by Shontaiye
“True…I wonder what the fuck Noah’s ass is hiding?” she asked, ignoring the fact that her rude ass sister just called her simple.
“Girl, I wouldn’t even worry about it. You gotta deal with that nut Mann. Besides, he probably throwing shade and talking about a bitch Noah possibly fucking…Some shit that aint even serious. You can’t be stressing Leea. At the end of the day you own businesses, have lots of money in the bank, are having a baby and just got a brand new house in a gated community. If he fucking than that bitch is dying to be like you. Noah’s heart is yours.”
“I hear ya,” she said, unimpressed. “Thanks for listening though. I just pulled up and I’m about to head in and get some rest. I have an appointment at eight to go see what I’m having,” she said, focusing on something more positive.
“Aight boo, just text me tomorrow and let me know. Be safe.”
“Aight,” she stated, before disconnecting the call. She looked up at her soon to be former home and sighed. What the hell had she gotten herself into?
NINE
Eve
Eve left TD Bank fuming. She had her phone to her ear and was calling Noah for the fifth time. This was her second time coming to the bank and her money wasn’t there. He was supposed to have deposited the money several days ago.
She stood in front of the bank and waited for the cab she called that would take her to Chestnut Hill. She wasn’t playing games with Noah. She was going to his house. He wasn’t playing fair and neither was she. As she waited, her phone rang. She saw it was Noah calling back.
“Hello?” she answered on the first ring.
“Yo, you called me, wassup?” he asked. However, he already knew what she wanted.
“Noah where’s my money?” she calmly asked.
“About that… I ain’t giving you another dime. I gave you five Gs’ for three months. That should’ve covered your rent for months plus brought more than enough stuff for that baby of yours,” he stated.
Noah felt confident the baby wasn’t his and he didn’t plan to give Eve another cent. As soon as she had it, he was demanding a blood test and once it came back negative it was good riddance.
Eve immediately lost her patience. “Nigga I want my fuckin money or I’m going to ya bitch!” she yelled. She didn’t care about the people around her that could overhear her ghetto tirade.
“Yeah do that and see what happens. And don’t bother showing up to my house…well my old house anyway. I upgraded!” he laughed. “We in a gated community now so I can rid myself of peasant bitches like you who want to get out of line and pop up at a nigga house and shit!”
As soon as Eve showed up at his house he convinced Shaleea to start looking for another one. He used the fact that the baby was coming as an excuse of needing more space. The movers had just moved the last of the things out several days ago. Instead of the three bedroom townhouse, they now lived in a five bedroom, three story brick home. It wasn’t nothing for him to drop a $30,000 down payment for them to move. They’re townhouse hadn’t even sold yet. As a finance major, Shaleea kept on top of the bills so well, their credit worthiness spoke volumes along with the equity in their home.
Eve hung up the phone while Noah continued to talk shit. She was pregnant and didn’t have time to get herself worked up. She wasn’t stressing. The baby was Noah’s. As soon as she gave birth she was going to give him that blood test he had requested several times. She would let the white man at the courts force him to pay child support. Although he had sent her $15,000, she didn’t have the whole thing tucked away. She still needed to live day to day and was still staying in a room. She had been trying to save up and buy a car. Instead of being modest, Eve had been looking at a small, but brand new C-class Mercedes. It was just like her to have champagne taste on a beer budget. Eve had something for Noah’s ass though. She could play with the best of them.
Noah
Noah relaxed on the plush floor of his new home. He was tired from having unpacked all day. It was a fresh start for them and he was excited. Now all he had to do was convince Shaleea to change her number. He had asked her to change it once she moved back in, but she refused since she had the number for years. He had been playing her phone super close since his encounter with Eve earlier that day. What surprised him is that she peeped it since she appeared to be watching him, watch her phone. Ironically, she had been recently secretly wishing she had changed the number as well. She was praying Mann didn’t text or call her while Noah prayed Eve didn’t text or call her. They both prayed internally that the phone stayed silent the remainder of the evening. She actually planned to change it in the morning.
“Bae where ya phone, I’m gon order us something to eat,” he stated. He really was famished after unpacking all day.
“What’s wrong with ya phone?” she asked, making sure she didn’t sound defensive.
“It’s dead. I gotta put it on the charger. It’s been acting funny. Won’t hold a charge long. I think I’m gon upgrade tomorrow. I can upgrade yours too if you want,” he offered, hoping she took the bait so he could convince her in the store to keep the new number they gave her.
“That’s cool. I did want to get that new iPhone 6,” she stated. Shaleea tossed him her phone and told him what she wanted.
“Get me Shrimp Lo Mein and some fried chicken wings…Make sure you ask Heaven what she wants. She’s probably not gonna want what I’m getting,” she added.
“Ok,” Noah replied, before taking the phone and walking up the steps. As he made his way to Heaven’s room on the opposite side of the house, Shaleea’s phone beeped indicating it was a new text message. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing it was probably Eve. He was glad he got the phone when he did.
Noah navigated to the text messages and saw that it wasn’t Eve. It was a text message from Mann. He immediately grew suspicious and curious as to why Mann would be contacting his girl. He read the message.
I apologize for coming at you the way I did. I just wished you would give me chance. I really care about you. That night we spent together got me in my feelings. I really dig u
Noah instantly saw red and felt like a current of emotions was traveling through him. He was more confused than anything. But if that message was what he thought it was, somebody had hell to pay. He turned away to go back to the room. His heart slammed in his chest and he felt his body fill with adrenaline. Once he reappeared in the room Shaleea knew something was wrong. He had an angry scowl painted on his normally handsome face.
“Yo what the fuck is this Leea,” he asked while rapidly approaching her, jamming the phone in front of her face. His demeanor frightened her.
Shaleea quickly read the text message and lost her breath. Fuck, she thought. She wasn’t ready to tell him but she now had little choice. No words came from her mouth when she went to speak.
“What the fuck is you deaf or something?” he asked, immediately growing angry. “What the fuck is he talking about….No let me rephrase that! Why the fuck is Mann texting you about a night yall spent together! What the fuck is he talking about?!” he yelled, grabbing her arm. He snatched the phone back and read, “I really dig you…What the fuck is this?!”
“Noah calm down bae…I need to talk to you.” She immediately began to cry. The tables had turned and she didn’t know how he was going to act when he heard the news.
“Shaleea...please tell me you not about to tell me some bullshit,” he pleaded, before releasing her with a push. Her being pregnant was at the rear of his mind.
“Noah baby, just calm down please.” The tears were streaming now.
“Talk!” he yelled, causing her to jump and stumble back into some boxes.
Shaleea took a deep breath and then tried to explain. “Back in December the night Naomi and I saw you at the crab truck…Well she invited Mann. We all were drunk…At the end of the night she started throwing up. He took her home and then he was going to drop me off at my hotel…He came in to use the bathroom. One thing led to another�
��” she cried with her head down. “I’m so sorry Noah. I was so fucked up and so was he.”
“Is that my baby,” he asked with his jaws clenched. He wanted to kill them both.
“Yes. This is your son,” she told him. She had just found out she was having a boy the day prior.
Noah shook his head and looked at Shaleea in disgust. Since he met her he did nothing but place her on a pedestal. She was so special to him and her betrayal was like a knife through his heart. He had never felt the way he was feeling before. Her leaving him was one thing…but this feeling was something else. His girl, his future wife, his child’s mother had slept with one of his closest friends.
“So this has been going on behind my back the whole time. You two motherfuckers sat in front of me knowing yall had fucked behind my back. That’s why he stopped doing business with me and started acting funny. Over ya fucking ass! I should fuck both yall up!!!” he screamed. “I’ma kill this nigga!” he threatened, feeling breathless. He realized that everything finally made sense.
“It was a mistake Noah. It only happened once…Mann is just…”
“He’s just what?! He can’t get over the fact it was just a fuck! Now he want to fuck with you right!? He not used to a bitch like you!” he added disrespectfully. Shaleea was taken back by the way he spoke to her but she understood he was angry.
Feeling enraged, Noah cocked back and kicked over a lamp that lay on the floor. The broken pieces flew in the wall. He grabbed his keys off the nightstand and made his way to the front door. He had to get out of there before he did something he would regret.
“Noah please…Where are you going?” Shaleea asked. “Noah we can work through this. I’m pregnant, please don’t leave me,” she cried while wiping the tears away from her wet face and staring at his back.
Noah walked out of the house and didn’t look back. He was going to go deal with Mann’s snake ass.
<><><>
Noah sat in his car and slowly brought the blunt to his mouth. He pulled from it and inhaled, holding the smoke in his lungs extra-long for maximum effect. After putting the blunt out, Noah sat back in his seat and peered out his window. He was posted in front of Big Faces Bar and was hoping he spotted his ex-friend Mann. He knew there was only a handful of bars Mann frequented with this particular one being far more likely for him to be at since he used to sell the bulk of his weed in the area. He had already driven out to the county but Mann wasn’t home.
After sitting in the same spot for over an hour, Noah decided to leave. Before he rolled he tried to call Mann one last time. The phone went straight to voicemail. Noah decided to leave a message.
“You already know who it is. I found out how you moving and wanted to address you on some man to man shit. Since I can’t do that, I just wanted to let you know that when I see you we clutching. I never been a bitch nigga so you already know what it is. On sight nigga!”
He then hung up the phone and made his way back to his new home. He wasn’t leaving Shaleea. He loved her more than anything in the world. Besides, he knew he had put her through hell and back and it was only right that he eventually came face to face with that bitch named Karma. What she did still didn’t compare to all the years of bullshit he put her through. For every action there was a reaction. Her reaction had been long overdue.
Noah couldn’t help but think about negative shit as he journeyed home. He thought about how he called Shaleea numerous times the night she was with Mann. He also thought about how Mann made jokes about meeting a chick he wanted to wife. The whole time it had been Shaleea. Mann was oh so disrespectful and Noah had every intention of punching him in his mouth on site. Win or lose it was going down.
Mann
Mann listened to the voicemail twice that Noah had left him. He had to be sure that he heard what he thought he heard. Noah wanted to war with him. Fuck clutching, he thought. Those penitentiary days of fighting were over. If Noah came to him he better have his gun because he always kept that thang on him and he wouldn’t hesitate to use it. In his mind state any nigga that came incorrectly could get it. Noah included.
Mann was getting money and had just recruited a whole new team. Fifty pounds a week with his new connect was bringing him in $40,000 a week. He felt like a boss. Bosses could have what they wanted and wouldn’t tolerate any form of disrespect. That voicemail Noah left was pure disrespect and had to be dealt with.
Mann leaned over the side of his bed and dialed in the ten digits of a goon he knew in North Philly. Stick up kid turned robber, Mann knew he would knock Noah off for the right price.
“Wassup Bull,” Mann asked Nootie.
“Was good my nigga,” he asked Mann, who was always looking for a come up. He had known Nootie since they were kids riding bicycles on littered North Philly streets. Mann wasn’t especially fond of Nootie’s older brother Teddy since he was essentially a bully in the streets, always fighting somebody, moreso because he was smaller and had that little man complex. Plus Teddy talked too much, and Mann didn’t need the hot shit associated back to him. He wanted Nootie to handle this solo.
“I got a nice lil lick for you…I need you to rock sumn for me,” he stated bluntly.
“Yeah…well you know that’s gon cost you five,” he stated calmly. It wasn’t nothing for Nootie to cock his hammer back on a nigga. $5,000 to kill someone was dirt cheap and it got even cheaper when one was dealing with desperate niggas in need of fast ends.
“Cool. And I’ll give you $10,000 if you do it dolo. Where you gon be, I’m gon come through in say…” He looked down at his simple, black and stainless steel Rolex to check the time, “in an hour and run down the game plan.”
“I can handle that. I’ll be right at Broad and Erie. My sister live right around the corner. Make sure you have half that bread with you.”
“Cool see you then.”
Mann terminated the call and sat back in satisfaction. Soon Noah would be out of his way. The streets talked and most of the hood knew Kiesha had set Hakim up to be robbed and killed. Both Noah and Mann knew this. Noah too had just put money on all three of their heads. Unfortunately for the two brothers, Mann never gave them fair warning. That was his warning. Since Nootie was going to be looking for Noah he would possibly have a slim chance at survival. The hit would be unlikely carried out if Noah came up missing. It was every man for himself as far as he was concerned. For now he would use the crash dummy to get Noah out of his hair.
It was no longer just about a female. Noah had disrespected him and he would see that he paid the price: with his life.
TEN
Shaleea
Shaleea had just stepped out of her Audi when she heard her phone ring. She would answer it later since she was in a hurry to sign in at her Obstetrician’s office. Not too much had changed over the past couple of weeks. The baby was healthy and she was putting on the proper amount of weight. Everything seemed like it was moving so fast. School was almost over and summer too was quickly approaching. Everything was good.
After signing in at the front desk with a plump white lady, Shaleea took a seat on the large, brown leather sofa in the waiting room. She reached over to the coffee table to retrieve a copy of Jet Magazine to occupy herself until the doctor called her in. She knew it would probably be at least fifteen minutes before she went back so she made herself comfortable.
After sitting for several minutes Shaleea felt the rumbling vibration of her phone. She dug it out the bottom of her purse and saw that it was an unknown number. Without hesitation she accepted it.
“Hello,” she answered.
Eve took a deep breath on the other end of the phone. “Bitch where ya man at?” she asked angrily.
Shaleea already knew who it was but she still asked, “Who is this,” she whispered, so no one would hear her in the busy medical office.
“Bitch you know who it is. I’m looking for ya man…my baby daddy…oh I’m sorry…” she laughed. “Our baby daddy. I bet you didn’t know I was six months pr
egnant,” she taunted.
Shaleea didn’t mutter a sound. She was shocked as well as instantly hurt. She had nothing to say.
“I guess da cat got ya tongue. Tell ya fuck ass nigga I want my money!” she added to generate a response from Shaleea.
“What money?” she whispered again.
“Ya man been giving me $5,000 a month, and this month his ass is late. Tell him I want my money or he will see me and his daughter in court in a few months.” With that said, Eve hung up the phone.
Eve already knew Noah wasn’t going to give her any more money. Contacting Shaleea was merely out of spite. She knew she would really have to see Noah in court. Hopefully that was the only place she saw him. That’s if she could find him.
“Shaleea Smith,” a Spanish medical assistant called from the entrance to a backroom.
Hearing her name being called, Shaleea slowly stood up to head to the back. She felt a little dizzy but she proceeded anyway. She needed to have a sit down with Noah and very soon.
<><><>
Shaleea walked out of the doctor’s office knowing what she had to do. After meeting with her doctor she was told she had high blood pressure. Since she was just fine the previous visit, Shaleea concluded that it was probably stress related. With high blood pressure her baby was definitely at risk. No one was more important than Heaven and that baby that was growing in her stomach.
Dealing with Noah, Mann, school, and work was too much. She had to get away. Instead of going to Shyanne’s to pick up Heaven, she went home first. When she pulled up she saw that Noah wasn’t home. He had been hanging out a lot more lately after he found out she slept with his friend. She had been trying to talk to him but for the most part he had been shutting her out. She understood, he was hurt.
