Dirty Laundry

by Cherie Briggins

  “Yeah bruh, that look like her,” Dylan chimed in.

  “Shit, if she here then your girl, Choice, is not too far away.”

  Petey looked at Supreme, but he didn’t say anything. Supreme was too busy watching this red bone shake her ass to a Lil Wayne joint.

  “I’ll be back. Let me go grab my shorty.”

  Supreme watched as Petey went to get Ashley.

  “Aye, daddy.” Supreme turned around to the red bone that was just on the dance floor shaking her ass.

  “Wassup Ma?” he asked as he smiled at her.

  “Just trying to see what’s up with you.”

  Supreme looked her up and down, getting a good look at her body. Shorty wasn’t the hottest thing in the club, but her body was straight. He decided to give her some conversation.

  “So you got a girl?”

  Supreme ignored her question ‘cause he wasn’t sure if he had one or not. He really didn’t know where he stood with Choice.

  “What’s your name?”

  “My name is Samantha, but everybody call me Sam.”

  “A’ight, look, why don’t you give me your number and I’ll call you tonight?”

  “Cool,” she said, taking a pen from out of her purse and writing her number on his hand. “Make sure you use that tonight.”

  “I got you, fo sho,” Supreme said to her before she disappeared in the crowd.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “Hey y’all,” Ashley greeted the guys when she walked up with Petey.

  “Wassup,” they said in unison.

  “Your girl over there at the bar.”

  Supreme nodded his head up and down without saying anything.

  “Well, I thought I should tell you some nigga over there trying to holla at her, that’s all. She’s right over there.” Ashley pointed them out to Supreme.

  “I’ll be back, y’all. Let me go see what the fuck is going on.”

  “You doing the most right now, Ma,” Supreme said to Choice when he approached her.

  Choice turned around. She looked shocked to see him there.

  “Who the fuck is this nigga?”

  “Don’t you see we in a conversation?” said the dude she was talking to.

  “Bitch ass nigga, who the fuck you think you talking to? This is me right here,” Supreme said, pointing to Choice.

  “No! No! No!” Choice yelled, standing up with her back facing Supreme and her arms stretched out in front of the guy in a surrender position.

  “Bitch?” the dude questioned. “Nigga, you don’t know me.” He stood up like he was ready to fight.

  “I don’t gotta know you, nigga. You still a bitch.” Supreme said, heated.

  “Whoa, whoa,” Petey said as he, Dylan, and Mark walked up to stand by Supreme.

  The friends of the guy Supreme was arguing with walked up in stood next to him, ready to defend their friend.

  “We got a problem over here, Supreme?” Pete asked, ready for whatever.

  “No, we ain’t got no problem,” Choice answered. “Chris, just walk away.”

  “Yeah Choice, tell your friend here to walk away, because the type of mood I’m in tonight, it won’t be good.”

  “Man, fu-”

  Before he could get it out, Supreme pushed Choice out the way and slammed his fist into Chris’s jaw, knocking him to the ground. Supreme took all his frustrations out as he kicked Chris’s teeth in.

  “Nope, don’t even think about it,” Petey said, pulling his gun out and aiming it at his boys who tried to jump in.

  “Ain’t nobody jumpin’ in,” Mark said as he watched Supreme beat the hell out of the guy they now knew as Chris.

  Supreme beat the dude’s ass for at least five minutes before they were all kicked out. He ran his hand down his face as he walked out the club followed by his rowdy crew. Supreme was so fuckin mad. He would have kept beating the nigga’s ass if they had let him.

  When Supreme looked over at Choice and Ashley, Choice was limping and crying. She must’ve twisted her ankle when he pushed her. He was so fucked up by that. Supreme pushed her out the way so she wouldn’t get hurt and ended up hurting her anyway. He got in his Camaro and drove off. Supreme’s mind was heavy with thoughts about Choice, so he called up Petey.

  “Yo Pete, go to the hospital with Choice for me, man. I really fucked up.”

  “She knows you didn’t mean to do that shit.”

  “I hope so. Take care of the bill for me. I got you tomorrow.”

  “I got it, fam. Don’t even worry about Choice. She’s in good hands, you know that,” Petey said meaning every word.

  “Thanks.” Supreme knew he wouldn’t be able to get no rest tonight with Choice on his mind.

  ****

  Choice should have known Supreme was behind her when she smelled that Prada cologne. She was truly hurt, because she knew he was hurt. Choice kept playing it over and over in her head as she and Ashley sat in the waiting room.

  “Choice, everything is gonna be okay. Petey is taking care of the bill, then we should be outta here. Hey, at least you ain’t gotta wear a big ass brace on your leg,” Ashley said trying to find humor in the situation.

  “I just can’t believe that nigga pushed me as hard as he did. I mean, damn, he could have shoved me, but he literally pushed my ass to the ground. How much was the bill? Do you know?”

  “I think the shit came up to twelve hundred since you had to get an x-ray.”

  “Twelve fuckin’ hundred! I’m going to be working at Mr. Charlie’s for a couple months just so I can pay Petey back.”

  “Petey ain’t paying for it. Supreme is.”

  On the way to Ashley’s house, the only person that was on Choice’s mind was Supreme. She hoped he wasn’t mad at her because it wasn’t what he was thinking. She and the dude were just having conversation, that was it.

  “Choice, you good back there?” Petey asked her.

  “I’m good.”

  “Cool. I gotta call Supreme to let him know you straight.”

  Choice shrugged her shoulders. “Do what you gotta do. I don’t feel like talking to him right now so don’t let him know I’m here.”

  “No problem,” Petey said to Choice as he dialed up Supreme’s number and put the phone on speaker so that Choice could hear the conversation anyway.

  “Yo fam, Choice is good. She just sprained her ankle. She’s staying over Ashley’s house. Hope you can rest a little better now.”

  “Did she say anything about me?” Supreme asked.

  “She ain’t say much of nothing.”

  “Damn. So how much was the bill?”

  “Twelve.”

  “I got you tomorrow.”

  Almost as soon as Petey hung up the phone, Choice got a message from Supreme. She read it, but the shit went unanswered.

  ****

  When Choice woke up, she was an emotional wreck. She threw up twice. Her ankle was throbbing and swollen. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying all night. But Choice still got up to go to work. She had a couple of things over Ashley’s house to wear. So she put on a yellow dress and Choice didn’t even bother with her hair. She left the shit hanging. Choice looked at Supreme’s text message he sent her last night. She was still a little hurt by his actions, but would be a liar if she said she didn’t miss him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  “Did you read the paper?” a hysterical Dottie asked Rosco as he rocked back in forth in his rocking chair.

  “Oh my God!” Dottie cried.

  “If you don’t get up off your damn knees crying over a nigga that didn’t give a fuck about us,” Rosco barked.

  “Stop saying that, boy. He loved you and me.”

  “Fuck him. I’m glad his ass gone. So yeah, I read the paper.”

  “You’re so fuckin’ evil, but you my son. And I love you. I’m going to pray for you...for all your sins.”

  Rosco chuckled. “Fuck sins. We sin every fuckin’ day!”

  “Oh, lil Eddie!” his mother
Dottie called him by his government name. “Your daddy didn’t want you to grow up to be like this.”

  “Fuck what he wanted. He didn’t care about me when he left us for his other family. And don’t be calling me no Eddie either. That nigga wasn’t shit but a fuckin drug dealer turn crackhead. The nigga didn’t get the memo when they said don’t get high off your own supply.”

  Dottie shook her head from side to side. “It doesn’t matter what you say. You’re a junior whether you like it or not. And that little girl is your sister. Which means she’s your father’s daughter.”

  Eddie thought about Kyree, his little sister, and the things he made her do. The things he had Karen doing to her. He was a sick man, just like his father. Rosco chuckled.

  “I don’t see anything funny. She’s going to need you in her life more than ever now,” Dottie said as she looked over at her son.

  “Whatever. I don’t know why you got so much love and respect for a nigga who left you to be with a crackhead and to play daddy to the bitch’s daughter. Then the nigga turn around and have a child with the ho. You just too fucking forgiving, if you ask me.”

  Rosco shook his head. In his eyes, his mom was foolish, weak, and pathetic. He didn’t regret setting up Eddie to be killed by Supreme. Karma was a bitch. Eddie had left him willingly when he was a child, but now he was forced to leave Kyree.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Supreme called Choice as he pulled up in front of Mr. Charlie’s. Her phone rang three times before she answered.

  “What Supreme?”

  “Choice, I want to talk to you.”

  “Right now is not a good time. I’m at work and I have a lot of customers.”

  “Yeah, I know you at work. I’m sitting out front. And stop lying. You don’t have any customers. So hurry up and get out here.”

  Supreme saw Choice look out the window. She looked sad and not like her happy self. . They weren’t in a good place in their relationship, but Supreme wanted to make up with his girl and talk about their problems.

  Supreme sat in his Cadillac truck waiting for Choice. When he spotted her, he smiled from ear to ear. She was so beautiful.

  “Ma, you know I’m sorry for what went down last night,” Supreme confessed as soon as Choice got in. “You know I would never do anything to hurt you,” he said looking over at her. “Choice, I’m fucked up about this.”

  “You were all I could think about last night,” Choice confessed.

  Supreme looked just as bad as she did in his blue sweat pants and t-shirt.

  “I know you fucked up, and I’m sorry it even went down like that,” Choice said, staring into his dark piercing eyes.

  “I was trying to protect you. I didn’t want you in the way while me and him fought.”

  “I know, Supreme, and you should know I would never put another nigga before you. So it wasn’t anything even like that on my part. He was just making small conversation. I love you to death,” Choice said as she wiped away the tears that fell from her eyes.

  “I love you too, Choice.”

  Supreme was surprised those three words came out of his mouth. But he meant them. She had him feeling so many different things.

  “You are my heart. All I could see was red when I saw you talking to that nigga. Look, I’m not going to hold you up. Here go the keys to the Caddy truck.”

  “The keys for what?”

  Supreme turned around and pointed to the truck. “I had Dylan drop it off earlier. And here go the keys to the house. I want you to go there when you get off.”

  Supreme was cut off by gunshots. He covered Choice’s body with his as shots were fired.

  POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!

  They waited awhile until they didn’t hear any more shots. Supreme sat up catching the rear end of the red car as it turned the corner.

  “FUCK!” he yelled hitting the steering wheel.

  “You okay? You good?” Supreme asked as he looked her body over to make sure she wasn’t shot.

  Choice nodded. “I’m okay.”

  Everybody came out of their businesses and the ones that were hiding behind or under something came out of hiding.

  “I’ve already called the police,” someone yelled. “Help is on the way.”

  Mr. Charlie ran over to the truck. “You okay, Choice?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “What about you, young man?”

  “I’m fine, but can you do me a favor and please look after Choice.”

  “No problem. I got her.”

  “Choice, go with Mr. Charlie,” Supreme said as he searched around for the cops.

  “Supreme, I don’t want to leave you.”

  “I’ll be fine, Choice.”

  “What time you think you going to make it to the house?”

  “I’ll be there no later than two.”

  “Okay, we’ll finish talking then,” Choice said, not wanting him to leave. “I love you, Supreme.”

  “Love you too.”

  She got out the truck and watched as Supreme drove off.

  ****

  When Choice got off work, Mr. Charlie insisted on following her to Supreme’s house. He wasn’t taking no for an answer. He even waited for Choice to get in the house.

  When she got in the house, she went straight to the tub to run some bath water. Choice didn’t realize how tired she was until she started to nod off in the tub. She climbed in the bed and fell asleep in her birthday suit. She woke up to an empty bed. There was no Supreme. She put her dress back on, then went downstairs.

  “Supreme!” she yelled when she got downstairs.

  “What’s wrong, Ma?” Supreme asked, coming out of his office.

  Choice was so happy to see him that she ran up to him and gave him a hug.

  “I thought you never made it home.”

  “I promised you I would be home no later than two and I was. I got some of the crew here. You okay?” Supreme asked, taking Choice’s face into his hands and looking her in the eyes.

  “I’m fine, baby.”

  “You hungry? I’m going to cook you something.”

  “Nah, don’t even worry about it. I’m not hungry. Too much shit on my mind. I can’t eat right now.” He released her face.

  “If he ain’t hungry, I am,” Mark said, coming out of the office.

  “Choice, this is my nigga Mark. He’s family, baby,” Supreme said as he looked over at her

  “Damn, you’re pretty. You sure you want to be with this nigga?” Mark joked.

  “I’m sure.”

  “Well, in that case, welcome to the family, sister- in- law.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  “That was good as hell,” Dylan said as he wiped his mouth with the paper towel.

  “The best steak and eggs I’ve had in a while,” Mark chimed in.

  “I made Supreme a plate so when y’all done taking care of whatever y’all taking care of, can y’all please have him eat?”

  “We’ll try, but it’s hard to get that nigga to do stuff when he don’t want to.”

  “Choice!” Supreme called her from his office.

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “You want to go shopping? Get you some clothes and whatever personal shit you need.”

  “Hell yeah,” Choice said with a smile plastered on her face.

  “Good,” Supreme said, reaching inside his desk drawer pulling out four stacks. “You think you can handle that.”

  Choice raised her eyebrows. “Isn’t that a bit much?”

  Supreme chuckled. “You could never have too much.”

  Choice walked around the desk to give him a kiss. “Thanks, baby. I left you a plate in the microwave. So please eat it before you leave.”

  “I got a whole lot on my mind. I’m not thinking about eating.” Supreme rubbed his chin.

  “I know you do, and I wish I could take some of that away from you. But can you please try to eat for me.”

  “I’ll try for you.” Supreme gave her a f
aint smile.

  Choice decided to go to Miracle Mile as she went from boutique to boutique spending money freely. Her next stop was Aventura Mall. She went to Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, and Michael Kors. Choice had been there well over five hours, and she was starting to feel nauseous. She decided to stop at Supreme’s to take a shower and to change her clothes before going to Starbucks and then heading over to her mom’s. It felt like weeks since she’d last seen Karen.

  “Look at you, Choice, looking like money,” Granny greeted Choice as she stepped out of the Camaro looking like a runway model.

  “That’s a nice car.”

  Choice smiled. She was surprised Supreme even let her drive it. “Thanks, Granny. Have you seen my mother?”

  “I think she’s upstairs. I sure am glad to see you though. Your momma been wilding out since she found out about your daddy. Dope boys been in and out all night. My condolences.”

  “Condolences?” Choice asked, confused. “Whatcha mean by condolences? What happened to my dad?”

  “Oh, you don’t know? I’m sorry,” Choice heard Granny say in a distance.

  When Choice opened the door, a foul odor hit her in the nose making her even more nauseous than she already was.

  “Ma!” Choice yelled.

  Her voice got caught in her throat when she saw how dirty the apartment was. Dirty laundry was everywhere. Karen’s appearance was even worse as she sat on the couch. Karen had shaved her head bald and her skin looked extra ashy.

  “Dorothy finally found her way home,” Karen joked.

  Choice ignored her mom’s sarcasm as she took a seat next to her on the couch.

  “Is it true? Daddy’s gone? What happened?”

  The mentioning of Eddie had Karen crying like a baby. “It’s true,” her mother said as she shook her head up and down. “They found him beat up and shot. Somebody shot him in the head, Choice...in the head.”

  Choice sat there shaking her head from side to side. The stench that was coming from her mom was sickening. At any moment, she was going to vomit.