The Wild Child

by Nicole Jackson

  I nodded. “Yeah, okay. You aint worried about these niggas. You better not be. But I also want you to recognize some shit. Just like I aint the average nigga, you aint the average girl. People wanna hang with us, just for clout. And I’d hate to sound arrogant, but everybody can’t sit with us. Muthafuckas be ready to have something to say. And in this world, the truth doesn’t matter. It’s all about appearances and what it looks like. So, I don’t want it even looking like you’re available or engage in hoe shit. That’s gonna call for you to stay out of that way and no consorting with these lames.”

  Without warning, Jhyrah straddled me, while grabbing my dick. “Okay, bae, I hear you. Now, let’s fuck,” she whined.

  Impatiently, she slid down onto my stiffness. I knew that she was trying to have her way, but tonight I was gonna have mine. Therefore, I rolled us over, and I landed on top. I then placed her legs against her shoulders, before I commenced to beating the pussy up. She screamed and yelled and put out my message loud and clear. I wasn’t playing with her ass.

  ***

  “Hey, Jeremy,” some random white chick spoke. “That was a great game the other day.”

  I gave her a head nod and a quick smile, as I approached my Benz. “Appreciate it.”

  “I guess you forgot to come pick up your paper,” I heard a soft voice utter behind me.

  I spun around. “Aye, don’t be creeping up on me like that.”

  Laura, my primary homework doer, smiled. She was a pretty, short, petite chocolate girl. She has a quirkiness about herself but was downright sexy. Her little body was perfect, as she had a little of everything. On top of that, she was one the smartest chicks on campus. Needless to say, baby girl was a hot commodity, but for some reason she had no boyfriend.

  “You know what they say about that, right? You’re not living right.” she handed my paper over, already stapled and everything. “Here.”

  “Appreciate it,” I gave her a wink. “I paid you already or—”

  “Yeah, you’ve paid me already. In fact, you’ve paid enough for the rest of the semester. Thankfully. Now, I don’t have to worry about scrapping up money for my car note.”

  I grinned. “Well, I’m glad that I can help you out with that.”

  She nodded. “You’re a life saver, for sure. You should come over some day, and I’ll cook an appreciation meal for you, ATL style.”

  I licked my lips. “You know that if I could take you up on your offer, I would. But my girl…she’d probably burn your apartment down.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah. I honestly forgot about her. She spends so much time with her little friends that I forgot that you guys were together.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You’re funny, man. Everybody calls her my shadow, but you wanna say that you never see us together. Okay.”

  She hunched her shoulders. “That’s my truth. I can only go by what I see. But any who, if she ever fucks up, tell me that you’ll give me a ring.”

  I chuckled. “You’re something else, man. But I got you. Still, I wouldn’t bank on it. Jhyrah’s in it to win it.” I opened my car door and dropped inside.

  She poked out her bottom lip. “Fair enough. I guess we’ll just have to see, won’t we?”

  “For sho’,” I concurred, as I brought the engine to life. Leaving her standing there, I backed out of the parking space.

  Shaking my head, I was a little disappointed in Laura. She was obviously someone I could see myself fucking with, but I thought that she was better than the little stunt she’d just pulled. Her knowing that I already had a girl should’ve been a factor and it wasn’t. No, I wasn’t the most righteous cat around, but I didn’t pretend to be, either. Laura, on the other hand, would go out of her way to put out that good girl image. She would often talk about girl empowerment on Twitter, and had also publicly crucified a few celebrities for cheating, as well as their loose suitors. So, for her to come at me the way that she did, I felt that she was fake. She clearly wasn’t the girl she pretended to be, and I couldn’t fuck with that. I was honestly more comfortable with a truthful freak versus a lying supposed good girl. I only knew what I was getting with one of those.

  People used to tell me that I thought too deeply. While most dudes took everything at face value, I dissected shit. It was a habit of mine. Again, I’d learned to do this early on, when I realized the attention I draw. Girls would literally throw pussy at me, which sometimes could be overwhelming. So, I inadvertently became selective. Shit like transparency and character mattered. A cute face and nice ass were cool, but in the day of plastic surgery the shit carried less significance. There had to be more. At least for me to take you seriously.

  Anyway, twenty minutes later, I was stepping into our apartment. Since I was coming in from practice, I thought that Jhyrah would’ve made it there before me, but I didn’t see her car in the parking garage. A few weeks prior Auntie Raven had flown out and taken Jhyrah to a car dealership. Jhyrah came back with the same CLS Benz as I have. Truthfully, I didn’t think she needed a car. We had classes scheduled at the same time, and Jhyrah would use my car, while I was at practice or whatever. Other than that, we pretty much moved together, but her mama didn’t want her depending on me. I get it. She wanted her daughter to know that she never had to rely on any man, but that didn’t change the fact that I enjoyed riding with my girl on a daily basis. Sometimes shit could get hectic with football, and getting stuck in traffic or whatever else, always gave us that time to key into one another. So, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I didn’t feel a certain level of disconnect between us, now that she had her own whip. She was beginning to come in later than usual, as she hung our more often.

  Noticing Jared lounging on the couch, I gave him a head nod. “What’s popping?”

  “Nothing. Just checking out these game highlights and shit. You did your thing the other day, bro.”

  I smiled. “Appreciate that.” I sat down on the couch. “How long have you been here?”

  “A few hours. I had a paper to do.”

  “That’s what’s up. Was Jhyrah ever here?”

  He smirked. “Yeah, she was. But her and Gloria went back to yall room and changed. I think they’re going out or something.”

  I frowned, as I gazed down at my cell. “Going out? The fuck she do that for without saying anything to me,” I grumbled more so to myself, as I checked to see if there were some texts I failed to read over. However, there was nothing.

  Jared shook his head. “I told you. Ole Gloria needed a thot buddy and Jhyrah’s looking like the perfect candidate.”

  “Nigga, shut up,” I sniped.

  He chuckled. “Don’t shoot the messenger.”

  “Fuck you,” I rebutted, as I found myself staring at my silent cell phone.

  A few hours coasted by and I felt like a lame. With all the shit that was happening on the daily in Los Angeles, I was sitting around waiting on my girl to show her face. Jhyrah was staying out, partying on a Wednesday, no less. By two that morning, I was pissed. Yeah, I could’ve called her and demanded that she bring her ass home, but I honestly wanted to see how far she’d take the shit.

  When three in the morning floated by and I finally heard her stumbling through our room, I had my answer. She was gonna do shit how ever the fuck she wanted, but I wasn’t going.

  “Bae,” she giggled, as she tried to fumble her way underneath the covers.

  I sat up, before hopping out of bed. I switched on the light and glared at her.

  Instantly, she caught the look on my face. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “The fuck you mean?” my nostrils flared. “You been gone all fucking day. Didn’t bother to say that you were headed out or nothing. Since when do we rock like that?”

  “Bae, I really didn’t think that it was a big deal. Hell, I’m always one call or text away.”

  “And that means that you could’ve used that shit yourself, huh?”

  She sighed heavily, as she sat at the edge of the
bed. “Yeah, I could’ve, but I thought that you were gonna have something to say about me going to a party with Gloria.”

  I nodded. “You fucking right. I probably would’ve had something to say, because she’s a fucking thot. And I see she’s rubbing off on you. This aint us. I’ve never seen you hop up and burn off this much. Shit, talk to me. You wanna be free? Shit, let me know. I aint gonna crowd you. We can end this shit. Then you can do whatever your lil’ heart desires.”

  She frowned. “So, you’re ready to break up because I went out?”

  “Nah, that aint what I’m saying. Don’t try to make this shit about you going out. I know that you’re young, Jhyrah. Fuck, you’re just about to be 18 in a few weeks. I just made 20 myself. You know that I can party with the best of them, but there aint too many places that I can go and you aint welcome. I’m actually for you having outside friends, especially when me and the boys wanna hang. But that shit don’t take precedence in my life. I’m always about us. If I do something, I’m gonna always consider you. I’ll let you know that I aint coming directly home or whatever. I don’t give a fuck if you’re mad about it or if it’s cool. You’re gonna know. And up until now, you’ve been good at letting me know what it is. That’s how it needs to stay. A break down in communication can lead to a whole lot of other bullshit.”

  “A break down in communication? I know you aint talking,” she snapped.

  I narrowed my eyes. “What are you getting at?”

  She snaked her neck. “I’m getting at the fact that you hop up every morning and leave me here.”

  I smacked my lips. “How the hell am I leaving you here when you have a whole damn car outside?”

  “Jeremy, when did I not have a car? Didn’t I leave a BMW back in Houston?”

  “Yeah, but that’s in Houston.”

  “No, it’s where ever I want it to be. My parents didn’t want me coming here without a car, but I kept insisting that I didn’t need one. I have you for that. Eventually, my daddy made a big fuss about it, and then my mama was here, forcing me to pick out a car I didn’t even want. I was perfectly fine with riding with you every day. So, I had no intentions of using my car, unless our schedules conflicted, but you hopped your ass up and left without me. You didn’t ask if that’s what I wanted. So, you’re definitely one to talk.”

  I smirked. “This shit is funny.”

  Her scowl deepened. “Well, I don’t find it amusing. First you abandon me, and now you’re threatening to break up with me just because I went out. So, what’s really good?”

  “Abandoned you? Jhyrah, quit the bullshit.”

  “Well, that’s what it felt like. Going to school in the afternoon don’t even feel the same, since I’m in that car all alone.”

  I shook my head. “Cause you’re spoiled.”

  She arched a brow. “And you’re not?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Yeah, okay, Jeremy. But let me tell you something. Contrary to what you’re thinking, me and you are in this shit forever. I mean, forever. There is no getting rid of me. Hell, if you try, I promise to raise all kind of hell in your life. And I’m not just saying this. I’ll make the next bitch throw in the towel. She’ll be like ‘Here comes that bitch Jhyrah and all the ignorant shit she brings.’ I promise. You’re mine, boy. And yeah, I should’ve called, so I apologize. It won’t happen again. But kill that breaking up noise. It’s not happening. You should’ve never fucked me. Cause now you’re stuck with me.”

  Crazily, as Jhyrah made her psychotic declaration, I was turned completely on. That’s the kind of fight I wanted my broad to have. She wasn’t trying to let a nigga go, and I wasn’t gonna let her ass go, either. I’d been bluffing, but that shit worked in my favor. I swear it did, as she let me skeet down her throat three times that night. I knew then that I’d probably never fully walk away from her.

  Chapter 14

  Jhyrah

  “So, girl, what’s been up?” Josairah questioned cheerfully, as sat next to me on Jeremy’s bed.

  I smiled lightly. “Just enjoying this California life, you know.”

  “Biiitch,” she squealed. “Stop it. I am so J. I never really got to fully experience this. I had a couple of months, but hell, I got pregnant about two months in. Plus, I was miserable without Jah, but your boo is right here. So, you can really soak this up and enjoy.”

  “True,” I nodded, trying to keep it cool. Internally, I was hyped, though.

  My eighteenth birthday was at midnight and my people had flown in to bring it in with me. Josairah had shown up with Little Jahrein, my Uncle Jalero, and my cousin Little Jaylen. Josairah and Little Jah had left their baby back in Houston. I wanted Keyasia to come, but she had a shitload of excuses. Josairah had already laced me up on the fact that Key was pregnant and was trying to hide it, so I was letting her slide. I had to fight tooth and nail for my mama and daddy to stay at home. They wanted to be here with me, and we eventually compromised. I was flying home the following weekend to celebrate with the rest of my family. And for now, I was going to turn up, doing some very grown-up shit that my parents surely wouldn’t approve of. Yeah, my Uncle Jalero would be around, but he was cool. He’d allow me to have my fun and make sure that nobody fucked with me in the process. So, tonight was about to be epic. With my people with me, I couldn’t lose.

  “So, how’s TSU?” I wanted to know. She’d transferred there, after having Jhyshun.

  “You know it’s funny. When I considered school, TSU wasn’t even an option. And now, I have to admit that HBCUs are where it’s at. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I did go to some crazy parties here, but that’s more about L.A. versus the school. TSU is all about the fashion, the events, the fucking pledges, and oh my God, the eye candy.”

  “It’s big black dicks just swinging everywhere, huh?” I arched a brow.

  “Swinging everywhere,” she concurred.

  I giggled at her silliness. “Okay. So, are you wishing that you’d entered into that life single?”

  She sighed heavily. “No. I’m not worried about those niggas, girl.”

  “What about my brother? Has he been giving you any problems?”

  “Girl,” she gulped. “Your brother is a muthafucka.”

  “Why you say that?”

  “Some bitch named Airy approached me at school the other day. She’s his ex, right?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, but what did she want?”

  “To basically let me know that her and Jah were kicking it the other day.”

  I gasped. “Noooo. And what did you do after that?”

  She shrugged. “Nothing. She said what she said and then went on her way. Jah doesn’t know about this yet, because I honestly don’t want to be that girl, you know? I know how guys hate the whole insecure thing, so I’m trying to play it cool.”

  I pursed my lips. “Shit, you’re better than me. I wouldn’t give a damn about how it looks. I’d get to the bottom of that. Otherwise, he’ll think that it’s alright to play with you. Besides, I’m not surprised by any of this.”

  She lifted a brow. “How is that?”

  I cut my eyes at her. “Really, Josairah? I know damn well that you’ve had reservations about that nigga. And rightfully so. Now, don’t get me wrong. I truly believe that my brother loves you. But ever since yall have had Jhyshun I’ve been questioning if he’s ready.”

  She frowned. “So, what about Jeremy? You think that he’s not ready?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Bitch, don’t get defensive. I’m coming from a place of love. Yes, Little Jah and Jeremy are both well-known athletes, but they have two different personalities. Jeremy isn’t easily impressed. He sees through most of the bullshit. He understands why most girls are interested in him, so he pays them no mind. He’s mastered the art of tuning out the noise. Not Jah, though. He thrives off attention and praise. When girls flirt, he flirts back. He’s so damn arrogant that he neglects to see that some girls’ attraction to him aint always about him. That means that he doesn�
��t sift through the bullshit, because in his mind, every girl feels the same about him. Him thinking like that is dangerous, because he’s only looking at the surface, which puts you on the same playing field with regular every day boppers. And yes, he’s capable of waking up and doing better, but I don’t think that it’ll happen, right now.”

  I could tell that I’d stirred some emotions in Josairah, as her jaw twitched. “So, tell me, since you’re his sister. How should I handle this?”

  “I say get to the bottom of what’s going on with him and Airy. Don’t ignore that shit because that’ll just have him believing that he can do whatever he wants. And if he’s fucking around, chuck his ass the deuces. Don’t argue with Airy’s simple ass. Just leave Jah’s ass alone. Enter into single life. Date. Show Jah that one monkey doesn’t stop the show. Perhaps then, he’ll get his shit together or you’ll find somebody else. Either way, don’t let him waste your time. Or force you into that baby mama role, where you’re tied down, in a full-blown relationship, while he’s single. Like my daddy did my mama when they were younger. I know my brother, and he thinks exactly like our daddy. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d planned Jhyshun. You better watch him. You’ll be pregnant again, while he’s still entertaining these hoes.”

  “Nah, he got me fucked up,” she grumbled underneath her breath.

  “Yeah, I hear you.” I hopped up. “Come on, let’s go in the living room and see what these niggas are up to.”

  We headed to the front of the apartment, and found the guys blowing chronic. Copping a squat on the sectional, me and Josairah joined in on the blunts in rotation.

  “Yah-Yah, your lil’ friends better be fine,” Jaylen commented, as he exhaled smoke through his nose.

  I rolled my eyes. “Oh, God. With all the hoes you have, you shouldn’t even worry about my friends.”

  He chuckled, taking no offense. “Aw, there you go.”

  Hell, there was really nothing he could say to that. Like most Braxton men, Jaylen was handsome and successful. Therefore, he practically had to beat girls off with a stick. And also like most Braxton men, he was greedy. Always on the damn prowl, breaking hearts left and right.