Page 4 of Give Me Honesty

Nolan dreamed of making it to the NFL with an engineering degree, while his girlfriend was in community college with no major or clear direction. All she wanted was to party, putting her education on the back burner. Part of me related to her on one level because I loved to party and have a good time, but I would never let my actions get in the way of my studies. Hell, my family would be on my ass if I did.

“Anyways, Jamarcus and I got into it, and he basically said that I needed to get with the program. According to him, he is on track to enter the draft, and there will be thousands of other bitches on his dick. He pretty much said I need to get some tough skin and accept the fact that he isn’t going to be monogamous.”

I sat there, stunned by his audacity.

I wasn’t a naturally violent person, but I probably would have put my hands on him for even thinking I would be okay with his arrangement.

“He isn’t completely wrong about the girls. Women chase celebrities for clout or the opportunity to get them alone. Why do you think there are so many scandals with women getting pregnant by athletes after a one-night stand? Those hoes will even go as far as stealing sperm to have a baby by those men.” Tommie explained.

“As arrogant as Jamarcus may be, his talents are legitimate, and he’s more than likely gonna be picked up by a major team, which means even more exposure. Even the strongest men have fallen to temptation, and he’s already making it clear he isn’t gonna be worth a damn. You need to decide whether you can deal with what comes with his lifestyle. I know you said you were done with him, but we’ve been friends long enough to know you probably aren’t. If he’s already telling you he isn’t going to be faithful, then you need to be ready because that’s a whole new ball game,” Rahel advised.

“I told y’all, I’m⁠—”

“Aye, Kyra! Come here!” Jamarcus yelled, like we weren’t in the damn library.

“I’m sorry, y’all. I’ll catch up with y’all later.”

Kyra jumped up without hesitation and raced over to her man, as if she hadn’t just told us she was done with him. Then she would always get upset because we never believed her.

“I knew it. She wasted her time telling us that bullshit because she’s never gonna leave his dumb ass.” Tommie huffed as she checked her phone.

“Yeah, that’s why I didn’t say much. I loved her, but I refused to offer advice, I know she won’t use.” I acknowledged.

I never wanted to come off as judgmental, because I had my own problems, but it was clear Jamarcus had a hold on my girl, and there was no point in trying to convince her that she deserved better if that wasn’t what she wanted.

My phone buzzed, but I already knew who it was. He had been blowing my phone up since last night, and I wasn’t in the mood to talk to him.

“Why are you ignoring your man? This is the third call you’ve ignored, and I peeped that you weren’t on your usual morning FaceTime. What’s going on?” Tommie asked.

She and I were roommates, but she spent most of her time at her girlfriend’s apartment.

“I don’t feel like talking. We got into an argument, and I asked him to give me some space, but he obviously doesn’t know what the word means.” I scoffed, replaying the other night in my head. If I were honest with myself, I was more hurt and disappointed with myself than anyone else.

“What did he do? You never say much about your relationship, so I just assumed everything was going great,” Rahel probed.

I kept my relationship issues private because I hated people being in my business. My boyfriend came from a very powerful family, so I didn't want our petty drama to become a public scandal.

“He’s been stressed about basketball season, and it’s making him irritable. We got into a petty argument, but that turned into him accusing me of cheating on him. I wasn’t in the mood to go back and forth with him, so I left his place and came home.” I conveniently left out the part about him beating my ass because he didn’t like the text messages he saw between my best friend, Solomon, and me.

Rondell hated our friendship and wanted me to cut him off, but I refused. Solomon and I had been best friends for years, and he was the only person who truly understood me. I wasn’t about to end my friendship because Rondell was insecure. Solomon sent a message telling me to be safe and that he loved me, and it set Rondell off. He said it was inappropriate for another man to declare his love for me, even if it was platonic.

When we first got together, he was the perfect gentleman. He opened doors, took me on romantic dates, and bought me all kinds of lavish gifts. Some of those things had stopped, but the ones that didn’t came at a cost. After six months of dating, I discovered he had a hand problem. It started with a little shoving here and there when we argued, but then it escalated to slaps to the face or him gripping my arm. Now we were full-on fighting. Well, I couldn’t say “we” because I tried my best not to fight back. It would only make things worse.

“Oh, it sounds like normal growing pains in a relationship. I’m sure he wants to talk to make sure you two are on good terms. You’re a pretty girl, and he might be afraid to lose you,” Tommie reasoned.

“Yeah, girl. You need to stop playing hardball and answer his calls. Rondell is headed to the NBA, and if you play your cards right, you’re gonna be a fine-ass WAG, sitting pretty courtside. We need those floor seats. Plus, he is filthy rich, so you already know you’re gonna be living it up in a big ass mansion, taking private jets to Paris and shopping at Chanel for breakfast.” Rahel squealed.

Everyone on campus worshipped the ground Rondell walked on. He was a pretty boy with enough skills to catch pro teams' attention. Teachers rolled out the red carpet for him, letting him turn in his work whenever he felt like it, and students fanned over him wherever we were. He was the school’s golden boy, and he brought the school a lot of donations and publicity. Rondell was every woman’s wet dream and every young man’s idol. The problem was none of them knew the real him.

Rondell cared about what the public thought, so he always posted the highlights of his life, but they didn’t know about his darkness. His temper was out of control, and he hated it when things didn’t go his way. I used to think it was a simple temper tantrum, but I quickly learned it ran much deeper.

When he brought me to his parents’ house, I overheard him and his father talking. It shocked me to know that I wasn’t the first girl he ever laid hands on and that his parents knew about it.

“Son, I’m warning you to make sure you are taking your medication and using the calming techniques I’ve taught you. All eyes are on you right now, and you can’t afford any fuck ups,” his father, Grant, hissed.

“What is that supposed to mean? Are you saying that I’m a fuck up?” Rondell shot back.

“What I’m saying is that I’ve paid off three girls in the last five years because you couldn’t control your temper and keep your hands to yourself. I’ve run a background check on this girl, and her family has money too, which means if you put your hands on her, I may not be able to pay for her silence. Did you know one of her brothers is in the NBA? Messiah Graham. Can you imagine the fallout if things between you two were to take a turn? He could very well get you blackballed from the league if you harm his sister. We can’t afford any fuck ups, Rondell. I swear you and your brother are determined to make my life difficult.”