"Aye, Jodie can I holla at you for a sec?" I asked as I headed towards my room. I had just got in the house and Aria was on my mind like crazy. Our last conversation kind of left a bad taste in my mouth, I didn't want her to feel like I was really this shallow ass nigga, I wasn't. At least I didn't think I was. I walked into my room and Jodie walked in behind me, "wassup man?" he asked laying back on my bed. I leaned against the desk in my room with my arms crossed, "man tell me about Aria." He laughed, "what you mean?"

He knew what I meant, "man, don't bullshit me." He thought this shit was funny, "man I told you she was a hard one, she don't take no shit. That's all I know, we don't talk about dating like that, but from the times we have I know she quick to cut a nigga off. She a strong ass woman B. She ain't these weak, easy ass girls we be fucking with, she literally the type you want on your team when it's time to settle down and shit. That's why I told your ass you ain't have a chance. Otherwise I wouldn't have bet her up. I want the moneyyyy!" he said with a laugh.

I shook my head and threw my hands on top of my head, pulling them down my face "man, she too fucking much. I ain't even got her number yet, she give me hell every time we have a conversation, and today she threw the preference card in my face, and that shit bothered me. Like I don't even know why I give a fuck about what she think about it, but the shit been eating me up. Like I went over to Layia's, you know just to fuck and get my dick sucked and that shit still was on my mind, couldn't even get a nut. Like what the fuck."

Jodie shook his head with a small smile on his face as he leaned up, "damn nigga, let me find out Aria got a nigga reconsidering himself." I cut in real quick, "nah chill with that, none of that shit."

He laughed and put his hands up, "aye, I'm just saying. Shit, she bad, smart, and super cool, if she ain't know about all my ho ways she would be exactly who I went to when I was ready to settle down. Shit, I'm pretty sure Mark gon' try her ass." I laughed, a little confused, "Mark?"

Jodie looked at me like I was stupid, "nigga, you know he think she everything. He can't wait for your ass to fluke the bet so he can come in and play superman." I laughed, "the question is, will he still try and get her after I fuck her though?" Jodie laughed and got up, "my mans! Keep hope alive" he said as he dapped me up.

I shook my head, all this did was give me more reason to win this bet, niggas were really doubting me. Shit, I was doubting myself. But I wasn't a quitter. Never that."But aye, can you do me a favor?" I asked as he was walking out my room. He stopped, "what's that?"

"Peep how she feeling, gauge where she at me with me." He laughed, "alright nigga." I knew she was going to talk a load of shit, but I also knew Jodie would have my back. The nigga was as loyal as loyal gets, granted he wanted them to win the beat he would never do anything intentional to mess up my chances. Aria was going to be a challenge, for sure. But it's only been a little over a week, one thing about me though, I don't give up. My parents ain't raise no bitch.

---

It was a Thursday afternoon campus was lit and shawties were looking good as shit. I was out by the yard kicking it with Mark and Bryan just scoping the scene. "Hey y'all!" Kennedy said as she walked towards us with the biggest smile on her face, shawty looked good she had on a sundress, hitting every curve. It ran through my mind how I could have easily had that, Chris fucked her in a week.

We all spoke then she started with the questioning shit, "have y'all seen Chris?" We all shook our head no, she looked at us like she ain't believe us. Not like we gave a fuck though, we really ain't know where that nigga was at. She was about to ask another question when her phone rang, "Hey Aria!" she said excitedly, this piqued my interest. She was telling her where she was at which led me to believe that Aria was about to head this way, and that's exactly what I needed. Kennedy began talking to us again as she hung up the phone but my focus wasn't on her as I watched this bad ass girl walk towards me, our eyes holding each other's attention.

I took her body in, she had on a shirt that showed her toned belly with some body hugging jeans. She had this flirtatious grin on her face, "Hey." She smiled as I spoke back, "I was wondering if you could show me where the cafeteria was."

"You new here or something?" I questioned. I hadn't seen her and most people knew where that was.

"I'm not on campus much." She said with a low seductive voice. Shawty wasn't slick, I'm sure her ass knew where it was, she was just trying to find a reason to talk to me; but I had no problem with that.

I looked her up and down as I bit my bottom lip and smiled, just as I was about to lead the way I saw Aria not too far from us and I remembered I had a mission, "I would love to baby girl, but I can't right now. But aye, I'll give you my number and next time you trying to go, I'll be sure to lead the way for you."

She bit her lip and pulled out her phone, I put my number in it and she walked away right before Aria walked up, she rolled her eyes at me off gate. I chuckled, she looked good. She had her hair in a ponytail with some hip hugging jeans on and just a regular tee. It was simple, but I liked that shit on her.

"Hey to you too baby," I said as I grabbed her and pulled her towards me. She didn't even fight the hug, and I appreciated that shit cause I ain't feel like having to hear the shit later from my boys if she would've dissed my ass.

"I ain't your baby," she said as she pulled away from me. She spoke to Mark and Bryan then her and Kennedy started talking about something. I looked at my boys about to say something when I realized Mark was starring a hole through Aria, then the shit that Jodie said dawned on me. This nigga really liked her; but that shit confused me. Why would he bet me to fuck her if he wanted her? That shit ain't make no sense. I pulled that nigga to the side, getting far enough from the girls. "Aye, do you want Aria?"

He looked at her, then looked back at me, "what you mean?"

I hit this nigga upside the head, "exactly what I said, you gon' feel some type of way if I pipe her?"

"Aye man," he rubbed his head as he laughed, "you won't succeed, I ain't worried bout it," he said that shit and then walked off. Something was shady about that shit, but I brushed it off, I was just going to prove him wrong, I tried to look out for his feelings by seeing what was up, but fuck it.

"Aye, Aria," she turned around and looked at me like I was bothering her, I hated how much she acted like she hated me. "Can you come here?" she rolled her eyes, "for what?" she made everything difficult, I just wanted her to fall in line like the rest of these girls.

I just looked at her with pleading eyes, showing her that I wasn't trying to deal with the bullshit today. It worked, it got her to come my way, but not without another eye roll and some attitude. But I'd tone that shit down as soon as I got her.

As she started walking towards me Casey, a girl I fucked on the regular walked up to me. Couldn't have been worse timing, "hey baby!" she purred. Aria stopped and turned back around walking back to where she was. I gave Casey a nod and got up and walked over to Aria, "take a walk with me please," she looked at Casey and then at me, "don't you think that's rude? She was talking to you." I crossed my arms and tighten my jaw, I was really over the bullshit with her right now, it was going on a full two weeks and I still didn't even have her number. I'd been trying to get at her literally every day that I saw her, and each time she gave me a fuck you attitude, I was over the chill shit now.

"Nahh, what I think is rude is the fact that I'm willing to ignore girls to talk to you to show you how serious I am and you take it as some kind of joke." This caught her off guard, and she ain't really have shit to say, she stood up, "where to Landon?" I licked my lips and looked her up and down with attitude all over my face, I turned around and started walking as she followed me.

Once we got out of ear shot I cut straight to the point "man stop playing with me."

She laughed and crossed her arms, "I'm not," I rolled my eyes, that laugh let me know she thought this shit was some kind of joke, but I couldn't focus on that. "You have all these preconceived notions about me and you're letting them ruin what could possibly be a good thing," I boasted, had to make the shit sound good. I needed to pull her in, today.

She looked me in the eyes with one eyebrow raised, and a small smirk on her face. I continued, "at least give me the chance to change your mind."

She stood there looking like she was thinking about it. "How you think you about to prove this?" She questioned with the smile wiped completely off her face.

I smiled, "let me take you out." I usually didn't do dates, but I knew I would have to with her.

She looked at me wide eyed, "take me out? You do dates? You do know I'm darker than you right?"

I couldn't stand her smart ass mouth. I crossed my arms and smirked, playing along with her smart ass comments. "Damn, I don't do dates, you really believe I don't fuck with girls who are darker than me, but yet and still I'm trying to get you and take you on a date. That shit crazy right?"

Cat must have caught her tongue because she stood there silent just looking at me, analyzing me. "Okay, you get one time" she began, "one night to prove to me you ain't the ain't shit nigga I believe you to be."

I smiled, actually kind of surprised, "bet." I took out my phone and we exchanged numbers and decided we would go out on Saturday. A nigga was happy, I was one step closer. I ain't never have to work this hard , so now I was truly on a mission to make sure my dick ended up inside of her. We walked back towards the yard having slight conversation like about the types of foods we liked and shit, the most normal conversation we ever had.

Once we made it back Casey's friend ran up to me talking about Casey was crying because of me, she looked at Aria with a disgusted look, then Aria just looked at me like handle your business as she walked towards Kennedy. I couldn't have been more fortunate that she didn't say some smart or rude ass shit.

"Where she at?" I asked with an attitude. This shit was stupid, Casey could be real timid and overly sensitive. I knew she wasn't going to say shit when I barely acknowledged her to go talk to Aria. Her friend told me where she was and I made my way to her.

Casey was actually a girl I cared about, by all means it was just sex for me, but I knew she had feelings for the kid. But she never tripped and was cool as hell. If I was to settle down I'm sure she would be the girl I chose. I knew she wanted a relationship, but she knew I wasn't ready for that and she never pressured me for it, and I respected her for that. I found her leaving out the bathroom her friend told me that she was in, I could tell she had just been crying. She saw me and just looked at me with sad eyes. That shit got to me, she had a little place in my heart, can't even front.

"Casey, come here," she rustled her curly hair with her hands. Even after crying she still looked good. She was a mixed shawty, black and white, beautiful body, beautiful face, and beautiful throat, if you know what I mean. She started walking towards me. I wrapped my arms around her and she hugged me back, this girl loved me to the point somebody would probably call her stupid. I did some fuck shit and she still fucked with me. I whispered in her ear while hugging her tight, "I'm sorry baby."

She looked up at me, "who was that? You've never played my face like that for anyone." That was true, Casey was my main, the only girl I fucked that my boys couldn't sample, the only girl I would actually purposely spend the night with, I sighed. I could lie, or I could tell the truth, she knew I fucked other girls so that wasn't the problem, but she didn't know about the bets me and my boys placed, which is why I couldn't afford to have Aria think it was some shit with Casey when I was trying to win this bet. Casey usually never got in the way of my bets, but Aria was a different bred. I was going to have to fake like I was all in for this one.

I told her I would explain once we got to her house, she smiled, we walked back out and she told her friends she was riding with me and we left to head to her place. I texted my boys and let them know I was leaving campus.

On the way to her house I started to tell her what was up and told her she couldn't say shit about it. She thought the shit was funny and an easy way to make money. This was why I fucked with her. She was cool about everything.

"She sounds like a bitch" Casey laughed after I told her how the interactions were with Aria. I laughed, placing my hand in hers, "basically." I pulled up to her apartment and we went inside. A few of her friends were sitting in the living room when we walked in. Most of them didn't like me, but I didn't give a fuck. Half of them were mad because I fucked them but didn't treat them how I treated Casey, the other half were mad that I wouldn't fuck them.

Quita, one of her roommates and friends rolled her eyes at me and looked at Casey as she spoke, "when are you going to stop being stupid and get with a nigga who deserves you." She always had some slick shit to say when I came over. I laughed, I couldn't stand this bitch, and I don't use that word loosely. But that's exactly what she was. Casey rolled her eyes and took my hand to lead me to her room. She closed the door once we got in, "they hate you." She spoke as she sat her bag down.

I laid back on her bed, "that's because they mad they ain't you," she smiled, "shut up Landon," she replied as she made her way to my lips. She kissed me, "my dumbass is clearly in love with you," she whispered as she positioned herself to lay her head on my chest. I pulled her close as if she could get any closer, "when I settle down, I promise it's going to be you." She just wrapped around me tighter. Sometimes this shit was all a nigga needed. Relationship type of affection, without the bullshit.