I wake early, dress, and head out the door. It’s five minutes to seven when I send a text that I’m outside. Meme is warming her car and she waves at me as she waits… Well, at least someone wants me around Loyalty, even if it’s for the wrong reasons!
Loyalty steps out of the house with her long pink hair loose down her back, a white low-cut shirt showing cleavage, low-cut dark blue skinny jeans, gray Ugg boots, and a black bubble coat she has left open revealing her clothes underneath. Her pink book bag is slung over one shoulder! She doesn’t really go to school like this, does she?! Meme blows a kiss at her, and she blows one back as Meme pulls out of the driveway.
Loyalty watches her pull away before getting in the car. “Morning beautiful”, I tell her and she rolls her eyes before laying the seat back slightly. “Tired”?!
She nods her head as I start to drive and says, “I need caffeine”! I pull into the drive-thru Starbucks and she leans over me to make her order of some mango fruity something or other… Her butt is all in my face! I thought she said she needed caffeine. I looked at the digital board for the thing she just named to see its caffeine level is as high as my Americano. How’s that work?!
She sits back and when we get to the window I’m handed a bright purply pinkish drink… Shit! She even drinks pink! She takes the drink from me and murmurs, “thanks”! Then she gulps it down, and sighs. I grab the drink back from her and take a sip, and she looks at me like I’ve sprouted a tail from my forehead!
“Pretty good”, I tell her as I hand it back, but she just rolls her eyes at me. I texted the four asshats from my crew that go to high school with her before driving again, so when we pull up they’re waiting in the parking lot. I got out and opened the car door for her. The lot grows quiet and everyone stares in our direction. I put my arm over Loyalty as Meme bounces over and they loop their arms on the other side. Her boyfriend has a look of shock and disgust all rolled into one, as he watches us stroll by. Loyalty doesn’t even offer him a second glance as my lower crew members swarm around us. I wonder what’s happened between them literally overnight! Did she break things off with him already?!
When we got to the door and I couldn’t go any further, I grabbed her chin and tilted her head toward me. “What time are you out of here?” I asked her.
“Four, I have cheer practice after school”, she says.
“If I’m not here, Gabe drives you home”, I told her, pointing to my brother who was standing next to her.
She rolls her eyes again and says, “Meme can take me”!
“I take care of what’s mine”, I tell her before pecking her lips. I hear oooh's and awww’s in the background but I can’t be bothered with this high school drama. I’m only here because my girl is here! She pushes my hand away as she rolls her eyes for the third time, then storms inside with Meme still attached to her and my crew around them like a human barrier!
The boyfriend approaches as I head back to my car. “I don’t know what you're playing at, but that’s my girl you were just hanging all over”, he says to me angrily.
“Are you sure about that kid?” I asked him. When he looks at me puzzled, I say to him, “I’m just saying, no girl of mine would be locking lips with another man or sleeping in his bed, for that matter. But Loyalty and I have done both”.
“You’re lying”, he says.
“Am I?” I challenged him. “Maybe she’s found out something about you she doesn’t like, or maybe she’s just decided to upgrade to a real man and not a little bitch like you”!
The kids in the parking lot have gathered around, and the boyfriend has grown uncomfortable. “Stay away from her, Lala is my girl”, he orders.
I just laughed at him, “see! That’s where you’re wrong, kid. She’s not your girl anymore, because Loyalty is my woman! And I take care of what’s mine. So step off! And if you don’t believe me about the whole sleeping in my bed thing, ask her where she was Friday night… That’s if you can get her to even talk to you”! Knowing my crew, he wouldn’t even get close enough!
I get back in my car, which now smells of Loyalty, and drive off with the boyfriend standing in the parking lot looking dumbfounded! I head for the garage to check the progress of some things and sign off on the ordering of parts. Dan is there, and I feel like I haven’t seen him in forever.
“Hey Spin, Brenda said she had an interesting chat with you last night”, he says.
“Did she now?” I replied without giving anything away.
“What’s going through that head of yours man?”, he says.
“I dunno, what’d she tell you?” I asked.
“That you are chasing a youngin’ and like her with me, the girl doesn’t want you”, he says.
“Funny thing is, I dunno if she does or she doesn’t! I just dropped her off at school, and she walked by her boyfriend like she could give two shits about him! But then she acts like she can give two shits about me too, so!” I blurt out.
“School?” he asks.
“Yeah, she’s a fucking senior in high school”, I admitted quietly.
“Well damn, when Bren said she was young I didn’t think that young. How are you keeping an eye on her if she’s in high school?”, he asks.
“Gabe and his knuckleheads”, I tell him and he nods.
“Keep them boys on a short leash, you don’t want feelings between them to develop”, he says. Yeah, I didn’t even think about that, but Gabe is my brother, he wouldn’t do that to me! I spent the afternoon fixing some stuff and headed out to pick Loyalty back up.
When I arrive at the school, I text Gabe asking where they are. He gave me directions to walk around back to the field. In one section, the football team is playing; on the other is the pep squad. My crew is sitting on the grass between the two. The pep squad has their backs to them, so nobody notices when I plop down next to Gabe on the field.
“How’d it go?” I asked him quietly.
“She’s like a magnet for assholes”, he says. I shake my head and laugh, and watch as a blur of pink tumbles down from a pyramid stand to two girls waiting below. I was startled when I realized it was her! A female coach blows a whistle, and the girls all dust themselves off. Loyalty turns around, I’m guessing to see if my crew is still watching her, and has a look of anger when she locks eyes with me.
She grabs her bag from the pile with all the other girls and follows in behind them. “Go wait by the locker room door”, I tell them. “Make sure she doesn’t try anything funny. She looks pissed”!
Gabe takes the boys with him and they divide into two so that both locker room exits are guarded. She comes out of the main door a short while later, back in her jeans and tee. “Let’s get this over with”, she says as she storms by me to the parking lot. Gabe and his guys all snicker behind us as we walk.
Once they’re all in the SUV, they follow behind me. “I need another shot of caffeine if I’m going to make it through my assignments tonight”, she says. “Can you stop at Ready Coffee”?
“Anything you want, beautiful”, I tell her, but she scoffs. “You doubt me”?
“Yep”, she says matter-of-factly.
“Try me”, I said to her.
“The freedom to choose whom I’m in a relationship with”, she says. Well damn, she got me on the first try!
I said nothing until we pulled up to some shit hole of a stand in the middle of a mall parking lot! When it’s our turn, I order another Americano, she orders an iced Game On energy thing, or whatever it is! “Do you even drink coffee?” I asked her!
She shrugs and says, “sometimes! But I only like the white chocolate peppermint mocha, which is a seasonal drink apparently”!
As we pull away, I ask, “care to tell me about your change of heart”?
“Nope”, she says, popping the p on the end and sipping her drink. “It was hard enough living through my life the first time around, I don’t need to rehash the pain another time around while I explain it to you”. Fair enough, I guess!
When we pull up to her house she says, “thanks for the caffeine boost”. Then she gathers up everything and opens the car door.
“Same time tomorrow beautiful”, I tell her as she waves me off before going inside. I wait until she shuts the door behind her before pulling away.
I get back to my house, and of course, the grills and fire pit are going… This will be the nightly routine until the snow falls and we’re forced indoors! I gather up Gabe and his team and sit around the fire pit with them while they tell me about her boyfriend confronting her and how the squad is split between who is right and who is wrong. It’s one thing for her to separate from a toxic relationship. They were all aware of the boyfriend’s slim ball ways. They’re just not happy that one of their own is choosing a grease monkey over a letterman! High school drama, I tell you!
Gabe also gave me some student ID number and an app to d******d, telling me how her lunch account was nearly empty and that he knows at certain times of the month she’ll skip lunch because her foster parents aren’t the wealthiest and basically need her check to make ends meet. She doesn’t complain about being abused, so I know for the most part they are good to her and I won’t hold this against them.
I downloaded the app and logged in. It tells me all sorts of shit about her! Her name is Loyalty Amory Marshal, also known as Lala Marshal. She’s five foot two inches, she weighs a hundred and six pounds and is naturally a blonde under all that pink. I can see her school pictures dating as far back as fourth-grade when she was enrolled in her current school district. She was transferred from the Bronx, a NYC borough, after her mother’s final court appearance. Her mother was found dead from suicide, and she became an official ward of the state.
She has fairly high grades, clearly an overachiever. She was in drama club and choir until this year, when she switched focus to just cheering and academics. She’s the co-cheer captain and a library monitor… What the hell is that?! I decided not to pry further and move on to her school lunch account. Her balance is barely four dollars, that’s the equivalent of a day’s worth of meals at her school! I type in my card information and fund the account fifty bucks, then set it to auto-fill fifty bucks every time it falls below ten!
It’s almost midnight when I finally headed to my room for bed. I shower, set the alarm, and sleep!
Exactly five minutes to seven my phone goes off like yesterday, letting me know Spin is outside. I headed out, and waved at Meme for the second day in a row! I climb into the car and recline the seat as he tells me, “morning, beautiful. Starbucks”? I nodded without even looking at him. I’m clearly not a morning person! Today he orders my drink for me and doesn’t sip it when he hands it to me. I give him my weak thanks, and as we start to drive he says, “you okay”? “Yes”, I say immediately, then pout! “No”, I admit! I’m kind of bothered by something the girls said to me in the locker room! “So which is it, Loyalty?”, he asks. “No”, I told him. “Why were you in jail”? He raises his brows at the question and takes a deep breath before sipping his coffee… Talk about buying yourself time to answer a question. “Well”? “I murdered my father”, he says, without looking at me.
It’s the second morning that I’m here five minutes to seven, and I text Loyalty that I’m outside. Again, she gets into the car and looks completely drained… Does she sleep?! “Morning, beautiful. Starbucks”? She keeps looking forward with her eyes closed as she nods yes! We pulled into the Starbucks drive-thru and I ordered her drink and my coffee. After she takes a sip, I ask her, “you okay”? “Yes”, she says immediately, but pouts and follows it up with a “no”! Uh-oh, this can’t be good! “So which is it, Loyalty?” I said to her. “No, why were you in jail”? I was not expecting that question this early in the morning. Why do people talk about things that are none of their business like it is?! I take a deep breath and sip my coffee, “well”? “I murdered my father”, I tell her honestly. The bastard deserved it. I’m not ashamed of what I did! “How long were you in jail for that? I mean, you’re not that old”, she says. Does she think I’m old?! “I was given five years, and I was out in
The next few days are like living the last two on repeat. I’m picked up by Spin, given my dose of caffeine, and dropped off at school where I’m guarded by Spin’s crew members. It’s finally Friday! But it’s homecoming today, so the pep squad and football team have to dress professionally. I chose my pale pink skirt suit that Maxine insisted on buying me when I became co-captain of the squad. I packed a change of clothes for tonight, sleepwear, and an extra change of clothes for Meme. I carry everything out the door with me as I glance through my foster mother’s good luck text. I didn’t tell her that I took myself off the homecoming queen ballot. It just all seems so superficial since Travis and I aren’t even dating anymore! When I get to the car, I tell Spin, “can I leave this in your trunk”? I lift the purse in my hand for him to know what I’m referring to. The trunk pops open and I toss the bag in before closing it and getting into the car. “What’s with the get-up?", he asks, ta
Days three and four go just the same as day two went. I pick her up, buy her Starbucks, take her to school, walk her to the door, and kiss her. Gabe takes her straight home after practice, with no detours! We text before bed, but are now having actual conversations… On Friday, I pull up a little early, and Meme is getting in her car all dressed up. Whatever, it’s Friday, right?! That’s until Loyalty exits the house, also dressed to the nines. Her pink hair is tied back in a bun, and she’s wearing a pale pink pencil skirt with a matching suit jacket and black heels. I really hope these two don’t plan on coming tonight dressed like this?! Her face is down, focused on her phone which is in her right hand, she has her book bag threaded through both arms and an oversized purse in her left hand. She opens the car door and says, “can I leave this in your trunk?”, and lifts the purse up. I pop the trunk open and she looks relieved to not have to carry it around all day. “What’s with the ge
I woke the next morning sore, the aftermath of his every bite was felt on my skin. Who knew orgasming so good could hurt so bad! Despite how warm I feel, Spin is not here. Instead, I’m face to face with a beaming Meme, who has a cheek-splitting grin on her face. I scoff at her and try to roll over when she climbs on top of me and says, “oh no you don’t”. She’s giggling like an idiot as I moan. “Get off”, I tell her. “It hurts”! Meme gasps dramatically, “you didn’t”! “No, I didn’t”, I told her. “But what happened was… I dunno! But it felt amazing while it was happening”. I blush at the memory. “Those marks all over you definitely say it was sinister”, she says as I look at her in confusion. I get up and head to the bathroom and gasp at my own reflection. The deep purple welts that adorn my body are so dark I can see them through the thin white tee! Meme is again laughing like a hyena at my state of shock. “Oh my God, how am I going to hide these?” I
Loyalty is clearly not a morning person, it’s after nine and she’s still out cold. I bump into Meme in the hallway and she swivels past me into my room. I continued downstairs to check with Dan about making Loyalty a jacket. He has set up a meeting with our seamstress for later today. This is going to clash with her schedule for the day, so I wake Gabe and his boys to get ready to go with her and Meme. They’re not thrilled with having to go to school on a Saturday, but that’s too fucking bad! As I reach my bedroom, I hear her and Meme talking, and I know I shouldn’t eavesdrop, but it’s not like Loyalty is very forthcoming with her feelings! “Oh no you don’t”, I heard Meme say as a scuffle between the two girls occurred. “Get off, it hurts”, I hear Loyalty whine. She’s so damn innocent that a single orgasm from being fingered has her energy depleted! “You didn’t”, Meme shrieks, and I find myself chuckling. Can you imagine? She’d be dead to the world still if
On Christmas Eve, I find myself standing in Spin’s kitchen with a few of the women, debating with Meme about my new nickname. This now familiar room seems to be the discussion room of us females, as we’re often corralled together here preparing food for the entire crew. It’s always a group effort though, and I admire everyone’s willingness to pitch in! “What's your beef with it?” Meme asked for like the fifth time this week. “I’m not wifey, I’m not even engaged”, I defend. “So if Spin asked you to marry him…”, Brenda starts. “Phishhh”, I cut her short. “I’m not expecting that anytime soon. But if the shoe fits! Honestly, there is no fighting the inevitable. Spin has made it very clear he ain’t ever letting me go willingly”. Brenda nods knowingly, every woman in this room knows the truth about how we started! “But if he did”, Brenda continued. “Yes, I’d say yes”, and I would, I know I’m in love with Spencer Mason Hart. “So you’re in love with S
It’s Christmas Eve, exactly a week until Loyalty turns eighteen. Thanks to Brenda’s big ass mouth, everyone now walks around calling Loyalty wifey. She takes it in stride, but every once in a while, I catch her rolling her eyes at the name. “What's your beef with it?” I hear Meme asking her. “I’m not wifey, I’m not even engaged”, she says. “So if Spin asked you to marry him…”, Brenda starts. “Phishhh”, scoffs Loyalty. “I’m not expecting that anytime soon. But if the shoe fits! Honestly, there is no fighting the inevitable. Spin has made it very clear he ain’t ever letting me go willingly”. My baby girl got that right! “But if he did”, Brenda continued. “Yes, I’d say yes”, she admits. “So you’re in love with Spin?”, asks Meme. “Nothing is forced anymore”? “I think so”, she says. “I wanna be here. I wanna be with him. It’s just weird because I don’t exactly know if what I feel is love. I have nothing to compare it to”! “That’s not true, I l