Belonging to Lust

Chapter 164: A New Chick To Bully

On Tuesday afternoon, Zaiyia was spending her lunch with the McCoy sisters in the cafeteria. They sat together at the far end of the table in the back right corner of the tremendous room packed with students enjoying their meals served on trays given to them by the staff in the kitchen. The air was jammed with conversations and laughter overlapping all at one. No one paid any attention to Zaiyia today other than to shoot her a couple of glares from across the room. She’d gotten used to such malicious treatments that she no longer cared anymore. These days if she caught the sneer from some random stranger, she’d flash them a grin and wink before returning to her lunch just like she was doing now.

“Anyway, I think another party at Cameron’s house this Friday night is exactly what we all need to unwind.” Assata proposed before drinking from her bottle of Apple Juice. “Unless of course y’all got something else to do.”

Zaiyia didn’t take a second to weigh it over. She wanted to consume all of her time with Heath instead. Shrugging anyway, she muttered. “I’m not sure I wanna go. I’m not all that interested in partying.”

More like she didn’t want to squander even a second away from Heath’s company if she could help it! Ever since they started...dating, I suppose you could say, she didn’t want to be out of his reach. The guy was FINALLY kissing her, and touching her constantly, why would she want to stop that to go to some party where the bulk of the people there didn’t like her? It wouldn’t make sense. Her school and Heath’s job already divided them enough as it is. Yes, they texted from time to time, but that wasn’t the same thing, especially because his responses aren’t amorous in the least bit. He spoke to her as a Guardian would, not a lover. She always missed the inappropriate part of their relationship and could only immerse in it when they were behind the closed doors of his house.

When Heath had said they were nothing to each other but a father-like relationship with his so-called ‘daughter’, he meant it with every word. It was like their relationship had been a figment of her imagination all along whenever they were apart. It had messed with her and made her anxious every time she went to school because she wasn’t certain if when she returned he would take her in his arms again, or treat her like some kid living in his house again. It felt like it was too much of a risk to leave his side, but she had to go to school, she had an education to get and he had to work to provide for them. It bothered her immensely, but she’d eventually get over it so long as he didn’t stop loving on her.

“Not at all interested? Please, girl! That’s some bullshit.” Monniqie shunned, pointing the tip of her plastic fork at Zaiyia. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “What’s the real reason you don’t wanna go to this party? I know you ain’t got nothing better going on.”

At that precise moment Zaiyia would have responded, Alice White entered the cafeteria with a few of her friends. Some of them had harassed Zaiyia and some hadn’t...yet. The table Alice typically sat at cut off their conversations to eagerly welcome the young brittle blonde over to them. “HEY, ALICE! OVER HERE!”

The McCoy sisters and Zaiyia all shot their brown eyes in the direction of the cafeteria’s main entrance to mutely monitor Alice White. At first it was because they were drawn to the commotion of students shouting someone’s name and had identified the very person who they had to pretend they didn’t know. When Alice’s traveling eyes met Zaiyia’s from across the room, she spared her a brief half-smile in secret greeting. Zaiyia sent one back herself and watched her head to her table full of friends.

Returning back to Monnique’s prodding, Zaiyia muttered. “Nothing, girl. I just got a whole lot of shit on my mind right now other than going to parties.”

“And? That’s exactly why you need to be going, so your ass can relax!” Monnique pressed with a smile.

Sitting beside Zaiyia, Aishah gave her a nudge with her elbow. “Yo, don’t look now, but that dirtbag Alan just walked in with our girl, Chastity Bennett!”

“CHASITY!?” They all exclaimed with shock, needing to see this. Simultaneously, they swiveled around in their seats, nearly toppling off in the process to hone in on the main entrance again to witness what Aishah claimed was true. Alan was walking into the cafeteria alongside Chasity! The two were walking kinda slow, the redhead listening closely to what Alan was saying, nodding her head from time to time as they came to a full stop before the entire cafeteria, who seemed to have almost gone fully silent.

Zaiyia couldn’t fathom what the hell was going on here! And it was displayed all over her face as she hissed with frustration, her hands curling around her utensils because of the betrayal. “What the flying FUCK is she doing hanging around with that little troublemaking bitch!?”

“And WHEN the fuck did she start hanging around with him all buddy buddy-like!?” Monnique added just as passionately, glaring furiously in their direction.

Discerning that what she was seeing was real, Zaiyia couldn’t imagine how Alice would react when she found out. Darting her eyes to the lame girl’s direction, she could see that the blonde had noticed her exe-boyfriend in the company of their friend, Chastity. Her spine went rigid, her jaw dropped and her blue eyes gaped at the duo. It was only a second later that her eyes snapped in Zaiyia’s direction as if looking for an answer to why the two were even speaking to each other so chummily.

Zaiyia didn’t know how else to respond than with the truth, and gave her a visible shrug that she had no clue what was going on and that she had no part in it. As far as she was concerned, Chastity and Alan were never friends from the beginning but neither were they adversaries either. This entire time Zaiyia had been expecting Alice to be the one to wake up one morning and stab her in the back, but Chasity? Never in a million years!

Alice went deathly pale, and lowered her shimmering sad blue eyes to her half-eaten tray of lunch. She looked like she wanted to die right then and there on the spot, and if the Grim Reaper were present she’d gleefully throw herself into his arms as long as it meant she wouldn’t get to live a second more. Unable to contain the emotions erupting within her from choking her airway, Alice abruptly shot up from her seat, snatched her backpack up and ran out of the cafeteria through one of the four exits that led to the outside. Her friends all jumped up to their feet, calling after her to come back. When she didn’t, they searched in the direction she’d been looking at before her outburst and spottec Chasity with Alan. At once, they glare murderously at her.

“Oh shit…” Assata whispered, a hand over her mouth. Unable to finish the rest of her sentence as she stared with wide eyes at the targeted Chasity.

“Them girls might finally stop fucking around with Zaiyia. It ooks like they found a new chick to bully.” Aishah finished for her sister, reading her exact thoughts. They both looked on with concern for the young redhead who had no clue what peril she just put herself into by simply being seen with Alan.

As if speaking that scenario into motion, one of Alice’s friends surged out of her seat to stomp towards Chastity and Alan, who were still locked in deep conversation and negligent of all that ensued around them since they entered the cafeteria.

“Fuck, Chasity is about to get her ass slapped, yo!” Monique gasped, shielding her eyes with her hands. “Man, I can’t watch! Tell me if she survives!”

Despite the fact that Chasity might have conned her so hurtfully, Zaiyia couldn’t let some chick go up to her past friend and smack the life out of her! She knew Chasity wasn’t much of a fighter, and wouldn’t hold her own. “Sonofabitch!” Zaiyia cursed to herself, intending to rescue the redhead by drawing attention to herself. Ascending up onto her chair, she set one foot on the table beside her lunch tray and pointed at the girl going for Chasity, hollering out loud enough to be heard loud and cleae. “HEY, SIT DOWN! DON’T DO IT OR I’LL WHOOP YOUR SKINNY ASS TO NEXT TUESDAY!”

The girl targeting Chasity halted in her steps, and revolved around to distinguish who was shouting at her. When her eyes landed on Zaiyia, she glared murderously at the girl, seeming to remember her hostility for her in that instant.

Having achieved her attention, Zaiyia had also gained Alan and Chasity who up until now had no idea of the turmoil they had evoked in everyone simply by being seen with each other. Chastity twisted her head from the left and to the right, reading the ominous aura in the room. She had made a grave mistake, she didn’t need to be told how. She had to get out of this situation quickly. Choosing it best not to look at Alan, Chastity rapidly bid her adieu. “It was nice talking to you, Alan. Goodbye!”

“But Chasity, I-” Alan began but ended just as swiftly. He wasn’t finished with what he had to say. There was so much more to what he had to say, but his ex-girlfriend’s friends ruined everything. They always ruined everything! Curling his hand into a fist, he gritted his teeth in frustration. Running a hand through his short brown hair, he shook his head in defeat, spun on his heels, and stomped back out of the cafeteria. He no longer had an appetite.