Full Figured 10 Read Online Free Page B

to.”
    â€œI don’t even know where to start,” I replied softly.
    â€œWhy don’t you come to the lock in tomorrow? Maybe being around some younger people will help you loosen up a bit. And you can give some advice on college and things of that sort,” Tangie said as she stood up. “I’m not taking no for an answer.”
    I thought about the offer and wanted to say no. The idea of being in a room with a bunch of teenagers who didn’t even like me didn’t seem appealing at all. But I could tell by the look on Tangie’s face that she meant business.
    â€œI’ll be here.” I smiled.
    * * *
    I stared at my phone as I sat in my car, in the church parking lot. It had been over twenty-four hours, and I hadn’t heard from Onyx. I knew it was my fault. I came off as too inexperienced, and probably no man wanted to deal with someone like that. I wanted to cry. The first guy I had ever truly liked was gone before anything could even start.
    I grabbed my overnight bag and headed toward the church. I saw two of our older girls, Precious and Caitlyn, walking ahead of me.
    â€œHi, girls,” I called out.
    They turned around and looked at me as if I had the plague.
    â€œMs. Coral, what are you doing here?” Heather asked with a bit of an attitude.
    â€œTangie asked me to come. You guys don’t mind me crashing your party, right?” I replied, trying to sound as hip as possible. They both looked completely uninterested as they shrugged their shoulders and gave each other a look of complete disapproval as we walked into the church.
    The other young women were already settled in the large room in the basement. A phone sat connected to a little blue speaker that looked like a pill, and it was playing music I had never heard before. I knew it wasn’t gospel. I suddenly realized that all eyes were on me. The looks ranged from confused to mortified at the sight of an outsider.
    â€œHey, girl.” I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I turned to see Tangie, who was wearing a pair of cotton yoga pants and a tight tank top.
    â€œCoral, so cool that you came. This is going to be nice,” Heather said, walking in right behind Tangie. Heather and Tangie had been best friends since birth. They tolerated me, but I had never been one of the girls, and I definitely was not as close to one of them as they were to each other. Heather had had her first child when she was a senior in high school. Now she had two boys and was married to her church sweetheart.
    â€œOkay, ladies. So Ms. Coral has been gracious enough to come and party with us. She’s just like us. You can talk to her about anything, and the same rules apply,” Tangie said, addressing the group.
    Immediately, Precious raised her hand. “I’m sorry, and I don’t want to sound rude, but how do we know we can trust her like that?” Precious asked with her arms folded.
    From the heads nodding, I knew the other girls felt the same way.
    â€œBecause Coral knows the rules. The moment this bell rings, this is an open space for anyone to talk about anything. Nothing leaves this room. Those are the rules,” Tangie assured them.
    I could tell my presence was going to take some getting used to, but most of the girls seemed to lighten up with Tangie’s words. I knew I needed to say something to reassure them.
    â€œI know that you guys don’t talk to me, but I promise you that I do not want to do anything to harm the bond you guys have formed here. I just hope that I can be a part of it and will offer any advice that I can,” I said, finishing with a smile.
    To my surprise, the rest of the girls quickly lightened up. Some even gave me a smile in return.
    We unpacked our sleeping bags and created a circle. I sat on the little bed I had made out of a comforter I had brought from home. I watched the girls laugh and show Tangie and Heather how to do new dances they had learned. Soon