Fighting Love

Chapter Nine★

Opening new doors means closing the old ones

TROY'S POV

After the talk Marlon gave me, I remembered when Trisa moved into the dorm. Marlon was right, she had always been good to me. She even cleaned the entire dorm weekly, without my help, and I was the one messing it up. Sometimes she went the extra mile and organized my stuff, although she knew I'd curse her about it. I stalked away from my usual hangout spot. After spending some time with my thoughts, I gathered I needed to get on Trisa's good side. "That way, she wouldn't hate me." The sudden need to care for her confused me. 

On my way to the dorms, I met Jordan." Hey, man, there's a party at Jonathan's tomorrow. Ya coming?" He shoved his cell phone into his back pocket and picked a thread from the waist of his shorts. There was a provoking grin playing its way onto his face.

I knew about the pool party and was still wavering my mind about it. "I don't know. I'm tired." I gave him my famous excuse, and he laughed.

"Ya gonna want to go since Anna asked your sexy roommate to accompany her," He smirked, and patted my shoulder. "Since you love her and all."

I groaned at his remark, "I don't love her!" I could never love Trisa, or anyone else. When I reached my dorm, I opened the door and slammed it behind me. Trisa was dead asleep and didn't even shift, and I was not being quiet. She slept like a log. A cute log. After an hour of shuffling around and showering, I went to bed. Once again, Thoughts I couldn't control hounded me. I wanted so badly for Trisa to like me.

'When a rich nigga want ya.
And your nigga can do nothin' for ya.
These hoes ain't loyal.'

The sound of my alarm dragged me out of slumber. After struggling to turn it off, I groggily slouched my way to the bathroom where I freshened up. After fixing myself, I headed out for breakfast at the diner. The old man there was quite likable. He was the reason I ate there every morning, and the one adult I could always count on for honest advice. His name was Bob, and Bob made me feel like I had a father.

"Hey, boyo, how's it going?" He chirped as he saw me entering the diner. Bob was a stout black guy in his late fifties. He had big dark-brown eyes and an infectious laugh.

"Same as yesterday. You finally have the diner full again, huh?" I referred to the gang of youngsters having their breakfast. I walked to the counter and sat down on a stool, looking at Bob who stood behind the counter. "You know what I like, Bob."

"It's the coffee season. Gimme a sec, boy." Bob chuckled, filled a teacup with coffee, and handed it to me, along with a glass of water. 

I took a few sips of the water while he made my breakfast. Bob believed water was the first thing someone should drink in the morning. Five minutes later, he returned with a plate filled with pancakes, bacon, and eggs. 

"Thanks," I said before digging in.

Before I could ask why he was staring at me, he spoke, "Who's the girl?"

"What girl?" I asked. I couldn't stop thinking about her, her witty comebacks and fiery personality bewitched me. 

Bob laughed. "The one you're thinking about, boyo. I know that frustrated look on your face, I used to wear it." He walked around the counter and sat on the stool next to me. With one hand propped against the edge of the countertop, he rested his chin in his palm, staring at me.

"Her name is Trisa. I've been an asshole to her since day one. I don't even know why it suddenly bothers me. She tugs at my last nerve and I despise her for it, but at the same time, I kinda like her. "