Caught Up by Amir Abrams Read Free Book Online

tone.
    He eyes me. “Hold da attitude, ma. You too pretty to be actin’ all stank; feel me? All I’m tryna do is order my meal. And all my peeps was tryna do is holla at you, yo. But you wanna be all stuck up ’n’ shit. You lucky I don’t smack you in ya frontz.”
    I blink.
    â€œYo, dawg, chill da eff out, for real.” Hazel Eyes elbows him in the side. “That ain’t cool, yo.”
    â€œNah, eff dis stupid beyaatch .”
    I frown. This is the first time a boy has ever called me the B word to my face. And I feel like I’ve just been sucker-punched in the gut.
    Before I can say anything, Hazel Eyes checks him. Tells him he shouldn’t disrespect females like that. Then pushes him out of the way. “Yo, my bad,” Hazel Eyes says apologetically. “That mofo ain’t always playin’ wit’ a full deck when he ain’t on his meds.”
    I raise a brow. He’s staring at me with puppy dog eyes holding his heart, feigning hurt. “But I’m sayin’, babe. You got me feelin’ some kinda way. Let me get dem digits so you can make it up to me.”
    I roll my eyes. “Your orders will be up momentarily.” I shoo him over, making room for the next customer. Hazel Eyes keeps his stare on me, while Thick Neck walks off to harass two females sitting at a nearby table with his flirty.ways. Hazel Eyes winks at me, again, then glides the tip of his reddish tongue over his bottom lip. And for some reason this whole encounter has my insides shaking. “Next in line,” I call out. And all I can keep thinking as I take my next customer’s order, trying to keep my attention on the task at hand while slyly cutting my eye over at Hazel Eyes as he and his two disrespectful friends finally walk out with their food is, Dang, I should have given him my number. If I see him again, I will.

6
    S o I got what I wanted. I did see him again. Hazel Eyes, that is. Two weeks later, but it happened. And I gave him my phone number. Right after my shift, he caught me walking through the food court toward the escalators heading down to the second level.
    â€œYo, ma? Wait up,” he called out, jogging over toward me carrying three Macy’s shopping bags. He looked so good. I tried to keep myself from smiling as he approached me. “So, what’s good? Where you off to?”
    â€œHome,” I told him.
    â€œWord? Home already? Yo, it’s mad early, ma. And you too fine to be goin’ home alone. You want some company?” He licked his succulent lips. And I suddenly felt my knees getting weak.
    My mother would have fainted on the spot if I’d walked through the door with him in tow. “I can’t have company like that.”
    â€œOh, a’ight. It’s all good. You feel like chillin’, though? You can come through ’n’ we can chill at my spot.”
    It was almost nine P.M. And as tempting as it sounded, I was hot and tired. And knew I wouldn’t be able to go off to chill with him. Not unless I lied to my parents about where I was going. And that wasn’t something I’d ever done. Telling them one thing just so I could go over to some guy’s house, particularly one I’d only met standing in my line, ordering his food.
    Besides, I wasn’t allowed over to any boy’s house without my parents having already spoken to his parents first. And definitely wouldn’t be at this time of night. No. If I were going to be allowed over at a boy’s house it had to be during the day, with a parent or another responsible adult—one my parents deemed suitable—home to supervise us. And we’d have to be sitting in an open area.
    â€œI can’t. I have to go home and take a shower.”
    He grinned. “Nah, you good, babe. You can shower at my crib. I got my own bathroom in my room.”
    I blinked, shaking my head.
    â€œYo, come on, Blaze!” Thick Neck yelled