“Alright,” she nodded as she headed for the bathroom.
“I’m so glad you came to get her ass out of here,” she heard Brenda tell Amber.
After taking a long shower, flat ironing her hair and dressing, she was finally ready to go. Two hours later, though. Amber had expected this and that is why she’d come by extra early.
“Now, that’s the Cole I know,” Amber boasted at the sight of her friend. Necole was wearing the hell out of a black and white, thick horizontally striped, long sleeve off-the–shoulder short fitted dress. She wore four-inch spiked black Prada heels while her long hair fell to one side of her head in huge flipped curls.
“You ready?” Necole sighed, still not feeling like her normal self.
“Yeah, come on,” Amber nodded as she stepped outside.
Necole followed behind her. “Who’s Navigator?”
“Lil’ Daddy’s.”
“And he let you loose in it?”
“Yep,” Amber said as she hopped into the truck. “Get in.”
Necole hopped into the truck and buckled up.
Amber backed out of the driveway, but not before turning the stereo system up to the max; vibrating all the surrounding windows. They cruised the streets with no clear destination. Amber just wanted her girl to get her mojo back.
After a while, Necole loosened up. The day was pretty and every time she stepped out of the truck a new dude approached her. She wasn’t really looking for a new man, but it was all flattering and let her know that she was still desirable.
Around five that evening, Amber pulled up to Lil’ Daddy’s house. He’d called and told her to meet him there. That was the down side to driving his truck. He could throw out silly demands any time he felt like it. No doubt he was trying to keep her on a short leash. He’d been on her once he saw how her body whipped back into shape. She was the same young sexy diva that had caught his eye. So now she was making him empty those pockets every chance she got.
“Why are we here?” Necole wanted to know. As usual, Lil’ Daddy had a full house and she’d just spotted Carmelo’s car.
“This bitch ass nigga just told me to come over here. Maybe he wants me to go the store or something,” she shrugged.
“Well, I’m waiting out here,” Necole said as she folded her arms.
Amber sucked her teeth. “Bitch, get out. You know how he is. He likes to power trip. So, if you stay in the car, he’ll say that I’m telling him that I’m keeping his car for the day.”
Necole shook her head knowing that Lil’ Daddy did have funny ways like that. So they both hopped out and walked over to the porch. There were about six dudes just hanging. “What’s up, Necole?” Meech spoke as he eyed her.
“Nothing,” she shrugged.
“Damn, Meech. Is she the only person you see?” Amber asked.
“Oh, it ain’t like that, Amber. I was about to speak,” Meech laughed.
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right,” she shook her head as she walked into the house.
“Damn, you wearing that dress,” Meech commented in full lust mode as he stared at Necole’s round ass. The dress was really clinging to her body showing off every dip and curve. Over time, everybody had met Necole, so they all knew that she was Carmelo’s baby mama. Most of them respected the game and didn’t come at her like that, but Meech didn’t give a damn. He was a pussy hound with no boundaries. If he liked what he saw, he was going for it.
“Whatever,” Necole rolled her eyes as she snatched open the screen door and walked into the house. She had intended on staying on the porch; but if she did, she was bound to cuss Meech out.
As soon as Necole stepped into the house, Erica instinctively looked up. There were so many faces in the room and Necole hadn’t even spotted her, but Erica was definitely watching her. She couldn’t take her eyes off of her if she tried. She knew that Necole was steep competition even once she’d seen her dressed shabbily; but this was something she couldn’t handle. She now knew why Carmelo refused to make her move out of his mama’s house. She thought that she had did something the other day when she stepped out of the car revealing her frame. Underneath the baggy clothes, she couldn’t see Necole’s shape. Now it was clear as day. Necole’s figure was flawless. There was no area that needed improvement. Her face was so pretty and her light eyes made her want to leap across the room and scratch them out.
“Slim, where Amber at?” Necole questioned one of Lil’ Daddy’s boys.
“She in the back room with that nigga,” he told her. “You looking for Melo?”
“No,” she rolled her eyes.
Carmelo stepped out of the bathroom and made his way to the living room. Even though the living room was crowded, he spotted Necole immediately. Before he could make another move, Erica was all over him.
“Baby, you ready to go?” she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
Necole looked up and saw them. Her heart began racing as the adrenaline pumped through her veins. She couldn’t believe the nerve of him and how he continuously blatantly disrespected her. She didn’t usually come out of herself in public, but Carmelo had pushed her to her limit!
She stepped right up to them as everybody in the house looked on waiting for some action. “How the fuck are you going to stand here with this bitch?!”
“Who the fuck are you calling a bitch?!” Erica yelled as she stepped in front of Carmelo.
Carmelo knew Erica’s pedigree, so he felt Necole didn’t stand a chance. He pulled Erica back. “Chill out, main,” he told her.
“No, don’t tell that bitch to chill out!” Necole shouted as she stepped in his face.
He leaned his head back before glaring down at her. “Say…take ya ass home, man.”
“Fuck you!” she spat as she reached back and slapped him.
“Oh, hell no!” Erica shouted as she spun around Carmelo and grabbed Necole. She yoked her up and wrapped her hands into her hair. She then hammered into her face.
The commotion alerted Amber and Lil’ Daddy, so they both ran out of his room to find out what was going on. As soon as Amber saw her girl getting her ass whipped, she sprang into action. She came from behind, hitting Erica.
Erica lost her grip on Necole’s hair and she pulled away. Cole knew that her hair was her weakness. Girls always pulled it, making it hard for her to defend herself. Under different circumstances, she would have pinned it up; but she still had to handle her business. So, as Amber and Erica fought, Necole came up from behind and snuck her. Now that no one had a grip on her hair, Necole threw vicious blows.
As tough as Erica was, she was no match for two fighters. Both girls were coming with hard blows and even threw in some kicks. Necole was beyond mad and all she saw was red. She was laying into Erica with all she had.
“Got damn!” Big Jonathan yelled.
Lil’ Daddy stood letting the girls handle their business. If it would have been any other broad, he would have broken the fight up, calling foul play. The thing was that Amber was his baby mama and as long as she was winning, he would let her throw.
Carmelo stood pissed that Necole had slapped the hell out of him in front of all his boys. He knew that Erica was like a pit bull, but he didn’t necessarily want to see her kick his baby mama’s ass. He knew that Necole had whipped Serena, but Erica was cut from a different cloth. They’d both robbed and set up niggas together. She was right there hitting his licks for him on the streets. When he lit up the sherm stick, she got the first hit. She was a gangsta bitch that just didn’t give a fuck. So he just knew that she would dog Necole’s fragile ass. Even with Amber’s help, he thought that they were goners. Once again…they had proven him wrong.
“Okay, okay. Ya’ll break it up,” Slim said as he pulled Amber off of Erica. Necole was still swinging. He pulled her off too.
“You bitches want to jump!” Erica shouted as her weave held on by a few strands.
“Bitch, I didn’t need to jump you! You wanted to pull hair and shit! I
thought you was a knock out queen around here? Where the hands at?” Necole spat as she pulled her dress down.
Carmelo stood almost not recognizing Necole. The girl he met was nothing like this; or was she? He couldn’t separate her from the rest of the girls from the hood at the very moment.
“Bitch, you can’t see me. I’ll take yo nuts just like I took ya nigga,” Erica lashed.
“Oh, shit!” Meech instigated. “I got my money on Erica. I don’t think you can beat her one on one, Necole!”
“What did you take? You took who?! You took this hoe ass nigga?” Necole pointed at Carmelo, causing all the fellows to laugh.
“Hey, you better watch your fucking mouth,” he warned her.
“Fuck you, you sorry ass muthafucka! The fuck you gon tell me to watch my mouth? You ain’t spent more than five minutes with your son in the past month!” she seethed as she damn near jumped up and down. “You been running the streets with this black ass bitch! And you know what?” she asked as she stepped in his face and snaked her neck. “I don’t want your sorry ass no more! If you can so easily walk away from a family that you “love,” your words not mine…then fuck you! Me and my son gon be straight regardless! I guarantee that!”
“Bitch, you better get out of his face,” Erica seethed as she leaned her body weight on to Necole.
“Bitch, get off me!” she shouted as she shoved her hard.
Slim grabbed Erica. “Chill out.”
“No, fuck that! I can’t stand weak bitches like you! If you was a woman, your man wouldn’t be with me. He wouldn’t be at my house with my kids, playing daddy! Yeah, bitch. You so fucking stupid! I been fucking him! All while you was pregnant he was at my house in my bed! Shit…I even drove that little Toyota! And those pampers your baby got on his ass? Bitch, I paid for that!”
Necole calmly turned to Amber. “Give me a rubber band.”
Lil’ Daddy reached into his pocket and grabbed a knot. He pulled the rubber band from around the money and handed it to her. She grabbed her hair and placed it in a bun. “Amber don’t jump in this time,” she kicked off her heels and ran up on Erica.
As they clashed, the house went into an uproar. To everybody’s surprise, Necole was throwing like a professional boxer. Erica was quick on her feet and she had length on her side. She had reach, but Necole was dodging all of her blows. Each time she countered with her own blow and was connecting. That wasn’t enough for her, though. She gripped Erica by the shirt and slung her into her knee. She repeatedly slammed her knee into her face, making everyone cringe. Finally, after the eighth time, Lil’ Daddy stepped in and broke it up.
Erica’s mouth was bleeding and she had three knots on her head. Necole tossed her weave onto the floor. “Get your hair up, bitch!”
“Okay, now take your ass home,” Carmelo told her.
“What?” Necole asked as she ran over to him and slapped him with all her might. The hit rang out into the room.
“Bitch,” he snapped as he went to grab her. Slim caught him right before he could touch her.
“Hey, hey. You know that I ain’t with that shit, dog. Don’t put your hands on a woman,” Slim spat. He was a hustler through and through, but he was against laying hands on any woman.
Necole thought about spitting on Carmelo, but thought about what he might do to her. Slim probably wouldn’t be able to hold him back if she did that. So she picked up her shoes and headed out the door.
“Amber come take me to go get my baby.”
“Go get the baby for what?” Carmelo questioned as he walked around Slim.
“Naw, nigga,” Slim cut him off.
“Nigga, move. I ain’t gon touch her,” Melo snapped as he followed after Necole. “What you going to get the baby for?” he asked as he stepped outside.
“Don’t talk to me!” she screamed.
“Answer my fucking question!” he lashed as he stepped to her.
“You better back the fuck up before I spit on your ass!” she belted before backing away from him.
“Why you going to get my baby?” he wanted to know while his entire demeanor changed. The game was over.
“‘Cause I’m going to get him and I’m taking him to my mama’s house, bitch! You will never see him again!” she shouted about to ruin her vocal cords. “You let that bitch drive my car! I hate you!” she screamed from the pits of her soul.
“You ain’t taking shit!” he gritted as he lunged at her. He wrapped his hands around her neck.
“Get off of her!” Amber shouted as she ran up hitting his back.
“Let her go, nigga!” Lil’ Daddy barked as he pulled Carmelo off of Necole. “Fuck is wrong with you? You choking her outside like nobody won’t call the law on your ass.”
“Fuck him,” Necole hocked up her saliva and spat in Carmelo’s direction barely missing him.
“Man, you muthafuckas is crazy,” Jonathan shook his head.
“Carmelo, you got some nerve putting your hands on her after all the shit you did. You dead wrong!” Amber shouted as her face turned beet red.
“Lil’ Daddy, tell her to mind her fucking business!” Carmelo yelled. “You just running your mouth. You don’t know what the fuck is going on between us! Necole wanna play the victim after all the bullshit she did. Fuck her! She wasn’t worried about a nigga. I could have fell off a cliff and she wouldn’t have gave a damn! It took me to walk out on her ass to get her attention!” he bellowed, airing all of their dirty laundry.
“Melo, why don’t ya’ll go and talk, man? Everybody don’t need to know ya’ll business,” Jonathan spoke up.
“We ain’t got shit to talk about. You go be with that trash waiting in that house. I’ma bounce back; believe that. I’ma show you how to stunt,” Necole teased.
“Show me!” Carmelo snapped as he moved in on her. Jonathan and Lil’ Daddy grabbed him. “Keep talking that shit. I’ma bust yo head open,” he threatened.
She gave him the finger. “Remember this day, nigga; because it will be the last time you see this finger, my face or your son.”
Carmelo felt something build in his chest. It felt like a dam and it was about to break. He hated the affect she had on him. That was the reason he went to Erica. He needed somebody to take his mind off of Necole. She was driving him crazy. He had never loved a woman the way that he loved her and he could feel her distancing herself. He tried his best to refrain from putting his hands on her, so he sought companionship from another. Erica was cool, but she couldn’t measure up. He just wanted to hurt Necole the way that she’d been hurting him as she ignored him.
“Bye, Carmelo,” Necole waved as she walked out of the yard.
“No, bitch…come back here!” Erica shouted as he stood on the porch.
“Bitch, ain’t you tired of getting your ass whipped?!” Necole seethed as she threw her shoes down and ran back into the yard. Before she could make it to the porch, Carmelo grabbed her.
“Stop,” he said calmly. The satisfaction of witnessing two women fight over him had subsided. Things were getting out of control. Erica was a fighter and refused to let go. Even after getting her ass kicked, she was ready; but he’d saw the knife she was hiding behind her back.
“Let me go!” Necole shouted as she tried to break away.
“No! Calm the fuck down. I know you see that bitch got a knife,” he said into her ear. She stopped fighting him.
“Come on, bitch!” Erica barked, damn near foaming at the mouth. She wanted Necole in the worse way. She was going to slice that pretty little face up. She could handle an aggravated assault case. It was nothing to her. She didn’t give a fuck; especially if it meant that she’d knock off the competition.
“Say man, get that knife from her.,” Jonathan said as Carmelo pulled Necole to his car.
“I ain’t riding in here after you was just in here with that bitch,” Necole said defiantly as she folded her arms.
He sucked his teeth and shoved her into the car. “You ain’t got no choice.”
“Well, at least grab my shoes then.”
He walked over and picked the shoes up off the ground as he shook his head. “What a fucking day.”
Chapter 12
Three months had passed and Necole was in her second semester of school. She was surprised that she wasn’t on academic probation after all the drama she’d been dealing with. Never in million years did she think that she’d end up doing the things she’d done while with Carmelo. He had taken her completely out of character and she didn’t like that. So she left him.
Instead of going back to her mom’s, she found a cheap apartment on the northwest side of Houston. She followed through with her plan and paid all the rent upfront. She was able to get her job back at the school and everything was flowing for her. She had Junior in daycare and even had a few guy friends.
For the first two months, Carmelo didn’t know where she lived. She had every intention of keeping it that way, but Amber had the bright idea to move into the same complex. She’d just enrolled into school and had used her reimbursement money to move out of her parent’s house. Lil’ Daddy had invited her to live with him, but she declined. As time passed, she realized more and more that he wasn’t the man for her. She and Necole were still two attractive girls and they were both realizing that they didn’t have to be tied down to the men they had babies with. Some things just weren’t meant to be. Still, Amber slept with Lil’ Daddy from time to time and he knew exactly where she stayed. So it wasn’t long before he realized that Necole lived in the same complex.
Initially, Carmelo acted civilly. He knew that he’d fucked up in a major way, so he accepted her pulling away. That all ended when he found out that Necole had been entertaining male company at her place.
They found this out one night after him and Lil’ Daddy had driven around all night smoking water. They had been hanging out extra tough since both of their girls had left them. Lil’ Daddy was still fucking Amber, but he could feel things changing between them. He had fallen in love with her somewhere along the line. She was one of the finest chicks he’d ever been with; and the youngest. He knew that he had played games with her in the beginning, but now he was ready. The thing is that she was now the one pulling away from him. She didn’t want to spend family time anymore and she seemed to sleep with him just to shut him up. She never called him anymore, unless it was about the baby. She claimed that she was focusing on school, but he knew better. There was another nigga somewhere in the picture.
Love is Blind (G Street Chronicles Presents) Page 14
