“That nigga got your car, and he got you sitting out here waiting for him?” Paige said more as a statement than a question.
Rainey was about to answer, but her phone rang before she could say anything. When she saw her mother calling Rainey was tempted not to answer. That would have only made her keep calling, so she picked up to see what she wanted. She would hate to be with a client later on only to have her mother calling her back to back.
“Hello,” Rainey answered.
“What no good broke ass nigga you got driving the car that me and my husband paid for?” Rainey’s mother Nicole yelled into the phone.
“What?” Rainey frowned.
“Don’t fucking what me. You heard what I said the first time. I know you can’t be that stupid to have a nigga joy riding in your shit while you’re at work. Please tell me that I didn’t give birth to somebody that dumb,” Nicole fumed.
“That’s just my friend mama. I rode to work on the van and I let him use the car for a little while to run some errands,” Rainey said in response.
“Are you crazy Rainey? You do know that your car is in my name right? If something happens to that car I’m going to be held responsible, not you and not the nigga that I saw doing almost one hundred on the bridge just a few minutes ago. We got you that car to make sure you never had to walk or catch the bus. I don’t give a damn about some nigga and whatever errands he had to run.”
“Okay mama, it won’t happen again,” Rainey promised.
“You damn right it won’t happen again because I want the keys as soon as you get here. Your ass is too weak behind a nigga. I should have known that something like this was going to happen eventually,” Nicole yelled.
“What! How am I supposed to get to work and stuff?” Rainey asked.
“I’ll make sure you get to wherever you have to go. This is not a game Rainey. I could lose my house and everything else behind the stupid decisions that you make. I’m not trying to get sued because your little boyfriend hit somebody or worse. I’ll give it back when I feel like you deserve it,” Nicole said.
“Whatever,” Rainey flippantly replied.
“Whatever my ass. You better have those keys on my dresser before I go to work in the morning. Don’t make me report it stolen because I will,” Nicole threatened before she hung up.
“You need a ride girl? It don’t look like your boo is coming,” Paige yelled from behind her.
“I’m good,” Rainey snapped without turning around to face her.
Rainey forgot all about her being there. She actually thought she would be gone by now, but she was probably hanging around just to be nosey. Paige seemed to be enjoying the fact that Chase was late, but Rainey was pissed. Then the fact that her mother saw him driving recklessly in her car didn’t help much. Nicole wasn’t one to be played with, so Rainey knew she’d better do exactly as she was told. Paige was still saying something to her, but Rainey was tuning her out. Just when she picked up her phone to call Chase, she saw him speeding through the parking lot. Rainey stood up and grabbed her duffel bag, ready to go off on him for being late picking her up. She could see that somebody else was in the car with him, but the front seat was empty. At least he had sense enough not to let anybody sit up there. Her windows were tinted, but she was sure that London was probably the other person in the car.
“I’m sorry baby, but we ran into a little problem,” Chase said apologetically.
“So you couldn’t even pick up the phone and say that you were going to be late picking me up in my car?” Rainey snapped.
“Man, just shut the fuck up and come on! I just told you that some shit popped off and you’re talking crazy and shit,” Chase replied angrily.
Rainey opened the back door to throw her duffel bag on the seat when she locked eyes with London and Carter. She was kind of embarrassed to have Chase talk to her like that in front of his older brother. Carter had a scowl on his face, and Rainey knew that she was the cause of it. Carter hated a nagging woman, and that’s exactly what Rainey was to him. She wanted everybody to cater to her, but she had him and his brother fucked up. She was cute, but that was about all. She wasn’t fine, and she wasn’t nearly sexy enough in his opinion. She made his little brother some decent money, and that was the only reason why they kept her around.
“Carter!” Paige yelled when she saw him sitting in the back seat of Rainey’s car next to London.
“You look good Ma. I hope you’re on your way to work dressed like that,” Carter said flirting with Paige.
“Don’t worry about how I’m dressed. I’m trying to see what you’re doing sitting back there with your arm wrapped around that bitch like she’s your girl or something,” Paige yelled.
Usually London would ignore whatever Paige had to say, but she was getting sick of her slick ass mouth. For some reason Paige thought that London was scared of her because she was older, but she was dead wrong if she thought she put any kind of fear in London’s heart though.
“I ain’t gon’ be too many more bitches. You’ve been coming at me sideways since the first day we met. I let it go because of my friendship with Rainey, but I’m done,” London replied.
“Like I just said, bitch,” Paige yelled. “What you want to do about it?”
Carter tried to grab London before she got out of the car, but he wasn’t quick enough. She jumped out from the back seat and ran straight for Paige. Rainey was standing there in shock when Paige delivered a bone-crushing blow to London’s face. Rainey knew that London was no match for Paige, but it was too late to warn her. Paige was slinging London around like a rag doll and Rainey felt bad for her girl. She and Paige hadn’t been seeing eye to eye lately, so she made a quick decision that would change the course of their relationship forever. Rainey dropped her purse and grabbed Paige’s hair from behind and started hitting her. The unexpected jabs to the back of her head caused Paige to lose focus and give London the upper hand. When she started to stumble and fell, Rainey and London went down to the ground with her and continued the fight. Paige was still holding her own, but she was really no match for the two of them at the same time.
“Man, y’all chill out. How y’all expect to make money if y’all faces all fucked up and shit?” Carter yelled.
He and Chase were trying to pull them apart, but they didn’t want to stop. Every time they held two of them back the other one would still be coming back for more. After a while Carter got fed up and lifted Paige from the ground and walked her towards her car. Chase was able to calm London and Rainey down and get them to stand near Rainey’s car.
“Nigga let me go. Y’all young hoes got me fucked up!” Paige yelled as she continued to struggle against his hold.
“Girl, calm your ass down!” Carter yelled back.
“No Carter, it’s either that bitch or me. Both of us can’t work in the same spot. And that hoe Rainey better tread lightly too. Scary bitches had the nerve to jump me,” Paige fumed.
“First of all lower you damn voice when you’re talking to me. And secondly, London don’t work for me, so it ain’t my place to get rid of her.”
“Okay, well tell Chase that the bitch has to go. You’re the boss and what you say goes,” Paige demanded.
“Nah, that’s not how I do business. This shit is petty, and I don’t have time for it. You want me to take money from my little brother’s pockets because you can’t get along with one of his girls.”
“So what, you fucking that bitch now Carter? You acting all soft and shit like you can’t tell her ass to kick rocks.”
“Man, Paige chill out with that shit.”
“No, answer my question. You fucking that young hoe Carter?’ Paige asked again.
Carter never got a chance to answer before London started yelling.
“Tell her Carter. She wants to know what the deal is, so tell her. Yeah, we’re fucking, and we’ve been doing it since a few days after we met. Now, what?” London taunted.
“Oh okay, so now we’re getting to
the real reason why you want to keep her around. It don’t have shit to do with Chase. It’s your punk ass that’s benefiting from her presence,” Paige spat.
“Punk,” Carter repeated in shock. “Bitch you got me fucked up. How long did you expect a nigga to want your old worn out ass anyway? You got three kids and no pussy muscles. I shouldn’t have kept you around as long as I did. You made me some good money and that was the only thing that saved your ass.”
Paige looked at her so-called man in disgust, but she never uttered a word before her and Rainey’s supervisor came walking out of the building.
“Rainey and Paige I need you both to step into my office for a minute. I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but this is not the place for it,” their boss stated in his usual stern tone.
Both women already knew what the deal was, so they never even bothered with going back in. They were already fired so what was the point. Obviously he’d seen them fighting on camera.
“Nah, I’m good on this job. I’m gone,” Paige said as she glanced back and Rainey and smirked.
If they thought that little fight was the end of everything they were sadly mistaken. Paige was the queen of catch back and she would be damned if they got away with jumping her and making her look like a fool. Dalvin wasn’t the only one that she was gunning for now. London and Rainey were going to feel her wrath too. Chase and Carter weren’t from the area, but Paige was going to show them just what a New Orleans bitch was capable of.
Chapter 22
“I can’t wait to meet my little niece in a few weeks,” Tre’s brother DJ smiled from the front seat of Tre’s truck.
Tre had finally hooked up with his brother and sister for lunch after weeks of them just talking over the phone. He wanted Mia to come with him, but she refused to be around them. She kept telling Tre that it was weird for them to start calling him all day every day just out of the blue. Mia was suspicious from the start, but Tre wanted to see for himself. They’d been talking to each other on a daily basis and nothing seemed out of the ordinary so far. They apologized for their behavior at Terri’s funeral and Tre let them know that it was cool. He didn’t know how Mia would feel about them coming around, but he would have to deal with that when the time came. He still didn’t have shit to say to their father, but he was going to maintain a relationship with his siblings if that was possible.
“Me too and I just love her name,” Layla said agreeing with her brother.
“I’m excited too, but not more than Von,” Tre replied.
“So your dad is okay with you marrying his Goddaughter?” Layla asked.
“Yeah, he’s cool with it. He loves Mia like a daughter, and it’s not like we’re related,” Tre shrugged.
“Are y’all still going to live with your dad once y’all get married?” Layla continued to pry.
“No, we’ll probably get out own house before we get married,” Tre answered.
It was funny that his sister mentioned that because he’d been thinking about that a lot lately. Von’s six bedroom home was big enough for them to live in, but Tre wanted to get his own house since he now had a family. He knew that his father wouldn’t want them to leave, but the decision wasn’t his to make. He’d already told Mia that once Treasure was born that he wanted them to start looking for their own home. It was one thing for him to live there when he was single, but he didn’t want his wife and newborn daughter living with his father too. Mia loved Von’s house, so she really wasn’t in a rush to go. He promised to find her something just as nice and he would try his best to do it.
“Well, tell Mia that she has a free babysitter whenever she needs one,” Layla offered.
Tre just nodded his head and smiled, but he knew that Mia would never let that happen. After what happened at Terri’s funeral, Mia couldn’t stand Tre’s siblings. She really wished he wouldn’t have dealt with them anymore, but she kept her feeling to herself most of the time. The only time she really said anything was when he asked and she usually gave him an ear full.
“I’ll be away at college, but I’ll be down to visit her as much as I can,” DJ promised.
“What school are you going to?” Tre asked his little brother.
“I’m going to LSU,” DJ replied referring to Louisiana State University.
“That’s cool, so you’ll only be a little over an hour away. At least you won’t have a long ways to go whenever you want to visit,” Tre replied.
“I probably won’t be coming to visit at all,” DJ said.
“Why not?” Tre inquired.
“It’s not like I have a car to get back and forth. Not unless my big brother wants to help me out with that,” DJ smirked.
“And don’t forget about your baby sister. You know I’m going to be a senior next year,” Layla smiled.
Tre hated to admit it, but Mia was right once again. Their first day being back in each other’s company and now they were getting to the real reason why they reached out to him in the first place. They were crazy as hell if they thought that he was buying them a car or anything else. He could afford to buy them two cars each if he wanted to, but that wasn’t happening.
“I wish I could help y’all out, but I ain’t got it like that,” Tre responded.
DJ and Layla looked at each other and then back at Tre like he was crazy. They knew for a fact that he had lots of money and he had it long before Terri died and left him even more.
“What do you mean you ain’t got it like that?” DJ quizzed.
“I mean just what I said. I don’t have to explain myself to nobody, but I have to pay for a wedding, a house, and I have a baby on the way in a few weeks.”
“But Terri left you over three hundred thousand dollars and you already had a lot of money before that,” DJ observed.
Tre didn’t know how they knew about the amount of money that Terri left him and he really didn’t care. Honestly, he’d never even touched the money and it was still in the account that he’d put it in from day one. He wasn’t hurting for money, so he never messed with it.
“You’re absolutely right. Terri left ME over three hundred thousand dollars to do what I want with it. If y’all wouldn’t have had those fucked up attitudes towards her when she was on her death bed y’all would have had money for a car or anything else. As for me, I ain’t buying y’all shit!” Tre yelled angrily.
They really had him all the way fucked up trying to count his money. He was two seconds from snapping, so he had to hurry up and get them home. He’d originally planned to spend the entire day with them, but he quickly cancelled those plans.
“I guess daddy was right,” Layla snapped while crossing her arms over her chest.
That one little comment did it for Tre. They were on the Westbank Expressway, which happened to be a very busy street. Tre didn’t care who was behind him when he swerved his truck to the right and pulled to the side of the road.
“Fuck your daddy and y’all be sure to tell him that I said that. Since that nigga always got so much to say call and tell his ass to come pick y’all up. Get the fuck out of my truck,” Tre demanded.
“What?” Both DJ and Layla said at the same time.
“Y’all heard me. Get the fuck out and lose my number,” Tre repeated with authority.
“C’mon Layla,” DJ said as he opened the door and got out of Tre’s truck.
Layla exited from the back and slammed the door behind her. They stood on the side of the road fuming as Tre pulled off and blended into the traffic. He looked out of his rearview mirror and saw his brother talking to someone on his cell phone. Tre assumed that he was calling his father and that was the best thing for him to do. He couldn’t wait to get home and tell Mia about his day. No doubt she would say that she told him so and she would be absolutely right.
***
“Why would they think that you would buy both of them a car? They must be crazy. I told you that they were on some bullshit. I just knew it,” Mia fumed as she and Tre did their daily walk
around Audubon Park later on that day.
Mia had a little over two weeks left before she was due to give birth and she was ready to pop. She had gone to the doctor the day before only to find out that she hadn’t dilated at all. Her cervix was completely closed and Tre was convinced that it was because she had gotten so lazy. In the beginning she had all the energy in the world, but that didn’t last very long. Most days it was a struggle just to get up for school, but Mia had never missed a day. She completed her first semester with a three point eight GPA and that was a huge accomplishment for her. Her doctor did tell her that walking and yoga were good ways to dilate her cervix and Tre was following his orders. Mia refused to do yoga, but she agreed to walk for an hour or more every day.
“Yeah and you were right. I wish I would buy their asses a car. It’ll come in a Hot Wheels package if I do,” Tre said making Mia laugh.
“You know their daddy probably put them up to it. He’s really trying to get some of Terri’s money out of you any way he can,” Mia replied.
“Man, fuck that dude, for real. He really makes me want to go to his house and drop kick his ass. It’s not even that serious for them to be doing all of that. They couldn’t even stand Terri, but they want her money. I ain’t even hurting for it, but they ain’t getting a penny. I regret taking them out to eat. That’s just why I put their asses out of my truck.”
“They got exactly what they deserved and that’s nothing. At least you can say that you tried,” Mia replied.
Creepin' 3: A New Orleans Love Story Page 16
