Read Online Who's That Lady? by Andrea Jackson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Andrea Jackson
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her! This episode was getting more and more nightmarish.
And Shonté wasn’t letting up either. “Crystal? Do you hear me? Answer me! Who was this man you slept with?”
“You’re not my mother, Shonté,” she mumbled, pulling herself up the stairs on all fours.
“Maybe not, but I think I deserve to know why it’s okay for you and not for me to stay out all night. Is this supposed to be payback?”
“It was an accident,” she said, gritting her teeth.
Shonté stood at the bottom of the steps. “All right, go to bed for now. But when you wake up, I’m going to know the name of that man, or else!”
Like hell you will! That, at least, was clear in Crystal’s mind. There was no way she was ever telling Shonté who she’d slept with last night. She didn’t know how she was going to shut Key up yet, but she had to keep this from Shonté.
She finally reached the hallway at the top of the stairs. Holding onto the banister, she mustered her most shriveling glare to freeze Shonté. “Look, let’s just both admit we’re sluts and be done with it.”
She turned her back, lurched into her bedroom and slammed the door. For a minute, she leaned up against it, waiting for the room and her stomach to stop spinning.
Great. She was about to lose both her friends because of one wild night of uncharacteristic debauchery. Shont é was furious with her, and who knew what Key was going to think when he woke up? She had to figure out what to say to him and how to keep Shonté off her back. Then everything could go back to the way it had been. She hoped.
But right now all she wanted was sleep.
* * *
The furtive opening and closing of her bedroom door dragged her from merciful oblivion. She could hear Shonté in the hallway, saying, “No, she’s still asleep.” She went on talking in a way that suggested she was on the telephone. Her voice faded into the distance.
Crystal rolled over and looked at the clock on the nightstand through one blurred eye. It was late afternoon now. She wanted food and a shower. She guessed the shower should come first.
She dragged herself out of bed, hurting in places she hadn’t known had muscles. While the warm spray of the shower brought back feelings of humanity, it also brought back memories. Tiny vignettes kept popping through the alcohol-induced amnesia.
Sucking on Key’s muscled thigh and moving higher. Key behind her while she was on her hands and knees. Howling? Geez. And as if the sex wasn’t bad enough, there were other appalling moments floating around inside her head. Had she thrown up on Key’s shoes while they stood in the street outside the club? And had she really almost fought with some ghetto girl? Funny, all she could remember of this rival was her beautiful manicure, which made her nails look like a tiny tropical beach scene, complete with palm trees and little dots of boats on the blue water.
After awhile Crystal leaned against the wall of the shower, biting her lips and shaking her head against the memories. It took awhile but she pulled herself together. She had to get through it, that’s all there was to it.
The night seemed more and more like a hallucination anyway. They’d both been drinking. Maybe, if she was lucky, Key wouldn’t even remember what happened. Or maybe she could pretend she didn’t remember.
She turned off the shower and walked to her bedroom wrapped in a towel.
There was a knock on her bedroom door.
“Yeah?”
“Key called,” said Shonté. “He’s bringing someone over he wants you to meet.”
Crystal’s heart thudded against her ribs. Looked like she’d have to deal with Key sooner rather than later.
She grabbed some clothes to put on, then armed herself with a blow dryer and went to the mirror. Oh, hell! She looked like she’d just climbed out of a morgue. Dark patches splotched her ashen skin, and her eyelids were red and puffy. She grabbed some moisturizing lotion and slathered it on her face, neck and arms.
My hair!
And Shonté wasn’t letting up either. “Crystal? Do you hear me? Answer me! Who was this man you slept with?”
“You’re not my mother, Shonté,” she mumbled, pulling herself up the stairs on all fours.
“Maybe not, but I think I deserve to know why it’s okay for you and not for me to stay out all night. Is this supposed to be payback?”
“It was an accident,” she said, gritting her teeth.
Shonté stood at the bottom of the steps. “All right, go to bed for now. But when you wake up, I’m going to know the name of that man, or else!”
Like hell you will! That, at least, was clear in Crystal’s mind. There was no way she was ever telling Shonté who she’d slept with last night. She didn’t know how she was going to shut Key up yet, but she had to keep this from Shonté.
She finally reached the hallway at the top of the stairs. Holding onto the banister, she mustered her most shriveling glare to freeze Shonté. “Look, let’s just both admit we’re sluts and be done with it.”
She turned her back, lurched into her bedroom and slammed the door. For a minute, she leaned up against it, waiting for the room and her stomach to stop spinning.
Great. She was about to lose both her friends because of one wild night of uncharacteristic debauchery. Shont é was furious with her, and who knew what Key was going to think when he woke up? She had to figure out what to say to him and how to keep Shonté off her back. Then everything could go back to the way it had been. She hoped.
But right now all she wanted was sleep.
* * *
The furtive opening and closing of her bedroom door dragged her from merciful oblivion. She could hear Shonté in the hallway, saying, “No, she’s still asleep.” She went on talking in a way that suggested she was on the telephone. Her voice faded into the distance.
Crystal rolled over and looked at the clock on the nightstand through one blurred eye. It was late afternoon now. She wanted food and a shower. She guessed the shower should come first.
She dragged herself out of bed, hurting in places she hadn’t known had muscles. While the warm spray of the shower brought back feelings of humanity, it also brought back memories. Tiny vignettes kept popping through the alcohol-induced amnesia.
Sucking on Key’s muscled thigh and moving higher. Key behind her while she was on her hands and knees. Howling? Geez. And as if the sex wasn’t bad enough, there were other appalling moments floating around inside her head. Had she thrown up on Key’s shoes while they stood in the street outside the club? And had she really almost fought with some ghetto girl? Funny, all she could remember of this rival was her beautiful manicure, which made her nails look like a tiny tropical beach scene, complete with palm trees and little dots of boats on the blue water.
After awhile Crystal leaned against the wall of the shower, biting her lips and shaking her head against the memories. It took awhile but she pulled herself together. She had to get through it, that’s all there was to it.
The night seemed more and more like a hallucination anyway. They’d both been drinking. Maybe, if she was lucky, Key wouldn’t even remember what happened. Or maybe she could pretend she didn’t remember.
She turned off the shower and walked to her bedroom wrapped in a towel.
There was a knock on her bedroom door.
“Yeah?”
“Key called,” said Shonté. “He’s bringing someone over he wants you to meet.”
Crystal’s heart thudded against her ribs. Looked like she’d have to deal with Key sooner rather than later.
She grabbed some clothes to put on, then armed herself with a blow dryer and went to the mirror. Oh, hell! She looked like she’d just climbed out of a morgue. Dark patches splotched her ashen skin, and her eyelids were red and puffy. She grabbed some moisturizing lotion and slathered it on her face, neck and arms.
My hair!
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