Sophisticated Sophomore (Love 101 #2) Read online

  I shake my head at her and let out a long sigh. “No. Courtney just stopped me outside.”

  “What the…” Monica leaps out of her seat and runs to the window. “Where’s that heffa at?”

  “I don’t even know. I walked away from her before she could say too much. Or do anything too crazy.”

  Monica sits beside me, leaving little space between us. She hasn’t lost her freshman fifteen yet. Fortunately for her the weight landed in all the right places. Her tits were already overly plump, but now her hips are especially curvy. “I can’t afford to whip her ass.” She looks me squarely in the eyes and says, “I wouldn’t be able to run for student government then.” She laughs.

  I straighten my back and clear my throat. “As your campaign manager I will ensure you have no part in any confrontations that will cost you your chances at student government.” Wrapping my arm around her neck, I continue, “Trust that.”

  Monica jokes about how many different ways she will harm Courtney if given the opportunity to whoop her ass anonymously. There once was a time when I too would be thrilled at the chance to whoop her ass, but if she thinks she has a chance with Chris she is a special kind of crazy. Almost sympathetically crazy, the kind that makes you want to help her. Almost.

  “Are you going to run for sure?”

  Monica bites her lip and hunches her shoulders. “I think I will run. I’ll have to decide before the semester is over.”

  Nicole walks through the door, loud talking on her phone. Monica and I both stare at her until she realizes she’s nearly yelling. She looks at us and pulls the phone away from her ear. “This dude is trying my life.”

  Nicole’s dramatics continue, with her flailing her arms around. Instead of taking the conversation into her room, she stands in the kitchen, rummaging through the refrigerator.

  Monica groans as she stands to grab her books from the table. “I’ll be in my room.”

  I start towards my room when Nicole says, “Wait. I’m getting off the phone.” She grabs a Sprite and bag of chips and walks into the living room. “We need to plan Jennifer’s party.”

  Monica pops her head out of her room. “What party?”

  “For making the dance troupe of course!” She curls her pointer finger towards us, summoning us to join her.

  I plop back down on the couch beside her. “We don’t even know for sure that she made it.”

  Nicole rolls her eyes. “Word on the street is she’s in, and it should be official in a couple of weeks.” She pulls her phone out of her purse. “I think I have a few friends who can make sure we have adult beverages.” She taps a few things on her phone. “We should probably have a few snacks to keep people from getting too tipsy.” She looks at Monica and says, “You can be over snacks.”

  Monica nods her head and says, “I got you. Chips and salsa on deck.”

  Nicole cuts her eyes at Monica. "I'm sure you'll come up with a bit more." She taps her phone a few more times then looks to me. "And you can be in charge of the guest list."

  I’m thankful that my task is pretty simple. I already have a few people I can add to the list. “Got it.”

  Nicole taps her phone a few times then looks up. “I just sent you my list. We have to sneak around and figure out who Jennifer would want to be there.”

  Monica and I exchange glances. “Do you think she has anyone outside of us and her new dance troupe chicks?” Monica says in a whisper.

  Nicole stares into space and then taps her chin. “Maybe. But that’s Laila’s job to figure out.”

  I frown as my job just went from simple to complex in a matter of seconds. Jennifer's no-bullshit attitude leaves little to be desired. I can only pray a few other people on campus find her overly critical nature to be a positive attribute.

  Nicole claps her hands. “Alright, I’m excited.” She stands and walks towards her bedroom. Monica and I shake our heads, and we both head towards our rooms.

  Before I close my door Monica shouts, “I’ll send you my list in a few.” I laugh and close my door behind me.

  Before I can start my invite list I have to put the Courtney situation to rest.

  Laila: Courtney made an appearance today.

  My phone rings, and before I can speak, Chris yells, “What the hell?”

  “Yeah, I walked Tanya to her car, and Courtney appeared before I made it back in the apartment.”

  “Are you okay? What’d she say?”

  “I’m fine. She told me she’s getting you back.” I laugh again at the thought.

  “Hmm.”

  Hmm? That’s all he has to say? Hmm…

  “I should call my mom.”

  “I think we can handle it, Chris. We shouldn’t bring your mom into this mess.”

  “I just don’t want things to escalate like they did last year. Nobody has time to worry about what she plans on doing.”

  “I agree 100%, but let’s just see what happens.” I’m always up for a challenge. If Courtney thinks she can get Chris back, game on.

  “I don’t like her popping up at your apartment. She knows where you live,” Chris says.

  “And she claims she saw you yesterday. Maybe she followed you here.”

  “I haven’t seen her since that night in my apartment.”

  "Well, now we know she's here. I'm sure she'll approach you eventually. How else could she get you back?"

  “You aren’t worried are you?”

  I can hear Chris smiling.

  “I only have room for one crazy girl in my life.” Chris laughs.

  I groan. “Says the one at the center of the craziness.”

  “What are you doing for the rest of the day? I could use some personal time.”

  “I have a party invite list to create. And I should probably do some work. But I’m pretty sure I can squeeze in some time for you.”

  “I like how you just breeze past the party details.”

  “To celebrate Jennifer making the dance troupe.”

  “Hope I make the invite list. When can I come over?”

  "Whenever." I look down at my clothes. I should change out of my outfit from last night. After the party, I crashed. Last night's party made up for Friday, and we stayed until it let out. Mingled in the parking lot, and went to McDonald's afterward.

  My hair is a tangled mess on top of my head and my mascara is smeared across my eyes.

  “Alright, I’ll see you in a few.”

  I start the shower as I hang up the phone. Stripping out of my clothes I have a flashback to the dorms. I'm happy I have a hot and clean shower to step into instead of the cold, germ infested confinement we had in the dorms.

  The hot water runs over my body as I lather up the soap. My body is aching. I was dancing like I was Jennifer last night, or at least I stayed on the dance floor as long as she did. Must’ve been all the liquor I had.

  The door creaks open as I rub my soap over my legs. “What’s up?”

  Nobody responds, so I push the shower curtain to the side and peep out. Chris is pulling his shirt over his head. "Damn you got here quick."

  “Amazing how fast I can drive when I’m motivated.” I stare at him as he drops his pants. “I heard you running the shower as you hung up.” His eyes are full of lust and the smirk on his face gives away all his intentions.

  “Glad I’m still in here. Guess you are joining me?”

  He doesn’t answer as he walks towards me and climbs in the shower.

  He takes my place under the streaming water and takes my mouth without hesitation. As his manhood grows against my thigh, my nipples brush against his chest. Our tongues dance as his hands find their way between my legs.

  He stops kissing me and turns me around to face the back of the shower. Grabbing my towel, he rubs my back, and moans escape me as the aches from last night are starting to ease. His cleansing and massaging continues until he has graced every inch of my body.

  I grab my soap and start to caress his body, but he grabs my hand and whispe
rs, “We won’t have long before the water turns cold.” He turns me back towards the back of the shower. Placing my hands on the shower wall and spreading my legs. He thrusts into me, hard and fast, then gentle and slow.

  It doesn’t take long before my body responds. My legs start to shake. Chris reaches around and massages my clit, and he whispers, “So wet.”

  He kisses down my spine and I lose control screaming, “Oh God!” Chris thrusts one last time, hard and fast.

  I turn around, moving him from under the stream of water. He stands beside me nibbling on my ear. “I’ll take your crazy any day of the week.”

  We climb out of the shower and towel each other dry. "Did you drive from the frat house here that quick?"

  "No, I was on this side of town." He kisses my forehead. "But even if I weren't I still would have made it here before you stepped out of that shower."

  “Now who is the crazy one?” We both laugh.

  “I couldn’t think about it much earlier cause I had sex on the mind. But what’s up with this party y’all are throwing?”

  “It’ll be in a few weeks when Jennifer is officially in the dance troupe.”

  “Around Thanksgiving?”

  “I forgot all about Thanksgiving.” I cock my head to the side. “Should be before Thanksgiving.”

  “Good, I don’t feel bad for telling you to push that off your agenda for today so we can lounge around watching movies all day.” He smiles. “You have time to get your list together another day.”

  “And you don’t have grad work to do?”

  “It can wait.” He grabs my hand and pulls me into the room. We sit on the bed and he switches on the television.

  As he channel surfs, I lie back on the pillow. “What’s your favorite movie?”

  Without hesitation he answers, “Scarface. Classic.”

  Ironically, that was Travis' favorite movie too. Chris is nothing like my ex-boyfriend. The choice is more relevant to Travis' lifestyle than Chris'. I glance at Chris and smile. Glad I dodged the bullet on that one. I’ll have to apologize to my parents for not trusting their instinct to stay away from the bad boy.

  Chris looks back to me and says, “Yours?”

  With a sheepish grin I say, “Love and Basketball.”

  “Looking for an ending like Monica and Quincy?”

  “Minus the breakup.” I arch my brow at him. “I would love an ending like Monica and Quincy.”

  Chris leans over and kisses me. “Me too.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Walking through the journalism building, I typically avoid walking past Professor Douglas’ office. The investigation has unveiled a side of him I could never have imagined. A side of him I’m glad I never encountered. Women from over the years have come forward with their stories, and all of them vary from awkward to damn near sadistic.

  Today I don't have the luxury of avoiding his office. I have to visit Professor King's office, and her office is in the same hall as Professor Douglas' office was. I knock before entering her door. Professor King responds in a sweet voice "Come in."

  Unlike Professor Douglas, Professor King is significantly younger. From her smooth face, athletic build, and stylish wardrobe I would guess she’s in her forties.

  When I walk through the door she looks up from her desk and smiles. “Hi, what can I do for you?”

  I don't take a seat but stand in front of her desk instead. "I'm planning out my classes for next semester and I wanted to know if I could register for your class although I haven't completed the pre-requisite yet."

  Professor King’s smile doesn’t waver and she says, “Typically, the pre-requisites are in place for a reason.” She motions for me to take a seat. “You’re on the newspaper staff, right?”

  I take a seat and respond with a head nod. "I plan on taking the prereq next semester too. The other available classes don't fit my schedule."

  She watches me intently before proceeding. “Your experience with the newspaper probably has you prepared for the class. I’ll approve it, but within the first few weeks you’ll need to drop if you feel you can’t stay on track.”

  “Thanks, Dr. King.” I stand to leave her office, but she stops me.

  “Excuse me.” I turn around and make eye contact. “I heard you were pretty close to Professor Douglas.” My eyes drop and I nod my head. “And you also interviewed a few of the girls, right?” I nod my head again.

  “If you ever need to speak, I’m here. I can imagine this is a difficult time for you.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.” I take in a deep breath and exit before my emotions get the best of me.

  Stepping outside, I button up my sweater. The sun is barely shining, and the air is a bit crisper than it was just a couple of weeks ago. I’m sure this cold front won’t last long, but it makes walking across campus bearable.

  “Laila, wait up girl.” Jason walks up from behind me. “Party at your place this weekend?” He smiles.

  “Yeah, you coming? Or are you too busy?” I smirk at him.

  “Is your boyfriend going to be there?”

  “Why does it matter?” I examine his face as he turns away. “That’s your guy, right?”

  He looks back at me. “Of course.”

  “Good. Then we’ll see you there.”

  Jason looks down at his economics book. “Ready for this quiz?”

  We walk up to the economics building and Jason opens the door. “I’m ready as I can be. Jason, what’s your major again?”

  He laughs. “Business Administration.”

  I shake my head at him. “Ugh, you should be on top of this econ stuff, right?”

  He shrugs his shoulders. “I mean how much of this book stuff will be relevant in real life anyway?”

  “For your sake I hope not much.”

  “Monica.” Nicole holds up a bag of chips. “You got more than chips and dip, right?”

  “Stop worrying chick. I ordered pizza too.” Monica smiles as she sets the counter with plates, cups, and napkins.

  Nicole unloads a few bottles of liquor from her bag. “My guys always come through!” She holds up a bottle of pineapple vodka. “This stuff is so good with pineapple juice.” She grabs a cup from Monica’s stack. “I’ll just take a little sip.”

  “Okay, we have about two hours before Jennifer shows up.” I glance at my phone as another alert comes in, notifying me of an invite acceptance. “I just hope she doesn’t get here before folks start showing up.”

  Nicole throws her drink back. “You know black folks aren’t ever on time.” Nicole looks over at me. “How many people are coming anyway?”

  I shrug and say, "Ugh, about twenty-five. Maybe."

  Nicole looks between Monica and me. “I had about fifteen people on my list.” She snickers. “Between the three of you there are only ten other people invited?”

  Monica huffs. “This isn’t our party, exactly. And besides too many people will get rowdy.”

  I nod in agreement with Monica. “Right, last thing we need is the cops called on us.”

  My phone dings a few more times while I'm getting dressed. I'm in the middle of applying my make-up and ignore the alerts until a few more come in back to back. When I check my phone I see fifteen notifications from the invite.

  I only invited twenty-five people. I open the invite and see fifty people have accepted. Oh shit! I pull on my jeans and throw my shirt over my head, and then run out to Monica’s room. I burst through her door and she’s lying on the bed trying to slide a pair of jeans over her hips.

  I look at her and shake my head. “Fifty people have accepted the invite.”

  She inhales as she buttons her pants. "Fifty? I thought you said there were only twenty-five invited." She stands up, hardly moving and says, "Maybe they won't all show up."

  Someone knocks at the door and I look at the clock. “Someone is here already?” I leave Monica’s room to answer the door.

  Monica yells behind me, “Ugh, I’m not finished
getting dressed.”

  Before I answer the door I turn on Pandora and the speakers. When I open the door I see two girls are standing there, dressed like they are going to the club. “Hey.”

  They smile and wave. One of the girls looks beyond me and says, “Are we early?”

  I’ve never seen either of them before, but maybe they were on someone’s list so I move aside and let them through the door. As they take a seat, I offer them a drink and show them to the snacks.

  They take a cup of Nicole’s pineapple concoction and sit on the couch. Before I can ask them whom they know, Nicole walks into the living room.

  “Hey!” She looks at the girls, then to me with a strange face. “Early birds. I like that.”

  Nicole posts up against the counter and starts shuffling through the Pandora stations. Someone knocks at the door again and I walk over to answer it. A few guys, none whom I recognize, are standing in front of me. I step aside and let them in and they join the girls in the living room. If fifty people show up we’ll be standing room only, and very crowded.

  Nicole whispers to me, “Do you know any of these people?”

  I look towards the living room and say, “Nope, not a single one.”

  People continue flooding in, and only a few were actually on our invite list. The party is live though. People are dancing and drinking, talking and laughing. Between the three of us we mingle through the crowd and make sure nobody sneaks off into our rooms.

  Monica pulls me aside and says, “Jennifer is on her way!” She looks around the apartment. “Do we say surprise?”

  "Good luck with getting these folks to cooperate. We should meet her at the door though." I look around for Nicole and spot her in a corner with a random guy. I leave her where she is and go to the door to greet Jennifer.

  The door opens and Jennifer isn’t alone. She has a few other girls with her. She looks beyond me and says, “What the hell?”

  “Surprise!” I lean in for a hug, but Jennifer pulls away.

  “It’s not my birthday.” She says with a confused look on her face.

  “This is for you making the dance troupe.”