“You are just like your mother in every way. I don’t blame Dominic for cheating on your stubborn ass,” he vented. I looked at him in shock, wondering how he knew about that.
“Yeah, and you forgot to mention the baby too. I saw the mother, and I can see why he did it. It’s only a matter of time before he leaves you just like I left your mother,” he spat before he got up from the table and walked away. His words hurt, but I refused to cry. My plan was only to come here and give him a piece of my mind. It was my mother who took things a step further. After the way he’d just talk to me, I was happy that she did.
BROOKLYN
I was so pissed when I ran into Kennedi at the store. I played it off, but my feelings were truly hurt. Dominic was my first and only sex partner. To know that he questioned the paternity of my baby really did something to me. I didn’t even answer the phone when he called me last night, but he popped up anyway. I faked like I was sick, so he played with DJ while I stayed in my room. When he picked me and DJ up this morning, I really didn’t have much to say. I was too upset to confront him last night, but I planned to give him the business as soon as he dropped DJ off tonight. I already told Bryce that I wanted to start catching a ride with him in the mornings. Mrs. Liz said that she would pick DJ up for me if I needed her to. I was done with Dominic, and I couldn’t wait to let him know. He’s been looking to buy me a car, but I didn’t want anything from his ass. Aside from our son, we didn’t have anything else to discuss. He and his family love DJ to death so I would never keep him away from them, but I didn’t want to see him if I didn’t have to. Candace and Co-Co told me that it wasn’t that serious, but it was very serious to me. I would have respected him more if he had told me how he felt from the start. To hear it from his fiancé, at Walgreens of all places, was an insult.
I’d just finished making my baby’s bottles when I heard him coming through the front door. He walked into the kitchen holding DJ, who was sleeping peacefully in his car seat.
“What’s up baby?” He asked as he tried to give me a kiss. I turned my head and walked off into the living room. After a few minutes, he came from the back of the house and sat down on the sofa next to me. He put my feet up on his lap, but I pulled away.
“We need to talk,” I said turning to face him.
“Yeah, we really do. What’s up with the attitude all of a sudden?” He asked.
“If you had doubts about DJ being yours why didn’t you tell me? And why did I have to hear from your fiancé that you had a blood test done on my baby?” I questioned. He looked like he was surprised by what I’d just said.
“It wasn’t even like that Brook. I never had any doubts about my baby,” he admitted. “I didn’t even want to have the test done.”
“I had a feeling it was Kennedi’s idea and that only makes the shit worse. If you didn’t want to do it, you should have said no. You make me think you had doubts just like she did.”
“Brooklyn, I know without a doubt that I was your first. I never had doubts about anything. I was just trying to keep the peace at home,” he replied.
“Well, let me make it easier for you. I don’t want to do this anymore Dominic. It was going to end anyway so let’s just end it now. I can’t even trust you to keep shit real with me. If Kennedi hadn’t said anything, you never would have told me. After today, if we’re not discussing DJ then we don’t have anything else to discuss,” I said sternly.
“Don’t do this Brooklyn. You’re reading more into this than you should. I knew from the start that he was mine, I just had to prove it to her,” he said.
“That’s cool. I’m happy that all doubts are removed. I don’t have any hard feelings,” I replied honestly.
“Yes you do!” He yelled. “If you didn’t you wouldn’t be sitting here telling me that it’s over.”
“Dominic you’re about to be a married man in six months. Whatever we had was bound to end anyway.”
“Brooklyn please, I’m begging you not to do this,” he said as his eyes filled with tears.
“Did you hear anything that I just said? How long did you expect me to keep being your side bitch? I’m holding myself back from moving on, and you’re about to have a wife.”
“So that’s what all of this is about?” He said as he jumped up from the sofa. “You’re trying to be with somebody else?”
“It’s not just about me being with somebody else, but eventually that’s going to happen,” I answered truthfully.
“So what about my baby Brooklyn?” He asked sounding pitiful.
“What about him Dominic? You know I’ll never keep you away from DJ. You can get him whenever you want to just like always. Bryce is going to start taking me to school though.”
“So you’ve been planning on doing this? Don’t make it seem like it’s because of the blood test. Married or not you know I’ve always been here for you. You don’t want for anything, not even my time.”
“And you think I’m supposed to be okay with that? I love you, and I don’t want us to have bad blood between us, but I just can’t do this anymore. Please don’t make this any harder for me,” I begged. Making it hard was exactly what he was doing. Instead of leaving, he laid down on the sofa and pulled me in front of him, hugging me from behind.
“I can’t leave you alone Brooklyn. I need you. I swear I won’t even get married if you tell me not to,” he said as he buried his face in the crook of my neck. My body stiffened when I heard him sniffling, but I couldn’t turn around to look at him. I had to stand my ground and let him go. If I had looked in his face, sympathy would have made me change my mind. As bad as I wanted to, telling him not to get married was something that I couldn’t do. But at the same time I couldn’t go on for the rest of my life being his little secret.
Dominic and I stayed in the spooning position for a few hours until I heard my baby crying from his bedroom. I tried to get up from Dominic’s hold, but he pulled me back.
“I got him,” he said as he got up from behind me. His eyes were red and puffy, and I felt like I wanted to cry right along with him. After staying in the back for a while, he came back with DJ, who was fully dressed and alert.
“I’m taking him home with me. Let me know if you need a ride to school in the morning,” he said sadly before he walked out of the front door. I got up to secure my locks, and that’s when the tears started. I know I did the right thing, but my heart was still broken about having to do it. I sat on the floor with my back up against the door and cried for what felt like hours. If my phone hadn’t started ringing, I would probably still be there.
“Hello,” I whispered hoarsely into the phone.
“Brook?” Kevin asked.
“Yeah, this is me,” I replied.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
“Everything,” I cried. “Can you get away to come over here?”
“Text me your address, and I’m on my way,” he replied. I sent Kevin my address and told him to call when he was at the gate so I could buzz him in and meet him downstairs. I needed somebody to talk to, and I didn’t feel like talking to anyone in my family. Aside from my mama, everybody seemed to be alright with me continuing to deal with Dominic. I can’t lie and say that he’s not good to me, but that wasn’t enough. I didn’t want to have to lie and sneak just to be in a relationship with anyone. When my phone rang again, I buzzed Kevin in and went to meet him downstairs.
“What you been crying for Brooklyn?” Kevin asked as soon as he saw me. I started telling him everything that happened as we took the elevator back up to my apartment. He just listened without saying anything, and that’s exactly what I needed.
“Damn, it’s nice in here,” Kevin observed when he walked into my house. “That nigga got you living right.”
“You are so stupid,” I laughed. “You want something to drink?”
“No, I’m good. I just wanted to make sure you were straight. You didn’t sound like yourself when I called.”
“I’m good now, but t
hanks for coming,” I smiled.
“It’s nothing, you know I love you,” Kevin said smiling back at me. Kevin always tells me he loves me, but it was different this time. He didn’t say it like he was talking to his friend. I felt uncomfortable about how he was looking at me, so I turned my head. He put his hand on my chin and made me face him again. I raised my hand and stopped him when he leaned into me for a kiss.
“Kevin I can’t do this with you. You’re my best friend, and I just got out of something else not even twenty-four hours ago,” I acknowledged.
“I know that Brooklyn. I’m just trying to make you feel better. I won’t take things any further than I have in the past,” he promised. He pushed me back on the sofa and started removing my pants and underwear. After getting on his knees, he pulled me to the edge of the sofa and buried his face deep in between my legs. As wrong as it was, I wrapped my legs around his neck and enjoyed the sensation until the sun came up.
****
I don’t remember when I fell asleep, but when I woke up I was still naked from the waist down. Kevin was still fully clothed sleeping peacefully on the sofa right next to me. I looked over at the clock and saw that I only had about thirty minutes before it was time for me to leave for school. I got up and jumped into the shower and cleaned myself up. When I was done, I threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and grabbed my books. When I went into the living room, Kevin was sitting up on the sofa looking drowsy.
“I have some spare toothbrushes in the bathroom, and the towels are in the hallway closet,” I informed him.
“Alright, thanks,” he said getting up and walking away. I needed him to hurry and leave before Bryce showed up to get me. Since he longer dealt with Kyle, he felt like I should have cut ties with Kevin as well. Kevin had never done anything to me so I didn’t feel like it was right to do him like that.
“I’m about to head out. Call me later when you get a minute,” Kevin said giving me a tight hug. I was about to leave out with him and head downstairs to Bryce’s apartment. I almost pissed in my pants when I opened the door and saw Bryce standing there. He looked Kevin up and down with a frown on his face that couldn’t be missed. Kevin walked around him and took the elevator back down to his truck.
“I know damn well you didn’t let him sleep here, and Dominic is paying all of the bills in this bitch,” Bryce shouted.
“Mind your business Bryce. I’m grown just in case you forgot.”
“I don’t give a damn. You know you’re wrong for that shit Brook. Just remember what you just told me when the shit hits the fan. Don’t bring your grown ass downstairs crying to me since you want me to mind my business,” he snapped. I didn’t even reply as I locked my door and followed him to his car. I didn’t have to explain myself to Bryce or anyone else. As far as I was concerned, I was free to do what I wanted whenever I wanted to do it.
BRYCE
Dominic is my boy, but I swear I never seen a nigga whine so much in my life. It’s been four months since him, and Brooklyn broke up and he was still acting like it was yesterday. Me, Dominic, David, and DJ were at my shop while I put the finishing touches on David’s tat. I’d already done Dominic a tattoo of my nephews name on his upper forearm. I had a blanket on the floor for DJ to crawl around on. He was ten months old now, and he liked to be on the floor all the time. He was crawling and touching everything in sight.
“Aye Bryce, you think Brook be having somebody over there when my baby be with me?” Dominic asked for the hundredth time.
“Man, let that shit go. You are getting married in two months, and you worrying about who your baby mama is sleeping with,” David answered.
“Nigga, I didn’t say nothing about her sleeping with nobody. I asked if she be having somebody over there,” he clarified.
“If somebody is over there then you know they must be sleeping together,” David taunted.
I didn’t even open my mouth because I knew for a fact that somebody was over there. Kevin was at Brooklyn’s apartment more than I cared to admit. Brooklyn’s ass was slick though. She made Dominic stop using his key so she wouldn’t get busted. I told that nigga that he was crazy for doing that shit. He pays all the bills so he should be able to come and go as he pleases. He was so in love with Brooklyn that he did whatever she said.
“Don’t make me go over there and hurt Brooklyn man. I’m trying to give her some space, but this separation shit is not what’s up,” Dominic admitted.
“Bruh, you are getting married in two months,” David said slowly trying to make his brother understand clearly.
“You keep saying that shit like I don’t already know,” Dominic snapped.
“You damn sure don’t act like it. You sound stupid sitting here stressing over your baby mama. It’s not a separation dummy. She broke up with your stupid ass, but I know somebody better be getting married after I spent nine hundred dollars on a fucking tuxedo,” David shouted.
“What kind of tuxedos y’all wearing that cost nine hundred dollars?” I inquired.
“It’s getting tailored by somebody. That heifer charges twice as much as the stores,” Dominic complained. “As small as DJ is his shit still cost three hundred.”
“My boy about to be a year old already. That time passed too fast,” David commented.
“Y’all finished doing everything for his party?” I asked. Dominic’s parents had a huge lot that they owned right next to their house. DJ was having his first birthday party there and as usual, they were going all out.
“Yeah, it’s coming along. The only time your stubborn ass sister act right is when we talk about his birthday.”
“I have to see what to get him for his birthday. Y’all buy him everything, so that’s a hard one,” I admitted.
“Y’all just show up, don’t even worry about buying a present. He really doesn’t need anything,” Dominic replied. He wasn’t lying about that. My mama’s house looked like a playground. Her and my daddy couldn’t go anywhere without buying something for their grandkids. DJ was the only boy, so he was really spoiled.
I finished David’s tattoo at the same time the doorbell rang. I had a few other appointments, but the first one wasn’t for two hours. I went to the monitors and saw Vamp standing at the door. I opened the side door and yelled for him to come around.
“What’s up Bryce?” He said giving me a fist pound. He spoke to David and Dominic when he walked into the shop right before taking a seat.
“Nothing much, what’s up with you?” I replied.
“When’s the last time you talked to your boy Kyle?” He asked getting right to the point.
“I haven’t talked to Kyle in months. The last time I saw him was when me and Jaden beat his ass out front,” I said.
“Yeah, I heard about that. It’s bad enough that people were saying that he and his brother robbed me, but now I’m hearing that they got a few of us. Somebody followed my brother home and ran in his house a few days ago while his girl and kids were home. He said they had on masks, but he could have sworn he recognized Kyle’s voice. I tried to be cool and talk to him, but he must be guilty since he’s hiding out,” Vamp commented. This was the reason why I wanted Brooklyn’s hard headed ass to stay away from Kevin. That nigga wasn’t right, and neither was Kyle. As long as we’d been friends I never knew this side of him until now.
“That’s messed up if he did that. We all grew up together, and he’s foul for even playing it like that,” I replied.
“That’s why I tried to talk to him first, but he’s basically admitting his guilt by running from me. I’m done trying to talk to him. As far as I’m concerned he’s guilty, and nobody can tell me different. My cousin used to know where he lived, but that house was empty when I checked a few weeks ago.”
“I don’t know anything about where he lives at now. That nigga told me and my brother that we were dead the last time I saw him,” I admitted.
“No, he’s dead whenever I see him,” Vamp said seriously. He said his goodbyes and lef
t a few minutes later.
“That’s why I keep telling Brooklyn to stay away from Kevin,” Dominic said. If only he knew how much she was around that clown. He would really be going crazy. I had to have a talk with Brooklyn’s crazy ass about her so-called best friend. Just like his brother, he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
NADIA
“Kevin let her go!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. He was beating Shannon like she was a man on the streets. They had been arguing for the past few months because he had started staying away from home a lot. I didn’t know where Kyle was, but I needed his help right about now. If he wasn’t in my car, I would have left a long time ago and let Shannon fend for herself. Whenever he went near his old neighborhood, he took my car so no one would recognize him. He and Kevin now lived in Slidell, and that was a long drive from New Orleans.
“Mind your business Nadia,” he said shoving me. “I told this bitch to stop touching my phone.”
Shannon got her ass beat for the same shit all the time, but that never stopped her. She was just too stupid for me. She was sprawled out on the floor trying to cover her face, but she never even tried to fight back. I was putting myself in harm’s way just by trying to protect her.
“Look at how bad she’s bleeding. You’re going to kill her,” I warned. He must have thought about what I was saying because he backed off.
“Get your stupid ass up and go in the room,” Kevin yelled at Shannon. He grabbed his keys and cell phone and stormed out of the house.
“Come on so we can clean you up,” I said as I helped her up from the floor. I swear if I didn’t see it for myself, nobody could have made me believe that Kevin was like this. He was always so sweet and humble whenever I saw him. I never knew he had such a bad temper. I wet some rags with cold water and peroxide and started to help Shannon nurse her wounds.
“It’s not too bad,” she observed as she looked in the mirror.
“You must be crazy, look at your lip,” I hollered. Her bottom lip was split wide open and leaking blood like a faucet. She needed to pray that she wouldn’t need stitches.
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