Chapter 3

Sheryl couldn't answer Williams' question. She wanted him to tell her what to do. That's why she came to see him in the first place, and after looking at him for a moment, she simply got up and left without saying a word.

She heard him calling after her, "Will I be seeing you next week?"

Sheryl didn't bother answering. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to. All she knew just then was that she was both disappointed and frustrated.

"I spent a lot of money to be in the same situation that I was in before I started seeing him!" she mumbled.

When she got home, she saw Shawn's car parked in front of her apartment, and she was in no mood to deal with him, either. After all, he was at the very root of her problem, and she just wasted a couple of hours as well as another sixty dollars trying to solve it!

'And it's not like I have that kind of money to just give it away like that, either, ' she thought.

Sheryl thought about telling Shawn that she felt sick to her stomach but then figured he'd probably want to stay with her and make something to make her feel better. Instead, she thought she'd tell him that she had a bad headache and just wanted to go to bed and that she'd call him in the morning.

By the time she made it to the apartment building's door, she'd made up her mind that the headache route would be the best way to go. That was until she got inside and saw him talking to Deloris in the hallway! She was wearing one of her outfits that was at least one size too small. She was showing too much cleavage, too much ass and she had on way too much lipstick!

With Georgette's words about how other women wouldn't give Shawn a chance to be shy ringing in her ears, Sheryl walked right up to the man, interlocked her arm in his saying, "Hi Shawn. I'm so glad you're here; I was missing you."

She then shot Deloris a withering look, but the other woman simply shrugged her shoulders, flashed her a fake smile and in a sexy voice said, "Good-bye Shawn; it was nice talking to you." She then gave her ass that extra little wiggle and walked away.

'Slut, ' thought Sheryl, turning Shawn away from the woman so he couldn't watch her walking away. 'I hope that bitch catches something good!' Turning to Shawn, she asked, "So what were you and Deloris talking about?"

"Oh, nothin' much."

His answer didn't do much to make her feel any better, and tightening her grip on his arm she said, "I don't like Deloris. I'm glad I got home in time to rescue you from her."

"She wasn't botherin' me. We were just talkin' that's all."

'Why are men so stupid!?' she thought. 'Can't he understand what I'm tryin' ta say?'

Of course, Shawn didn't have a clue that Sheryl was feeling a little jealous, and she wasn't about to tell him either. 'Let him figure it out on his own, ' she thought.

Naturally, once they were inside the apartment, her whole demeanor towards him changed. First, she let go of his arm, and he immediately noticed how she'd stiffened up.

"Havin' a bad day Babe? Now why don't you just tell me how I can make it better for ya."

He reached for her arm, but she turned away from him before he could grab it.

"Come on Babe! What's up with you? First you was all hot ta see me, and now yer given' me the cold shoulder."

"I shouldn't have ta tell you Shawn. You should already know."

"Know what?"

She could hear the exasperation in his voice, but there was no way that she was going to tell him something that he should have already figured out on his own.

"Why don't you just go, Shawn!"

He could see how she stiffly turned so that her back was to him, and that just served to upset him more.

"Not until you tell me why yer so pissed off at me!"

Shawn was angry, and all Sheryl could think was, 'Finally! He's beginning to sound like a real man!' Turning around, she yelled, "Because I was hoping to see you when I got home. You know? I missed you, and I wanted ta spend some time with you, but instead, I found you talkin' to that old ho'!"

"You mean Deloris? I told you it was nothin'. You wasn't here yet an' she came up ta me an' we just started talkin'. That's all."

"Well I don't want ya ta be talkin' ta that bitch no more. She ain't nothin' but trouble."

"Yer actin' crazy Sheryl. There ain't nothing wrong with her, and we weren't doin' nothin either!"

"Just go Shawn. I can't deal with all this drama right now. Besides, I have a headache. I'll call ya tomorrow."

She added that last bit because in the back of her mind, she was still thinking of what Georgette had told her about giving Shawn too much space.

She turned back towards him, and she saw how firmly his jaw was set and the anger in his eyes, and she half hoped that he would just grab her and fuck her hard to get rid of his anger--fuck her like Cricket fucks her! But instead, he just turned away murmuring, "Tomorrow," before slamming the door shut behind him.

'He's hopeless, ' she thought. He'll never act like the kind of man I need in my life!'

"That was some bullshit you put my boy Shawn through yesterday!" complained Darryl, when he came by to give his sister a ride to work the next day. He didn't usually drive Sheryl to work, but he wanted to tell her that she did Shawn wrong.

"Yeah? Well he shouldn't have been talkin' to that ho' then."

"He already told me all about it. He and Deloris wasn't doin' nothin 'cept talkin' and she ain't just a ho', either."

"Yeah? Name someone who hadn't hit that? Even you've been with her yerself!"

Darryl was surprised. He didn't know his sister knew he'd slept with the woman. He also knew that she was right about Deloris, but he wasn't about to admit it.

"Well that doesn't mean Shawn would've; he's not that kind of man. You know?"

"Yeah, I know all too well," she breathed, without actually saying the words loud enough to be heard.

"Shawn's a good brotha. I think that maybe you should be a little extra nice ta him today ta make up for last night. You know what I'm sayin'?"

"Yeah, I hear ya, but you know? Shawn should be here talkin' ta me instead of you. He shouldn't have ta have you pleadin' his case to me for him. He should be here doing his own talkin'!"

"Well, he's helped me a lot with my ride and all, an' we've gotten pretty tight lately, so I've got to have his back now. You know what I'm sayin'?

"Yeah, I hear ya. He's your new bro, but I'm yer only sister! Now look; if yer only goin' ta come by to give me a ride ta work so you can bitch at me about how I'm treatin' yer new friend, then don't bother! I can find my own way to work!"

"Aw, come on; don't be like that, now."

"Why are you so hot ta get me together with your boy, Shawn, anyway?"

"'Cause he's got it together, an' I know he'll never do ya dirty or hit ya. I can rest easy when yer with him."

"I can take care of myself! I don't need you to be pickin' out my boyfriends for me!"

"I ain't tryin' ta pick out your man for ya. I'm just tryin' ta look out for ya; that's all."

"I appreciate what yer sayin', Darryl, but I'm tellin' ya, I got this."

"I know. I'm jus' sayin'; ya gotta treat my boy with a little more respect, that's all."

"I hear ya."

Sheryl had every intention of calling Shawn back after work, but she was still upset with him for not understanding why she didn't want him talking to Deloris, and she was even more upset with him for getting Darryl to talk to her for him. That's why when Cricket called and asked if she wanted to get together with him later, she readily agreed.

Maybe if Shawn had stood up to her the night before and given her what she needed she would have turned Cricket down. But just then, the sound of Cricket's deep voice made her feel that certain itch that Shawn could never seem to scratch.

'Besides, he doesn't have anyone to blame but himself, ' she reasoned, before agreeing to see Cricket.

"Good. I'll pick ya up at work, and we can go over ta my place for a while."

That was Cricket. That was one of the things she liked about him. He was always so decisive about everything.

"No. I want to go home and clean up and change clothes first."

"No problem. I'll pick you up at six then," and that was that. It was all that needed to be said.

Another thing she liked about Cricket was he always did exactly what he said he'd do, and it was exactly at six o'clock when he pulled up in front of her apartment building. Sheryl was waiting just inside the entrance for him. She liked being able to count on him being so punctual. It meant that she knew exactly when he was going to be there. She never had to wait for him, unlike Shawn. He always did what he said he would, too, but with him, he could be as much as twenty minutes early to a half an hour late. There were also times when he'd call and tell her he was going to be late, and during those times, she'd waited as long as an hour and a half for him.

Not with Cricket, though. He was much more organized with his time to do that. It was just like his car and his apartment. He meticulously kept everything clean and organized, just like the way he dressed.