Page 10 of Intercept My Heart

“I guess it’s a good thing I’m not looking for a girlfriend. All I need is pussy. They can keep the relationship shit. I’m about to make millions one day. They better fall in line.”

“Yeah, I heard you.” Drake and I shared the love of the game, but we were different in many ways. My mother taught me how to treat a woman and respect them at a very young age. Although I wouldn’t categorize myself as the perfect gentleman, I tried my best to follow my values.

“Okay, here you go. You’re all set. Is there anything else I can get for you? Anything at all?” The cashier winked at me as if she didn’t have a line of people out the door.

“Naw, I’m straight.” Grabbing my bags, we headed over to where the girls were standing. I took a seat on the bench while Brielle continued to shop around. Once we finally made it to the food court, my stomach was touching my back. Brielle and the rest of the group wanted Mr. P’s, while I opted to go to the Steak Shack. I was in the mood for a chicken cheesesteak with all the fixings. I stood in line for about fifteen minutes until I finally made it to the register.

“Welcome to Steak Shack. What can I get for you today?” I recognized the pretty girl as Charae. We never really talked much until recently, but she seemed like a nice girl—one of those innocent and naive ones.

“Hey, how are you doing? Can I get the large chicken cheesesteak with a large fry and lemonade?”

“You sure can. Is there anything else I can get for you?” My head turned over to Brielle and them at the table waiting for me.

“How are you? I haven’t seen you around much.”

“You never paid attention to me in the first place, so I don’t see why you care.” Her words were harsh, but her tone remained professional.

“Touché. I wasn’t trying to offend you or anything. I just wanted to know that you’re okay.”

“I see you’re still fucking with my bully. Your total is 16.50. Will that be cash or card?” I chuckled at the way she dismissed me. It wasn’t something I was used to, being who I am. It kind of made me even more intrigued by her.

“Keep the change.” I handed her a hundred-dollar bill. Charae frowned at me, then glanced back down at the money.

“We don’t take tips from customers. Besides, I’m not a charity case you can throw money at to make yourself feel better.”

“What would I need to feel better about exactly?” She offended me slightly, and I wasn’t sure how to feel.

“Nothing. Your order should be ready in five minutes. You can wait over there.” I couldn’t explain why her coldness got under my skin, but it did. I hated the idea of her looking at me in a negative way, but I couldn’t explain why.

After the other worker called my food order out, I turned to look at Charae one last time. She never even turned in my direction as she took orders from another customer. I didn’t know why her presence got to me the way it did, but I tried my best to put it behind me once I got to the table.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

“I’m straight.” I kept it short because I really didn’t have much to say. Brielle and I had been kicking it for a little minute now, but it was nothing special to me. Truthfully, love wasn’t on my agenda. The only thing I cared about was securing my future and making it to the NFL.

“I saw you talking to Rae. What was that about?” Drake probed, although I wondered why.

“It was nothing.” I shrugged, focusing my attention on my food.

“She’s been acting really strange lately. She gets up every morning and walks to the bus stop before everyone gets up in the morning. I thought maybe I’d done something to her, but she hasn’t been fucking with the family at all.” I glanced over at the girls, knowing I wasn’t trying to have this conversation around them.

“She’s a loser anyways. I mean, look at the way she dresses. If I were your parents, I would have taken her right back to the pound they got her from,” Nadia spat. She and Brielle slapped hands, as if she’d said something insightful.

“Exactly! I’m glad my parents chose not to be foster parents because I would die to be associated with a weirdo like her,” Brielle added in.

“It’s foster care. She’s not a fucking pet.” I glared at them but decided to bite my tongue since I knew my words would be disrespectful. I hated mean girls, and it wasn’t until recently that I saw Brielle as one of them. She kept that shit away from me when we first started kicking it.

“My brother wanted to ask her to prom, but I shut it down. We have a reputation to uphold, and going to prom with someone like her would ruin everything.”

My jaw flexed, but I tried to calm myself down. I couldn’t even explain why their comments pissed me off the way they did. However, I knew this would probably be the last time I hung out with Brielle.

“She’s actually smart as hell, foreal. I don’t think she’s weird at all; she’s just been through a lot of shit in life. My parents aren’t perfect, but I don’t know what I would have done not having them. I’m sure it’s tough for her.” This was the most sympathy I’d ever seen from Drake.

“Aw, do you have a soft spot for that dirty bitch? What? Do you want to fuck her or something?” Nadia sounded as ifshe held personal animosity toward Charae from how she spoke about her.

“Hell, I might. I know her pussy gotta be tighter than your ran through ass. You’ve got some nerve talking about someone else when you’re only seventeen with two abortions under your belt. If I were you, I would focus on more important things.”

“Drake! I told you that in confidence. Why would you even bring that up?”

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