RedBone

by Styles, T.

  Farah was sitting at Rhonda’s kitchen table with her, going over the plans for her baby shower. With everything going on with Lesa, she almost forgot she was having it at her place.

  “So that’s everything,” Rhonda said with a smile on her face. “And Coconut said she’d help you with anything else you needed. She not gonna reach out to you first though.”

  Farah gathered the papers on the table and said, “I can’t believe you’re talking to her, after all the shit she did to me. You don’t give a fuck that Nova smacked me in the face and said it was from her? None of that shit matters to you?”

  “Farah, Coconut said she didn’t do that and I believe her. I told you that already. We are grown-ass women,” she said, “and can’t be responsible for another bitch. You should take that up with Nova.”

  Farah rolled her eyes and said, “If you so cool with her, why don’t you tell her to have your shower at her house?”

  “I’m not going to even start with you.” She laughed. “You made a promise, and you gotta keep it. We friends, right? So friends look out for each other.” Farah smiled weakly. “Anyway, you saw the video of you and her on YouTube. She got a right to be mad.”

  “I’m not gonna keep talking about that shit,” she said. “What’s done is done.”

  Farah stuffed the papers in her purse for the shower. “Oh . . . before you go I forgot to tell you that a group of girls been coming around here asking for you.”

  Farah frowned. “A group of girls?”

  “Yeah ... I don’t know what it’s about but it don’t look too good. Who you beefing with now?”

  “Nobody.” She couldn’t pick out one bitch from another. She was hated by many. “Who they ask about me?”

  “My mother. Coconut said they asked her about you too, when she was at the movies with her boyfriend.” Rhonda got up from the table and rubbed her belly. “Just be careful.”

  Farah didn’t understand who could be asking about her but she wasn’t going to give it any more time. “Well, whoever it is, they better not try me.”

  “Farah ... before you leave, you ever hear anything about that man? That we hit?”

  “No. And I don’t want to. Why?” Her forehead wrinkled between the eyes. “You think that’s related to the girls or something? Nobody saw us.”

  “I don’t think it’s about that, but you just can never be sure.”

  Chapter 45

  “Oh, my God! She can t be ...”

  —Lesa

  Lesa brought up her last load of clothes and decided to use the bathroom. When she opened the door and sat on the toilet, it was completely wet. “Ugh!” she screamed, jumping up. She placed her hand on the yellow liquid and put it to her nose. “It’s fucking piss! Them mothafuckas!”

  She was mad at herself for leaving her bedroom door open, but even madder that Farah would stoop so low. She washed her hands and said, “You wanna take it there ... then let’s go!”

  At that time she decided she didn’t know enough about her little roommate. Since she was out of the house, and no one else was home, she decided to go through her shit. She flung open dresser drawers, closet doors, and everything else. Outside of a box of empty cylinders, like the ones used in chemistry class, she didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. She was about to leave and reach out to Coconut, knowing she could dig up some dirt, but she was stopped in her tracks when Farah’s personal phone line rang.

  She walked over to the bed, answered the phone, and snooped through her jewelry. “Hello,” she said, rustling around in Farah’s jewelry box. “Who is this?”

  “Is this Farah?” she heard a white man ask.

  His voice intrigued her. So she sat on the edge of the bed and thought of Farah’s voice. To her she sounded breathy, so she did her best to imitate it. “Yes. This is Farah. Who is this?”

  “Where have you been?” He sounded worried. “I’ve been calling you nonstop, especially after Elise called me and told me what you were doing. Did Chloe tell you I called?”

  “Uh ...”

  “Farah, you shouldn’t be out there dealing with this illness on your own,” he interrupted. “You really do need to be under a doctor’s care. And there’s nobody more concerned about you and your family than me. Now I know things didn’t work out in the past, but I have some new medicines that I’m sure will do the trick.”

  “I’m going through a lot.” She looked at the caller ID on the phone, and saw Doctor Martin’s name. “Dr. Martin ... A whole lot. That’s why I haven’t been able to see you. I’m doing better though ... really.”

  “But, Farah, you’re going to get worse if you don’t let me care for you. I know this illness is rare, but I’m one of the top doctors in this field.”

  Lesa didn’t know Farah was that sick, and she certainly didn’t know it was so serious. She remembered the day she fell out in gym, but thought it was an isolated event. “Well, if you can help me, how come it hasn’t worked?”

  “Because porphyria is uncommon and it impacts people in different ways. Some can’t be in the sun, like you, or be around fumes, like you also. The thing that makes your disease so unique is that it seems to be triggered by stressful events. If we can get your stress under control, we can get this disease under control.”

  Porphyria? “Uh ... I ...”

  “Listen, Farah, Elise told me about what you’re doing. What you’re drinking. Please don’t be mad at her; she’s really concerned about your health. But I must tell you that you’re going about this the wrong way. The way you’re treating yourself is an urban legend. It’s not real, and it can go horribly wrong. If you continue, you can get all kinds of diseases, like HIV and hepatitis.”

  Lesa was curious about what he knew. “Dr. Martin, what did Elise tell you I was doing? To self-medicate?”

  Silence.

  “Dr. Martin?” She was getting anxious. It seemed like he had something juicy to say, yet he was holding back. “What did Elise tell you?”

  “This isn’t Farah, is it? You’re calling your grandmother Elise. Why would you do that?”

  Silence.

  “I’ve already said enough,” he said. “I have to go now. Please give Farah my message.”

  She hung up the phone and her curiosity was killing her. Dr. Martin did more snitching than Rayful Edmonds. She needed to know what illness Farah had that would cause her doctor to worry so much. So she went to her room, pulled up a chair at her desk, and got on the computer. Then she typed “P-O-R-I-A” and information about a fungus appeared. She read through a couple of articles, but nothing seemed interesting. So she typed the letters “P-O-R-I-P-H-I-A.” Finally, looking at the Google header, she saw “Did you mean Porphyria?” She selected the link. Still not getting what she wanted she combined the words “urban legend” with “porphyria.” The first word she saw caused her heart to drop.

  “Vampire? Oh, my God! She can’t be ...”

  Chapter 46

  “Don t worry, girl! I made plenty!”

  —Farah

  Farah had a few things up her sleeve as she walked around the house in her red Victoria’s Secret pajama pants and white wifebeater. Once again, the house was eerily peaceful, and everybody seemed to be staying out of each other’s way. But why? For instance, Lesa was sitting on the couch with Courtney and Lady, and they barely looked at her.

  What the fuck are you bitches up to? I know something’s up.

  Farah was washing chicken breasts in the sink when Chloe came out of her bedroom. Audio was still inside her room watching TV. “Came up for air?” Farah asked, stealing another look at Lesa and her friends.

  “Bitch, please. What I’m gonna do with Mia’s fat ass in there cock blocking and shit?” Chloe smacked her tongue. “Why can’t she share a room with Shadow? Or you? Why I got to be the one to sleep with her fat ass?”

  “Why you got to be the one who ain’t giving me no fucking rent?” Farah asked, putting seasoning on the chicken. She looked into the living room again,
and Lesa looked back at her and grinned. She whispered, “You see that shit? I thought something was up before, but now I’m sure.”

  Chloe grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and took a sip. “See what shit?”

  “That shit.” Farah nodded in their direction. “Something ain’t right. They been acting awfully nice to me. It’s almost like they are scared of me or something.”

  “Maybe they checked our resume.” She shrugged. “Shit ... I don’t know.”

  “Naw ... watch this.” Farah looked into the living room. “Hey, Courtney, are you and Lady staying for dinner?”

  “If you make enough, girl. I don’t want to put you out though.” She turned back around and looked at the TV. Lesa and Lady didn’t bother to trade sly faces at each other, like they normally did whenever she opened her mouth.

  Chloe flapped her eyes. “Oh, hold up, something is definitely up! That bitch can’t stand your ass! You better watch your food, sis. They could’ve made a move on you before you.”

  “Bitch, I don’t eat shit in here I don’t bring in the same day and prepare myself. They won’t catch me slipping. She put the chicken into the oven. “Did you do everything I asked?”

  Chloe grinned. “Sure did.” She leaned in and whispered. “Right before I came in. Audio helped me even though he didn’t know why.”

  “You are so in love.”

  “It’s nice too. If you stopped faking on Slade, you could see what I’m saying. He asks about you all the time.”

  “Well, how come he don’t come over here and ask about me?”

  “Maybe you should go over there and ask about him.” She shrugged. “Anyway, everything for my part of the plan is in order.”

  Farah tried not to think about Slade, because she hadn’t spoken to him since she gave him a ride home. She was sure he was done with her for good, especially after knowing she was with Randy. She doubted she’d even get her cash back.

  Farah reached under the sink and grabbed the blender. “Get the ice out the fridge.” Chloe grabbed the bag of ice and Farah piled it into the blender. Then she added the ingredients to make frozen martinis. But to get the visceral reaction she wanted, she added one more item to the mix so it would be just right. Pulling a bottle of ipecac syrup out of her purse, which sat on the counter, she poured it generously into the drink. Ipecac was used to induce vomiting for those who ingested poison. Farah poured the entire bottle into the mixture.

  “What is that?” Chloe murmured.

  “I call it ‘Set It Off syrup.”

  “What it’s gonna do?”

  “Stand back and watch.” Farah looked into the living room. “Who’s thirsty?” She held up one of her martini glasses and wiggled it. “I’m making my prize-winning drink.”

  “I’m with it,” Lady said, standing up and moving toward the kitchen.

  Courtney followed and said, “I can use a drink too. Thanks, girl.”

  “What about you, Lesa? You down?”

  Lesa seemed scared of Farah, and she couldn’t understand why. A few days ago she couldn’t wait to jump in her face and give her a piece of her mind. So what changed? That bitch had a plan; she just didn’t know what it was about. “I’ll take a drink.” She smiled weakly. “If you got any left.”

  “Don’t worry, girl! I made plenty!”

  Chapter 47

  “Bitch, if you wanna play, now it s really on!”

  —Lesa

  Lesa was on her knees, praying to the porcelain god in her bathroom. If she wasn’t throwing up, she was shitting. She couldn’t move, or she’d be running back to the toilet. She was furious that Farah fooled her into thinking that for the time anyway, things were cool. She had plans to lay low and move out of the apartment after her little discovery. But now, Farah had declared war and she was going to see the battle through. Sitting on the toilet, Lesa tried to piss out whatever poison Farah exacted upon her, when there was heavy knocking at the door. “Lesa ... you finish yet? I gotta go too!” Courtney yelled.

  “I’m not done! You gotta wait!” she yelled, rubbing her sore stomach. She wished they could get in their cars and go the fuck home. Suddenly she wasn’t in the mood for company. “Use the other bathroom.”

  “They got the door locked!” Courtney sobbed. “And I gotta go bad, too! I can’t believe they did this shit to us!”

  Lesa felt bad for her friends, but at the moment she wasn’t good to anyone. After all, she drank the poisoned martini too. “What you gotta do?” she yelled, spinning the toilet paper roll to get a ball of tissue. “Number one or two?”

  “I gotta throw up!” she said. “And Lady do too.”

  “Well, use a trash can!”

  Lesa could hear her friends calling Earl in her bedroom, and hoped vomit didn’t get on her carpet or clothes. Courtney was regurgitating so badly that she was gagging and crying at the same time. Feeling sorry for them, she tried to man up and push her illness to the side, so that they could use the bathroom too. After all, it was her fault that they fell victim to Farah’s plan. Had she not called them over to sit with her after learning Farah was crazy, they would not be in this position. And had she left like Farah suggested, none of this would be happening, but even now she was too stubborn to call a truce. After the last drip of piss left her body, she rose up off the toilet, and dabbed herself with the tissue.

  When a burning sensation hit her ass, her jaw dropped and she froze in place. “Aww!” she screamed. “What the fuck is that?”

  Without knowing, she was now experiencing the second part of Farah’s plan. It was executed when Farah instructed Chloe to unravel an entire roll of toilet paper, spray it with mace, and roll it back. This action wasn’t easy, and took her a long time. It had to be done in the open, and it had to be on the floor. Chloe and Audio had to wear masks as they soaked the tissue with the spray, just to get the effect they were getting now.

  “Bitch, if you wanna play, now it’s really on!” Lesa yelled.

  Chapter 48

  “What if I tell you that I’m ready to let him go? Would he even matter?”

  —Farah

  Farah was lying face up on her bed as she listened to the soothing sounds of Lesa and her friends regurgitate like it was going out of style. When someone knocked on her door, she grabbed her robe and walked toward it. “Who is it? she asked before opening.

  “Your oldest brother,” Shadow said.

  “You mean my only brother,” she corrected him, opening the door. When she saw who was standing next to him, she felt light. “Oh ... I didn’t know you had company. I would’ve put something else on.”

  “I don’t have company. You do. Who the fuck is this nigga?” Shadow pointed to Slade.

  “Should I come back later?” Slade asked.

  “No!” Farah said quickly. There was no way on earth she was letting him get away from her this time. And he looked so good ... standing in her doorway. “Come in. I’m not doing anything.”

  “Who is this, sis?” he persisted.

  “Damn, Shadow! You act like you fucking me or something.” He glared at the vile idea. “If you must know, this is my friend, and his name is Slade. So I got it from here, thank you.”

  “Slade, huh.” Shadow looked him up and down. “Well, whoever you are, you betta treat my sister right.”

  Slade didn’t respond because he was overprotective of his siblings too. “It’s not even like that, man.” He looked at Farah. “I’m just here to settle a debt and after that I’m out.”

  Shadow looked at Slade and then at his sister. “Let me know if you need me.” He walked away.

  She nervously smoothed her hair and said, “Come in. I was just watching TV. If you got a few minutes anyway you can sit with me.” When he walked inside, she locked the door.

  Slade stood in the middle of her room, and was about to walk to a chair when he heard Lesa and her friends. It would be guts and butts all night and she knew it. “What’s that? Somebody had a hangover or something?”


  Farah tried to act as if she didn’t hear all the commotion outside her door. She didn’t want him thinking she was a troublemaker, or somebody capable of hurting another. In his eyes, she wanted to be innocent and pure. “I don’t hear anything,” she lied. “Whatever it is, you don’t need to worry about it. My roommate could be doing anything.” She cleared a place on her bed. “Sit down right there. The chair is broke.” He took a seat. “You want something to drink? I can whip you up a mixed drink right quick.”

  When she said that, Courtney yelled, “Bitch, I’m not drinking nothing else in this mothafucka! I can’t believe you tried to kill us!”

  Slade grinned and looked at the closed door. “Naw, I’ll pass.” He reached in his pocket and handed her some cash. “That’s all the money I owe you. For bailing me out and for breaking your charger. I appreciate you looking out, because you didn’t have to.”

  When she looked down at the green money, it was tinged with blood. She figured he took it from some unsuspecting victim, or victims. She slowly tucked the cash in her pocket, and hoped this wasn’t the last time she’d have a reason to be around him. “You didn’t have to give it to me right away. I mean ... I could’ve waited a few more days. I know how tough shit be.”

  “Naw ... I pay what I owe. Always.” He looked up at her. “I said I was going to hit you back and so I did.”

  She couldn’t lie, she needed the money because the landlord had already begun eviction proceedings. With her son missing, she was impatient and heartless. Even the tenant down the hall, who was pregnant and alone, got the cold shoulder when she asked for a few days after going into labor. Farah didn’t feel like dealing with her so Slade was just on time. “Thank you. I needed it.” She sat next to him. “Can I tell you something?” She looked down into her hands. “I think about you. A lot. I think we got off to a bad start, and I don’t want it to be that way. If we get to know each other, maybe we can be good friends.”