All That and a Bag of Chips Read online

  “You’re a trip, Galen. You need to go apologize to her. She was a perfect lady last night.” “I will. Let me know the next time you have your card game. I’ve got to go find Venice and see if she’ll talk to me. See ya later.”

  The two gave each other a handshake and Galen got in his car. Before driving off, he said, “Don’t tell her I came by if you talk to her before I find her.”

  “No problem, man. Go handle your business.”

  “Cool!”

  Then he drove away.

  Twelve

  Venice and Chanelle made it back to the dorm safely. Chanelle could see that Venice was furious. “Venice, Galen was wrong for coming at you like that. It ain’t none of his business who you decide to hang with.”

  “I knew he was going to try that daddy shit on me. I just didn’t think it was going to happen this soon.”

  “Girl, he’ll come crawling back to you to apologize. Just wait and see.”

  “I don’t have anything to say to that fool. I’ve never been so mad at him.”

  “Well, this is my floor. Try not to let this ruin your day, Venice. If you need me, give me a call.”

  “Thanks for listening, Chanelle.”

  Venice gave Chanelle a hug and told her that she’d talk to her later.

  As the elevator arrived on Venice’s floor, the doors opened and there stood Galen waiting to get on the elevator. He’d just left her room looking for her. “Hey, girl, there you are. I need to talk to you.”

  “Get the hell away from me, Galen! Don’t you think you’ve talked to me enough?”

  Venice pushed past him and walked down the hall to her room. Galen followed. “I’m sorry I went off on you like that, Venice. I guess I didn’t expect you to really hook up with one of my boys.”

  He followed her into the room where she laid into him. “First of all, I told you that I forgot to return your page. It had nothing to do with the fact that I was at Craig’s house. Your mind is always on sex. That’s why you can’t trust me. I’m not like you, Galen, and it’s none of your damn business what I do with Craig. You’re not my damn daddy! You didn’t act like this when I was with Jarvis. I like Craig and if I did give it up to him, you would be the last one to know.”

  Galen sat there, letting Venice vent all her anger. He realized that he deserved everything she was throwing at him. He also realized that Venice wasn’t his little sister anymore. She was a young woman.

  After a few minutes of shouting, Venice finally burst into tears. Galen knew it was coming. It was only a matter of when. She always cried when she was really angry. Some people took her tears for a weakness, but Galen knew this was a sign of her emptying her soul.

  Galen approached his sister and gave her a brotherly hug. “Venice, I promise that I’ll never doubt you again. I’ll never stick my nose in where it doesn’t belong. I’m just trying to look out for you. That’s what brothers are supposed to do for their sisters.”

  Venice hugged Galen and then punched him in the stomach. She told him that she still loved him, despite his ignorance. He admitted that he’d confronted Craig and that Craig had told him to mind his own business.

  Venice sat on the bed. “I’m glad Craig told you to mind your business, Galen.”

  “Well, he’s still my boy and I’m glad you two hooked up with each other. I’ll see you later, Sis.”

  “Thanks.”

  He walked toward the door. Venice gave him one last hug and told him that she loved him.

  With the Galen scene behind her, Venice was unsure if she could ever face Craig again. She couldn’t begin to wonder what he thought of her now that Galen had made a fool of himself. Craig probably thought she was a baby and would never want to ask her out again. If that was the case, she would just have to cross that bridge when she came to it.

  She dialed up Chanelle. “Chanelle, guess who was waiting for me when I got off the elevator?”

  “Who, girl?”

  “Galen’s sorry ass. He did exactly what you said he’d do. Crawled back and apologized like a fool. I should’ve made him suffer more than I did, but I accepted his apology. He told me that he confronted Craig with that bullshit! I’m so embarrassed!”

  “Did he say what Craig did?”

  “He said Craig spoke him out.”

  Chanelle asked, “Are you going to call Craig?”

  “I don’t know if he’ll still speak to me. I’m going to apologize to him for Galen’s behavior and I hope he’s cool with it.”

  “Good luck, Venice. Let me know how things turn out.”

  “Thanks, Chanelle. See ya!”

  It had been a couple of hours since the altercations. Venice still hadn’t heard from Craig. She wondered if she should call him to see if he was upset. She couldn’t help but assume the worst. She called Joshua and told him what happened. Joshua told her that he would’ve confronted her also and that Galen was just being a brother.

  “Venice, you have to realize that you’re still new to the campus and things happen to girls all the time. Galen didn’t know if anything had happened to you. You scared him. If anything happens to you, he has to answer to your parents and everyone else in your family. He’s not trying to keep up with you. He’s just trying to protect you. Remember, he’s been there for three years and he knows the campus and city better than you do. I think you owe him an apology.”

  Venice said, “I can’t stand you. But I love your tail and I hate it when you’re right. Okay, I’ll apologize to him only for throwing my soda on him. What’s going on with you?”

  “Nothing much. I have to work tonight.”

  “Is Cynthia feeling any better about you coming for homecoming?”

  “She’s starting to.”

  “Do you want me to talk to her?”

  Joshua said, “I don’t mind. Hell, it might even help.”

  “I’ll give her a call and let her know that I won’t let you get wild when you get here.”

  “Thanks, I’ll talk to you later. Love you.”

  Venice said, “Love you, too.”

  They hung up the phone and Venice decided to call Craig before she gave herself a nervous stomach and backed out. The telephone was ringing on the other end. She finally heard “Hello?”

  “Hello, Craig. I wanted to call to apologize for Galen tripping earlier. He told me that he came by today going off on you. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am.”

  “Don’t you worry about Galen and me. We got everything straightened out. I’ve already forgotten about it.”

  “Thanks for being so nice. I was afraid you’d be upset with me.”

  “Why? You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s over, Venice. Now forget about it. Are you still hanging out with me tonight?”

  Venice was relieved. “Sure, so what is it that you have to do at church tonight?”

  “Oh, just a little choir practice with the children.”

  “What? That’s nice. I’m impressed.”

  “Thanks. It helps keep the kids off the streets. Choir practice won’t be over before the movie starts. So, if you want to, we can do something else and go to movies later this weekend.”

  “It doesn’t matter to me.”

  “Okay, then. I’ll see you in a few.”

  Venice hung up the phone and went to take a quick shower. She was about to see another side of Craig and that excited her.

  After choir practice, Venice and Craig played pool in a local hall. Craig was impressed that Venice was so good at the game. He was instantly aroused as he watched her body move around the pool table. Her movement was so erotic that Craig had to resist the urge to grab her right there in front of everyone. They spent a few hours there before going out for appetizers.

  As they ate, Craig asked, “Are you going to the football game tomorrow with your girls?”

  “That depends. I may get a better offer.”

  Craig linked his hands with hers. “I’d love to take you, but I have something to do and I won’t get there until
later. But, I want to take you to the party after the game. If you want to, ask your girls if they’d like to go. I can get some of my boys to go along, if it’s okay with you.”

  “It’s okay with me. I’ll get with them to see if they still want to go together. We can meet you after the game, if you’d like.”

  “The more, the merrier. I’ll find you before the game’s over.”

  Venice asked, “But how will you find me?”

  He kissed the back of her hand. “Don’t you worry. I’ll find you.”

  “Deal!”

  Venice felt her body respond as she took in his manly scent. It was going to be a good weekend after all.

  Thirteen

  Everyone was hustling around trying to decide which party to attend. It was the third home football game of the year and a couple of frats were having parties at various locations around town. Most of the girls in the dorm were planning to go to the most popular frat party. Venice and her girls hadn’t missed a home game yet. She made sure she went to see her dear brother “do his thing” on the field. Galen had been an All- American wide receiver ever since he’d been playing the game. Once he’d reached college, his skills were defined even more. Some of the coaches thought he even had a good chance of making it into the NFL.

  Venice and her girls found their usual spot near the Dawson University high-stepping band so they could dance to the tunes. All of the students, especially the freshmen, made sure the football team heard their cheers and support. The band would always start up a popular song, which caused all the students to break down with the latest dances in the stands. Chanelle and Venice were well relaxed with this practice since they graduated from a black high school and Chanelle had served as a majorette in the band.

  Monique asked, “What’s Galen’s number again, Venice?”

  “This is the last time I’m going to tell you, Monique. He’s number eighty-two.”

  Monique shouted, “There he is, girl! He knows he’s wearing those pants. Look at his tight round butt! Have mercy!”

  Chanelle looked at her and said, “Ghetto! Monique, Sidney will kick your ass for talking about her man like that.”

  Monique laughed. “Don’t hate the playa. Hate the game.”

  Chanelle and Venice shook their heads in disgust.

  After a show stopping half-time show, the game progressed on. It wasn’t long before everyone knew that their team was going to win. As the clock ticked down to zero, the stadium went wild. This win enabled the team to remain undefeated heading into homecoming. There were going to be two more away games before homecoming and if the team could keep this up, they may get into the playoffs.

  As Venice and her girls exited the stadium, she heard a familiar voice from behind. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  Venice and her partners turned around and saw it was Craig. Venice stopped to wait for him to approach. He gave Venice and her girls a group hug. He’d become very familiar with Venice’s friends after meeting them on a several occasions.

  “Are you ladies ready to party?”

  Monique butted in. “You better believe it. I’m ready to roll!”

  Craig asked if they would mind if he talked to Venice for a minute. By that time, Monique was already working her mack on some guy holding a forty-ounce in a sack.

  Chanelle said, “Take your time. We’re not in any hurry.”

  “Thanks, Chanelle. You know you’re my girl!”

  Fans continued to pour out of the stadium headed to several parties. The band continued to play popular tunes as stragglers partied in the stands. Venice and Craig walked down toward the track that circled the football field.

  Craig asked, “Do you think your girls will mind if a couple of my boys ride along? There’s one in particular I want Chanelle to meet. I think they’ll hit it off.”

  Venice turned to see his two friends waiting a few feet away. One was really cute and seemed to be very reserved. The other one was hollering at everyone who passed by. He was also dancing to the band’s music. “Which one were you planning to hook Chanelle up with?”

  “Oh, my boy Spoonie over there with the red baseball hat and jeans. You can’t judge him by the way he’s acting now. He’s just having a good time, which is what Chanelle needs. Maybe she’ll stop waiting for the phone to ring from that so-called boyfriend.”

  “Okay, Craig. I trust you. I hope this works because I hate to see my girl wasting away.”

  Craig motioned for his two friends to come over so he could introduce them to Venice and her friends. The quiet one was Jasper Jones. He was a junior studying engineering. Spoonie’s real name was Roland Daniels. Craig explained that his friends had called him Spoonie since his was six years old. When he was little, his mother said every time she caught him in the kitchen he had spoon in his hand looking for some food.

  After introductions, the girls thought it was okay for them to hang out. Craig and Venice decided not to let Chanelle in on their plans. As the group left, they decided to grab a bite to eat before hitting the parties. Monique suggested “Dave’s Wing Fling.” They had the best hot wings in town. The group ordered their food and got to know each other better over baskets of wings. Chanelle picked up on the vibe that Spoonie was interested in her. Jasper also opened up a little and Monique was impressed with Jasper’s conservative style. He appeared to be a conquest for her. Monique thought to herself, I think I might be able to turn this shy piece out.

  After stuffing themselves, they headed over to the party, which was already bumping when they entered and everyone was deep into the music. Venice and her girls excused themselves to the ladies room on several occasions to discuss their escorts. Chanelle finally admitted that she was having a good time with Spoonie. Venice giggled and decided to admit to the setup.

  “Chanelle, I’m glad you and Spoonie are getting along because I have a confession.”

  “What kind of confession?”

  “Well, Craig thought you and Spoonie might hit it off, so he wanted you to meet. He asked me and I told him it couldn’t hurt to introduce you and let nature takes its course. If it worked out, fine. If not, we tried.”

  Chanelle chuckled. “I can’t believe you two went behind my back trying to fix me up. I’m not mad at you, but you know I have a man!”

  Monique butted in. “If you’ve got a man, why isn’t he here with you? Your so-called man is down at that fancy college sticking his rod into some tenderoni.”

  Venice told Monique to chill out and to quit being so ignorant and thoughtless.

  “Chanelle, if you want to be faithful to your man, cool. But I don’t want you to miss out on any fun while you’re here. It’s not going to hurt you to go out with other guys. It’s up to you to determine how far you’re willing to go with Spoonie or anyone else.”

  “I know, Venice. It’s hard to be apart. You definitely know what I’m talking about.”

  “Don’t remind me. Look, let’s go party.”

  “Okay.”

  The girls found their way back out to the party. Venice and Craig danced next to Chanelle and Spoonie. Monique was grinding with some guy who still had a jheri curl. The party went on for hours before winding down and Monique was complaining that her feet were hurting. Chanelle was giggling to almost everything Spoonie said, which was a good sign.

  At two-thirty, Craig asked if they were ready to go. Jasper was going to catch a ride back to campus with other friends. He thanked Craig for letting him roll with him before telling the group goodbye.

  Monique said, “Jasper, next time, don’t run off so fast.”

  He laughed and said, “All right.”

  As the rest of them loaded into Craig’s truck, Monique moaned from exhaustion but boasted about having a good time. She said, “Craig, I’m going to pin that cute Jasper down if I ever get a chance. He seems so sweet and innocent. I like a good challenge.”

  Craig snickered. “You’d better watch yourself. Looks can be deceiving. You may be the one who gets p
inned down.”

  They all laughed and agreed with Craig that she might get into a situation she couldn’t get out of.

  “I can handle myself and I know I can handle a sweet little thing like Jasper,” Monique said defensively.

  Craig said, “Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you, Miss Know- It- All.”

  After they reached the dorm, Spoonie asked Chanelle if he could walk her to the door. Chanelle agreed and Monique jumped out and thanked Craig for letting them hang with him and his girl. Craig told Monique that it wasn’t a problem and to get her butt in her room before she got into trouble.

  Monique asked, “Are you coming up, Venice?”

  Venice hesitated a moment. Craig smiled and said, “No, she’s going home with me. Is that okay with you?”

  “You know you’re all right with me, Craig. Just make sure you take care of my girl. Venice, I’ll see you in the morning and don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do.”

  Venice giggled. “Goodnight, Monique! Anyway, I’m not like you! You’re a nymphomaniac!”

  Monique let out a silly laugh and walked off toward the dorm.

  Venice turned to Craig. “Do you think that’s a good idea after the misunderstanding earlier today?”

  Craig ran his finger down her arm. “Venice, that’s behind us now. Let it go. I just want to spend some time with you.”

  “That’s nice, but I don’t have a change of clothes.”

  “Well, why don’t you go throw a few things in a bag? I really want you with me tonight. I promise, I’ll be a perfect gentleman.”

  “Okay, Craig. I’ll be right back.”

  Venice noticed Chanelle and Spoonie sitting in the lounge talking when she entered the dorm. She ran down the hall to her room, gathered some personal belongings and a change of clothes.

  As she entered back into the lobby, Spoonie hollered, “Tell Craig I’ll catch him tomorrow!”

  Venice replied, “I will. Goodnight, Spoonie. Goodnight, Chanelle.”

  Chanelle gave Venice the thumbs up sign behind Spoonie’s back. Venice climbed back into the truck, delivered Spoonie’s message, and they were on their way.