Telula laughed.
“Prine, you are on a roll. I am shocked. You’ve shocked me again.”
“Why would you say that?” I chuckled confidently.
I lead her through the kitchen that was packed with people. The music thudded and people were dancing and talking. There were always a couple of criers. Those were girls sobbing uncontrollably because they saw their ex-boyfriends talking to another girl. That was a result of too much alcohol. Some folks you could tell in just a few more minutes would be puking their guts out. I just hoped they made it to the yard or the bathroom in time.
There were science projects going on in the den where some of the guys from the wrestling team were seeing who could drink fastest from their pitifully constructed beer bong. In the sunroom, the seventy-two-inch television was blasting Call of Duty as two of my buddies were engrossed in the game with an audience cheering them on.
The pool was as lively a place as any. Some people were smart enough to wear their bathing suits. For some other people, underwear was just as good.
I put my hands on Telula's shoulders and guided her ahead of me. I couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of everyone's eyes on us. It was like I'd suddenly become a mystery that none of them could solve. This group of people wasn't the brightest to start with.
"Go down that hallway and take a left," I instructed in her ear.
She nodded and continued ahead while I clapped a couple of guys on the back, gave a few girls friendly hugs.
That was when I made eye contact with Monica.
I winked at her but she didn’t smile. She just folded her arms in front of her chest and whispered something to the guy next to her. It wasn’t Matt. No shock there. I had seen him earlier pounding back the beers. They were going to avoid each other for starters. But before the night was over they will have either hooked up or had a huge fight that will make this party an epic event for anyone attending.
For now, I was the object of her anger, not Matt. I thought back to the gym the other day and couldn't help the sly grin that pulled my lips back. I let Monica see me look at her thighs then back up to her face. She didn't walk away. Instead, she rolled her eyes as if that would convince me she didn't care. Right. All I had to do was snap my fingers and she'd come running.
But I didn’t snap my fingers. Instead, I took Telula’s hand. You would have thought I grabbed hold of a live flame the way Monica’s eyes widened. As I said before she was as predictable as a sunrise. Monica would turn FBI grilling everyone and anyone for information on what I was doing with Telula Grant.
"Where are we going?" Telula asked. She was still holding my hand but rather limply like she was ready to pull away quickly.
“It’s a surprise.”
The noise of the party became more and more muffled, the further we went down the hallway.
“Do you want to take the elevator or the stairs?” I asked her.
She looked at me suspiciously.
“Stairs.”
I nodded and lead her down a winding set of stairs. At the bottom was a heavy wooden door that was also locked. Pulling my keys from my pocket I unlocked the door, reached in and flipped the lights on. I turned to see her reaction while I held the door open.
“What is this?” She asked carefully stepping over the threshold.
“Our garage.”
“Your garage is air conditioned? That’s crazy. Is that a Bentley? Wait, you have a Ferrari, too. What do you take to the grocery store?”
“We have a chef who handles all the shopping.”
“What?” She punched me in the shoulder. “You’re lying.”
“No. Seriously.”
“Well, you’re seriously missing out on one of the most enjoyable tasks of running a house. I love grocery shopping. If I had your money I’d be up to my eyeballs in Oreo cookies and Chef Boy-R-Dee Beefaroni.”
“What kind of money do you think I have?” I bit.
“Hey, don’t act like you don’t know you have money. That’s like me saying I don’t know how good I look in this skirt. If you didn’t want people to know you wouldn’t have parties.”
“Is that why you came?” I could hear the agitation in my voice. I didn’t want to fight with Telula but I couldn’t help myself. It was what I always did. As I watched her look at the cars and around the garage I could see the dollars being added up in her head.