Belonging to Lust

Zaiyia let out a weary sigh as she covers her face with one hand and leaned back in her patio chair. It was a Tuesday that Heath allowed her to stay home due to her getting in a altercation on the bus with a bunch of racist girls, and he thought it'd be a good idea to summon her friends over after school to hang out with her. He even went as far as to set up some extra chairs for them all on the patio out back on this beautiful say, but now Zaiyia wasn't seeing the point in inviting guests over at all. Since Chasity and the McCoy sisters arrived they've been too occupied with ogling a shirtless Heath from afar as he helped their Mr. Roger-looking neighbor with a damaged fence. She had been trying to get to the reason for her asking them to come over out but they all seemed too distracted by the hunk of muscle to listen to anything she had to say...thought she couldn't blame them at the same time because what she wouldn't give to be invited back into his bed again.

My god, she sounded desperate. Sadly, that's exactly what she was.

“The fight on the damn bus yesterday!” Zaiyia reminded them furiously as she glared at each and every one of them. “Remember? I got in a fight on with a bunch of Alice's racist friends!”

“Ooooooooooh!” Monique turned to her with her eyes shining in remembrance. “I remember hearing about that!”

“Yeah, what was that shit even about?” Assata inquired, her memory lost to the Hercules currently headed their way.

“Would you ladies like a drink?” The table went quiet as Heath passed by towards the kitchen. He gave Zaiyia a wink along the way. “We got some lemonade inside made by yours truly.”

“PLEASE!” Chasity blurted out too loudly, her cheeks flooding red in embarassment.

“That sounds refreshing, Mr. Sullivan.”Aishah seconded in hopes he wouldn't notice Chasity acting weird.

Heath disappeared with a nod of confirmation into the house where he proceeded to get himself and the young ladies in his backyard a glass of lemonade.

“Hurry up, Zaiyia! Tell us what happened before that find piece of ass comes back again!” Monique impatiently rushed in a state of panic. She was genuinely trying to be here for Zaiyia but damn...it was proving too difficult of a task to complete!

Zaiyia straightened up in her chair and got to spewing out her tale as fast as she could before Heath could return. “Okay, I was on the bus on my way home, right? Well, these bitches started insulting me by making comments on my hair, skin tone, and my feature that clearly scream out to the world 'Hey, I'm black!' I chose to ignore them but they took it too far by the time we got to the bus stop and I lost it. I attacked them and the bus driver had to drag me off of the bus.”

“No fucking way!” Assata exclaimed, outraged by what happened.

“In this day and age, we still got racist assholes to deal with.” Aishah shook her head in disgust. “You'd think they'd find something better to do with their time.”

“Right!” Zaiyia agreed, throwing her hands up.

“Yeah, like go and worry about paying your own bills, or something!” Monique suggested. “Or pick up a damn hobby like stamp collecting!”

“No, they need to stop all this hatred for the way other people look!” Chasity shared her opinion. “They're the ones with the problems and so they need to seek professional help to fix their own life and stop taking it out on others.”

“I couldn't agree more.” Once again the table went quiet as Heath emerged from within the kitchen with a tray of lemonade and a pitcher full of it. He placed it on the table and handed the drinks out before opting to walk around the table to stand behind Zaiyia's chair. He placed his hands on the top of it and looked to Chasity. “That's the reason I haven't grounded this one here, is because in my eyes she's the real victim, not those other idiots.”

“Hold on, you believe her side of the story?!” Assata questioned in surprise, not believing an adult, much less a white man would care so much.

“Well, yeah. I've seen the way these people circulate plus Zaiyia wouldn't lie to me.” Heath hesitated for a minute as a few other lies popped up in his memory she's told before. “At least about something as serious as being a target for racism.”

“So, what happens now?” Chasity asked both Heath and Zaiyia, looking to her friend.

“I'm suspended off the school bus now.” Zaiyia shared with a casual shrug. “So I guess now Heath has to drive me to school everyday until this situation is resolved...or if the truth ever gets to come out.”

Heath lowered a large hand to place it on her shoulder for support. “Hey, don't talk like that. This will get resolved one way or another even if that means I have to go down there everyday and harass them until they stop.”

“I'm sure they'd enjoy that.” Zaiyia giggled to herself as he absentmindedly rubbed her shoulder while her eyes spaced out on the glass patio table.

There was moment of pause before Aishah raised a hand to Heath as if he was a teacher. “Actually, Mr. Sullivan, if you don't mind we can definitely come over to pick Zaiyia up for school and drop her off for you.”

“Yeah, that is if it's not a bother, of course.” Assata agreed with a firm nod.

Heath looked between the two in surprise, a charming smile spreading across his handsome face. “No, it wouldn't bother me in the least but...are you sure your parents wouldn't mind? I'm not aware if either of you have your licenses yet?”

The oldest of the McCoy sister's raised her hand. “I have my own car. It's not much to look at but it does the job. And no, my parents wouldn't mind me picking Zaiyia up for school and such just so long as she's not a gang member, drug dealer, or wanted by the police.”

“I can attest now that she's none of those things.” Heath assured her with a chuckle. “I guess we have a deal then. You guys can take Zaiyia to and from school and I'll make sure she'll give you gas money for your troubles.”

“Oh no, you don't have to worry about that.” Monique assured him with hearts in her eyes even though it wasn't her car nor did she pay any gas money for her free rides.

“I insist.” Heath urged before a call of his name from the neighbor took his attention away. “Oh, looks like Mr. Roger's is done with his break. I better get back to work.”

Zaiyia spun around in her seat in surprise, demanding the one answer she and her friends now needed to know. “Hold on, his name is seriously Mr. Rogers?!”

“Yeah...why?” Heath asked suspiciously at all the incredulous faces staring back at him.

“No reason.” Zaiyia answered back, turning back to face her friends with a look of bewilderment on her face.

Chasity flashed Heath an innocent smile. “None at all.”