Synopsis:
When Cambridge went to her best friend's 4th of July barbecue, she was excited and looking forward to the day. But, things get really complicated when her best friend drops the news that she's invited Cambridge's ex. In a mad rush to leave, she bumps into her ex and panic sets in. What will Cambridge do when the past shows up in the present?
The 4th
PART ONE
She could already smell the aromas of charcoal burning as she approached her best friend's house. The door was unlocked so she let herself in. The first thing she saw was Heather frantically moving about the kitchen. She had a pot of something on the stove that she was intermittently stirring. There was a cake laid out on the counter next to a bowl of frosting. Tomatoes, onions, and a head of lettuce were on a chopping board on the kitchen island. Heather moved from stirring the pot, to frosting the cake, to getting a knife ready that was assumed for the vegetables. Heather was so busy, she hadn't noticed her walk in.
"Where's the fire?" She asked.
Heather was startled by the sound of another's voice. It broke her focus.
"Oh? Cambridge, ...hey." she greeted her friend.
Cambridge Monroe had just arrived to a 4th of July barbecue her friend, Heather Peters, was having. The 4th landed on a Saturday that year, so it was the perfect day for a celebration.
Cambridge and Heather had been best friends for as long as she could recall. It all started with a trade of cookies for potato chips during lunchtime at Brookmill Elementary School. Now, both in their mid 30's, they're friendship was still as strong as it was all those many years ago.
"Anything I can help you with?" she asked her clearly flustered friend. Heather, still running from station to station, shook her head emphatically and said "No, no. I got this!" while then spilling over a bowl of grapes she'd just bumped into.
"....clearly!" Cambridge said trying to hold back a chuckle.
Heather gave her a playful scowl as she bent down to pick up the grapes. Cambridge joined her to help collect the grapes.
"How about I frost that cake for you?"
Heather, putting the bowl of grapes in the sink to rinse, let out a short laugh and said "Uh....no! I've seen your baking skills! ....no thanks!"
With Heather's laughter resuming, Cambridge gave her a look of offense, though trying not to laugh herself because she knew it was the truth.
"I know how to frost a cake!" she said with sharp conviction.
"Do you remember Home Ec. sixth grade!" Heather said.
It took Cambridge a moment or so to figure out what she was talking about, but then ol' memory lane showed up.
"Oh, now wait a minute!!" she said, clearly trying to stop herself from laughing.
"That was not my fault! I was 11. I didn't know you shouldn't frost a cake right after it comes out of the oven"
Heather's laughter was frantic now.
"There was melted frosting EVERYWHERE!" she said, running back to stir her pot on the stove.
"If I want the cake to look like Hampton or Violet frosted it, then I'll look you up!" Heather wittingly said.
Hampton and Violet were Heather's 4-year-old twins. So, obviously, she was comparing Cambridge's frosting skills to that of a child's.
"You can slice the veggies if you really want to help, but like I said, I got this!"
Heather was never one to ask for assistance for anything, even if she really needed it. So, Cambridge ignored her declaration of having control over this food prep as she obviously was doing too much for just one person.
"Ok, I can do that" she said with a smile.
She walked over to the kitchen island and picked up the knife that was laid out. She looked down at the vegetables curiously and realized she couldn't quite start chopping them just yet.
"Hey, Heath?" she called over to Heather.
"How exactly do you want these veggies cut?"
Heather looked over her shoulder at Cambridge. Still flustered from everything she was trying to do all on her own, it seemed she didn't immediately know the answer.
"Umm.....oh, right!"
Finally struck with the reason she had the vegetables out, she answered "Those are for the hamburgers. So, you know, just slice the tomato and the onion, and peel the lettuce into large strips, like how they do it at Wendy's."
"Gotcha" Cambridge replied and she commenced her task at hand.
Heather turned off the stove. She grabbed a colander from the cabinet and drained the pasta that was in the pot she had been cooking.
The two friends went about their food prep. Heather turned the pasta into a pasta salad. Cambridge had finished slicing all the tomatoes and started on the onions.
"Hey, Cambridge?"
There had been something Heather had been meaning to mention to Cambridge. She was worried about her reaction though which is why she hadn't told her anything as of yet or even before she came over for the barbecue. Heather knew that it wouldn't be long before Cambridge would figure it out on her own anyway, so she bit the bullet in an attempt to prepare her.
"There's something I should tell you?" she started.
Cambridge nonchalantly replied "What is it?"
Heather took a deep breath.
"......Bronx is coming over for the barbecue."
Heather could audibly hear the knife hit the cutting board with a force that was louder than all the other chopping sounds she had heard coming from the island.
Cambridge, happy she hadn't just cut through her finger at the announcement of that news, dropped her knife all together and swung around to face Heather.
"You have GOT to be kidding me???" She exclaimed.
"Well, she's my friend too. I couldn't just not invite her" Heather explained.
"Well, I'm not staying for that!" Cambridge said. She put aside everything on the cutting board and made her way back over to the living room where she had laid her purse and her keys.
"Oh, come on, Cambridge?!"
This had been exactly what she was trying to avoid. She knew that if she had told Cambridge that Bronx was coming, she never would have showed up.
"See, this is why I didn't tell you!"
"Yeah, I know!!" Cambridge replied.
"Because you knew if you'd have told me she was coming, I'd have told you 'hell no' about me coming to this barbecue!"
"Ya' know? You need to get over this already" Heather said, pointing the frosting spatula at Cambridge for emphasis.
"I mean, I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Had I not invited you, you probably would have been offended and the same would go for Bronx. And, look, I personally wanted to spend the 4th of July with my family and two of my best friends. Is there something wrong with that?"
Cambridge knew she couldn't really argue with that, and she wasn't going to attempt to. But, she didn't have to be happy or ok with it nonetheless. She still wanted to leave and leave quickly as the start time for the barbecue was only minutes away and she knew Bronx was fanatic about her punctuality.
"Look. ....I gotta go"
Cambridge put her purse strap on her shoulder, had her keys in hand, and headed toward the front door.
" ...you know her and Renee broke up, don't you? Heather added.
Cambridge stopped dead in her tracks and promptly turned around to face Heather.
"What?" she said, not believing she had just heard what she thought she'd heard.
Heather had a smirk on her face, finding it amusing how fast her friend had deterred from her mission to leave at the knowledge of this information.
"Yeah, she and Renee broke up about a month ago and she moved back into her old apartment" Heather said.
Cambridge didn't want to care or feel anything about this news, but her heart had another idea. Part of her was ridiculously happy, while another part of her was saying 'don't even think about going back there.'
Brianna Matthews, aka "Bronx", was a girl Cambridge had met on an online dating site some two years prior. She adopted her nickname due to her seemingly 'bad girl' demeanor. To people who didn't know her well enough, she came off as hard and tough. She wasn't a girl you wanted to mess with. She wouldn't think twice before throwing a punch at someone who, in her opinion, had it coming. Those who knew her closely, however, knew that under that rebel exterior of hers, she could be quite soft and sweet. When Cambridge met her, she had just gotten released from a 6-month stay in jail on an assault charge. As crazy as it sounded, one of the things that attracted Cambridge to Bronx was her disregard for following the rules and living life however she wanted to regardless of consequences. Cambridge could never be like that. She was a "good girl," for lack of a better title. The two of them were complete opposites and we all know that opposites attract.
Right off the bat, Bronx made it clear that she was just looking to have fun and not interested in a serious relationship. Cambridge knew she should probably not mess with Bronx given that she was looking for the marriage, kids, and the house with a white picket fence. She was on the website solely for finding someone who fit that bill. But, there was something about Bronx that she couldn't shake. She became infatuated in everything that was Bronx Matthews.
Their first meeting was at a coffee house. From that very moment of "hello" and seeing her in person, Cambridge wanted this girl. She wanted her badly!
So, against her better judgement, she went after Bronx. Her hope was that she'd be the girl to somehow change Bronx's mind. She wanted to be the one Bronx would eventually realize was someone she didn't want to lose; someone she would commit to.
Well, here it was, two years later, and all she had ever managed to get from Bronx was a handful of sexual encounters; nothing else. She dedicated a lot of time and energy into trying to hook Bronx, but Bronx was simply a fish that refused to get caught.
.....that was until she met Renee.
Renee was a girl Bronx had met at a bar. Somehow, Renee had succeeded in the goal that Cambridge spent years trying to achieve. That goal was getting Bronx into a serious relationship. It was almost instantaneous between them. They met and a month later, they were living together.
Cambridge tried being friends with Bronx even after she had gotten with Renee. She never wanted to admit it, but in the back of her mind, she was hoping she'd manage to steal her away from Renee. This was a feat, however, she just couldn't accomplish.
Eventually, Renee didn't want Bronx talking to Cambridge anymore. It wasn't that she had somehow figured out what Cambridge was up to in regards to Bronx. It was simply that she knew the history between the two of them and didn't like that they still kept in contact. It didn't help either that Cambridge was the one Bronx would call when she and Renee weren't getting along, which was quite regularly. She had gone and picked Bronx up numerous times when Renee would steal her keys and lock her out of their apartment. Cambridge couldn't figure out why Bronx would want to stay in such a volatile relationship when she knew Bronx could have a much better one with her instead.
Cambridge thought for sure their relationship would implode at some point, but Bronx kept going back to Renee after each time she threw her out.
And then, one day, the calls stopped. Bronx unfriended her on Facebook and every time Cambridge would text her, she'd get no response. Bronx had completely ghosted on her. She figured it was all Renee's doing because at the end of the day, Renee was terribly jealous of her. Cambridge figured that with Bronx cutting all ties with her, Renee wouldn't feel so insecure anymore.
After that, the only way Cambridge knew anything about the happenings in Bronx's life was through Heather. Heather had met Bronx when she and her husband, Martin, went on a double date with her and Cambridge. They were instant friends.
Bronx had always kept in contact with Heather, even after she'd stopped all contact with Cambridge. That always kind of infuriated her.
It had been 6 months since Cambridge had last heard from Bronx. Cambridge was processing what Heather had just told her.
"She's not with Renee anymore?"
The thought caused a tiny smile to come across her face.
"Yeah, I thought you'd be happy to hear that" Heather said.
Cambridge realized her unintentional smile and immediately got rid of it.
"And, why would that make me happy?" she replied, realizing how stupid of a thing that was to ask Heather. Heather knew Cambridge better than anyone. Heather didn't bother to verbally answer Cambridge. A look was all it took from Heather for her to convey to Cambridge 'you know exactly why!"
Upset that her friend could read her like a book, Cambridge declared "I do not still have a thing for Bronx!"
Heather gave her another look; this time it said 'Sure you don't!'
Cambridge could clearly tell that Heather wasn't believing a word of it. She knew Heather was right on the money and that annoyed her.
"....well, what does it matter anyway? I mean, how many times have they broken up before and gotten back together? I doubt it's any different this time" Cambridge said.
Heather shook her head from side to side.
"No, it's different this time"
"How so?" Cambridge questioned.
"Because I've known Bronx for longer than you have and she confides in me. I know that girl inside and out, and I'm telling you something is different this time." Heather explained.
Cambridge really wanted to believe that Heather was right. She wanted to believe that Bronx was single again with no intentions of going back to Renee and that she still had a shot at this girl she's dreamed about being with.
But then, the hurt set in. Thoughts of all the heartbreak she had gone through trying to make Bronx hers came flooding into her mind. It literally made her feel ill. She couldn't be at this barbecue if Bronx was coming. She didn't want to get wrapped up in Bronx all over again just to get slapped in the face when she'd eventually go back to Renee or to some other girl, for that matter. If there were anything Cambridge knew for sure about Bronx Matthews, it was that no matter how hard she tried, one simple fact remained and it'd been proven over and over again.
........Bronx didn't want her.
She wasn't gonna stick around to have that fact reiterated in her face.
"Heath, I love you and I know you meant well, but I can't be here right now" Cambridge started her way to leave once again.
"Came!" Heather said, trying to get her friend not to leave. But, Cambridge kept walking.
She was just about to open the front door to leave, but when she went to turn the knob, it was already turning from the other side.
The door pushed open swiftly. Cambridge had to take a wide step back as not to get hit in the face by the door.
"Oh! Sorry!" a voice said.
....a voice all too familiar to Cambridge.
There she was.
Bronx Matthews, standing in the doorway and looking hell-a-sexy!
.....a blue jersey tank, black shorts, a fresh pair of Jordan's, a large hanging silver cross necklace, diamond stud gauges, caramel skin, and hair in a curly Mohawk showing off the badass cheetah print tattoo she had going across the sides of her head.
The sweet smell of Aqua di Gio cologne intoxicated Cambridge's senses as she breathed it in.
Everything she remembered of Bronx, right down to the dimples she had in both her cheeks, was still perfection.
"Cambridge!" Bronx said in a shocked tone.
"Heather didn't tell me you'd be here."
Cambridge felt like she had just stepped into a dream. She could see Bronx in front of her. She even knew she was coming to the barbecue. However, she still couldn't believe it.
When she went to speak, nothing came out. Her mouth had gone suddenly dry without her realizing it. She swallowed in an attempt to moisten her throat.
"Yeah, she didn't tell me you'd be here either"
Cambridge said as calmly as she could, but her voice was audibly shaky.
Bronx looked up and down at Cambridge and she did so quite a few times to where Cambridge had to question if she was checking her out.
"Wow!....you look...great!" Bronx said; her voice also a bit shaky.
Cambridge was wearing a blue sundress that was quite short, showing off a lot of leg, while complimenting that with tan, lace-up gladiator sandals. Her hair was half up and half down, showing off her long, wavy black hair with auburn highlights, which looked radiant in contrast to her chocolate brown skin.
She looked down at her dress to examine herself as if she'd forgotten what she had on.
"Oh? Thanks." She nervously replied. She was surely feeling the nerves. Having not seen Bronx in 6 months, she'd partly forgotten how attracted she really was to her.
"You look good too" She said, swallowing hard as she did another once over look at Bronx.
'Too good!' She thought.
"Thanks" Bronx said.
The two of them stood there staring at each other. It was starting to get very awkward. Cambridge realized she was blocking the doorway entrance and Bronx probably wanted to go join the other guests at the barbeque.
"Oh, sorry." She said.
"I'm in your way."
Cambridge moved to the side, leaving a wide enough space open for Bronx to walk into the house. Bronx casually strolled in, nearly brushing up against Cambridge in the process. A trail of Bronx's tantalizing cologne wafted by Cambridge and she had to fight the urge to bite her lip. She even inadvertently closed her eyes as it was happening, taking it all in. Upon opening them quickly so as not to be noticed by Bronx, the sense of a lightning bolt struck Cambridge and it struck her HARD! She had to get out of there. ....NOW!
"Well, it was nice seeing you" she said in a hurry and promptly walked out of the doorway, not even waiting for a response back from Bronx.
"Hey! ...hey, wait a second!" Bronx called.
Cambridge was already at her car door. She swore under her breath when she heard Bronx call out to her. She reluctantly turned around to address her.
Before she could respond with "what?", Bronx had beat her to the punch.
"Where are you going? The party is just getting started"
Cambridge searched her mind for an answer that didn't involve her admitting that she simply couldn't handle being anywhere close to Bronx. However, she didn't have to wonder for too long as to how to reply due to an unexpected interruption.
"Oh! I asked her if she could run out to get more ice, but I actually think we'll have enough" Heather said from the doorway. She must have heard their conversation and decided that Cambridge was not leaving this party whether she liked it or not.
"Hey!" Bronx said enthusiastically to Heather, giving her a hug. Heather gave her a hug back.
"I haven't seen you in like forever" Bronx said.
"Yeah, I think it's been since you threw that Valentine's Day party"
Bronx chuckled and smiled.
"That party was wild!" Bronx said.
"Aren't all your parties?" Heather questioned.
"Well, hey, ya know? That's how I roll!" Bronx said in that undyingly confident way she does.
Bronx was one of those people who knew they were sexy and attractive and felt the need to boast themselves all the time. Cambridge secretly used to find that appealing, but in this moment, it wasn't cute.
Cambridge was hoping that while Heather and Bronx were busy talking to each other, she could slip out undetected, but she had no such luck.
"Hey Cambridge?" Heather called out.
"Since you don't have to go out to get ice now, can you help me in the kitchen?"
Cambridge could have strangled her friend right about now. She didn't want to stay at this barbecue with Bronx here, but she felt like now, she was being trapped into it.
"Sure" Cambridge said through clenched teeth, although appearing to be smiling so Bronx wouldn't see her frustration.
"Hey Bronx? Martin is in the back on the grill if you want to say hi" Heather said.
"Cool" Bronx said with a smile and made her way to the back patio.
Heather looked across her driveway at Cambridge. Cambridge had such the glare on her face that she could have lit up the barbecue grill just by looking at it. This didn't phase Heather at all, though.
"You're welcome" she sneered at Cambridge.
Cambridge starting making her way back into the house. Thanks to Heather, she couldn't exactly just leave like she'd planned. She knew if she left now, Bronx would assume that she left because of her. Cambridge didn't know why she'd even care about what Bronx thought.
....but, she did.
"You're unbelievable, ya' know that?" she said, now back in the doorway standing right in front of Heather.
"Came, I'm telling you. Bronx being here and you being here is a good thing"
Cambridge raised an eyebrow. "...and, why is that?" she asked.
"Because I....." Heather said, trying to find the words to explain her reasoning. She couldn't though.
"...I just know it is" she said.
Cambridge opened her mouth for what Heather knew would be a snarky remark, but luckily she was interrupted.
"Hey Heather. Happy 4th!" a woman said. She was holding a Tupperware bowl of something while walking up to the door where Heather and Cambridge were standing. She was accompanied by two other women. They were obviously barbecue attendees.
Heather greeted the women and introduced them to Cambridge. They were her co-workers.
The women made their ways inside, and most of them went straight to the back patio. The woman with the Tupperware bowl, who Cambridge now knew as "Kessidy," (probably a play on the name "Cassidy") walked into the kitchen following Heather.
Cambridge stood there wondering what to do now. She wanted to go out on the patio and greet Martin as well as some mutual friends of theirs who were already in attendance. However, she knew Bronx was out there so she didn't go. Instead, she went and sat on the couch.
A couple minutes later, she could hear Bronx in the kitchen talking to Heather. She was wanting to know where the "adult" beverages were. Heather pointed her in the direction of a large red Coleman cooler a few feet from the grill. Cambridge could bet that what Bronx was looking for was an ice cold beer. She knew Bronx was quite the drinker.
Before Bronx left for the cooler, Kessidy walked in. Cambridge only knew this because she recognized her voice. Kessidy said something to Bronx that Cambridge couldn't fully make out, but after she said it, Bronx and her shared this flirtatious laughter. Cambridge immediately didn't like it. She knew she had no claim on Bronx, but still Cambridge couldn't help but to feel a little bit disrespected. She wondered if she was going to have to endure a day of Bronx flirting with every single girl she encountered, even the straight ones. If they weren't already curious before meeting Bronx, they were definitely curious afterwards.
Cambridge could hear Kessidy still in the kitchen talking to Heather.
"So, who is that?" Kessidy quite enthusiastically asked Heather.
"Oh, that's Bronx." she replied.
"Mmm....I'd like to get me a piece of that!" Kessidy said.
'Oh brother!' Cambridge thought while rolling her eyes. 'It never fails.' Cambridge was regarding Bronx's innate ability of attracting girls to her like some super-powered magnet.
Cambridge found herself really trying to listen in at that point, but she could only make out bits and pieces and then all the voices stopped. She could hear footsteps approaching in her direction and she quickly leaned back against the couch so it wouldn't be obvious that she was eavesdropping. Heather came out into the living room.
"So.....you're just gonna sit on my couch the whole time?" she sarcastically asked.
"Well, I don't see why not. Mingling isn't really an option for me anymore, now is it?" Cambridge replied.
Heather let out a big exhausted sigh.
"Come on, Cambridge. Please come outside and enjoy the barbecue with everybody else. I mean, if you were so worried what Bronx would think if you just up and left the moment you saw her, what do you think she’ll take from you sitting on the couch the whole time? She'll clearly know you're avoiding her"
Cambridge snapped to attention.
"What makes you think that I care what Bronx thinks?" she indignantly said.
"Uhh....30 years of friendship!" Heather said.
"Came, I know you better than I know the back of my own hand. I can read you like a book".
Cambridge knew it was true. Heather could always read her. It came in handy a lot of times, yet other times, it bothered the hell out of her; this being one of those times.
She knew Heather had a point though. If she was worried enough to stay because of what Bronx would think if she up and left, then what would Bronx think of her sitting on the couch the whole night? It would scream avoidance.
Just then, music started playing. It was coming from the back patio. The sweet groove of Will Smith's song "Summertime" played loudly enough that you could feel the bass under your feet.
What's a barbecue without music, right?
Their conversation just sort of stopped there. The music now had their attention. They both really loved that song, especially when played in the summer time.
Cambridge had to fight the urge to start bobbing her head to the beat. She was upset with Heather and didn't want to be there, so she couldn't appear to be having a good time.
Then Heather, ever the clown, started to break out doing 90's dance moves. Cambridge couldn't help the smile that was creeping up on her face. It was so funny seeing those moves again.
"Come on, Came" Heather said as she danced her way over to the sliding glass patio door and opened it.
Cambridge, even though amused, reluctantly followed her friend out onto the patio.
The music was a lot louder outside. Heather, still dancing, started the appearance of a dance floor as party guests started to gather around her and dance right along with her. Cambridge found a lawn chair and took a seat.
After a short moment, the dancers formed a Soul Train line. The first to go down was one of the woman that came with Kessidy, and then following her was Kessidy herself.
Cambridge was very entertained; so much so that she had forgotten that she didn't want to be there. However, it all came flooding back to her when a reminder made it's way down the dance line.
Bronx was groovin' her way down the Soul Train line. She was sly and smooth. Watching her dance was setting something off inside Cambridge. She could feel herself start to get hotter, which was quite the feat given that it was already a 90-degree day. Bronx was sexy and there was no denying that.
When she got down to the end of the line, she and Heather started dancing together. They really brought the old school back when they broke out the Kid n' Play dance move. Cambridge couldn't help but to giggle.
When the song was over, all the dancers dispersed and went back to mingling.
Cambridge was brought back to reality and remembered why she wanted to leave. She was hoping that maybe now she could slip past Heather and Bronx and make a stealthy exit.
She looked around and saw Heather occupied with filling the cooler up with more cans of soda. When she looked around for Bronx though, she couldn't find her. She looked into the house from her seat. It appeared the house was empty and that everyone was outside. The path to the door was clear. This was her opportunity.
Cambridge rose from her seat and swiftly made her way from the back patio to the front door.
"Hey" she heard a voice call.
It was Bronx.
She was coming from the direction of the kitchen and was carrying her beer along with a red Solo cup.
Cambridge cursed in her mind the moment she saw her.
"Why can't anything seem to go right for me
today?"
"......you still like iced tea?" Bronx asked, holding out the red cup for Cambridge to take.
Instinctively, Cambridge reached out to accept the cup.
"....uh...yeah. I still like iced tea" she replied, taking the cup from Bronx.
"If I remember correctly, it's your favorite" Bronx added.
Cambridge was a bit impressed that she'd remembered that.
"....thought you might be thirsty. It's a really hot day out" she continued.
Cambridge wasn't sure what to do at this point. She was starting to think that she was never going to be able to leave this party unnoticed.
Bronx stood there looking at Cambridge and it was starting to make Cambridge feel really nervous. Bronx was doing that thing again. ...that thing where she could turn you into putty with just her eyes. It wasn't something Bronx meant to do or was even aware that she was doing. She was just naturally seductive like that. It was what drew all the girls in.
However, it was worse for Cambridge. She wasn't just some random chick Bronx had just met in the club. Cambridge had been there. She already knew what it felt like. She knew what it felt like to run your fingers down the nape of Bronx's neck. She knew what it felt like to be held in her arms. She knew just how intoxicating it was to kiss Bronx's oh-so-smooth and soft lips; to drink her in. ....to feel the heat of her body right up against you skin-to-skin.
No! Those girls in the club didn't know what that felt like, but Cambridge did. So, when Bronx looked at her the way she was right now, it was unbearable for Cambridge. She knew she could totally lose her mind right now. She wanted to take Bronx into the master bedroom, strip her down, and feed this intense hunger that grew bigger and bigger inside of her the longer she stood there in front of Bronx.
".....I can't do this!" Cambridge exclaimed, finally able to snap back into reality. She put the iced tea down on the coffee table and hurried towards the front door.
"Whoa!" Bronx said.
"Can't do what?" she asked.
"This! ....this with you. I can't do it!" Cambridge frantically replied. She didn't wait for Bronx to say anything back. She continued her sprint towards the front door.
Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled back. Bronx had grabbed her arm in an attempt to get her to stop trying to leave.
"Hey!....Came! What's going on with you?" Bronx asked, seemingly oblivious to the nature of the situation.
Cambridge did not want to divulge to Bronx all the thoughts that were swirling like a hurricane in her mind. Plus, she felt that Bronx should know EXACTLY what the problem was!
"Let....go....of my arm!" Cambridge said through clenched teeth and with seething eyes.
Bronx immediately let go. She could not only see, but feel the anger radiating off Cambridge like a heat wave and she feared getting scorched.
"....ok? You're gonna have to explain to me what I did, because I'm entirely clueless."
Cambridge couldn't believe what Bronx had just said. She turned to directly face Bronx and forcibly folded her arms.
"Seriously??" Cambridge asked.
"Try stringing me along for 2 years! Does that sound familiar?"
Bronx's eyes seemed to shift into a look of clarity. She tried to think of a response to Cambridge, and just when she had, Cambridge beat her to the punch.
"And what about telling me you didn't want a serious relationship, but then moving in with some girl you barely knew??"
Cambridge didn't stop there. She had boarded a runaway train and it wasn't stopping.
"Oh wait? I know. It wasn't that you didn't want a serious relationship. You just didn't want one with me! And instead of letting me know that so that I could bow out gracefully, you chose to take advantage and use me as your occasional "screw" whenever you felt like it!"
Bronx didn't take politely to verbal assault. It was like a trigger for her bad girl personality to come out and get defensive.
"Look! I let you know what it was from the get. You CHOSE to get involved with me! I didn't force you to do anything you didn't want to do." Bronx said in irritation.
Cambridge scoffed.
"Then, what was Renee about then?" she asked.
Bronx's defensiveness seemed to instantly fade when Cambridge said that. She didn't know how to answer that question. She was exposed and had no good answers for Cambridge.
"....well....we aren't together anymore" Bronx
said. It wasn't really an answer to Cambridge's question, but it was the best she could come up with in that moment.
"So, ....what? You want a cookie?" Cambridge replied, obviously being condescending.
"You want me to give you a round of applause?" she continued.
Bronx was at a loss for words. She could see that Cambridge was extremely upset and that's not what she had intended to do. Bronx hadn't realized how Cambridge really felt about her relationship with Renee. They were still talking for a while after she had gotten with Renee and Cambridge never let on that she was anything but supportive of the whole thing.
"....Cambridge? What do you want from me?" Bronx asked, completely devoid of any idea on how to further this conversation.
Cambridge looked directly into Bronx's eyes. Bronx saw the anger in Cambridge's eyes slowly transition into a look of deep inner pain. It hit Bronx straight through to her heart.
"I don't want anything from you!......not anymore."
Cambridge had to get ahold of herself as she could feel the hot tears brimming across her lower eyelids and she wasn't about to let Bronx see her cry.
She turned away from Bronx, found her purse, and went out the front door.
This was not how Bronx was planning for this to go. When she unexpectedly ran into Cambridge earlier, it suddenly became her main motivation to spend as much time with her as she could that day. Bronx didn't really understand why she was feeling that way. All she knew was that her relationship and subsequent break up with Renee had given her a lot of perspicuity. She started looking back at her past decisions and didn't like what she saw. In particular, the way she handled her relationship with Cambridge. Cambridge had never been anything but nice to her and yet Bronx treated her like some cheap side piece and she never deserved that. Bronx had to think quickly. She didn't want Cambridge to leave and had to come up with something to get her to stay. Bronx was not done with this conversation.
Cambridge sat in her car; keys in the ignition, but she hadn't started it. She looked back at Heather's house and wondered if Bronx was going to come after her. She hated the fact that deep down inside, she was hoping Bronx would stop her. It'd be some indication that Bronx maybe DID have deeper feelings for her. But, as she sat there and waited in her hot car, there was no sign of Bronx barreling out of the front door to stop her.
Feeling like an idiot for even halfway expecting her to and seeing that it was clearly not gonna be the case, Cambridge started her ignition, put on her sunglasses, and proceeded to put her car in reverse.
Just as she let off the brake and the car began to drift backwards, she heard someone calling out which got her attention. She pressed back down on the brake and stopped her car. Bronx was near sprinting towards her. She obviously had something she wanted to say, so Cambridge put the car in park, threw her sunglasses over in the passenger seat, and rolled down the window.
"What do you want, Brianna?" Cambridge asked. She didn't exactly mean to break out Bronx's real name, but it was something she used to do when she was upset with her because she knew Bronx hated it.
In this moment, however, it didn't seem to phase her. The only reaction Cambridge got was a look from Bronx conveying the words "...really, Cambridge??"
Bronx put her arm on the hood of Cambridge's and leaned down in an attempt to talk to her at eye level.
"Come with me." Bronx said. Cambridge just looked at her dumbfounded.
"What??" she asked as though she wasn't sure she had heard Bronx correctly.
Cambridge's reaction of sheer astonishment was sort of comical to Bronx. She smirked for a second, licked her lips, and locked eyes with Cambridge, giving her that same look that had started this whole confrontation in the first place. Cambridge immediately felt the inside of her body go torrid. She tried to convince herself it was just the heat from outside or maybe the heat from inside her car having sat out in the scorching sun. But, Cambridge undeniably knew just where the source of this inferno lie.
....it was Bronx and the way Bronx made her feel.
"I said, come with me" Bronx repeated.
Cambridge couldn't fathom what happened during this argumentative debate that would remotely suggest that she wanted to or would go anywhere with Bronx. But still, curiosity got the best of her.
"Come with you where?" Cambridge asked.
"Well, you'll just have to follow me and find out" Bronx said, flashing that sexy smile of hers.
Cambridge didn't know what to do at this point. She was already in her car and could easily drive away, which had been her whole intention in the first place. But now, Bronx had her intrigued. Bronx didn't wait for Cambridge to give a response.
"Come on" Bronx said. She turned around and starting walking away, clearly expecting Cambridge to follow her. Cambridge watched Bronx walking away. With each step Bronx took away from her and towards this unknown destination, Cambridge's heart tugged in sync like a marching drum.
"Fuck!" Cambridge said under her breath. She knew she couldn't resist and was mad at herself for it.
Bronx never once looked back to see if Cambridge was indeed following her. She just knew Cambridge would come. She was well aware of Cambridge's feelings towards her as, in the past, she often (and regrettably) used those feelings to her advantage. Bronx wasn't sure if things had changed though; if somehow she'd lost her effect on Cambridge. It wasn't until she heard a car door closing from the direction behind her did she realize she hadn't lost her touch.
Cambridge exited her car and started to follow behind Bronx. She walked very slowly, leaving a great distance between them. Cambridge didn't want Bronx to think that she was eager to see where it was that she was taking her.
****Thanks for reading Part One. If you've enjoyed it so far, please upvote this post. It's greatly appreciated :)
To find out what happens next, check out Part Two! :)