Tamed [BOOK ONE]

Chapter 12

The almost kiss between Toby and I, put a bit of a damper on my weekend. I was prepared to have fun with Chloe and maybe Nina, not contemplate whether I liked a boy or not. Especially a boy like Toby who had made my life a subtle hell in the beginning. And then I started thinking, what if things had gone different? What if instead of being pissed off at Toby I laughed at his comment and we started talking. Would I see what I see now? Would he be the same Toby that was growing more on me daily? It's so funny how one little thing in history can change your whole pathway in life. You hear stories about people who get their flights canceled on planes that end up crashing or people who leave banks minutes before they get robbed, but you never think that can apply to love. I always thought that love was something you felt from the beginning. Not something that gradually happened. I always thought that if you didn't feel if then, it just wasn't meant to be. But what about Toby? I didn't love him of course, but I was semi-afraid to admit that I liked him.

"I like Toby King." I spoke out into my empty room. The words still somewhat tasted like salt and vinegar and dirty bath water coming off my tongue, but they were the truth. I could fight it as long as I wanted to and I was going to fight it, but at the end of the day, I liked Toby and he liked me. For sexual reasons at least. I climbed off my bed and made myself look decent enough to meet Chloe at the park. The park was our Saturday hang out spot and that hadn't changed from when we were in diapers. I placed my hair in a ponytail feeling grateful that I was getting my beloved braids soon. I didn't get to dressed up and went in my usual attire of shorts and a T-shirt. My shorts stopped about mid-thigh and that was because my mama would have my ass if I came out half-dressed. When I was a freshman, I told my mama I was going to a party and she let me borrow something from her closet. Being the little freshman I was, I choose the tightest smallest thing and my mama was there with a belt before I could even pull it all the way up my butt. Things changed and I stopped wanting to be so grown and fast after my mom sat me down and talked to me about what really happened between her and my father. It was a shock, but I knew from then that wanted to be in a serious and committed relationship before loosing my virginity.

I finished getting dressed and left a note for my mom in case she woke up. I didn't like to bother my mom when she finally got to get some rest on her off days like this. I left the house and started my walk for the park. I nodded to people as I walked and smiled at older people so they wouldn't think I was a teenage thug. If being black didn't get you stereotyped, being young did. I walked to the park and waited at our usual spot for Chloe. I searched the park with my eyes and spotted the usual group of whiny kids and their parents. One child was getting sand kicked in her face while her mother obliviously gossiped about a poorer child sitting on the swing set. It was a truly disgusting sight. That people could be so vile as to ignore the needs of their own child go gossip about someone else's child.

"You look like you're think." Chloe said taking a seat next to me on the bench. "What's up?"

"Those women over there are gossiping about that little girl over there and her child is getting sand to the face."

"Karma." Chloe stated bluntly and I smacked her thigh.

"Her kids shouldn't suffer her bad karma."

"But they do. It's like saying someone's child is ugly and then your baby will be ugly. It's life Nat." Chloe shrugged her shoulders and reclined back on the bench. "Xavier offered to take us out for ice cream with his new girlfriend." Xavier is Chloe's older brother who happens to be in college. He doesn't really study he just goes out and gets drunk and parties with girls. I nodded my head and followed Chloe to where her brother was parked down the street."

"Nattie Ann, I must be seeing ghost." Xavier said as I entered the back seat and strapped myself in. Chloe did the same and he started the car.

"I told you not to call me that and it's good to as you too Xavier." A brunette sat in the front see and I presumed Xavier was going to introduce her to us, but it got awkward when we got to the ice cream parlor and he stills ignored her presence. Xavier looked just like his sister with black hair and tanned skin and he decided to add on to that by working out. He was sexy, bud the way he was treating this girl made me not want to be in a hundred mile radius of him. He didn't open her door or do something as simple as holding the door when we walking into the shop. She was pretty with her brunette hair and green eyes, and it made me wonder why she would suffer through him.

Chloe and I ordered and sat in our own personal booth while Xavier and his girlfriend sat in another.

"He's quite the charmer." I said sarcastically and Chloe simply shrugged.

"Girls are desperate now a days they'll by pass the nice personality chubby guy for the asshole Greek god looking guy. It's honestly sad."

I nodded and we continued to eat our ice cream in silence. The door for the little shop rang and I looked up to see who had walked in from common nosiness. I saw Toby walk in with his hand latched in some other girl's. I held back some tears and watched as he said hey to Xavier and sat down with her. They flirted and played until I couldn't watch anymore and I stormed over to Xavier.

"Can we go now?" I asked.

"Nat?" Toby called and touched my waist gently. I rolled my eyes and nearly ran to Xavier's car. I know we weren't exclusive and I probably shouldn't have been so dramatic, but seeing Toby playing and talking to other girls made me miss the times we shared.

Author's Note:

So this chapter took me an extra long time to do because I wanted nothing less than a thousand words. I've been teasing you guys with these short chapters and I wanted to make this chapter longer. Be sure to vote, comment, and follow.