Time Can Only Tell

Chapter 5

Tristan

Three weeks later

It was around 7:45 and me and Zaire were just about to leave the practice field. The season started last week and of course we won. Yet, we should have won easier, so coach had us paying for not playing our hardest. He had us layed out running laps and drills like we got beat by 50 or some s**t. I think we should have been celebrating I mean we undefeated I don’t care if we only played one game. A perfect record is a perfect record if you ask me.

“Man I’m damn tired. We have been at this all week. Coach has gone crazy acting like we lost.” I say rubbing the back of my neck walking towards my car.

“I’m cool with all this. Coach is right we should have won easy so he’s right by making us play. That game went down to the wire and should have been over by halftime. We gotta step it up or we gone crash and burn this season.”

“I still see it as a win is a win no matter how big or small. The record books still count it as a win. Plus the season just started.”

“Nigga, it’s about principle. We are talking about winning the national championship this season. We can’t do that playing around; we have to take care of business and last game we didn’t. No one is going to lie down and give us s**t we have to earn it. I don’t just wanna be another good team. I wanna be the BEST! And if that’s gone happen everyone has to give 110% no slackers allowed.”

“Damn, nigga chill. You all hype and s**t. I get it.”

“Fi” He’s interrupted by his ringing phone.

“Hello” pause

“Yeah” pause

“I’m coming” pause

“Don’t be playing with me, girl” He must be talking to Monica. Those two have been inseparable ever since they met. If you ask me this nigga sprung.

"Aight, Imma be there in a min” he hung up.

“You so sprung”

“Nigga whatever you just hating”

“What I’m hating on? You all locked up and I’m free as a bird, just flying.”

“Oh, so that’s what they calling lonely now.”

“I ain’t lonely, I choose to be single. Plus I got my hoes.”

“Yeah and ya hoes either gone get pregnant or give you a STD. Ya ass gone be scratching.” He laughs

“Whatever, so is Monica still at the coffee shop?” I say changing the subject before Zaire continues his “them groupie hoes gone get you in trouble” tirade. That s**t gets annoying. I’m a grown ass man I can make my own decisions. I know what I could be getting into when I f**k these hoes that’s why I always wrap it up. I have no need for any babies right now and I damn sure don’t want any diseases.

“Yeah, how you know where she is?”

“I talked to Arianna before I hit the showers; she said they were chilling there for a while. I told her I was gone slide through.”

“Man, you know you like Tae you need to stop playing around and just get with her.”

“I’m not gone lie. I like her. She hella cool, cute, funny and smart. She the whole package. Maybe even the wifeing type. But, I gotta stay focus.”

“Nigga, you just scared. Ya’ll already act like bf and gf. You two always together, you check on her constantly, you even call her baby. You in a relationship and U.O.E.N.O it.”

“You crazy AF, but we probably get going before Monica crazy behind calls you again bugging.”

We both hop our cars and head to the coffee shop. He’s trailing behind me in his truck. On the lil ride over there all I was thinking about Arianna. I mean Zaire right we act like we’re together. Yet we just friends. That’s my little baby though. I flirt with her all the time and she just laughs it off like it’s nothing. Our “friendship” is new territory for me. I usually don’t have to put in any work towards girls because they just flock to me. It’s always been that way. Yet something about Arianna just makes me want to put my best foot forward. She’s different and I like that. I just don’t know if I’m any good for her?

Arianna

“Bring ya ass on Zaire” Monica says hanging up the phone.

“I don’t know why you being so mean to him now. Cause you know as soon as his ass opens that door you gone all over him”

“I know, girl. I just like acting tough sometimes. I have to let him know whose boss especially since I done gave up the box”

“What??” I spit my hot chocolate back into my cup. “Already, Monica? Ya’ll been together like a month?” I’m know I’m being overly dramatic but I don’t give a damn. Zaire is not just some basic dude, he is THE QUARTERBACK. And if that’s not enough he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country, so girls just will open their legs for his time of day. I just don’t want to see my girl hurt.

“Eww, you so old fashioned. Everyone can’t be a virgin. Shame on us sinners” she said a little too loud for my liking

“Shut up, will you? I don’t need everyone in my business. And I didn’t mean it like that? I just I’m surprised that’s all.”

After that it was an awkward silence between us. I hate awkward silences they make me feel like the other person is just judging me. So, after about 30 seconds I had to say something

“So was it good?” I say biting the inside of my lip.

“I thought you would ever ask. Girl, it was so good. I mean I have had good before. But the way he made my body feel was AMAZINGGG! It’s like he knew exactly what to do to me. And he was so big. I was a little scared. I mean I have never been the type of girl to run from the d**k. But, girl I was scared he wasn’t gone fit. That thing was just staring at me saying “You ain’t ready for all this” she gasped.

“And his abs were flawless, I just wanted to lick ice cream right off of them.” She closed her eyes and bit down on her bottom lip in a trance.

“Monica?” I snapped at her.

“Oh, girl I’m sorry. I was thinking about him. Jesus I need to be baptized again after what he put me through.” She fanned her face.

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, but you need to get it together cause Tristan and Zaire just pulled up and he doesn’t need to see you all hot and bothered right now.”

“Oh Gosh, okay okay okay. I’m calm cool and collected.”

When they enter the doors we pretend like we were just having the most interesting conversation in the world. It doesn’t take long for them to spot us because we were sitting up front.

“Why ya’ll look so serious?” Zaire asked right before he kissed Monica.

“Hey baby” she replied as she pulled away from their kiss. They were so cute together. They just looked like they belonged together. You know like Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Will and Jada, heck even Future and Ciara. They just complemented each other well.

“Can ya’ll stop with the PDA? No one wants to see you two make out in public. Hey Arianna” Tristan says annoyed. He’s the only one I let call me by Arianna. Actually I don’t really let him I have no choice I tried to get him to call me Tae. But he incents on calling me Arianna. He’s stubborn but cute so I let him slide.

“Sounds like someone is jealous.” Monica says smiling into Zaire lips

“I mean ya’ll cute and all but we are sitting here too.” I say agreeing with Tristan.

“Seems like two lonely haters to me and if ya’ll got a problem you can just leave.” Zaire says stealing one of my chocolate covered pretzels.

I slap his hand. “Naw, nigga you can’t talk s**t, and then eat my food.”

“I just did” He popped the pretzel in his mouth “and I was just stating facts.”

“So, how was your day?” I say trying to start up a conversation

“It was…” I interrupt Zaire before he could finish.

“I was talking to Tristan”

“Oh, no rudeness. I just can’t cut off my man.” Monica says defending Zaire.

“She just did” Tristan says laughing. “And anyway it was hell man coach had us running like we stole something, my college algebra professor assigned mad homework. But you know what the day is brightening up you know since my baby here with me.” He smiled and kissed my forehead.

Tristan was always saying and doing little flirtatious stuff like that. I always chalked it up to him just being a big flirt, but I never stop it. I just go along with the flow because honestly ever since our second tutoring session where I apologized to him. I have been catching feelings for him and hearing him call me “his baby” makes me feel like he likes me too. In the moment right after I hear him call me that it’s as if he likes me back and it feels so good. I know I seem desperate and I know he doesn’t like me that way but a girl can dream.

“Why don’t you two get a room?” Zaire says

“Maybe we will. You got a problem with that” Tristan teases as he grabs my thigh under the table and play bites at me as he looks my body up and down.

I brush him off and try and pretend like what he just did had no effect on me. Yet I’m holding back the biggest grin in the world. All this man did was rub my thigh and look at me. And I’m turned on. He has too much effect on me and my body.

“Why don’t you two just get together already?” Monica says like someone asked for her input. What we have is just fine. At least I get to fulfill my fantasies a little. It’s better than nothing.

“Who said we aren’t together? Maybe I just didn’t tell you.” I grab Tristan’s hand, intertwine our fingers, kiss him on the cheek and stare into his eyes trying not to get lost. But it’s hard concentrating.

“What the hell? You got a man and didn’t tell me? I’m your best friend Tae you could have told me this s**t and I tell you everything” She folds her arms across with this mad look on her face.

“All of this is new for us; we weren’t trying to jinx our love for each other.” Tristan says going along with my joke. He even kisses my bottom lip gently and slowly tugs at it. LAWD, this man better stop before I go crazy.

“Ya’ll for real? Man, congratulations.” Zaire says with this huge smile on his face.

One look at their faces and we were both rolling. Getting their asses was too easy. They fall for anything.

“Ya’ll asses ain’t right for that. Karma gone get ya’ll two” Monica says balling up her fists at us.

Wherever we all get together it’s always like this. We around laughing and poking fun at each other. We just over all have a good time no matter where we are. I love when we all spend time together and I love our little crew. After all the crap I have went through with bad friends back home. Being around good people and having a good time is refreshing. I hope it is always like this between us four.