Scandal: Crossing Boundaries (Scandal Series #1 INTERRACIAL ROMANCE)

by St. Claire, Jean

  "Or get yo ugly ass up out my house," Davonte added, fueling the flames.

  "Hold on a minute now, Davonte," Keisha warned, feeling anger pierce her breasts. "That's my Auntie. Don't be talking to her like that."

  "The bitch gone come in my house, talking crazy, and you gone tell me that I can't say what I want?" Davonte asked incredulously. Then his face twisted into an accusatory scowl. "And what the hell was you doing giving this crackhead that kind of money? Did you honestly think she would pay any of her bills with it?"

  The breath left Keisha's lungs as Linda shouted. "You red bone-lookin ass nigga, I'll show you a motha fuckin crackhead!" But her boney frame was held back by her husband as she struggled in his arms.

  "You ain't gotta show me," Davonte said. "Everybody know you a damn rock smoker." He snorted derisively, studying Linda's gaunt face. "Hell, you probably even a carrier too. Uncle Willy, you need to get yourself checked out, man. She might have gave you something."

  Linda went ballistic then, screeching, cussing and hitting Willy, trying to make her way to Davonte.

  After her momentary shock passed, Keisha rushed to her purse, digging out all the cash she had available.

  She barely heard Davonte's angry voice while in the process. "Keisha what the fuck you doing?"

  "Here Auntie," Keisha yelled over her aunt's shrieking, handing her the bundle of cash. "Take this." She needed to pacify the situation before Holly had the cops at their door.

  But Linda continued to howl, and in an unanticipated move, she bit her husband on the wrist causing him to let go of her boney arms.

  Then she rushed Davonte with fury, but she did not even get the chance to get a lick in. As soon as she reached within two feet, Davonte swung on her, connecting with the side of her bald head.

  Linda immediately dropped to the floor like a sack of bricks.

  "Davonte!" Keisha cried with horror as she rushed to her aunt's side. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

  Davonte shook his fist as if it was in pain. "Crack-head bitch ain't about to run up on me in my own house."

  "Auntie Linda," Keisha cried, checking her aunt's vital signs. The woman was still breathing, just out cold. Keisha glared up at her husband. "You got some damn nerve pulling that shit."

  Davonte shrugged, careless that he just knocked out Keisha's favorite aunt. "And you got some nerve trying to give this chickenhead money we don't have."

  Money we don't have?

  But she did not have time to ponder it all, because Willy was pulling on her arm. "Help me get yo auntie into the car," he pleaded with a fearful glance at Davonte. "Your aunt drunk a bit before we came here and with all the noise she just made in this white neighborhood, the cops might be here any second."

  Davonte snorted. "You mean she smoked a rock before y'all came and you worried about them finding it in her system."

  Keisha tossed a nasty glare her husband's way as she helped Willy pull the unconscious Linda to her feet. It was a struggle to move towards the door, but she was stopped in her tracks when she heard. "I'll help."

  Zack jumped up from the couch, coming over to simply lift Linda up into his arms and walk out the front door. After a moment of surprise, Keisha and Willy followed the young man out onto the Johnson's lawn.

  Zack made a beehive straight to Linda's beat up, old Cadillac parked out on the sidewalk, instantly figuring out that it had to be Linda's with how beat up and raggedy it looked.

  Willy rushed to the passenger side and flung the door open wide, allowing Zack to dump Linda onto the seat.

  "Here Uncle Willy," Keisha said after the woman was securely tucked in, handing him the bundle of cash. "Make sure you guys get your utilities turned back on."

  "God bless you Keisha!" Willy exclaimed, quickly snatching up the bundle of bills, eyeing the money as if it was a pot of gold. His dark face blended in with the night so that only the whites of his wide eyes showed...and Keisha would have busted out laughing if the situation wasn't so severe.

  As it was, there wasn't a damn thing funny.

  For a half-second Keisha wanted to snatch the money back, knowing that a good portion of the money would go to gambling and liquor, but she quickly thought better of it.

  If she smokes that up, at least she can't say that no one helped her.

  Leaning into the passenger seat, she kissed her auntie on her cheek. "I love you Auntie Linda," she whispered softly. She only got an incoherent moan as a response, but that was fine. At least she was still alive. Then Keisha stood and gently shut the door.

  The engine roared to life a moment later and Willy pulled off, leaving behind, "Bless yo heart Keisha!"

  She stood with Zack on the curb and watched as the car quickly disappeared down the street, turning the corner like a bat out of hell.

  Zack turned to her when it was gone, his face twisted in a confused frown. "Was that really your aunt?" He looked as if he could not believe someone so crazy looking could be related to his math teacher.

  "Yeah," Keisha said, unashamed. "It was."

  "I don't believe it," Zack muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

  "It is what it is," Keisha said, glancing behind her.

  Davonte stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, a scowl plastered across his face. Nearby, Holly stood on the edge of her lawn with a phone in her hand, peering suspiciously at Keisha and Zack.

  Lord, please tell me this woman hasn't called the cops on our asses.

  Quickly turning to Zack, Keisha said, "Look Zack, I thank you so much for coming over to watch my kids. I owe you one, big time."

  A blush came to Zack's cheeks and he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "It's no problem Mrs. Johnson. I had fun."

  "I'm sorry about the drama too," she said, shaking her head. "I did not see that one coming."

  "Like I said," Zack said. "I had a good time and I'd do it again if you needed me."

  There was something in his voice that seemed to tug at Keisha's chest.

  "Well," Zack muttered. "I guess I'll get going. See you on Monday?"

  Gifting him with a sweet smile, Keisha said, "You bet."

  Back in the house, Keisha took one look at her babies, who still sat on the couch looking scared out of their minds, and said, "Y'all go on to bed now. Momma will be in there shortly to tuck you in." The boys obediently jumped up and went over to turn their gaming system off.

  When her babies had left, she turned on Davonte who stood in the middle of the living room floor.

  Keeping her voice down, because she did not want to ensure that Holly called the cops, she said in a furious whisper, "Nigga, you had some nerve putting your hands on my auntie." She shook with rage. "I just cannot believe you would pull some fucked up shit like that!"

  Davonte glared at her in disbelief. "What did you expect me to do Keisha? She came at me! I wasn't about to let her go to town against my head for telling the truth!" Stabbing a finger at the floor, Davonte declared, "This is my damn house!"

  "I don't give a damn Davonte!" Keisha half-shouted, getting in her husband's face. "This is my house too...and that's my auntie! You a man, right? What you scared of an old ass woman for? You did not have to do that shit. That was totally out of line!"

  Davonte took a step back, raising his hands. "Look Keisha, don't even try me like that, cause I ain't the one. She could have been your momma for all I care. Ain't no one about to come into my house and disrespect me like that. It's as simple as that."

  Anger burned in Keisha's chest and it took all of her self control not to slap her husband across the face. "You the one who started the shit by telling her she smoked up her money."

  "Well, it's the truth!" Davonte snapped. "What else you want me to say? You a good little crackhead, so here's some more money for you to go smoke up?" Davonte made a ridiculous face. "I mean come on Keisha!"

  "Anything but that Davonte," Keisha said, grabbing at the sides of her head. She was getting a headache. This was all one big mess. She was afraid
Holly may have called the cops on them and they'd be getting a knock on the door soon... and also afraid that her aunt would be back, this time with a gun, to shoot Davonte.

  But worst of all, a comment that Davonte had made was burning in the back of her mind, needing to be answered.

  "What did you mean about money we don't have?" Keisha asked suddenly.

  A far as Keisha had known, they were on good footing...or at least that's what Davonte had told her. Having been the one to handle their money since the inception of their marriage, Keisha never knew how much money they had.

  Davonte froze and the same expression she had seen on his face earlier that night when they were having a good time, returned.

  He stared at her for a moment then went over and sat down on the couch. "You might want to sit down," he warned her.

  Oh Lord.

  When she sat down on the couch Davonte began telling her about everything, his cut hours, their mounting debt and bills, their almost zero assets and their soon-to-be delinquent mortgage payments.

  So this is what this nigga was so nervous about.

  Keisha sat there for many moments before she could respond. "I want to see."

  "See what?" Davonte asked.

  "All the information I have let you keep to yourself all these years; our bank info, credit card statements, all of that." It seemed ludicrous to Keisha that she hadn't been the one to handle their affairs in the first place.

  An adept at math, she should have been the one keeping tabs on their finances and not Davonte. But no, Davonte was not having it. He had to be the man and control everything...and Keisha had gone along with it to be the dutiful wife.

  She had been a damn fool.

  "Ain't no point Keisha," Davonte said with a shake of his head. "I've already done told you everything."

  Checking herself from whacking him upside the head, Keisha repeated, "I want to see it, Davonte."

  Davonte shook his head. "That is not important right now Keisha. What is important is that we find a way out of this mess."

  "Not important?" Keisha gasped. "Nigga, it is important when you squabble away our damn money!"

  "I did not squabble away our money," Davonte objected.

  "You a damn lie," Keisha hissed, jumping to her feet.

  "Where you think you going?" Davonte asked, a worried expression on his face.

  "To bed!" Keisha snapped. "And until you show me where all of our financial info is, you can sleep on the couch...nigga!"

  Then Keisha turned and stormed out of the room.

  Chapter 17

  "I am with Davonte on this one."

  Keisha paused in the process of straightening Jamal's bed, her jaw dropping open. It was the next day, a cloudy Sunday that matched the math teacher's dark mood. "What?"

  "Davonte had every right to punch yo auntie's ass to the floor," Joy repeated. "You don't run up on a man in his own house and not expect to get knocked the fuck out."

  Keisha stood up, switching the phone to her other ear. "Momma, you can't be serious!" She could not believe what her mother was saying. She should have been on her sister's side.

  "Girl, I am dead serious," Joy said. "That's my sister, and I love her, but you don't do that to a man in his house. I'm just sorry."

  "But Davonte said she was a crackhead directly in front of her face with our children and a guest sitting right on the couch," Keisha protested. "That was just wrong."

  "Girl, that is just too damn bad," her mom replied. "What if Linda had run up on him and Davonte would have let her go upside his head, huh? Last time I flew in to visit that girl, I saw her bust open Willy's scalp to the white meat like it wasn't nothing." Her mother drew in a deep breath. "Girl uh, un, I'm sorry, I'm sticking with Davonte on this one."

  Keisha shook her head in frustration, punching her son's pillow until it appeared less lumpy. "What about what Davonte did with our finances, huh? Don't you think he deserves an ass whoopin for that?"

  "Hell yeah, I do!" Joy snorted. "But I will say that you a damn fool for letting him control everything in the first place.

  "I was just trying to be a good wife, momma," Keisha protested. "Davonte was adamant that he control our finances when we got married."

  "And what did I tell you at the time you agreed to that mess, huh?" Joy asked. "That you were making a big mistake, and to not come crying to me when it came back and bit you in yo ass."

  Keisha let out a sigh, eyeing her handiwork. "I know momma."

  "Well if y'all do wind up out on the street, you always have a place to come stay," Joy assured her.

  "Don't worry about it momma," Keisha said. "It won't come to that."

  "What are you going to do?"

  Walking over to the bedroom door, Keisha placed her hands on her hips and paused to make sure everything was in order. "I'll think of something."

  Chapter 18

  Zack pulled his math book out of his locker and checked his hair in the inside mirror. After making sure it looked good and not a hair was out of place, he slammed it shut, convinced he was going to have a special appointment today.

  "What are you guys wearing to the dance?" Joseph asked his friends while he leaned casually against his locker, nodding at the pretty girls who passed by.

  The Sadie Hawkins Dance was being held that weekend and Zack could not be anymore unexcited. He still did not have the courage to tell Mandy that he was not going and now it was getting so close that he might as well just go and get it over with.

  "I'm wearing my pimp suit," Anthony replied, brushing at his shoulders as if it contained dandruff, "complete with my pimp cane."

  "You mean your fag suit?" Randal guffawed. "That's what I must've heard you say, because I'm the only pimp around here with a pimp suit."

  Anthony laughed his ugly laugh. "They don't have enough material in the world to cover your fat, fucking body to make a pimp suit, so stop bullshitting."

  "I heard Aikman is going to need a ton of makeup to hide your ball imprint on his forehead before he goes to the dance," Randal chortled. "Is that true?"

  "Shut up, you hills-have-eyes looking fat fuck," Anthony growled menacingly in his gravelly voice.

  "Both of you shut up," Zack cut in. "Tired of hearing your shit."

  "Ok your highness," Randal said with a nod of his head and a wave of his arms as if Zack was royalty. "Anything you say."

  "Who asked you to the dance anyway, Zack," Joseph asked curiously. "Haven't heard you say a word about it."

  So far, Zack had not told his friends about himself going with Mandy, and apparently, she had not told anyone else, otherwise his friends would know already.

  "Nobody," Zack muttered. Besides Mandy, Zack had actually been asked to the dance by ten girls. He'd turn each and every one down gracefully as he could.

  "Are you kidding me?" Randal gaped, his cherubic face twisting into an expression of disbelief. "I don't believe that noise for one minute."

  "Why not?" Anthony asked. "Kid never goes anywhere anymore, just sticks at home swimming all the time."

  "I mean look at him," Randal pointed out enviously, "he's the real lady slayer among us."

  "Fuck no, Pillsbury," Anthony objected, flexing his muscles. "The Great One is the chick magnet."

  Randal eyed Anthony's throbbing biceps critically before saying, "Dude, Tony, you might be fit and all, but you have a face that looks like my dog's ass after it hasn't been cleaned in months with several giant dumps in between."

  "Fuck you, jealous pussy," Anthony growled, stepping in Randal's face. "I'll take your jelly-roll ass right now."

  "Mrs. Johnson asked me to the dance," Zack interrupted suddenly.

  His friends froze with shock. "You serious?" they all asked in unison. In the past, teachers had danced with students, if only for one dance.

  Zack nodded, crossing his arms across his chest proudly. "Yup."

  "See," Randal said with a disbelieving shake of his fat head. "Zack is such a chick magnet; he even gets
the black pussy."

  Zack doubled over, laughing his heart out. "You guys so fell for that."

  Joseph became unfrozen, laughing along with Zack. "Dude, I like totally believed you too."

  Except, I wish it were true, Zack thought.

  If Keisha could ask him to the dance, he would be more than happy to go.

  Right then, the bell rang and the boys made their way to the classroom. Zack almost went into a panic when he stepped inside the room. Keisha was not there. After her first day of teaching she had not been tardy once.

  He had gotten so used to fawning over the woman every day that he did not know what he would do if she did not come in.

  I wonder if she's not coming because of what happened over the weekend.

  The drama that had unfolded had been some pretty bad stuff, something Zack had never been accustomed too. He was shocked to hear how Keisha really talked when she was angry. She used what he would call a 'black voice' and not the sweet, sugary one she used while in class.

  It did not make him like her any less, it was just different. It suggested that she changed her demeanor to please her surrounding, which happened to be all white kids.

  Zack actually preferred that she be herself.

  And he still could not believe that the bald-headed crackhead woman had been her aunt. They had looked nothing like. Linda had been quite scary...the type of scary that you would scare your children with.

  I guess she does not need to dress up for Halloween.

  As the time ticked by, Zack became more agitated. Keisha was not coming in. They would have a sub teacher. The thought alone made him feel sick. He did not want a sub teacher. He wanted Keisha, her big, bountiful breasts, juicy ass and everything else.

  She had looked so beautiful going out on her anniversary with her husband. Zack had been very jealous. The man was so lucky to have her. She was perfect in every way in Zack's eyes.

  The thought of Keisha's husband brought distaste to Zack's mind. The man was not trustworthy. Zack could sense it the moment he laid eyes on the dude. Davonte's need to be in total control made Zack think maybe he could have put his hands on Keisha in retaliation for daring to defy him...and maybe that's why she wasn't there.