Read Online Hotlanta by Mitzi Miller - Free Book Online Page B

stairs. Sydney rushed back over to the bed and tried to compose herself.
    â€œHey, what are you doing here? Everything okay?” Marcus exclaimed in surprise, as he opened the door to find Sydney sitting on the edge of the bed reading one of his issues of
GQ
. She couldn’t tell if his smile was genuine or a knee-jerk reaction to the shock of finding her unsupervised in his room.
    â€œSure. I figured I’d come over and surprise you,” Sydney responded as she fought to remain calm. She refused to jump to any conclusions and risk trashing four years’ worth of a relationship.
    â€œI’m totally surprised,” Marcus continued as he crossed the room in several long strides and pulled Sydney up to her feet. “Since I didn’t hear from you all day, I thought you were still mad about last night.” Marcus gave her a tight hug anda kiss on the cheek. When he finally released her, Sydney discreetly wiped her cheek.
    â€œYeah, well, you did leave me standing outside in the middle of the night while you were supposedly studying,” Sydney hinted as she backed away and turned toward his desk.
    â€œWhat do you mean supposedly studying? What else would I’ve been doing?”
    â€œI don’t know, Marcus, I’m just saying. You’ve never gotten so caught up in studying that you’ve forgotten me before…”
    Marcus gently turned Sydney around. “Syd, I don’t know where all these weird questions are coming from but you have to believe me, I have no reason to lie about where I was.” Marcus leaned in and gave Sydney a gentle kiss on the lips to which she barely responded. The same lips you just used to kiss Dara, she thought bitterly.
    â€œSo lemme ask you this, since when have you and Dara been hanging out?”
    For a brief second, Marcus Green looked like a deer caught in headlights…but only for a second. “What are you talking about?”
    â€œWell that was her car that you just got out of, was it not?”
    â€œWe weren’t hanging out, we were studying,” he responded defensively, pushing his locs away from his face.“I been told you that Dara was in my Advanced Placement Biology class.” He walked past Sydney and started to straighten the already neat desktop.
    â€œNo, you didn’t,” Sydney insisted, refusing to back down. “And you definitely never mentioned that you’d be studying with her.”
    â€œSydney, you’re being ridiculous. Today is like the first time we’ve even gotten together.” Marcus sighed in annoyance. “Do you have your period? ‘Cause you’re acting really insecure and emotional. I mean not for nothing, I don’t have to tell you about every single person that I spend time with.”
    â€œExcuse me?” Sydney asked in disbelief as she remembered the e-mail that clearly implied that they’d been together before. “Are you really telling me that this is the first time you’ve been hanging out with Dara?” Sydney looked at Marcus as if he had just grown a third eye.
    â€œYes. Why, who said they saw us together? I mean I don’t know what your sister may have told you about that night at the High but…”
    Sydney didn’t even hear the remainder of his sentence. Granted, she kinda figured Marcus might lie about being with Dara last night to avoid getting into another argument about leaving her stranded, but now he was talking about being seen by Lauren at the High? The event at the High Museum happened over two months ago! And just what the hell hadLauren seen and not bothered to tell her about? Suddenly her sister’s ominous comment in the car started to make too much sense. As much as she couldn’t stand Lauren’s trifling ways, Sydney would definitely let Lauren know if her so-called boyfriend was playing her out. I mean they were sisters, for goodness sake! Humph, so much for blood being thicker than