to drive my own car and follow her to our destination. That way if I felt like leaving, I didn't have to wait on her to do so.

Kendra

      When Ayanna saw Hazel's car she decided to use her own car, a nice black convertible hard top Mercedes, which was cool because Tashima immediately started asking Hazel questions. Questions I, myself, wanted answered but was hesitant to ask.

      "Ayanna and Darnell are dating?" Tashima asked Hazel curiously in an off-handed manner.

      Hazel glanced over at her before turning her attention back to the road. "Yes."

      "Since when?" Tashima asked.

      "You ask a lot of questions don't you?" Hazel replied as she stopped at a light.

      "I like to know the people I associate with," Tashima answered.

      "They've been dating for a few years now," Hazel answered.

      "Years?" I asked shocked. "But she just got here."

      "They've had lives before coming down to Miami," Hazel retorted.

      "Does she know about all the women he's been fucking with since he got here?" Tashima asked.

      I wondered too. Ayanna and I weren't what you would call friends but I think every woman should know just what she's getting into. I've known Darnell for a year and four months and during that time all I heard about was all the girls who wanted him and quite the few who've had him. It was like women were only good enough to fuck and while I'd seen him show affection to Ayanna, a person just didn't change over night.

      "I'm pretty sure she does," Hazel replied with a shrug as she turned down a one way street where her campus was located and parked on the street before turning off her car. "The two of them are different. There's no use in trying to figure out their relationship."

      "So they have an open relationship?" I asked curiously.

      "No but they agreed when he had to leave to see other people," Hazel finally answered.

      "And she was cool with that?" Tashima asked.

      "Seeing as she was the one who implement the rule, I'd say she was cool with it," Hazel replied before opening the driver's side and sliding out of the car.