A Love Like This (Book 1) Read Free Page A

walk.     “ Get in the car, ”   He says through clinched teeth.
    “ Ima   go talk to that   motha   fucka. ”     I catch   Pookie ’ s   arm.  
    “ You know what happens every time we get involved.   She ’ s going to have to decide when she ’ s had enough. ”
    Nickie   sits in the car looking at her lap.   Damian smiles at   Pookie   and me.     “ How ya ’ ll   doin   today? ”   He says, his sparkling white teeth gleaming in the morning sun.  
    Pookie   glares at Damian.   Sudden recognition registering on his face;   “ didn ’ t I see you somewhere this weekend? ”     Damian ’ s smile fades.   He gets back in the car and speeds off.
    “ Um hmm, somebody ’ s got a secret. ”
     
    Chapter 2
              It was a sunny eighty-three degrees   when   I   left LA.   I hugged my uncle goodbye and nearly sprinted to the ticket counter at the airport.   I was so excited about starting my new life as a UC Berkeley junior.   However, my excitement was short lived. The grey clouds and brisk air in the Bay Area instantly darken my mood. By the   time I   get to Berkeley ’ s University Hall I ’ m exhausted and my feet have blisters from the heels I ’ m wearing.   I park my bags in a corner of the administration building and text my sister Keisha while standing in the registration line.   “ Cold here ready to come home, ”   I type while the line slowly moves forward.
    Keisha replies a few minutes later,   “ Girl please, all the money Momma and daddy had to pay for you to go to UCB you better put on a   fuckin   jacket and suck it up. ”     I want   to tell her that Momma and daddy paid for part of my tuition   but a large portion will be covered with student loans.
    I write,   “ Just rude! Have you heard from   Nickie? ”  
    She replies,   “ No,   Pookie   told me what happened.   She ’ ll be MIA for a   minute. ”
    A red haired girl with a spare tire and an irritated look on her face taps me on the shoulder and points to the three foot gap in front of me.  
    I roll my eyes at the girl and continue typing while moving forward,   “ I ’ ll talk to you later kiss those bad ass kids of yours for me. ”  
    Keisha responds in seconds,   “ Yeah I will … . And you dislodge the stick from your behind! ”  
    I pick up my class schedule and listen to an uneventful speech about becoming acclimated to university life.   There are five other students in the group.   All of whom have their eyes glued to the tour guide.   They diligently take notes and eagerly answer every question presented.   I try to pay attention but can ’ t prevent my eyes from glazing over with boredom.   I slip away from the group pick up my bags and trek across campus to find my dorm room.
    I ’ m sweating through my dress   despite the cool breeze and   curls have escaped my bun and are falling around my face.   I reach the room and amble through the front door nearly tripping over a pile of clothes in the middle of the floor. I maneuver around the mess and sit on the bed closest to the window.   I look around the room and sigh.   It ’ s a little dusty and smaller than my bedroom back home but at least there ’ s a drafting table and two closets.   I can get use to sharing a bedroom but my clothes and shoes need their own space.  
    I reach into my purse and pull out the Papyrus gift bag from   Nickie.   Inside the bag is a brown leather-bound journal with the word   ‘ Love ’   printed on the front.   I open the first page and in   Nickie ’ s neat flowery writing are the words,   ‘ This is the year you ’ ll fall in love. ’     My heart warms thinking of my kind gentle big sister but the only thing I ’ m going to fall in love with this year is the inside of the library.     “ Maybe she means that rhetorically, ”   I say to myself.   I peel off my dress, heels and stockings then slide into palates ’   pants, a