Playing The Game

P L A Y I N G T H E G A M E - C H A P T E R 17

Chapter 17

Creanna sung to herself in the shower, missing the sound of her own voice as she let the water beat down on her face. She couldn't remember the last time she sang; she almost forgot she could. She scratched her thick mane allowing the soap to get all the dirt out of her hair. She loved green apple shampoo and missed using it now that she had taken the weave out of her hair. She was gonna go natural for a week or two; at least until she knew what else she wanted to do with her hair again.

An hour and a half later Creanna was out the shower with a towel wrapped around her waist. She decided to let her hair air dry, which would probably never happen because she had thick hair. But she was hoping the humidity in the apartment would do the trick. If not she was sure the sun would dry it. It was 90° degrees outside today.

Creanna had no where to go really but she just wanted to get out of the apartment. She went into her bedroom in search of clothes. It's been weeks since she's spoken to Casper. Although she was a little sad, she wasn't distraught. Their last encounter didn't exactly leave her wanting more anyway. Creanna sighed and picked out a light blue sundress. It was a little above her knees and showed off her pretty long legs. Creanna settled on white sandals and put diamond studs in her ears. She decided to tie a white silk band around her hair as an accessory to match her shoes but still left it out in it's wild curly state.

Creanna stared at herself in the mirror. She actually thought she looked really cute. Better without the weave actually. She had always worn her hair natural so she didn't know why she was so surprised looking at herself. Strawberry was the one who introduced her to the weaves and for the last year she started getting hooked on them. But now looking at herself she was thinking of going back natural. It suited her better.

She grabbed her tiny black purse that she slung across her shoulder making sure she left with her cellphone, money, metro card and other little things she may have needed.

On her way out the door she bumped into Santana who was now coming back last night from his mother's house like he said. He stared at her and gave her a half smile. Things were still very quiet between them, almost as if they were strangers. Their relationship was starting to go back to how it was, but it was moving slowly.

"You look great, Cre." He mumbled.

She looked at the ground before hesitantly looking into his eyes. "Thank you." She replied in the same low tone.

He put a hand under her chin and leaned in, softly pecking her lips. "Where you going?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know...just to walk around maybe."

He sighed, "Aight, but it's hot as a muthafucka out there tho'."

"Yeah I know. I saw the weather."

He shook his head in amusement at her. As they walked past each other he lightly slapped her ass on the way in. "Have fun."

Creanna closed the door behind her and walked out of her apartment building into the hallway feeling like she stepped into an oven. "Dang." She mumbled, her clothes were already starting to cling to her skin. She knew it would probably be a bad idea to come out here with no kind of water so she turned around and went back inside. She had a couple in her freezer.

"Cre? Cre is that you?! Yo' c'mere! C'mere Cre!" Santana shouted hearing the knob on the front door.

Creanna briskly walked into the living room at the urgency in his voice. "My God Santana, wh-"

He pointed toward the tv and turned it up and Creanna squinted her eyes and went quiet so they could listen.

"This is Erica Newton with channel 12 breaking news. Last night the body of a man police identified as Santana Williams was discovered this morning in Lake George in Long Island, by a little five year old girl. The lake is known as a great way to get out with family and make memories...but last night's shocking discovery changed all of that. Investigators say that when the little girl noticed something strange floating in the lake that didn't resemble the ducks or swans, she pointed to it and asked her mother what it was. When the mother took a closer look at it she noticed it was the body of a man face down in the water with his hands cuffed behind his back with officially issued metal NYPD police hand cuffs. The bizarre part about it is that both of the man's hands were severed from his body but tied to the bloody nub of his right wrist, was a tiny white string with a note attached."