Levi
Day before graduation
I was in my dorm watching I Am Number Four when there was a knock on my door. Annoyed I had to move from my comfortable position, I swung the door open in clear irritation. My irritation only grew when I saw ex-girlfriend Asia standing there. Asia and I dated back in the day from 8th grade until she cheated on me in our junior year. I was crushed; I was really fucking with Asia. She had a nigga like a lovesick puppy. I hadn't been with another female on anything more than smashing since- until Katt. "What the fuck do you want?" I scrunched up my face at her. "Damn Levi, the way you treat me now you wouldn't even think you used to follow me around." She smiled deviously. I started to close the door when she stooped me. "Hold on," She laughed. "I was just fucking with you, we can't joke anymore?" I stale faced her; she rolled her eyes. "Fine. Anyway, I'm having a pre-graduation party. You should come. And before you say no, I invited the ENTIRE graduating class; everybody, even the people I hated. It isn't about popularity or who I like; It's just one last shebang before we graduate and all go our separate ways." She bats her eyes. I know she's full of shit but I do believe she invited everybody so it'll be pretty fucking quiet by myself. "Aight Asia." I said slamming the door in her face. "It's gonna be in the old auditorium at 10!" Asia said from the other side of my door. I ignore her and pick up my phone to FaceTime Josh. He picks up on the first ring, "she invited you, too huh?" Damn. "Yeah man," "Are you going?" We both asked at the same time. "Yeah, I'm going. Tajah said she wanted to go get fucked up," we both laugh cause that's exactly something Tajah would say. "What about you nigga? Are YOU going?" He looked at me. "Yeah, probably. All y'all going and I am not going to be the one to miss it when Tajah gets piss drunk and starts knocking bitches out. You know she been waiting since freshman year!" We crack up laughing. "Aight man, I'mma meet you there, cool?" "Yeah nigga I'll hit you when I pull up so we can exchange coordinates." Josh laughed at my wording saying, "Nigga you're such a fucking geek," before he hung up.
******
When the time came for the pre-graduation celebration, it was clear that the entire campus had heard of and planned to attend this party. Not going to lie, I was kind of excited by this point; there hasn't been a party this big, where the entire student body showed up ever in history. We're literally making history. I'm interrupted from my thoughts by a FaceTime from Katt. "Wassup, ma?" I answer with a smile. "Hey 'Vi, what're you up too? How was your day?" "It was cool mama. Just waiting for the day to be over so I can see your fine ass tomorrow." I bite my bottom lip, knowing that's a turn on for her. "Mmm. Okay Levi." She said back laughing, "I just called to check on you before I went to sleep. I have to be up really, really early tomorrow. What're you doing tonight?" She asked me, raising her left eyebrow. I laugh, "shit nothing, I need to be asleep kind of early too. Big day." "I know, how do you feel, graduate?" Damn, Katt was gorgeous. "I'm just ready to get it over with forreal. So I can move in with you and eat all yo' snacks!" We both laugh until Katt snorts; making us laugh 20x harder. Once we calmed down Katt told me that she was tired and that she would see my big headed ass tomorrow. "Really? You just had to huh?" She laughed, "Goodnight Le', I love you." "I love you, too mama."
******
I'm not going to lie, this shit was jumping. It didn't take long at all for Josh and I to get wasted and start running beer pong games. I'm not sure how I'd been here when I finally sat down on the couch; closing my eyes for a second, suddenly feeling the liquor. "Somebody's definitely feeling their alcohol." Asia. I cracked my eyes open and looked at her, "what do you want, Asia?" She faked being offended, "why do I have to want something, Levi? I can't just want to check on the livelihood of my favorite ex?" She batted her eyes and I sucked my teeth. I tried to stand up but the room started to spin and I was seeing doubles; I quickly fell back on the couch. "Whoa!" Asia exclaimed, "come on, I'll help you back to my dorm." Asia helped me up and started walking me out of the Old auditorium towards my dorm. The last thing I remember was the look that Tajah gave me as Asia and I left out of the building.
******
Hangover. That's the first word I thought of when I slipped into consciousness the morning of graduation. My head felt like it weighed thirty tons; I cracked open my eyes and was immediately assaulted by the bright sun. Why is it so bright in here? I never open the shades. I think as memories from last night started coming in fragments. Party. Josh and I were there. So.. much alcohol. Asia. Asia. I popped my eyes opened and jumped up into a sitting position in the unfamiliar bed; knocking Asia off of my shoulder. "Well somebody's awake. I bet you have a raging migraine." Asia said while daintily getting out of bed and going over to her mini fridge to grab a bottle of water; then to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and grabbed a bottle, walking back towards me. Asia was wearing nothing but Pink lace panties. Shinichi you did not. I grimaced to myself. I lifted the blanket and noticed I was only wearing boxers. I felt like all of the air was sucked out of my body; I couldn't breathe; my vision went blurry. I fucked up. I fucked up. I keep thinking to myself over and over again as Asia hands me the water bottle and two Excedrins'. "If I know you at all Levi Smith then I'm sure this will be of great comfort," Asia says with an insincere smile, "we did not have sex last night." I let out an audible breath I didn't even know I was holding. "So what happened, why am I here?" "Well I didn't say I didn't try. I brought you here after we left my party. You were so shitfaced you didn't even notice; you just laid back on the bed and closed your eyes. I climbed on top of you, undressed you, with very little help from you might I add, and then attempted to do that thing I knew you liked with my tongue. I thought it would make you reconsider our relationship. But, as soon as my hands touched you, you grabbed my wrist, pulled me up until I was lying beside you, you separated my two blankets and then rolled over and passed out. All without cracking your eyelids once. Once I heard you snoring, I sat in shock at the fact that I had just been rejected, then I went to the bathroom to shower and when I finished, I crawled in bed beside you, put my head on your shoulder, and passed out."
Once Asia finished filling in the blanks for me, I wasn't sure whether I was in the clear or in trouble. And then I remembered Tajah. Shit. I jumped up threw on my clothes, "look, congrats graduate. I've got to go." I pulled out my phone and saw that Josh and Tajah had been calling me all night. I knew they'd be together getting ready for graduation so I made my way to Josh's dorm.
When I walked up to Josh's dorm, Tajah swung the door open before I could knock on it, obviously waiting for me. "Speak nicely 'cause I want to punch you in your fucking face SHINICHI!" Ouch. She made my name sound like it tasted awful in her mouth. "EXPLAIN!! Kattara has been nothing but good to you! And you cheat on her with that hot ass-" "I did not sleep with Asia, Tajah." I cut Tajah off; the three of us fell silent and Josh looked from me to his girlfriend, probably debating on whether or not he should put in his two cents. He decides not to after Tajah tells me to explain what happened as she crossed her arms and switched her weight off of one foot to the other. I recounted the story Asia gave me this morning. Once I finished, Tajah asked me when I was going to tell Katt. "Do I have a choice?" I asked looking at Tajah; fully knowing the answer already, "Nigga, no. You do not. See girls like Asia, they always have ulterior motives. YOU tell your girl before somebody else tells your girl. The worst thing you can do is let Katt find out anything from somebody else. She tries to be true to her word and she expects the people she allows around her to be the same. Katt's also too forgiving; she always tries to see the good in people, and right now Levi, in her eyes you can do no wrong." Tajah paused to take a step closer to me, maintaining eye contact, "Trust me when I say this Levi, I've known Katt damn near all her life; just talk to her," Tajah laid her hand on my shoulder, still meeting my gaze, "Or I will." Tajah and I held eye contact for what seemed like an eternity. "I've got to go get dressed. I'll meet y'all at the auditorium. I dapped up Josh and took another look at Tajah before turning out and jogging back towards my dorm. Tajah's right. I do have to talk to shorty; Asia has always been messy, and I'd hate to lose Katt over this shit. But, she probably won't believe that I didn't fuck Asia though. I think, dropping my head and letting out a long sigh. So what do I say? How do I tell her the truth in a way that she'll undoubtedly know that I'm telling the truth?
******
Once I made it to the auditorium, I waited in the corner by myself for Katt. When she finally walked in- late as usual- I think with a smile, I was about to head over to her to greet her when Asia sidetracked me. "There you are ! I was looking for you; I was hoping we could sit together." I stale faced her. She wasn't serious; she couldn't be. "Asia, you know my girl is here, I was actually just about to go holla at her." She looked at me, obviously amused by that, "oh, were you? Right before your graduation you want to break the news to your girlfriend that took the time out of her day to come from -where was it again? Denver?- that you woke up this morning, naked, beside your ex-girlfriend? I KNOW you Shinichi, did you even tell her about the party?" She smirks at me; she's definitely enjoying this. She knows that she's right. I look back towards Katt; then to Asia. I scoff and walk away to sit in my seat as the ceremony begins.
******
Once I got Katt in my truck, I slowly walked around to my side of the car; still trying to figure out how to word what I needed to tell her. When I got in, Katt looked at me, from eye to eye, reading my face, I presume. "Okay Le, what's going on?" I stared at her; Katt really was gorgeous. I took a deep breath and started, "I have something to tell you, ma. About last night," she looked at me expectedly; waiting for me to continue. "Last night, Asia invited the entire graduating class to a pre-graduation party she was hosting at the Old Auditorium. Josh and I went together and we played beer pong and got drunk. I guess I was a little too drunk because as soon as I sat down to take a breath, I started to feel the waves. While I was sitting there tryin' to get my shit together, Asia came over and started talking to me." I saw her eyes widen, "I don't really remember exactly what was said but when I got up to walk away from her, the room started spinning and I started feeling type weird; so I fell back from the couch. Asia offered to walk me back to my dorm and that's really the last thing I remember before-" I break off and look up at Katt's eyes, feeling my heart pound in my chest watching her fight the tears that were forming in her eyes. "Before I woke up this morning in my boxers, beside Asia- in her dorm." The tears started to fall and I felt my heart explode. "I know this probably won't mean anything, but, Asia told me when I woke up this morning that we didn't have sex; that she had tried but I stopped her and moved to the far corner of the bed and passed out." Katt looked me in my face, reading me, trying to gauge whether or not I was telling the truth. "Katt I swear. I wouldn't cheat on you." I'm not sure why but that was not the right thing to say, "How can you say that Shinichi!? You said yourself you don't remember. Don't remember what possessed you to even leave the party with her. And evidently my memory is as bad as yours because I can't for the life of me recall you mentioning any party to me last night, on the phone. Actually, I could've sworn you told me that you were going to go to sleep early, like me, because you had a big day ahead of you. Now, am I fucking crazy, Shinichi, or is that how the conversation went?" Damn, Katt only uses my first name when she's upset. "Kattara, the only reason I didn't tell you was because I didn't want you worrying about me a-" "As I should've been apparently Levi!" At least she didn't say Shinichi- that's progress, I leaned over close to Katts face, "Baby, I'm sorry-" she tried to turn away from me but I grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into my eyes, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you it will never happen again, OK? I love you." I peck her lips and let go of her chin; waiting for a response. Katt just stares at me for a second, tears still in her eyes before she clears her throat and asks me if we could go eat now; Josh and Tajah were waiting. She didn't wait for an answer before buckling her seatbelt and turning her head to look out of the window. I looked at her for a second more before sighing and and starting car.
******
After Katt stormed out of Lin's, Tajah reached over and punched me in the shoulder; snapping me out of my trance. "Hello!" Tajah yells, waving her hand back and forth in front of my face. "Where were you? Go after her!" I finally made eye contact with Tajah, "you know as well as I do that she's liable to attack one of us if we go behind her now," I looked from Tajah to Josh before staring at a stain on the restaurants' tile floor, "I'll let her cool off; she didn't take my key to her hotel so I'm still going there in a few hours. I'll talk to her." I had to. I thought to myself. There was no way we'd end like this.
The rest of dinner was silent. I order Katt's favorite meal to-go to take to her because I know she didn't eat anything back at the room. After we pay for our food, Josh and Tajah say their goodbyes and head to Josh's car; on their way to visit Josh's great-grandparents in New Jersey. Once they pull off, I head towards the hotel; to try and fix this before I lose her. I'm on my way mama.