by D D Bridges
“You feel good, don’t you shawty?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I laughed. “But I can’t go home high like this. My parents will kill me.”
“A’ight then,” he said, sitting up in his seat. “Let’s go find something to do until your high wears off.” He cranked up the truck and we drove away.
We decided to go to the movies and by the time we arrived I had the munchies. Terry bought me a big tub of popcorn and a soda, then bought some Skittles for himself. We chose to see the new Kevin Hart movie. After two and a half hours of straight laughs we left the theatre. By then we were both extremely hungry so Terry asked me where I wanted to go eat. I told him that I didn’t care where we went.
Once we got back into the Denali we both checked our phones and realized that everybody had been calling us. I had about five missed calls from Jeremiah and three from my parents. I knew that I was probably in trouble but I really didn’t care at the moment.
“Damn, Darius been blowing me up,” Terry said. “You know what that means.”
“What?” I asked.
“It means that your little disappearing act probably got us both in some hot water.” Terry called Darius back and then put it on speaker so that we could both hear him.
“Yo T, where you at man?” his voice came through the phone.
“I’m out. I told you I had some business to take care of,” Terry said.
“I know. It’s just that we can’t find Leah and we were wondering if you had seen her.”
“Yeah bruh, she’s with me,” he told him.
“She’s with you?” Darius said and I could hear the surprise in his voice.
“Yeah. We just chillin’.” We both listened as Darius became quiet on the other end.
“I’m okay, Darius. I just wanted to get out of the house,” I said, hoping to quell any worry or suspicion.
“Hey, I’m cool with whatever y’all got going on,” he said. “But I’m not the one that you need to be explaining yourself to. Your family is worried sick and I didn’t know what to tell them.”
“I’m sorry Darius. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble,” I told him.
“Terry, just get her home please so that her dad can get off my back,” he said.
“A’ight man. We ‘bout to get something to eat and then I’ll take her straight home.” Terry hung up before Darius could respond and he seemed to be annoyed by the phone call.
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling like I owed him an apology.
“What you sorry for? All you did was try to have a little fun,” he said as we pulled out of the movie theatre parking lot.
We went and got a quick bite to eat, and by the time we arrived at my house it was nightfall. Even though I knew that I was going to have to face my parents, I still didn’t regret how I spent my day. I got to know Terry a little better and he showed me a good time. The fact that it was different from what I’d normally find myself doing on a Saturday made it that much better.
“I had a lot of fun, Terry,” I told him as we walked up the driveway to the front door. “And you’re a lot nicer than I thought you were.”
“Well, you’re not as stuck up as I thought you were,” he said, looking over at me. We arrived at the front porch and I turned to face him.
“So are we going to do this again sometime?” I asked.
“Give me your phone,” he told me and I did. He saved his phone number in my phone and then called himself so that he would have my number too. “Just hit me up when you want to get together.”
He handed me my phone and I smiled and said, “Okay, I will.”
Just then the front door opened and my parents were standing there glaring at me so hard that I was tempted to turn around and leave with Terry just so that I wouldn’t have to deal with them.
“Leah, get your ass in this house,” my dad barked and I practically leapt over the threshold and into the foyer. “And you… you better stay the hell away from my daughter,” he told Terry.
“Unless I got it twisted, I’m pretty sure that your daughter is grown and can make her own decisions,” Terry said, unfazed by my father’s demeanor.
“Young man, you are mistaken if you think that I would ever approve of my daughter being with the likes of you.”
“The likes of me?” Terry said as he and my dad got right up in each other’s faces. “But I guess it’s okay for her to be with abusive rich boys though, right,” he said and we all knew that he was referring to Allen.
“You mind your damn business,” my dad told him. “Now, you heard what I said. Stay away from her.”
Terry chuckled briefly then looked over at me before turning back to my dad.
“No,” he said shaking his head at my father.
“No?” my dad said before raising his voice and saying, “What the hell do you mean, no?”
“You know exactly what I mean,” he replied, raising his voice as well. “If I want to see Leah, then I will. I don’t give a damn what you say.”
“Boy, I will kill you!” my dad shouted as his anger took over and he grabbed Terry by his jersey. He tried to wrap his large hands around Terry’s neck as he pushed him up against the pillar that was at the corner of the porch.
“Daddy stop!” I screamed as I watched them struggle with one another.
“Walter, let him go!” my mother said just as Jeremiah ran past us and out on to the porch. It took all of his strength for him to pry the two of them apart, but he was finally able to.
“Dad, just go inside. I’ll talk to him,” Jeremiah said as he moved my dad toward the door.
“Get this thug off of my property before I have him locked up!” my dad shouted, now standing in the doorway with me and my mom.
“I’ll show you a thug,” Terry said as he took a step toward my father, but Jeremiah held him back.
“Come on man. Let’s go,” Jeremiah said before turning around and walking him out to where he parked in the driveway. Terry looked back at me and I held his gaze until my dad slammed the door shut.
“Leah, what is going on?” My mother wasted no time before she started grilling me.
“We leave you two alone for one week and you’re out here frolicking around with thugs,” my dad said, still upset.
“Dad, we were just hanging out. That’s all,” I told him.
“Why are you hanging out with him, sweetie? We don’t know him,” my mom said, her tone and demeanor more calm and welcoming than my dad’s at the moment.
“He works for Darius. They’re best friends,” I told them.
“That may be all well and good,” mom said. “But any man that you’re going to be spending time with needs to be someone that we know a little more about.”
“I know enough about that punk,” my dad said. “He’s always walking around the office in tank tops and sneakers like he ain’t got no home training. It’ll be a cold day in hell before you ever date him.”
“Who said anything about dating him?” I said. “I should be able to choose my own friends.”
“You act like we didn’t see the way you two were looking at each other when we opened the door,” dad said. “Leah, you’re a beautiful girl and I know that boy does not have good intentions toward you.”
“You know, that’s funny because you two were the same ones that encouraged me to date Allen,” I said. I watched as shame and anger registered on both of my parent’s faces. Just then Jeremiah came back into the house, but my parents were too busy staring me down to even notice.
“Leah, we are very sorry for how things turned out with Allen. But that doesn’t mean that we’re going to stand by and let you date the wrong guy,” my mom said.
I shook my head in disappointment since it was obvious that they still didn’t get it.
“Mom, dad, you both thought that because Allen came from a good family he was a good person, but you were wrong,” I told them. “And just because Terry is different than us, that doesn’t mean that he’s a bad person.”
I turned from them and went upstairs to my room. I closed and locked the door because I didn’t want to be bothered at the moment. I couldn’t believe that my parents treated Terry like he was some criminal, especially my dad. Seeing him actually put his hands on Terry showed how angry he was and proved that he already didn’t like Terry before that day. My dad was a pretty big man, but I was sure that Terry wasn’t scared of him. He didn’t really try to fight him back out of respect for me and I thought that was admirable. I was also impressed with how he stood up to my dad. He made it clear that he wasn’t going to let anybody control him, and I had to admit that I liked that. There were a lot of things that I like about Terry; his sense of humor, his strength, and the fact that he actually had a heart.
I hoped that Terry would do as he said he would and still hang out with me. But how I was going to be able to see him with my parents watching my every move was something that I would have to figure out. If we were going to see each other then it would have to be a secret.
My phone vibrated in the back pocket of my jeans. I pulled it out hoping that it was Terry, but I frowned when I saw that Allen was calling me. I stared at the phone and let it ring until it went to the voicemail. But right after that, he called again and I knew that he wasn’t going to stop until I answered, so I did.
“Hel… hello,” I stuttered.
“Leah, where the hell you been?” he said calmly.
“What?”
“I stopped by your place a few nights ago and you weren’t there.”
“Our parents were out of town, so Jeremiah and I stayed at a friend’s house,” I explained against my better judgment. After what Allen had done to me, I shouldn’t have to explain anything to him, but I still felt the control that he had over me.
“Well, we got some unfinished business, baby girl,” he said. “I need you to meet me at the spot so that we can talk.”
“I can’t meet you anywhere,” I found the voice to say.
“Why not?” he said beginning to lose his composure.
“Because I can’t,” I said and I was beginning to wish that I never picked up the phone. “You hurt me, Allen.”
“You know that you deserved it, Leah,” he said. “When you don’t do what I say, then I have to teach you a lesson. You should know by now that that’s how it goes.”
“I don’t care,” I said beginning to cry. “I don’t want to see you ever again.”
“Bitch, you better stop crying right now,” he growled. “No matter what you do or say Leah, you will always belong to me. So get your ass in your car and meet me at the spot in fifteen minutes. And if you don’t then I’m coming to your house, and you know you don’t want me to do that. Think about your family, Leah.”
“Okay, okay,” I said, as the tears raced down my face even faster. I bit my lip as I tried to get my emotions under control before speaking again. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
He was quiet for a moment and then said, “Don’t make me come looking for you,” before hanging up.
Part 2
Game… Set… Match
Chapter IX- D.J.
The face that I saw in the mirror didn’t look the same anymore. Something had changed. Other than the fact that my nose was still bruised from my fight with Darius, there were so many other things that were different as well. I think that it was my eyes. They told such a dark story. Six months ago my life had been completely different and I wasn’t the same man that I was then. I’d changed, but not for the better. Maybe if I would have just stayed in Miami like I was supposed to then I wouldn’t be in the mess that I’m in. I wouldn’t have been forced to kill, lie and betray. But I’m here now and there’s no turning back.
I wanted to prove to myself that I really had what it took to continue to be the animal that I felt like. I thought that my first murder would be my last, but unfortunately I hadn’t killed my target and he was still on the loose. I wanted to kill at least one more time before I came face-to-face with my brother again. The truth was that I hadn’t been able to pull the trigger that night. He was right in front me, as defenseless as he will ever be, but I just couldn’t do it. As much as I hated him, I felt that killing him would be killing a part of myself. But that part of me had already died anyway, so fuck it. I was going to make a statement, and the next time that I saw Darius, I would make amends.
*******
I was supposed to be meeting Allen and Leah at the secret spot but I had to make a stop first. I went to a tattoo parlor on Moreland Avenue. I chose that night as the opportune time to get my first tattoo in order to proclaim my independence, and I already had an idea about what I wanted to get inked on me forever.
I parked my car at the curb near the parlor. I was in a less privileged part of town so I brought my gun with me just in case I needed it. That wasn’t the only reason I brought it though. Honestly, I had been unusually paranoid ever since that night at the warehouse. I began walking up the sidewalk when I was approached by a homeless man who I noticed was sitting against the wall drinking a forty when I first pulled up. He staggered toward me and it was obvious that he was drunk. He had that strong odor that most homeless people had mixed with the smell of cheap liquor. I have always been repulsed by homeless people ever since I was a little boy, and I never gave them spare change even when I had it. As far as I was concerned, they were beneath me and weren’t even worth the dirt on the bottom of my shoes.
“Hey brother, can you spare some change?” he asked while invading my personal space. He tripped over his own feet and fell into me. I instantly became enraged as I pushed him off of me and threw him into a pile of trash bags that were nearby.
I roughly brushed my clothes off. Regardless of the fact that there were no visible stains on me, I still felt dirty after being touched by a homeless person and it was making my skin crawl.
“Don’t you ever put your fucking hands on me,” I spat viciously before continuing on to my destination.
Once inside the tattoo parlor, my eyes immediately went to the walls where sample drawings were hanging. I began to look for an image that would be suitable. Most of what was on display was snakes, dragons, stars, and other symbols that you normally see in a tattoo parlor, but nothing was really catching my attention.
“You know what you want?” a woman asked once she came from the back room and stood behind the front counter. She was a white lady with blue streaked blonde hair. She had piercings in her nose and lip, and tattoos covered her arms, chest, and neck.
I only looked at her for a moment before turning my attention back to the wall. That’s when I saw it. The exact thing that I wanted to get tattooed on my chest. There was this 3D picture of the king piece on a chess board. As soon as I saw it I knew that I had to get it.
“I want that,” I said pointing at the wall. “The chess piece.”
The lady looked at the wall then said, “Okay. I’ll let Bruce know.” She disappeared to the back and was gone for only a few minutes before she came back out and told me that Bruce was ready for me.
She showed me to the room in the back where the tattoo artist was waiting. He was even more tatted up than the girl was. He was walking around with his shirt off so it was easy to see that he had tattoos all over his body from his waist line up to his neck. He had spiked hair and a few more facial piercings than my liking. The walls were covered in graffiti and the drawings seemed to come together and make one big mural. In the middle of the room were two chairs, a table, and a overhead lamp.
“Hey. The name’s Bruce,” he said extending his hand as he came from the other side of the room.
“D.J.” I said as I briefly shook his hand. He stared at my face for a few seconds before speaking again.
“What the hell happened to your nose, man?” he said mockingly. “Looks like you lost a fight.”
I didn’t respond to his jab. He obviously didn’t know who he was fucking with so I was going to let that one slide, but that was strike one.
> “So you want the king chess piece,” he said before sitting in one of the chairs and then gesturing for me to sit in the other one.
“Yeah,” I said after I sat. “I want it on the left side of my chest.” I took my shirt off while he prepared his needles.
“Anything else?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said after thinking for a minute. “I want it to say King Bloodline,” I told him. He nodded his head confidently as if granting my request wouldn’t be a problem at all.
I sat silently as he completed the outline of the design. All I could think about was revenge. After how things had gone down at the warehouse that night, I thought that maybe I could let go of the hatred that I felt for my half-brother, but that wasn’t the case. The more that I thought about how he completely ruined my life, the more I wanted him dead. I still couldn’t believe that I let him get away after I had him at gunpoint. That wasn’t going to ever happen again. I swore that the next time that I saw him, I was going to finish this once and for all.
The only thing that had me tripping was that regardless of how I felt about it, Darius was apart of this King Bloodline as well. How was I going to feel after killing him when I had to face the fact that I murdered someone with the same blood as me? The fact that my father chose him over me to run the company still hurt like the bite of a rattle snake. And slowly I was dying within. My heart and soul were growing cold and I was starting to not give a damn about anything or anybody.
“So what are you?” Bruce asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“What?” I asked annoyed.
“What are you? Hispanic, Mexican… Filipino,” he said and he obviously thought that his choice of conversation was funny.
“I’m black and Hispanic,” I told him even though I didn’t owe him an explanation.
“Yeah, I should’ve known,” he laughed and said while still focusing on what he was drawing on my chest. “Blacks are always trying to mix races so that they can have a chance at having pretty kids.”
