Dirty Laundry

by Cherie Briggins

  CHAPTER NINE

  “Girl, was that Petey’s cousin?” Ashley asked when Choice walked back into the store.

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure if he and Petey are related. Blue says they are.”

  Ashley shook her head. “They are. When I was over Petey’s, Supreme stopped by and that’s when I was introduced,” Ashley said walking to the register so she could pay for her shirt.

  Choice looked around Marshalls. “Girl, it’s getting packed up in here.”

  “Yeah it is. Let’s pay for our shit so we can be out.”

  After paying for their clothes, the girls hung out for another thirty minutes before they had tired of the crowd and exited the mall.

  “Man, I’m dead broke. I’m going to need to take my ass to work for Mr. Charlie tomorrow,” Choice said with a bag in one hand. She got her and Kyree two outfits each.

  “Damn, I forgot where we parked.” Ashley said as she looked around the parking lot.

  “We over there,” Kyree said pointing to the Honda Civic.

  Just as they approached the car, two girls popped up out of nowhere. Both were pretty, but looked a little older than Ashley and Choice. The girls didn’t go to their high school. As Choice looked them over, the shorter girl looked vaguely familiar. Maybe she’d gone to school with them before, but had already graduated or dropped out.

  “Who the fuck are these bitches?” Choice asked her best friend.

  “Shit, I don’t know. Ky, get in the car,” Ashley said, putting her and Choice’s bags in the back seat with Kyree.

  “What’s up? Do we know y’all?” Ashley asked the two girls.

  They weren’t paying her any attention. They were too busy looking at Choice.

  “The problem is not with you. It’s with this one here,” the short one said as she glared at Choice.

  Ashley giggled which made the short girl look at her.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You,” Ashley chuckled. “Look, you don’t know us, but this is my right hand right here. If you got a problem with her, you got one with me. ”

  The taller of the two girls stared at Ashley and Choice. Choice glanced at her. Even though she still looked like a jealous broad, Choice could tell that she really didn’t want any trouble. Approaching them must have been the short girl’s idea. None of that mattered to Choice because they both could get it.

  “Address the problem then, bitch!” Choice yelled in the short one’s face.

  That took everyone, including Ashley, for a surprise. Choice wasn’t normally the instigator. She must have been really pissed that the two strangers had the nerve to approach her.

  “Bitch, you gave my man your number in the mall. That’s the muthafuckin problem!”

  “Well, if he’s your man then he has no reason to call me,” Choice replied.

  “That’s not the fucking point,” the girl screamed.

  “Say another cuss word while talking to me,” Choice said as she stepped closer to the girl.

  Ashley stood back, shaking her head from side to side waiting for the girl’s sidekick to say something.

  “I’m just letting you know what it is. Supreme is my man and son’s father, so stay the fuck away from him.”

  WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

  Choice stuck the girl with a three piece.

  “Bitch! Didn’t I tell yo ass not to use a cuss word while talking to me?”

  WHAM! WHAM!

  Choice was fast with her hands. The girl grabbed Choice’s hair and started pulling on it like she was hoping for the tracks to fall. The only thing it did was make Choice more upset. She hated when chicks pulled her hair. There wasn’t any weave tracks to pull out and that shit hurt bad as hell when it was ripped out of her scalp. Choice put her hands around the girl’s neck and choked her so she would let go of her hair. Choice’s thumbnails started to sink into her neck causing it to bleed. She let go of Choice’s hair, and fell down on the ground holding her neck and gasping for air.

  Choice looked up at the tall girl who looked like she was about to make a move. Before she could make a move, Ashley stepped to the girl.

  “Bitch! I wish you would. Try me,” Ashley dared her. “Your girl approached my bitch, so now she gon’ get that werk.”

  The tall girl backed up as Choice kicked the other one in the stomach with one of her heels.

  “Stupid ass Bitch!”

  Choice looked at the car at Kyree’s crying face, which made her even madder.

  “Bitch going to step to me about some nigga. Don’t you see I got my little sister with me?”

  “Huh?”

  “Don’t ever step to me about shit when I got my little sister with me. Do you hear me?” Choice yelled.

  The girl nodded her head up and down weakly as she lay on the concrete holding her neck with one hand and her stomach with the other. Ashley was hyped and couldn’t hold back on hitting the tall one in the face. Choice let Ashley beat the hell out of the girl, but Choice couldn’t hold back either, so she jumped in and they beat her ass together. When Choice and Ashley were done beating the two girls up, they jumped in the car and pulled off.

  “You okay, Ky?”

  “Yeah, are you?” Kyree asked Choice.

  “Yeah, I’m okay.”

  “Don’t worry about me.”

  Choice reached into the back seat and wiped Kyree’s tears away.

  “Girl, that shit was wild!” Ashley yelled excitedly. “Let me call Petey’s ass and see what’s the 411 on those hoes.”

  Ashley dialed up Petey and pressed the speakerphone button so Choice could hear the conversation too.

  “What’s up, Daddy? You’re on speaker,” Ashley said when Petey answered. Choice cringed at her friend’s choice of pet names for Petey.

  “Choice and I were just at the mall,” Ashley informed her man. “I guess your cousin and Choice ran into each other a couple times, so they were talking and shit. Next thing I know we walking out to my mom’s ride and two chicks jump out. You listening? Your background is loud as fuck.”

  “Hold up, Dylan turn that shit down! My wifey on the phone,” Choice heard Petey say. “Okay, you got my full attention. Go ‘head baby.”

  “Some fruity pebble head ho stepped to Choice on some rah-rah shit.”

  Petey started laughing. “From that description, I already know who you’re talking ‘bout. Her name is London.”

  “Well, she had a sidekick with her, some light skin chick with blonde hair.”

  “Paris thirsty ass,” Petey said.

  “Well, they got an official ass beating. My girl beat the fuck out that ho. Then her girl thought she was going to jump in and I got her ass for trying to save a ho. I had to call and let you know. Choice already beating bitches up over your cousin? Fuck type shit is that?”

  Choice knew that Ashley was more pissed than she was. Ashley was so protective of Choice.

  “I’m not about to get in that man’s business,” Petey said with a slight attitude. “But I do know that Supreme don’t fuck with her like that, so miss me with all that shit. Choice, it’s all love.”

  “I know, Petey,” Choice replied. “Your girl is just a little tight right now.”

  “Isn’t she always?” Petey laughed.

  “Whatever,” Ashley pouted. “I’m hangin’ up now. Go ahead and take care of your business.”

  Choice chuckled when Ashley pressed the END button and tossed her phone into the cup holder.

  When Choice and Kyree got home, Karen and Eddie were gone. Choice decided to put Kyree to bed and take a hot shower. When she was done, she put on some hot pink boy shorts with a white wife beater and sat on the couch with her feet tucked underneath her butt watching TV.

  Who the fuck still have a black and white TV? Choice thought as she tried to make out which part of the Set It Off movie she was watching.

  “Uuugh, I can’t watch this shit.”

  Choice slipped on her white flip-flops and went outside on the stoop to sit o
n the milk crate to call Ashley.

  “Wassup Boo?” Ashley asked

  “I was trying to watch Set It Off on that little black and white TV we got, but I got tired of trying to figure out which part I was watching so I came outside. But for real, I’ve been babysitting my phone.”

  “And why are you babysitting your phone?”

  “I thought Supreme would have called me by now.”

  “Supreme? Well, best friend, why don’t you call him? You know all you gotta do is pick up your phone dial up those seven numbers.”

  “I wouldn’t have a problem doing that if I had the nigga’s number but I don’t. He only got mine. So I guess I gotta wait,” Choice said.

  “Damn, you must really be feeling him?”

  “Ashley, have we seen the same nigga? His butterscotch complexion, full lips, the mole he got on the side of his nose, his hair…the nigga’s body! Girl, bye. The nigga is fine as fuck. But I wait for no one so the nigga better hurry up and call me.”

  “Aww! I think my girl in love.”

  “Love...yeah okay. It’s going to take a lot more to make me fall in love. Shit ain’t all about looks. Nigga could be crazy as hell.”

  “Yeah. You right. When are you going to sleep? Ashley asked, yawning into the phone. “It’s two in the morning.”

  “I can’t sleep.”

  The real reason Choice couldn’t sleep was because she thought her crazy ass mom would come home and let some nigga come upstairs again. Choice was afraid he would do something other than eat her pussy so she wasn’t going to sleep.

  “Petey said he about to come check you out.”

  “Petey’s there? Where the hell is your mom?”

  “She’s at work.”

  “Ugh, ya’ll nasty,” Choice said with her face screwed up.

  “Whatever,” Ashley giggled. “I will get up with you tomorrow though, boo.”

  “A’ight. Tell Petey I said to come on.”

  “Girl, that nigga already left.”

  Choice stood to lock the door, so she could feel more comfortable talking to Petey while Kyree slept. When she turned around her mom was walking up to their apartment with a man Choice had never seen before.

  “Where the fuck are you going with my child locked up in the god damn house, huh?”

  “Ma, Kyree’s fine. She’s sleep. And I’m not going anywhere. I’m just waiting on Petey. We’re going to talk in his car.”

  “Petey’s coming? My future son in law?”

  “Ma, we are not like that so please stop saying that.”

  “Whatever, and where are the rest of your clothes?” Karen shouted, looking down at Choice’s bare thighs.

  “I have on shorts,” Choice said pulling on her hot pink boy shorts.

  “Karen, you need to make her go back in and put on some pants or something,” Karen’s friend said.

  “Yeah, okay.” Choice rolled her eyes. “Ma, where is my dad, and who is this?”

  “Yo, Choice!” Petey yelled out the window of his dark burgundy 1982 Cadillac Eldorado with the Dr. Pepper symbol on the side.

  “Ma, I’ll be back," Choice said as she walked to Petey’s car.

  “My nigga, Mayweather,” Petey joked as Choice got in his car.

  “Whatever.”

  “Man, I just saw shorty a couple of hours ago. I was like ‘what happened to your face?’ This chick had the nerve to say she got jumped by a whole bunch of chicks at the mall. I was like ‘nah, my peoples beat that ass. You ain’t get jumped. Keep it one hundred.’ Bitch still couldn’t keep it G. But anyway, fuck that bitch. What’s up with you and my cousin?”

  “So he is your cousin? Choice asked turning to look at Petey. You and I supposed to be tight. You ain’t tell me you had a cousin named Supreme.

  “That nigga just got here. Supreme’s been going back and forth between here and New York for about a year now. He just moved here permanently about four months ago.”

  “That is not just getting here, Petey. I gave him my number, but he ain’t hit me up though.”

  “He will. Give him a couple of days. He ain’t thirsty like the rest of these niggas. Who is that with your mom?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Where’s Ky?”

  “She’s upstairs,” Choice said, looking up at the bedroom window.

  “Well, you know you and her can come crash at my spot or I can take y’all to Ashley’s. I don’t feel comfortable knowing there’s some strange nigga walking around while y’all sleep and shit.”

  “You always looking out. I appreciate it. But we good,” Choice said, kissing Pete on the cheek. “Hit me up later!” Choice yelled as she walked back towards the apartment.

  As soon as Choice walked in, she noticed her mom slumped over the couch, more than likely already in a crack coma. She proceeded to her room until somebody yanked her hair from behind.

  “Didn’t I try to tell your ho ass to put some fucking pants on. Shit, I’m going to enjoy this. Your mama already told me you always walking around talking about how you a virgin and that you think you better than her. We’re going to fix that real fast.”

  The pain was so unbelievable! Choice could feel some of her hair being ripped out of her scalp. Her vision started to get blurry. As he mounted on top of her and held each of Choice arms down with one of his hands, he felt like he weighed a ton.

  “Your mama’s pussy is dry as fuck. I don’t know how your daddy does it.”

  His breath was a mixture of morning breath and alcohol. He stuck his tongue in Choice’s mouth, and she literally tried to take that muthafucka off.

  “Ahhh!” he screamed as Choice bit the shit out of his tongue, drawing blood.

  “Fucking bitch,” he said as he continued to hold her hands down with his left hand and repeatedly slap Choice with his right hand.

  “I wasn’t going to hurt your ass, but see what you made me do.”

  He pulled Choice’s shorts down.

  “See if you would have played nice, I wouldn’t have minded tasting that virgin pussy.”

  Choice lay there, whimpering like a wounded animal. She could feel the right side of her face begin to swell. He was so into what he was doing that he didn’t hear the front door open.

  “Nigga, what the fuck are you doing?” her father, Eddie, yelled as he picked the guy up by his dingy shirt.

  Eddie looked down at Choice with red eyes. Then down at her shorts that were wrapped around her ankles.

  “You trying to rape my muthafuckin daughter?” Eddie screamed as he beat the guy’s ass.

  Eddie was slamming his fist so hard into the guy’s face Choice could hear bones breaking. She got up and ran to her room so she could put on some sweat pants and tennis shoes because she was going to help her daddy beat his ass. When Choice ran in her room, Kyree was sitting up in bed crying with a t-shirt, no pants or panties on. Choice stopped what she was about to do.

  “Ky, you okay? Where are your pants? Ky, what’s wrong with you?”

  Kyree looked down at her bare thighs. “I’m okay,” she said with tears streaming down her face.

  “Look at your face,” Kyree said between sobs.

  “Don’t worry about my face. I’m alright,” Choice said, trying to be strong for Kyree.

  Choice already knew her shit looked fucked up. She could feel the tightness on the side of her face where he hit her. She put on some sweats and then threw on her Polo shoes and ran out the room. Ky got up and ran behind her sister.

  “Karen!” Eddie yelled as he charged towards Karen, leaving the guy he beat up on the floor.

  Eddie pulled Karen’s head up off the couch by her hair.

  “Heyyy Eddie,” Karen slurred.

  “Bitch, you got some nigga up in here about to rape my daughter?” Eddie yelled in Karen’s face.

  “Your fucking ass overdosed,” Eddie said as Karen’s eyes begin to roll to the back of her head.

  “And get your child-molesting ass up, nigga,” Eddie said as he put
Karen’s head back down on the couch.

  He walked over to the guy knocked out on the floor and dragged him out the door. “Bitch ass! And when I come back out here you better be gone or I’m going to beat yo ass to death.”

  Eddie felt less than a man. He was a forty-five year old man living in low-income housing with no real job. He hustled in the neighborhood, but he didn’t have consistent income coming through. His drug habit wasn’t ever supposed to get this bad. It was only supposed to be one night. One night of drugs and partying, but that was thirteen years ago. Eddie rubbed his hands down his dirty paint stained blue jeans.

  “Come on Karen, get up,” Eddie said smacking her across the face with force.

  He threw her over his shoulder. “You just need a little cold water, baby. You’re going to be alright. I’m going to take care of you.”

  Eddie made sure that Karen was okay in the shower then walked out the bathroom to check on his girls.

  “Choice, take your sister and go to bed. Make sure you get something out the freezer for your face.”

  Eddie looked out the door to make sure the guy was gone and he was long gone.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Three Weeks Later

  Choice and Ashley were over Wise’s house with Blue and a couple of his homies, playing cards, drinking and talking shit. The things Choice went through with the crackhead and the unknown guy eating her love box were weeks ago. She was feeling better and trying to get over it.

  “Fuck outta here! You ain’t win that shit,” Wise said, smiling over the table at Choice. Choice giggled.

  “Boy, bye. I won fair and square. Give me my bread,” Choice said, reaching over the liquor bottles to get the four hundred dollars that sat in the middle of the table. Wise wouldn’t admit it to nobody, but he let Choice win.

  “You don’t know about me and pitty pat,” Choice said, still talking shit.

  “Yeah, a’ight, you got me.”

  Choice sat back down in her chair and smiled over at Wise. “You want me to get you some more hot wings?” she asked, referring to the wings she and Ashley had made earlier. If not, I can get you another beer.”