Taraji was the star point guard of her high school basketball team, which made her very popular. She was highly sought out by her peers. There was a rumor going around that she was a player on and off the court. But she couldn't help that guys and girls threw themselves at her. The truth was, Taraji didn't even date. She was so focused on ball that she didn't have time to. But having girls hang all over her after games gave her a bad reputation.
Fantasia was the captain of the cheerleading squad. And until recently, the girlfriend of the captain of the football team, Kendall. She was the girl that every other girl in school wanted to be. She broke things off with Kendall because he cheated again. She had forgiven him before, but she was tired of being made a fool of. He wasn't even all that. "They can have you. Because you're not even worth the hassle." She had told him and walked away.
There was a little over a month until Valentine's Day, and the seniors had convinced the principal to let them put together a Lover's Ball. It was their last year, and they wanted to enjoy every minute of it. Danielle was the class president and was in charge of the event. She lived for this sort of thing. She had also coerced her best friend Fantasia into helping with the decorating. So they were currently in the gym deciding how the setup would look.
Taraji, Mary, Sanaa, Tasha, and Regina were in the gym shooting some hoops. Their coach had finally cut them some slack and cancelled practice, but they wanted to get some shots up anyway just for fun. They were currently playing HORSE when Regina passed Taraji the ball, and it hit her in the face. "Damn, Gina! That shit hurt." Taraji yelled while rubbing the side of her face.
"It's not my fault your ass got distracted," Regina said. The rest of their friends co-signed by saying, "Right." They weren't wrong; Taraji had tuned them out, and her focus was on the girl across the gym from them. Fantasia Barrino. Taraji had the biggest crush on her, but unlike the rest of the girls at school, Fantasia didn't even seem to know Taraji existed. "Either ask the girl out or stop stalking her." Mary said and then shoved the ball into Taraji's hands.
Taraji hated that her friends knew about her crush on Fantasia. She walked around school like she was so cool and uninterested in everybody, yet she was simpin' over someone who probably didn't even know her name. "I'm not stalking, and she's not gay." Taraji said.
She threw up a trick shot that she was sure was about to make her friends lose. She might have been distracted by Fantasia's beauty, but she was still winning. She only had H and O while her friends were all on S. When the shot went through the basket, the other girls didn't even worry about attempting it. They just placed money in Taraji's hand. "I told y'all to stop betting against me," Taraji teased, holding the bills up to the light to make sure they were real.
Taraji and her friends went sat on the bleachers to cool down. And Taraji's focus was right back on Fantasia. She had heard about the girl's breakup and wished she could take Kendall's place. She was a ball player; she didn't mind being a rebound. She chuckled to herself at the thought of that. "Valentine's Day is coming up. You should be her secret admirer." Sanaa suggested to her friend. She knew Taraji had it bad for Fantasia. "We'll all help, and then if it works out like I think it will, you can ask her to the Lover's Ball."
Taraji loved the idea, but she didn't think she could pull it off. She wasn't that girl. She could be romantic, no doubt, but a secret admirer that would be new territory for her. But that's what friends were for, so she decided to do it and accept the other girls' help. Mary groaned because this wasn't her thing either, but Tasha, Regina, and Sanaa were excited.
Danielle was teasing Fantasia about having a fan club. She had noticed Taraji and her crew checking her friend out. "I think Taraji likes you. She's always staring at you in class when she thinks nobody is paying attention." Fantasia rolled her eyes. "That girl can have any guy or girl at this school; she ain't checkin' for me. Hell, I even caught Kendall checking her out a few times. Not that I can blame him. The girl is fine."
"Let me find out my bestie got a girl crush." Danielle said playfully, making Fantasia blush. She did have a crush, but she wasn't trying to hook up with another womanizer. She had heard a lot about Taraji, and the main thing was that she was a playa. Fantasia couldn't take her heart being broken again. That's why she had let Kendall go.
~~~~~
A few days had passed, and Fantasia was blown away by the flowers and chocolates she found in her locker. They were both her favorites. And not too many people knew that. She wondered if the gifts were from Kendall, and that made her frown. She didn't want shit from him. She opened the card that was in the flowers hesitantly. The note was simple and not signed.
Fantasia was blushing hard. Someone was thinking about her. It made her feel special. "What is that?" Danielle asked when she snuck up behind her friend. She almost gave Fantasia a heart attack. "Bitch, what is wrong with you?" Fantasia asked while holding a hand to her chest. Her heart was racing. Danielle snatched the note from her hand. "Oh, my bitch got a secret admirer. I see you, Tasia. Maybe you might actually get a date to the Lover's Ball."
Fantasia took the note back and closed her locker. She had no idea who the gifts could be from, but that had definitely captured her attention. As the week went on, Fantasia received more gifts and sweet notes. She was smitten with someone and didn't even know their identity. She didn't know if it was a guy or girl. The latest note was her favorite. She enjoyed the gifts, but it was the sweet words that had her swooning.
Fantasia desperately wanted to know who her secret admirer was. The Lover's Ball was quickly approaching, and she didn't want to go with anyone else. She had started hoping that her secret admirer was Taraji. Sanaa was hanging with Fantasia and Danielle one day after school, decorating for the Lover's Ball. And of course Dani grilled the poor girl about Taraji. Fantasia found out that Taraji wasn't a playa at all. She was actually a sweetheart. Once their friend groups started hanging out together, Fantasia saw who the real Taraji was for herself. And she definitely liked what she saw.
"Girl, guess who asked me to the Lover's Ball?" Danielle was more animated than Fantasia had ever seen her—bouncing on the balls of her feet. Her face was full of excitement. Fantasia started naming different guys that she knew liked Danielle, but her guesses were wrong. "Bitch, just tell me." Danielle laughed and then gave her phone to Fantasia. She noticed when Fantasia's eyes grew wide. "Wow! What did you say?"
Danielle shoved Fantasia playfully. "I said yes. Have you seen her? Have you heard her sing? Mary could sing me right up out of my panties." They both burst into laughter. "Oh, and she told me to give this to you." Danielle handed Fantasia a note. All it had on it was a date, place, and time. "What is this for?" Danielle shook her head. She wasn't giving anything away. "Just go. I promise you'll be safe. I wouldn't even do you like that."
~~~~~
After seeing Fantasia in the hallway at school with Kendall earlier, Taraji wanted to back out of the date she had planned. But how could she do that without revealing herself? If Fantasia was back with Kendall, she wouldn't show up anyway. So, Taraji got herself ready. She checked herself out in the mirror. "Damn, you look good, T." Tasha said as she barged into her friend's room. "You don't think it's too much?" Taraji asked. Her nerves were starting to kick in.
"Nope! You're going to have that girl drooling, though. Everything is set at the restaurant. So just be you and go get your girl." Taraji smiled, picked up her purse, and gave her friend a kiss on the cheek. "I got this!" She encouraged herself.
Fantasia arrived at the restaurant and gave her last name since she didn't know who she was meeting. Luckily, that person was smart enough to put the reservation under her name and not theirs. The hostess walked her to a private area that was lit up by twinkling lights. There was a single candle lit in the middle of the table and a dozen roses. All Fantasia could do was smile. She still hadn't seen her date yet, though. Fantasia sat, and the hostess asked her what she wanted to drink. "Water is fine. Thank you."
The hostess left, and then someone walked up behind Fantasia. She could smell her before she saw her. Fantasia had become accustomed to the scent. Her smile grew, and Taraji sat across from her. "I really hoped it was you," Fantasia said softly. She breathed out a sigh of relief. They couldn't stop smiling at each other. "You look stunning, Tasia. I can't take my eyes off you."
"Well, don't." Fantasia teased and then winked at Taraji. Somehow, neither girl was nervous. "So, if you haven't figured it out, I'm your secret admirer." Taraji laughed when Fantasia rolled her eyes.
"I've been crushin' on you for years. But you were..." Taraji trailed off. She didn't want to bring up Kendall. She hated him because he was cocky as fuck, but what really bothered her about him was that he had the honor of belonging to Fantasia for far too long. "Taken." Fantasia finished the sentence for her. "Wasted years of my life," she added.
Their waitress appeared to take their order. Taraji was amused at how happy Fantasia was to get some lamb chops. Fantasia did a little dance in her seat. "This place is nice. How did you get us in here, and who's paying because I'm just a broke high school student?" Taraji laughed. "It's all covered, beautiful. I would never make you pay for anything. And Regina's brother is the head chef here. So he hooked us up. I got connections, girl." Fantasia giggled, and Taraji thought it was the sweetest sound she had ever heard.
Taraji and Fantasia ate and talked. Their conversation flowed so smoothly. It was like they were just old friends reconnecting. "I love your smile, your voice, your everything." Taraji kept dishing out the compliments, and Fantasia was hiding her face. "You're the captain of the cheerleading squad; I know you're not shy. Let me see those pearly whites."
Fantasia put her hand down, and she and Taraji gazed into one another's eyes. "You're something special, Taraji. Thanks for tonight." Now Taraji was blushing. The waitress came back with their dessert. Fantasia gasped when she saw 'Be My Valentine' written in chocolate on her plate. She peered over at Taraji, who had a huge smile on her face. "Fantasia, will you be my date to the Lover's Ball?"
"Yes!" Fantasia whisper-shouted. She didn't want to distub any other patrons, even though they were in their own closed off area. Music started to play, and Taraji got up and held her hand out to Fantasia. "May I have this dance?" Fantasia stood and allowed Taraji to pull her against her body. They swayed to the music and sang along to Frank Sinatra's My Funny Valentine. They held each other close. For Fantasia, tonight felt like a freakin' fairytale.
Once the song ended, they both gathered their things to leave. Taraji had ordered Fantasia an extra serving of lamb chops to go. She got major points for that. Fantasia had been dropped off at the restaurant, so Taraji drove her home. They just listened to music and held hands over the console. The vibe was nice.
When Taraji pulled into Fantasia's driveway, she put her car in park. She wasn't ready to say goodnight. They sat facing each other and playing with one another's fingers. "I really want to get to know you better. I like you, Tasia. A lot. I had my friends calling me a stalker." Fantasia laughed at that. "I like you too. And beyond the Lover's Ball, I want to see where this relationship could go." Taraji punched into the air excitedly, hitting her hand on the roof of her car. "Ow, shit! I didn't think that through!" That made Fantasia laugh harder.
Taraji leaned forward and kissed Fantasia on the lips. It was chaste at first, but Fantasia deepened it. Their tongues entered each other's mouths. Taraji moaned into the kiss. They didn't pull away until the need for air was vital. They were both panting heavily. Taraji softly stroked Fantasia's cheek, and they got lost in each other's eyes. Their first date was magical, and they had ended it with a perfect kiss.
Fantasia went straight in the house to call Dani. She was in a state of extreme blissfulness. Taraji was as well; she didn't even wait until she got home to call her friend. When their calls were answered, they both started raving about their date.
"She was the perfect gentlewoman, Dani. I wish the night didn't have to end. And did you know she could sing?" Fantasia hadn't said anything to Taraji because she didn't want to interrupt their moment while they were dancing, but her Funny Valentine had a nice singing voice.
"Mary, she was so beautiful. And that dress she had on hugged all her curves. When I walked her to the door and we embraced, I didn't want to let go." Taraji laughed to herself when she thought about how Regina had coached her for the end of the date. "And your ass better walk that girl to her door. Get the kiss beforehand though; parents be spying. Everybody got a damn doorcam these days."
Fantasia and Taraji were surprised when they didn't get teased by their friends. Their girls just listened and let them tell them everything that had happened. It was nice to have such loyal and supportive friends.
~~~~~
The week leading up to the Lover's Ball flew by. Taraji and Fantasia hung out almost every day. They even met each other's parents, but just as friends. They hadn't made their relationship official yet. Neither girl wanted to rush into anything. They were just enjoying spending time together. It was nice since the only people who knew about them were their friends. They were in high school, and once word got out, people would be meddling all up in their business.
Kendall approached Fantasia in the hallway. She didn't know why he kept trying to talk to her. "What color is your dress for the Lover's Ball?" He asked, and she looked at him and frowned. "And why is that your business?" She asked curiously.
"Because we have to match," he stated, like it was the most obvious thing ever. "Kendall, we aren't going to the Lover's Ball together, so why would we match?" His face fell. He knew she had broken up with him, but they had gone to every dance together since freshman year. "What do you mean we're not going together?" He yanked her arm, pulling her to the side away from their nosy schoolmates. "I mean, I have a date. And even if I didn't, I wasn't going with you." She snatched her arm away from him and stormed off. He had lost his fuckin' mind.
Taraji's mom opened the door after Fantasia had knocked. She saw the young girl's tears and brought her in for a hug. "Come in. I'll go get Raji." She would usually just yell for her, but she needed to prepare her daughter for seeing her friend in tears. She didn't know what had happened, but Taraji was very protective of her friends, and she didn't need her daughter running off doing something stupid.
Taraji went downstairs and saw Fantasia sitting on the sofa. "Hey, pretty girl. Who do I have to kill?" Her question made Fantasia smile even though she had tears in her eyes. "Nobody. Can you just hold me?" Fantasia asked shyly. "Always." They cuddled up on the sofa, and Taraji pretended like she didn't see the bruise forming on her friend's arm. She let her anger settle. Her mom had seen it as well and told her not to freak out or push Fantasia for answers.
They fell asleep in each other's arms. Taraji's mom eventually had to wake them up because Fantasia's mom was blowing up the girl's phone. "Shoot! I forgot to tell her I was coming here. I gotta go." She gave Taraji a peck on the lips, said goodbye to Ms. Bernice, and then rushed out the door. When Fantasia got home, she explained what Kendall had done, and her brothers went to pay her ex a visit.
Fantasia told Taraji what happened over the phone and made her promise not to do anything to Kendall. "My brothers will teach him a lesson. I don't want you getting into trouble over me. And we have a dance to attend where we gotta be the hottest females in the building." That's gonna be the case no matter what, Taraji thought. Nobody at their school could match their fly. They were both fashionistas.
~~~~~
The day of the Lover's Ball had arrived. All the seniors were super excited and ready to have some fun. They knew how to have a good time. Their class was never about the bullshit or starting mess; they just liked to party.
Taraji's mom had opened up her home so all the girls could get ready together. She was regretting that decision now, though. She and the other mothers had headaches from the teenagers squealing with excitement so much. It was utter chaos in every corner of her home, but she was low-key loving it.
Taraji, Mary, Tasha, Sanaa, and Regina were upstairs getting ready. They got together before every event without fail since their freshman year of high school. Today wouldn't be any different. "Do y'all think it's too soon for me to tell Fantasia that I love her?" Taraji asked, and nobody seemed surprised by the question or the fact that their friend was in love. "If it's how you feel, then it's never too soon." Sanaa said.
Fantasia was downstairs with her girls. Danielle, Tabitha, Jennifer, and Kandi were telling her she needed to lock Taraji down. When other girls from their school heard that she and Taraji might be hooking up, the hate was real. They didn't understand how she had gotten the girl everybody else wanted and had vowed to pop their happy bubble. "We didn't want to rush into titles, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Imma lock that ass down tonight and throw away the damn key." All her friends laughed.
Taraji and Fantasia couldn't stop staring at one another. They had seen each other's dresses, but them having the gowns on was a whole different ball game. They literally took each other's breaths away. "Breathe, baby. You are going to pass out." Diane told Fantasia. And Bernice had to bump her daughter with her shoulder. "Earth to Taraji. You ladies are going to be late."
Taraji finally snapped out of her daze and walked over to Fantasia. She took the other girl's hand into hers and spun her around slowly—checking her out from head to toe. "You look ravishing, Tasia," Taraji whispered into her friend's ear. Her sultry tone gave Fantasia goosebumps. "Are you two done ogling each other? The limo is here." Dani said while rolling her eyes. Her friends were sickening and very much in love.
"Dude, when did Tasia and Dani switch teams?" One of Kendall's jock friends asked. Kendall had a girl on each arm, but when he saw Fantasia walking in, her arm linked with Taraji's, he saw red. So this bitch got me beat up, and now she's embarrassing me by showing up with another bitch. Kendall shook the girls off his arms and angrily approached Taraji and Fantasia. But once he made it into their presence, his frown had turned into a smirk.
Kendall tried to pull Fantasia in for a hug, but she pushed him away. Suddenly, he was surrounded by all of her friends. When she was dating him, he had caused her to lose her friends. Well, everybody except for Dani—her bestie through thick and thin. But she had her friends back, and they weren't going to let anything happen to her. Kendall ignored the girls though and their evil looks.
"Damn, Taraji! You're looking hot. How about after the dance, I take you home and take you out of that dress?" Kendall flirted, making Taraji and Fantasia scoff. He was such a pig. The girls just walked away from him without responding. He wasn't even worth words or their time.
Taraji and Fantasia were having the time of their lives. They had stayed on the dancefloor most of the night, but they needed some air. The two of them snuck off to a secluded area outside of the gymnasium. They had been craving some alone time.
"Are you having fun?" Taraji asked. Her eyes never left Fantasia's hypnotizing orbs. She was done for. Fantasia had her hooked. "I always have fun with you. Tonight's fun was heightened times ten though." Fantasia mused.
"Tasia, you make me happy. You're smart, you're beautiful, and I want you to be mine. Not just my friend or my date; I want you to be my girlfriend." Taraji pulled out a box and opened it. Fantasia was a jewelry junkie. Most of the time, all of her fingers had rings on them. And she had multiple piercings in her ears. So seeing the ring, necklace, and earrings that Taraji held out towards her made her cry. Her girl had good taste. "Will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"
"Yes, baby, I would love to be your girl. Only yours." Taraji and Fantasia kissed and then heard cheering behind them. All of their friends and their friend's dates were whistling and hooting. Regina had seen them sneak off and gathered everyone together to go spy on them. They received congratulations, hugs, and a lot of teasing.
After clowning around outside for a bit, everyone went back inside. They danced some more and ate the yummy food that had been catered. The seniors had pulled off another successful and drama free event. They couldn't wait until graduation, but they would definitely miss this.
And suddenly, all the love songs were about you.
Taraji was more than grateful for Sanaa's advice. Being Fantasia's secret admirer led her to so much more. She was in love, and her heart was filled with so much joy. Fantasia Barrino is my girlfriend. After the dance ended, Taraji and Fantasia separated from their friends. They ended their night with a nice, brisk walk. Taraji was thankful that Fantasia had thought to bring them both a pair of flip flops.
"I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend tonight," Fantasia said as they walked hand in hand. "Well, I'm sorry I beat you to it," Taraji replied, but the smirk on her face said that she was anything but sorry. "No, you're not. But I'm not either. I didn't know how badly I needed you to ask me until you were asking. I knew you cared about me, but I needed to know that you wanted me the same way I wanted you."
Taraji brought their walking to a halt. She turned and gazed into Fantasia's eyes. Their hands were laced together. "I more than want you, Tasia. I need you." They stood there kissing while the night air consumed them.
Love is a secret dance of the heart, admired by those who dare to feel it.
Thoughts? Talk to me!