Black-owned business of the day:
Khiry

JAMEEL MOHAMMED FOUNDED KHIRY IN 2016 AS AN UNDERGRADUATE STUDYING POLITICAL SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA AFTER BEING POINTEDLY TOLD BY THE CEO OF A PREEMINENT LUXURY GOODS COMPANY THAT TRUE LUXURY BRANDS COULD ONLY EMERGE FROM PARIS AND MILAN. KHIRY WAS FOUNDED TO CHANNEL THE BEAUTY, ART, HERITAGE, AND CULTURE OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA INTO MODERN, LUXURIOUS VERMEIL JEWELRY, WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF ESTABLISHING A COMPLETE FASHION HOUSE.

Website: www.khiry.com

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Serenity's POV

That unsettling feeling in my stomach didn't go away. I feel like I'm being left out of something. Like everyone is laughing at a joke and I'm the only one who doesn't get it.

He's just too perfect. Everything he says to me sounds very rehearsed and scripted. Every time I'm with him he plays the role of the perfect man.

I've been trying to catch him slipping but he's too good. But then again, maybe he's not acting. Maybe his intentions are pure. 

I pushed all the negative thoughts in my head and focused on what Dimitri was telling me. He has been talking for a few minutes now. I kept eye contact with him but, my brain didn't register a word he said. That's a bad habit of mine.

"So, what do you think about it?"

"Damn, that's crazy"

"Did you even hear what I said?"

"Yeah, you were talking about how you walked your pet dog on Mars and then your pet fish was drinking whiskey with you when you got back?"

Before I could even put two and two together I started saying some random things. I wasn't listening to a word he said so I know my reply was something way off.

"So you were listening!"

"What? That's what you said?" I said in shock. Damn, I'm good at this.

"No, I knew you weren't listening"

After that, I made sure not to tune him out. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to believe a word he was saying. Besides the fact that he's a man, something is not adding up.

As I headed to class I saw Dominic dropping his girl off at class. When they saw I was coming Dominic kissed her cheek. He made eye contact with me then started walking away.

That's lame ni*ga behavior.

Like I've been saying all day, something isn't right. I kept that in mind as I went through my day. Whenever Dominic saw me he made sure to pull his girl closer to him or give her more attention.

I saw Dimitri walking towards me with a smile on his face. I'm getting some answers out of him one way or another. My time is too precious to be played with.

"Hey, Sere..."

"Let's cut to the chase, are you hiding something from me?"

"What are you talking about?"

He asked as he eyed his surroundings. I could tell he was looking for saving grace, someone to come rescue him. Guilt was written all over his face.

I tried to think of all the possible things he could be hiding from me. We just started being friends and I'm already being Detector Gadget. That's not a good sign, since he's new in life it's not too late for me to cut him off.

I saw his shoulders deflate as he finally dropped his facade. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think of a way to break the news to me. I braced myself for the worst.

"I have something I need to tell you"

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I drove home with a heavy heart. I'm happy Dimitri told me the truth. The same sadness I felt a few weeks ago was back though.

As I parked my car I noticed that La-Shawna was inside. That's great because I have a lot to tell her. I saw her sitting in the lobby, waiting for me to bring her up.

Once we got inside my home she kicked off her shoes and took a seat on the couch. The importance of what I had to tell her was weighing me down. I watched her as she reached for the candy that was on my table.

"I could tell by your face that you she's something to tell me"

She told me. As I talked she was devouring my candy one by one. Now I see why my mom barely left a plate full of candy on the table. My sweet tooth wouldn't allow that candy to stay any longer than a few days.

We tried being like those television families once and it didn't work out. Candy wrappers were found behind my bed and under the bathroom sink. She had to resort to locking the candy in a safe that was tucked away under her bed.

Her first mistake was letting my dad have the key. I gave him my puppy eyes and he caved. He made me a copy of that key so I could get some whenever I wanted. It's safe to say I wanted some sweets daily.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" I asked La-Shawna.

"No, why?"

"The jig is up La-Shawna, I know what you did. Dimitri told me everything"

The smile she once has dropped. Her eyes wandered around the room, trying to look for a way out. I can't believe her.

*Flashback*

"I have something to tell you"

I knew something was up. I felt the air shift all of a sudden. He led me to the hub and gestured for me to take a seat. I felt very anxious as I waited for him to speak.

"You didn't meet me by accident"

"What do you mean?"

"A few hours before you signed up for Tinder, La-Shawna contacted me and asked for my help. She told me that she had a friend who was going through a heartbreak and she needed my help. I only said yes because I had intentions of helping my friend. She told me all I had to do was swipe right on you."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. La-Shawna came up with an elaborate plan to mend my broken heart. The whole time she was excited that I meet Dimitri she knew him the whole time. She's the mastermind behind us meeting.

Dimitri started going on about how La-Shawna and he have been speaking about me before the whole ordeal. Dimitri mentioned that he had a girlfriend who broke up with him because she wasn't comfortable with the plan.

"I don't blame her to be honest. I chose to help La-Shawna instead of doing what my gut told me to do. I'm ok though, it's no big deal"

I could tell he cared more than he wanted to let on. I can see the hurt in his eyes. His smile fell for a moment as his face looked in distress. He quickly placed a smile on his face before I could ask him how he feels.

She felt so bad for me that she peer pressured Dimitri into being a part of her plan? I could see where she was going with the plan but, she took it too far. This wasn't how it's supposed to happen.

"Who else was in on this plan?"

"I'm not sure"

I scanned the cafeteria, looking for Dominic. He was walking with his girlfriend who I wasn't sure was his girlfriend at this point. My eyes landed on him and he immediately looked away. He looks like he's been caught redhanded.

"Dominic, get your ass over here. Bring the broad too"

He could tell I wasn't playing with him. I watched as he grabbed the girl's hand and dragged her over to me. She hid behind Dominic a little, only allowing me to see her face.

"Are you in on this? Are you a part of La-Shawna's plan to make me get over you?"

The way his eyes departed from me I already knew the answer. I laid my head on the table, trying to stabilize myself. I felt tears threatening to fall but, I blinked them away.

"What did she tell you the plan was and how are you a part of it?

"When you left my house a few weeks ago I was lost. We were fine then all of a sudden you left without an explanation. I called you the day after but La-Shawna picked up. She told me to meet her in the McDonald's parking lot. She said she had a plan to make you want me and I was all ears. She said the only way you would want me is if I found someone else. So, she came up with the plan of having Karla play my girlfriend to make you jealous. She's my sister's best friend. We didn't even kiss, I put my thumb between our mouths. Please don't kill me"

"What?!" I asked as my eyes bulged out of my head. The cause of my heartbreak was in on this too? I feel like it's 'fuck over Serenity' month.

So I was walking around school looking like booboo the fool.

"Was he in on this too? This whole time she made me believe he was your real boyfriend. That's why I never approached you"

"He's not, that's someone else La-Shawna put in her master plan"

"So you're still single? Karla get the hell out of here and thank you for your service. See you whenever"

Dominic said as he pushed the girl to the side. She laughed as she waved at me then walked away. He placed me on his lap and started peppering kisses all over my neck.

I missed him.

"You're not off the hook yet sir." I said as I moved from his lap. He sighed then nodded his head.

They both started confessing other parts of the plan  they played. The more they revealed to me the angrier I grew. The person I considered a close friend played me like a dummy.

*End of flashback*

"Which one of the idiots told you? Was it Dominic? I knew he couldn't leave his mouth shut"

"It was both of them. I can't believe you would do this to me La-Shawna. I talked to you about how I felt about Dominic. I ranted to you about how I was starting to see Dimitri as more than just a friend. You sat there in my face and comforted me as you were adding more layers to my pain"

"I didn't do it out of spite, I tried to help you. I saw how heartbroken you were over him so I wanted to help"

"You wanted to help me by setting me up with a new guy that I was starting to fall for that was most likely going to lead to another heartbreak because he doesn't have feelings for me? What a way to help. And to make matters worst, the meetup to get Dominic a part of the scheme was set up on my phone. "

I waited patiently for her to explain her thoughts but, she said nothing. I still don't comprehend what was going on in her head when she concocted that plan.

I tried to see it from her point of view but, I couldn't. The betrayal I felt was stronger than any other emotion. Forgiveness nor understanding was present at the moment.

"I think it's time for you to go." She didn't object. She grabbed her purse and walked to the door.

"I'm sorry Serenity, I was just trying to help"

She said as she closed the door behind her. She knows there's nothing she can say at this moment to change my mind. I need some time to think about this.

I was about to go to sleep when someone knocked on my door. I was prepared to not open the door if it was La-Shawna. I'm that petty.

When I looked through the peephole I saw it was Dominic. Once I opened the door a bouquet of flowers and a big bag of Wingstop came into view.

"Hi, my name is Dominic and I'm an architect major. My favorite color is blue and I like this girl who's currently mad at me. Do you want to be friends?"

"Yes, I would love that"

We caught up with each other as we ate our wings. Christmas is around the corner so we tread lightly over the topic. Even though we weren't speaking for a while we both planned on getting each other a gift.

"I don't like when we fight or stop talking to each other"

"You wanna make up?"

"Absolutely"

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Every time La-Shawna saw me she walked away. I could see the guilt on her face. The consequences of her actions were now dawning on her.

I had time to sleep on it and I concluded that I'm not being petty.

She formulated a diabolical plan behind my back, she added in a guy that I had no idea existed, and she convinced me that this would be good for me.

That's not something a friend would do. That's something that would be done if you're being set up to get murdered. The trust is, our friendship isn't going to be the same anymore if I forgive her.

I sat with Dominic and Dimitri during my break. That's the only upside of this whole mess. The three of us get along well. We have many things in common. One thing is that I love eating and they like buying food for me. That is the perfect combination.

I could feel La-Shawna's eyes on me but, I ignored it. I don't want it to seem like I'm rubbing my friendship with Dominic and Dimitri in her face but, I'm not going to feel miserable for myself to make her feel good.

As I was enjoying my time, someone tapped on my shoulder. I took a bite of my chicken nuggets before turning around. This better be an important person for them to be interrupting me like that.

"Can I please talk to you?"

Here we go again.