Belonging to Lust

“Zaiyia, I don’t think skipping school is a good idea.” Chastity berated her friend as they walked through the parking lot towards the McCoy sister’s car that had just pulled up. “I mean, yeah, we did it yesterday, but that doesn’t mean we should do it again today!”

“I know you’re right, Chastity, but I just can’t let this linger another day.” Zaiyia tried to disagree quietly, her mind determined to see Alice White today, so they could have a Round 2 that will hopefully finish better than Round 1. “I gotta see Alice again or else I’ll get cold feet and terminate this whole game plan we got going on. Lord knows we don’t want me doing that, right?”

Chastity nodded in agreement. She too didn’t want Zaiyia giving up on making peace with Alice White, the commander of her oppressors, but at the same time she didn’t want to get exposed skipping school. She was lucky enough yesterday that her absence had gone unseen, but what about today? What if today her luck ran dry? “Well, yeah, bu-”

“Why are y’all chatting about skipping school again?” Monique inquired from where she had been leaning against the car in wait for them to catch up. “Don’t you know today is a half-day? You don’t have to go skipping class, just wait a couple of hours and then go after school.”

Zaiyia and Chasity were taken aback by that insight, and shared a bewildered look. How come they didn't know it wasn’t a full day of school today? Looking to Monique, Chasity raised a brow. “Seriously? Today is a half-day?”

“Yeah.” Assata agreed, hauling her backpack over her shoulders. “It’s due to some crap I couldn't care to remember, but yeah we got half of the day off to do what we want once we're finished here.”

“Damn, we could have totally gone to Alice’s house today instead of skipping school yesterday then, huh?” Zaiyia reflected with a frown, then gazed at Chasity. “Sorry about that, Chasity. I didn’t mean to fuck you over like that.”

Chasity waved her reparation off. “That’s fine, Zaiyia. It's all behind us now.”

“Cool, then that means after school we can go and see Alice again...that is if you ladies wanna accompany us?” Zaiyia extended the MCCoy sisters with an encouraging look in her eyes, praying they’d agree. “We can definitely use the ride and company.”

“Do you really need to ask?” Aishah laughed at her. “Of course we’re down to be your backup again! We can meet up right here by the car after school.”

“And we can all retire the hostility behind from yesterday’s meeting, right?” Chastity solicited, her eyes scurrying over each face.

“Sure, if Alice doesn't start shit again.” Monique replied, reminding Chasity on who exactly triggered the last blow up.

“Don’t start none.” Assata began with a villainous grin, cloaking an arm over Aisha’s shoulder.

“Won’t be none.” Aishah concluded with a wink to Chasity.

“Good point.” Chastity conceded, not seeing any reason not to. With a shrug, she strode with her friends through the doors of their school to get to their classes on time.

______________________________________________________________________________

After school, instead of taking the bus back home to their respective homes, Zaiyia, Chastity and the McCoy sisters all adjoined by their car and took a ride back to the trailer park Alice resided in. Upon gliding up to her trailer, Chastity reported that Mr. White’s truck was gone which meant he wasn’t present within the home. As they parked along the curb and departed the car, Zaiyia curbed Chasity from knocking on the front door. “Hold up, hun. Let me do it.”

Chasity didn’t look complacent with that idea. Frowning, she entailed. “Are you sure? I think it would be better if she saw me first. She loathes you, you know.”

“Yeah yeah, I know she’d prefer my throat cut and my body rotting at the bottom of a cliff, but this is my motherfucking crusade.” Zaiyia reminded her while trying to repress back any rising fury from taking center stage. She needed to do better than last time they met, SHE needed to be better! Lifting a hand, she knocked on the front door loud enough for Alice to be able to hear from inside, then veered over to whisper. “But feel free to be the referee if you want to if something goes down.”

The door soon swiveled open to a healing Alice that mutated back into the same scowling Alice from yesterday upon identifying Zaiyia standing with her friends on her walkway. “What the hell do you think you’re doing back here, Halifax? Huh? What more do you want to take from me?”

“I don’t want to take anything from you, Alice.” Zaiyia rejected with a shake of her head, her brown eyes heavily with aversion, but her voice subdued and tranquil. “I just want to talk to you, that’s it.”

“You must have a horrendous memory, because from my understanding we already talked yesterday.” Alice reminded her with a snarl. “Now get lost or I’ll call the cops on you and get your ass shot!”

Now, it could have been that Alice encountered Zaiyia on a good day...or perhaps it was because Zaiyia got dicked down to fulfillment twice last night by Heath. Whatever basis it was that Alice’s stringent words ricochet off of her leaving her impassive, Zaiyia wasn’t planning to take the easy way out by running away and obliging this bullying movement against her to proceed onward. No, she was determined, her mind clear and revitalized to undertake this dispute head on, and her spirit more alive than she has ever been in a long time. At this moment, there was nothing Alice could say to her to make her fly off with her tail between her legs. How can she when she’s now seen the erroneous way she’s handled both Alice and Alan at the same time? How can she when she did so many things wrong?

For starters, she should have done the right thing by going to Principal Quinn in the beginning of all of this to halt this bullying properly especially since he's a conscientious Principal who actually gave a damn about her. She shouldn’t have strung Alan along to piss off Alice and her haters, and instead have been genuine with him from the start. She should have found a way to make amends with Alice earlier on too. But Zaiyia hadn’t done any of these things. Why? It was because she was so in love with Heath at the time and couldn’t have him that caused her to act out like a complete idiot. Her heartbreak had conquered her natural clear reasoning and made her mess up her new life here. But after making love with him last night, she was ready to grant the whole world peace, and if that meant tolerating Alice to try and get under her skin to piss her off, then so be it. She can try till her face turns blue. Zaiyia wouldn't let her prevail in this one.

Holding up both hands in a sign of peace, Zaiyia spoke serenely to her. “Alice, you don’t need to take this that far, it’s not necessary. I only want to talk with you. There doesn’t have to be any scuffle or cussing out bitches here.”

“Oh, now you wanna talk to me?” Alice reiterated venomously. “What about yesterday when you were threatening to beat my ass up? What about then?”

“The way I behaved yesterday wasn’t how I should have handled things. I’m actually humiliated that I behaved that way especially because that wasn’t my initial purpose upon coming here to see you.” Zaiyia permitted, finding it peculiar to be honest with this young lady who made her life hell since she started school. “Don’t take this as a justification, but I’ve been...going through some harsh shit and it has induced me to handle things wrongfully for a long time. Unwarranted things against you, against Alan, and your friends that have been sticking up for you from the beginning. But that person is no longer me anymore. Alice, I’m here today to do what’s right.”