TRUE COLORS || MR. DALVIN.

[ Chapter 9 ]

DALVIN'S POV

I dug in my pocket to get out my keys to our apartment, and my hand brushed across the napkin Bianca gave me when I dropped her off. After all this time, I finally got the one thing - besides her, obviously - I'd been chasing after from day one.

I finally got her number, and I didn't have to beg Sybil Pennix for it.

I twisted the key into the lock and pushed the door open, a musty smell immediately hitting me in the face as I stepped in and closed the door. Music was playing and there was smoke in the air as I spotted K-Ci and DeVante at the table, smoking cigarettes and playing cards with a girl on each of their laps. I recognized them, the one with the blonde hair on De's lap being Lisa, and the girl with black hair on K's being Angela. Those were also Vanessa's friends, so I had a feeling of what was going on here.

"What's up, kid?" DeVante asked as I sat on the couch to untie my shoes.

"Nothing much," I said, looking around, "Where's Jo?"

De nodded his head toward the one bedroom we had in this apartment. The door was closed, and I already knew what that meant.

"How did it go with little miss lightskin, huh?" K-Ci asked as Angela whispered into his ear.

"It went great, man. I mean - I was kinda late but uh, everything went smooth after that."

"Did the test work?"

"Yeah, it did! And uh, I also got this," I said, pulling the napkin out of my pocket and showing it to them.

"She gave you a - she gave you her number? Man, finally!" K-Ci exclaimed, scooting her off his lap so he could come sit next to me.

He clapped me on the back and said, "See, I knew my boy could get it done."

"What about the bet, though?" De asked, and I pushed K's hand off me.

"Wait, y'all decided to bet on me?" I asked.

"You had this house divided, my nigga."

"Y'all are some fuckin' weirdos, man," I said, stuffing the napkin back in my pocket.

"Hey - I was on your side from the beginning, little brother. It was - " De pointed to K-Ci, "this nigga that was bouncing back and forth. And JoJo was out here tryin' to play devil's advocate, you know how he is."

"JoJo was trying to do what?" JoJo asked confusedly as he walked out of the bedroom, still pulling up his pants.

"We were talking about y'all's little bet," I spoke up, my eyes catching Vanessa behind JoJo, trying to fix her hair discreetly. I don't know why, it wasn't like we didn't know she was she was busting it open in the next room. "What's up, Nessa?"

Her eyes landed on me and she briefly looked like a deer in headlights, then her expression changed to one that was more devious as she came from behind him and sat on the other side of me.

"Hey Dalvin," she said, planting a kiss on the side of my face, "You lookin' good tonight, baby."

My face scrunched up and I wiped the side of my face where she kissed, all the while K-Ci snickered beside me. Call it rude or whatever, but I don't know where she had those lips.

"Uh, thanks."

"DeVante, I think your brother's catching up, you know, look-wise," she said, and De kissed his teeth as he threw down his cards.

"Sike," he said, "He still as ugly as the day he was born."

"Nigga whatever, I could pull more than you - if I wanted to," I said, and he laughed, "Key word: if."