Hunt For Her: Black & White by Xyla Turner
Chapter Four
Hunt
Fuck.
I didn’t mean to say any of that shit. I had it all rehearsed, but when she was scared to be in my presence. Talking about she was going to scream. Like, what the fuck? I ain’t never hurt her. I never would.
She was the one that wasn’t political. I remember she gave that lady at the store a hard time, which was the thing that attracted me to her in the first place. Well, she was already attractive, but black women didn’t look at me twice, because I wasn’t trying to look at them. They just weren’t attractive to me. Even though they were the inferior race. They received our benefits, were socially promoted, had more education than us and it was the white man who was at the bottom and still there.
That professor had a point. We were a dying breed and that’s why we needed to be preserved. Celly’s stupid ass wasn’t supposed to go to the class and make a spectacle. We were just going to go and hear what they had to say. That is what I told him. I didn’t tell him, I was going to go find out some answers from the black woman I’d been fucking, who wouldn’t take my phone calls and had picked up her whole life and moved. I wasn’t stalking her. She was just pussy, right.
Good pussy.
Yet, she cut something in me in that hallway. So much so, the next day I went and signed up to start classes at the Bedford Community College. Since I had to take all the mandatory introductory classes with one elective, which in Kizzy’s case was African American Studies, she’d have to deal with me. Who the fuck did she think she was? It wasn’t her that would call it quits, I ended things.
Not her.
I ain’t never found so much paperwork in a short period of time like that before. They wanted a transcript, and I marched my ass down to the high school to get one. The same secretary, Ms. Lily, was there, recognized me and everything. Ms. Lily said she was glad I was getting my life together. I didn’t ask her for those thoughts, but just needed her to email my transcripts over to the college. The grades weren’t worth shit, but community colleges took a chance on pricks like me. I don’t know what the fuck was wrong with me, but I knew one thing, Kizzy would deal with me. One way or the other.
My courses, which were the standard freshman courses, outside of the history selection, which was African American Studies. I would have taken good ole' American History 101. Yet, Kizzy was in this fucking class with a professor who had long dreadlocks almost to his ass. This shit was going to be fucking annoying, but the woman would deal with me one way or another.
Looking at my schedule, I took a brief moment to marvel at the fact that my name was on the roster of a college schedule.
Fuck me.
Student Name: Hunter Ford
New Student ID: 991894283
Fall 2021
Introduction to Writing
Tuesday, Thursday10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Professor Whitman
African American Studies
Monday, Wednesday, Friday1:00 PM - 1:50 PM
Professor Cullen
College Mathematics
Tuesday, Thursday1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Professor Wyn
College Biology
Monday, Wednesday, Friday9:00 AM - 9:50 AM
Professor Sulley
The Intro to Writing course,all new students had to take, I came late, and found a student sitting right next to Kizzy. A freckle-faced fucker who had his eyes on her. She wasn’t paying him any mind, but every chance he got, he was stealing looks. I slid through the row and stared at him.
“Yeah?” he asked when he looked up.
“That’s my seat,” I told him.
“No, I’ve been sitting here,” he remarked and looked over at Kizzy, who hadn’t seen me yet. “Right?”
He touched her arm and I saw red.
“Don’t fucking touch her and get up, before I move you.” I barked.
“Is there a problem?” Professor Whitman raised his voice in the auditorium-style room as all eyes, including Kizzy’s, landed on me, standing over the dumb ass in my seat.
“No, professor. I’m just waiting to sit down.” I said while looking at numbnuts.
“Oh, fuck,” Kizzy gasped. “This is not happening!”
“Believe it, sweetheart,” I narrowed my eyes on the boy and began to lean down.
He quickly gathered his shit and moved to the other section of the room. Then I sat down, placed my books on the desktop portion of the chair. Kizzy started to pack her shit up, but I whispered. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“Or what?” she hissed.
“I’ll just keep following you,” I told her honestly.
“Are you on drugs?” She asked.
“No, nothing hardcore in the past five years,” I answered.
Even her horrified, perplexed look was beautiful.
Fuck.
Something in my eyes must have told her, that I was serious, because she stopped, pulled back out her big-ass notebook, turned away from me, and began writing. She remained like this all class, then when everyone was dismissed, she stayed, so I did too. There had to be over a hundred students in the class.
“Do you plan to follow me, wherever I go?” she asked, but not looking at me.
“No,” I told her.
“Just classes?” She asked.
“Yes.”
Kizzy sighed and then turned towards me. Her eyes were sad, but I didn’t know why until she said, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and you are ruining it. Single-handedly, ruining it. I didn’t think I could do this and you. You of all people told me that I could and should. Only for you to come and RUIN IT.” She yelled the last part and stood up. “Please leave me alone, Hunt or whatever the fuck your name is. I don’t want to see you anymore. I don’t want anything to do with you. I don’t want to sit next to you in class. Do you hear me?” It was the tears that broke me. Kizzy was a strong woman, but those tears.
“You left me,” I shook my head. “You just left and didn’t say a word. I wanted to talk to you, and you acted like I was a criminal trying to hurt you.”
She gasped and said, “You were leading a rally with a burning cross in the middle of downtown. You are a certified racist and hint, hint, I am a black woman. Was it a thrill for you? The forbidden fruit. Was I exotic enough for your white taste? Did my pussy provide enough flavor for your bland ass life?”
It was my time to stand up, as I knocked all my shit to the floor.
“Oh no, can the inferior black woman talk back to her massa?” she quipped, but the only thing I did was pulled her into me. With one hand around the back of her neck and the other around her ass, so she could feel what she did. It wasn’t about any of the shit she was talking about, it was just her. Kizzy was the only woman that had me losing my fucking mind like that. She fought initially, but eventually fell into the kiss I planted on those soft lips, which is when I broke it off.
“No,” I told her. “You can mouth off all you want. I don’t need exotic and you’re no fetish for me. It’s just you. So, until you no longer become that for me, I’m here. I have every class you have and will be here every time.”
On that note, I knelt, picked up my shit and left her standing there, touching her lips where my mouth was last. I’m sure they were tingling like mine were. Sparks were the only thing I could think of.
Fucking sparks.
I needed to get laid.
Stat.
---
The next day all I could think about was class with Kizzy. I had College Biology, which went off without a hitch. It was an early morning class, so I was late, and he talked as if he was the only one in the room. Kizzy didn't say shit and I was probably too tired to even address her. However, the next class was the African American Studies course, at 1 pm, that I had to fucking register for, but maybe that would help me appeal to Kizzy. In some weird fucked-up way.
Around noon, I grabbed some dry-ass pizza from the campus store, I ate in the commons, hoping to see Kizzy as she nearly ran out of Bio. There were too many people in that class to keep up with her, without causing a ruckus. As soon as I entered the last class for the day, Cullen, the professor, looked around to see if anyone was with me and asked, “If you’re coming to class today to ask a bunch of ignorant ass questions, then you can stay the hell out of my class. I have a rubric that needs to be taught.”
“Then teach the fucking class,” I snapped back at him. “I didn’t say shit.”
“Your friend did,” Cullen countered as his eyes narrowed.
“He ain’t here, now can I go have my seat?” I asked as I moved closer to him, where I held up my roster in his face.
I was not scared of him or anyone else for that matter. I aimed to go to school, but I would not mind teaching this superior-thinking asshole a lesson.
He must have thought twice about it because he moved out of my way. I quickly found Kizzy sitting where she was before. At the front of the class, ready to learn. Taking my seat next to her, I pulled out my notebook and then passed her a note. She looked at the folded-up piece of paper and rolled her eyes.
I pushed it in the center of her small table stand, to reinforce my intent.
Which meant her ass needed to pick it up and read it. Kizzy snatched it and opened it. Then came the gasp, before she quickly scribbled and circled something and threw it back on my table.
Looking at it, I laughed out loud. My note read,
CAN I TAKE YOU OUT AFTER CLASS?
YES OR NO
She circled NOand then wrote FUCK in front of it. She had a sense of humor. That was good. I didn’t bother her anymore, as the class was being taught. Of course, Cullen said some bullshit, I didn’t agree with, but I listened. Needed to pass the class and all. He continued to give me the side-eye and I gave it back to him.
When class was over, Kizzy began to pack up her stuff, but I stopped her by tagging her elbow.
“Can we grab a slice of pizza, at least?” I asked, though I knew the food was shit, since I just had some at lunch. "Maybe even coffee?"
“Will that make you leave me alone, drop these courses and move on?” She asked.
This was a trick question.
“The drop/add period is over,” I replied with a shrug.
She sighed and went to pull away.
“Kizzy, can you at least talk to me? You didn’t even give me the decency to have a conversation.” I was nearly pleading, and I never did that shit.
“There is no need for a conversation, Hunt,” she countered. “I think the burning cross and my black ass is enough said. The point is loud and clear.”
“It’s not,” I urged. “Will you fucking talk to me?"
“What do we get out of this?” She narrowed her eyes on me. “What happens? We talk, then what we go back and fuck? Do you pass me around to all your black-hating friends? The white live matter first? Huh? How does this work? Are we supposed to keep fucking, like there is not a pink and big ass elephant in the room? You are the definition of a white supremacist. I am a black woman. A proud one too. So…”
She let that hang, but I moved into her space and said, “So, I’m a proud white man. Why can’t we just talk? I just want to talk to you. We’re two adults. Can we fucking talk and eat pizza if we want?”
“Fine,” she jerked her arm out of my hand and led the way up the aisle of nailed-down chairs with attached mini tables.
Kizzy didn’t say anything on our way to the food court, but she did grab a slice, something to drink and went to sit down at a table in the open. I knew that was strategic, but she didn’t know me. I didn’t mind making a scene. If it had to come to that.
“Listen,” I started as I sat down with my two slices and Pepsi. “We were fucking and…”
“Failed to mention you probably could lynch me any day?” She interrupted.
“Will you stop doing that shit?” I snapped at her. “You did it fucking yesterday, and I let it slide, but don’t give me the passive-aggressive sarcasm. I don’t like it and you need to be more direct.”
“Fine. You do not like my race, why do we need to talk?” She countered as she took a sip of what looked like lemonade.
“I like you, Kizzy,” I blurted.
“You like to fuck me, Hunt,” she interrupted. “Those are two different things.”
“No, I like you.” I clarified.
“I’m being serious when I ask this question. Are you bipolar?” She leaned in as if she could tell in my eyes or something.
“No,” I smirked at her. “Can you just hear me out? I like you. Not just fucking you and not just that sweet pussy of yours, but you. You’re a consenting adult and so am I. You are proud to be black and I’m proud to be a white, red-blooded American. Can’t we still be those things and everything else?”
This caused Kizzy to laugh, which I knew was not good for me.
“You are really on some sort of medication. The moment when you get up, white and proud, talking about white lives matters, first. We are on a different planet. You can’t even comprehend why one would say black lives matter. You can’t understand my plight in life, but you are also not trying to understand. You’re tragically lost and therefore, as I said before, there is nothing to discuss.”
“You still fucking other people?” I asked her.
This caused her to nearly spit out her lemonade, as she glared. “That is none of your damn business.”
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I countered. “Fuck, it’s just the two of us. We weren't trying to make it something it wasn’t. You had your thing, I had mine.”
“Then why are you here, trying to make it something it wasn’t. What we were doing doesn’t warrant this level of intensity. You have enrolled in school, for fuck’s sake. This is not normal or okay, Hunt.”
“You wouldn’t talk to me,” I explained. “I also thought it was a good idea to get back to school. You sparked that.”
“You’re so full of shit.” She snapped and stood up. “You want me to stop the bullshit, then you need to stop it.”
I stood as well and told her exactly what I said before, “I told you. I like you.”
“This is what you do to people you like. Stalk them into compliance?”
“I can’t explain it,” I ran my hand through my hair and fisted the ends.
“Well, let me know when you can,” Kizzy announced, before walking away.
I had a good mind to follow her ass, but I just sat back down and consumed the dry-ass pizza once again that day. It tasted like shit, but I kept eating it anyway.
I needed to get her back.