He’s a Thug, but He’s My Thug

Chapter 7: What About Your Friends?

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!!!

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!!!

BEEP, BEEP BEE-

Ugh. Time to wake up. For some reason I'm so tired this morning. I guess I didn't get much sleep cause I was trying to drown out the sounds from my mother and step-dad's eventful night. I got up and did my daily morning routine. While brushing my teeth, I heard my iPhone go off, indicating that I had a text. Still brushing my teeth I checked my phone seeing that I had a good morning text from Caine. I smiled as I texted back "Good morning, Kendrick. :)"

While texting him I went to my closet to see what I was going to wear today. I saw a teal high-low skirt that I had bought the other week that I wanted to try out so I decided I would match a black tank top and a yellow cardigan. I put on my fave black platform boot with the silver spikes on the back of the heel. I tied my hair into a top bun and put on some silver jewelry and earrings and kept my makeup pretty natural. I grabbed my book bag and things to put in the kitchen and grabbed me a pop tart and some orange juice while I waited to leave.

"You still going to sit next to me on the bus, ma?" Caine texted back. I replied saying "As long as you save me a seat next to you." He texted back a smiley face a little later as I was heading out the door so I figured it was no use in replying since I was about to see him.

I soon was at the bus stop and I saw Stretch sitting on the curb listening to his iPhone. I decided to sneak up on him cause he looked like he was paying no attention to his surroundings. I got behind him and covered his eyes with my hands. "Guess who?" I said laughing, kind of giving myself away. He turned his head a little and laughed. "Is it an angel?" he said. "No, I'm no angel" I said. I took my hands away from his eyes so he could look. He turned around and stood up. "You lied to me!" I looked at him confused. "You are a angel, Annah!" he finnished with a smile. I laughed and told him he was so corny. We hugged and he asked how my Valentine's Day was. I told him it was ok, even though I was single. He nodded and asked about the gift I got in my locker. I told him it was one of the best surprises I ever got but then it dawned on me. How did he know about my gift in my locker?

"How did you know someone gave me a Valentine's Day gift and put it in my locker?" I asked. He was about to answer my question when the bus pulled up. We got on the bus and I immediately started searching for Caine. I saw him in the back of the bus and started walking towards him. Stretch was in front of me so of course I had to wait for his tall ass to sit down. When he finnally sat down I could see that he was confused in why I kept walking past him. I smiled at Caine and sat next to him. "Good morning, Kendrick." I said to him. He smiled and said "Sup Shawty?" while putting his arm around me and hugging me. I smiled a little harder and looked at where Stretch was sitting. He was looking at Caine and I embracing each other. "I'm sorry." I mouthed to him, meaning every word. He shook his head and turned back around in his seat. He looked disappointed that I didn't sit with him but I just shrugged him off. I wasn't finna trip off of him and his attitude this early in the morning. I turned back to Caine and talked to him the rest of the bus ride to school.

~*~

We finnally pulled up to Lanewood High when Caine asked me if he could walk with me to my locker. I told him maybe after 1st hour because I had to take care of somethin' and by somethin' I meant Stretch. He said ok not showing any emotion on his face but I decided not to trip because I had to find Stretch. I walked into the school looking all over for Stretch when Molly and Deonna decided to pop up in my face out of no where. "Damn y'all, where the hell y'all come from?!" I yelled while looking around them trying to find Stretch. "Our momma's," Deonna answered while putting her hand on her hip and rolling her neck. "Whatever, Dee." I said. "Y'all seen Stretch?"

"No, he wasn't on the bus?" Deonna asked.

"No, he was but I guess he got mad at me cause I sat next to Caine instead of him and I hadn't seen him since he got off the bus." I explained.

"Damn Anne, you probably hurt that man's feelings" Dee said.

"Tall ass will be fine!" Molly started. "Let's finnish talking about Caine. So.. Tyree hooked you up with Thug-licious huh?"

I laughed and nodded at her. She had this big Kool-Aid smile on her face, satisfied that I was talking to Caine. "Good, you need a thug in your life." We laughed as I looked up and saw Caine walking towards us. "Speak of the handsome devil, himself." Deonna said. We laughed once again.

"Hello ladies!" Caine said to Molly and Dee. "Hey, Caine." they replied in unison. It was like these hoes was twins or something! "Whats up, Caine?" I said trying to act like I wasn't happy that he had came up to me again. "Did you take care of your little situation?" he asked. Molly and Dee looked at me confused and I waved my hand letting them know I would get them hip later. They nodded and I looked back at Caine saying that I somewhat did. "Oh, well can I walk with you to your locker now?' I looked at Molly and Deonna to see if they would be ok without me for the morning. They waved me good bye as Molly said "We got 1st to 4th hour plus lunch with you. We will be fine without you. Go ahead and handle yours!" I rolled my eyes and laughed at Molly.

"I guess that's a yes then?" Caine asked. Before I could even reply Dee told him yes for me. Caine smiled and reached for my hand. I grabbed hold of his hand and walked with him to my locker.

~*~

We got up to my locker when I had saw Stretch. "Stretch!" I yelled to him. He looked and said "What's up?" with a very unhappy look on his face. "I'm sorry I didn't sit next to you today." He looked at me then looked down. I followed his eyes and realized I was still hand in hand with Caine. I looked up and was about to say something before Stretch cut me off. "It's aight Annah. I understand. Maybe next time." and walked off. I looked down and hung my head in shame. "What was that about?" Caine asked. I just simply shook my head.

"Did y'all used to date or f**k or somethin'?"

"No, of course not! Jay is just my friend." I said reassuring him. I mean Jay was not ugly but he was just a friend and nothing more or less. He nodded his head as we kept walking to my locker. As I put my combination code into my locker, Caine slipped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I smiled and said "What are you doing, Kendrick?"

"I'm just chilling" he said. He started to kiss me on my neck but I told him to quit because I wasn't the type who liked random PDA if the person I was doing it with wasn't my boyfriend. Besides that, I had just started talking to him. He backed off with out putting up a fight and let me handle my business. After I had grabbed my books he took them from me. "What are you doing now?" I asked. "I'm being a gentleman and carrying your books. Ty and your girls ain't walking you to class today, I am." he assured me.

"But won't you be late?" I asked.

"I don't care about being late, I'm late to class every day. Plus my class is right down the hall from your 1st hour."

"I still don't want you to be late. Kendrick."

"I'll be fine shawty! Just let me walk you to class."

I gave up cause it was clear he wasn't going to and told him ok. He grabbed my hand and walked me to my 1st hour which was Drama. We got in front of my class almost a minute before the minute bell was about to ring. He gave me my books and I told him thanks. "No problem, boo." he said to me.

"Oh, so I'm your boo now?" I said laughing.

"Only if you want to be."

"I don't know, Kendrick. I just got out of a relationship the other day."

"Its ok, we can wait, boo."

He then started kissing me and as much as I didn't want it to stop, the bell rung. "I know you don't like PDA or whatever you call that s**t, but I just had to kiss you, boo." I laughed and said "It's ok, Kendrick." He kissed me on the cheek before leaving to go to his class. I turned around and walked into class just as the bell rang.

"Ms. Taylor," our drama teacher Mrs. Yung said. I looked at an old and short Asian woman with white hair, wrinkles, and glasses sitting behind a desk, staring at me. "Yes, Mrs. Yung?" I replied. "It was nice of you to give us your own little preview of next weeks 'Degrassi' but would you like to come back to reality and join the rest of us?" I rolled my eyes and sat in a desk next to Tyree with Molly on my left and Deonna behind me.

"Damn, you sure move on fast." Tyree said to me. I waved my hand at him and gave him a simple "f**k you." Molly laughed and said "Tyree leave my b***h alone, you of all people should be happy that she ain't talking to Da'Vontae no more."

Tyree and Da'Vontae were, well, never the best of friends. Actually, they never were friends. Da'Vontae always thought Tyree and I had a secret thing but I told him it was all innocent and that we were just best friends. One time he tried to give me an ultimatum and make me choose between him and Tyree. Stupidly, I was about to choose him, until I gave him one. I told him if I gave up my best friend that liked me then he would have to give up his. I guess he loved that hoe so much that he decided to take it back. When I told Tyree, he was not pleased. He asked how I could give up almost 4 years of friendship for a guy I was only dating for a handful of months. I begged and pleaded for his forgiveness for days and he eventually forgave me. I told him I would never choose another nigga over him again and I had meant it.

"I am happy!" Tyree stated. "I'm just messing with the thirsty girl."

"I ain't thirsty!" I said to Tyree, crossing my arms at my chest and rolling my eyes. "Yeah, whatever.

You comming over tomorrow to work on our Geography project?" he asked. Right when I was about to answer I had got a text from Caine.

"Hey boo, can you come over tomorrow? I would say tonight but I gotta make a run right after we get off the bus and I won't be back 'til midnight and Ion't want you up all night." I looked at the message and thought about it. I didn't wanna break my promise and blow him off for another dude. Especially since I just met Caine. On the other hand, I did want to spend time with him outside of school. "Um, Tyree, can I come over tonight? Something just popped up for tomorrow." He nodded. "Its fine with me." I smiled and said "Thanks Tyree, you're the best!" I replied to Caine letting him know that I was down. He asked to sit next to him on the bus ride home since he wasn't going to be able to talk to me after school and I told him that I would.

~*~

School was finnally over when Molly, Deonna, Tyree and I were all at my locker. I was putting my books up when the next thing I know, I saw someone's hands covering my eyes. "Who the f**k?" I heard a familuar voice laughing "Calm down, Shawty! It's just me!" I turned around and saw it was Caine. I smiled and hugged him. "You got your stuff?" he asked. I nodded as he closed my locker door and grabbed my hand. The five of us then walked on to the bus outside of the school. Molly and Dee sat in a seat on the right and Tyree in a seat behind them scooting over for me. Caine and I walked past him and went to the back of the bus. "My b***h, where the hell you goin?" Deonna yelled. "I'm sitting with Caine today." I said as Caine took my bag and waited for me to sit down. "So you just leaving us?" Molly asked. "Pretty much!" I said laughing. "What about your friends?" Said Deonna, singing the old TLC song. Molly and I laughed at her silly self trying to sit on her knees in the chair and dance like Left Eye. "It's ok Chicka, let her be with her new boo." Molly said. "I'll be back tomorrow!" I told them. They turned around and continued on with conversation. I turned to Caine and he kissed me on the forehead. I smiled as he pulled me into a hug. We sat there and talked the whole bus ride.

~*~

We walked off the bus when the bus driver pulled off to our stop. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?" Caine whispered in my ear. I nodded to him and he smiled. He knew I was blowing Tyree off for him and I made him promise not to tell Tyree about it. He kissed me on the lips and said "Bye, Shawty." I waved bye to him and hugged Tyree. "You really like him don't you?" Tyree asked. I thought about it for a minute and said "Yeah, I really do." with a smile. He looked at me and said "Be careful. Remember he is a thug."

"I can take care of myself!"

"I know you can, that's why I'm telling you!"

"Later, Tyree!"

"You better come after you drop off 'Vaeh, little girl!"

"Goodbye, Tyree!" I said laughing! "Later, Shawty!" he replied. A few minutes later I arrived at my house and saw something very shocking. Somebody was sitting on my porch but it wasn't just anybody. I knew this person for a while!

"Da'Vontae?!" I said in shock.

"What's happening, Shawty?"

I can't believe my eyes. What the hell was he doing here?