by Desirée
“You know what? Think about whatever you’re about to say before you say it to me, Ontrell. Everything that comes out yo’ mouth is a lie right now, so the next words you speak to me better be the truest shit you ever told me, nigga. Think about it,” I said.
He went completely silent. Lying-ass nigga. He stayed quiet the entire way back to Noelle’s place as I texted one of my clients and friends, telling her everything that was happening. As soon as we pulled up to her place, I got out the car. He closed and locked the door, still silent. See what I mean?
“You don’t even know how to fucking have a conversation with me without lying,” I snapped as we walked up the steps.
The door opened. Elijah smirked at us, mouth full of food.
“Aye, you missing all this good food, bruh,” he said to Trell. Elijah then held his arms out to me for a hug. “You good?”
“Nigga, move. All of y’all ain’t shit right now,” I retorted, closing the door.
“Don’t come in here bitching. Everything was peaceful until you—”
I cut my eyes hard at Anthony, who felt like he was bold.
“Don’t say nothing to me, nigga, because y’all let this man treat me the way he’s been doing for years!” I snapped, watching Ontrell walk in the kitchen to grab a plate.
“You let that nigga do it! Not us! A man is going to be a man at the end of the day. You chose to stay with him,” Jahiem reasoned.
I looked at Noelle, who looked stuck.
“You’re already here. Just sit down and eat,” Olivia chimed in as Ontrell came back with his plate, setting it down on the table.
“I’m not hungry. I told you I don’t even want to—”
Ontrell took both of my hands and got down on one bended knee. I gasped, seeing him reach in his coat pocket to pull out a small black box. My body became so numb, the house became so silent, and my hands started to shake as I covered my mouth with my palm, feeling tears about to fall.
“Oh, shit! Yo, get the camera out!” Elijah demanded as everyone started recording.
I only had eyes for Trell, who took a deep breath and looked me directly in my eyes.
“Oh my God!” Olivia cried out. “My baby brother is getting married!”
“Shhh!” Jahiem hissed. “Let that nigga do it first. Damn!”
“You’re the only . . .” Ontrell started, voice shaking as he tried clearing his throat. His eyes started to water up, and I started shifting from one foot to another in anticipation, trying to keep from crying my damn self. “You’re the only person in the world that knows me better than I know myself. I . . .” He was fighting back tears as I looked up at the ceiling, blinking hard to keep it together. “There is nothing I can do to make up for the bullshit I did in the past. You are my best friend. You make me laugh at the worst of times, and drive me fucking insane at the best of times. You held me down when I wasn’t shit but a nigga on the streets, and you make everything right in my life, like . . .” He shook his head as the tears started to come. “You already know I love you, and I hate that I did that stupid shit to you. I just thought you would never leave me, and when you did . . . I never been at my lowest point in life until I realized that when I woke up, you weren’t going to be next to me,” he said as I wiped my eyes.
“Shit, this is some deep-ass shit, bruh,” Elijah sniffed, wiping his eyes.
“Nigga, yo’ gay ass crying too?” Jahiem laughed, and someone shushed them.
“What are you trying to say, Ontrell?” I pressed, voice trembling as he tightened his hand around mine.
“You told me the next words that come out my mouth better be the realest shit I ever told you, so . . .” He opened the box, exposing two wedding bands. Both were black bands, with mine having black diamonds going around it with white diamonds in between. His was three rows of black diamonds. “Will you please give me another chance? Be my lover, my best friend, my partner for life, my nigga, my ride or die, my baby, my bae, my everything. The sun, the moon, and the stars,” he pleaded as I choked on my own tears. “I’m done playing around. I’m done. If all that shit means I go without you for a fucking week, I don’t know how I’m going to go without you for the rest of my life.”
I looked around at his family, seeing they were all waiting on my answer. I looked back at Ontrell, tears building up as he anxiously waited for my response.
“Yes,” I mumbled with a small nod.
He jumped up, hugging me. Everyone was clapping, coming to congratulate us. Slipping the band on my finger, I smiled, sticking my hand out to eye the precious gems.
“You like it?” he asked, kissing me as he put his on.
I nodded with a laugh, feeling giddy.
“Yo, welcome to the family, bruh! Shit, you already been rocking with us this long. Might as well make it official,” Elijah said, patting me on the back. Everyone started taking pictures, with the girls all crowding around me to eye the ring.
“When is the wedding?” Noelle asked.
Trell looked at me.
“I want a spring wedding,” I cooed. “Oh my God, so much planning to do. I have to start planning now!”
“Aye, it’s going to be the biggest party, bruh. We turning up at that wedding,” Talin said as the boys slapped hands.
I turned to Elijah, who already knew what I was about to ask him.
“You want me to sing at that shit?” he said.
“Would you?”
“I got you,” he said, and we hugged. “Yo, let’s get fucked up! Where the drinks at?”
“Uh, no. Not at my house,” Noelle said softly, trying to speak up as we laughed. “It’s getting late anyway, and I have to work in the morning. You guys have been lovely company, but it’s time to go.”
“Can’t believe my younger brother is getting married before my old ass,” Anthony said, hugging Ontrell. “Proud of you, li’l Carter. You manning up. I wouldn’t trust no other nigga for you to be with other than this crazy fool.”
I smiled, knowing there had been too many nights where Anthony had called me, telling me to get Trell from somewhere.
So, on the ride back to the house with my things packed up, ready to come back home, Trell had one more surprise for me. Pulling into this fancy-ass subdivision, he stopped in front of a house that had a SOLD sign in the front. It was a pretty white house with a two-car garage. The area itself was nice. Everyone knew about Vinings, Georgia. Only fancy niggas stayed there.
“Trell, what are you doing? Who lives here?” I asked slowly as he got out. I followed him as we walked up to the door. The moment he pulled out the keys to open it, I nearly fainted.
“Nigga, no you didn’t!” I shrieked as he shushed me.
“Nigga, hush. This is not one of them neighborhoods.” He laughed.
“Whose house is this?” I pressed as he opened the door.
The house was brand new, with the plastic leading a trail into different areas of the house. Walls were painted with a new coat, and everything was squeaky clean. We just needed to decorate it.
“Ontrell Carter, whose house is this?” I repeated, and he smiled at me.
“You thought we was gonna get married still living in that apartment, nigga? I’ve been working on getting this house for us for a few months now,” he said. “Closed the deal two days ago. I was trying to—”
“Baby!” I shrieked as I jumped in his arms, hugging him tight. I’m not saying a nigga would forget about him cheating on me, but a ring and a house in one day? Uh, that will make a bitch have amnesia for a minute or two.
I started looking around the house, already having ideas on how to decorate it, nights I wanted to entertain my guests and his guests, places where we could fuck. My mind was running rapid with thoughts. Looking at Ontrell again, I smiled.
“Oh, we gotta step our hustle game up, boo,” I told him, arms wrapped around his neck. “I want the finest shit in here. The best of the best,” I said, cheesing. “I want my wedding to be top notch, too, so we gotta put our
money together. Next year, we going in, Ontrell. You understand me?”
“We finna make this money, nigga. I got you,” Trell said as he kissed me. “You with me till the end?”
“I’m with you till the end, bae.”
Move on to the next story, bitches, because we not finna keep writing my life in. I want my story to be a fairy tale ending, so turn the page. Be blessed, and thank you.
The Breakup
Trent
“This has been an interesting day.” Taylor sighed as she relaxed in the passenger’s seat. It was Sunday evening, and we were just leaving my brother’s girlfriend’s house on a full stomach with plates wrapped up. “I can’t wait until I get married and have kids.”
I glanced at her, smiling slowly as she looked at me, matching my grin.
“Nigga, you ain’t cute.”
“Yeah, I am,” I stated, and she laughed. “You gon’ have my babies, Taylor?”
“Maybe, if you treat me right.”
“I’ll always treat you right,” I said with a laugh just as my phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, I saw Elijah’s ugly face pop up. Man, I just saw his ass. Fuck he want now?
“Answer the phone. It’s yo’ own brother,” Taylor said, taking the phone away as she slid to answer it, putting it on speaker. “Helloooo?”
“Aye, where Trent at?” he asked, dogs barking in the background.
“Right next to me driving. What’s up?”
“Look, I wasn’t about to do this shit in front of everyone at the house. Not with mothafuckas getting married and crying about love, but yo’ girl knows you fucking around on her with Taylor,” Elijah said.
I nearly stopped in the middle of the street, car jerking violently forward. I reached my hand out of instinct to protect Taylor before continuing to drive, body full of numbing nerves. I should have broken up with her when I said I was going to. Fuck, I should have left Taylor alone after the first night. Shit! I didn’t know what to do!
“She what?” Taylor shrieked, adjusting herself as she looked at me with wide eyes. “I didn’t . . . How does she know? You told her?”
“Nah, she came crying to me and asked me how long it’s been going on. I said, ‘What the fuck you talking about, shawty?’ And she said . . . Trent sleeping with you. She doesn’t know who you are, Tay, but she knows what the fuck you look like and where you stay.”
My mind went back to a few nights ago when I caught Jade crying in the bed. Shit!
“Surprised she’s still with yo’ ass, but if you going to see her tonight, I was just trying to give you a heads up,” Elijah said with a laugh. “Should have broken up with her if you and Taylor was gonna keep fucking. I personally like y’all two together but, Trent, you should have known better, bruh.”
I hung up the phone on Elijah, not really trying to hear a lecture as Taylor and I sat in complete silence. The yelling, the screaming, throwing shit at me, the blows to the face, and body—Jade was going to go the fuck off on me the moment I saw her. I’m man enough to admit to y’all reading this shit now that I was scared as fuck.
“Now what?” Taylor asked quietly, looking at me with worried eyes.
“I gotta go hear her mouth now.” I sighed, pulling into the driveway of her house. “She’s going to go the fuck off on me. I’m not going to say shit. She’ll break up with me, and then that’s that. It’s done,” I said, shrugging as I looked at Taylor, who was putting on a smile.
“And then we’re together, right, baby?” she pressed.
I nodded, leaning in to kiss her. My mind flashed to Jade. I hadn’t seen her since yesterday morning. She hadn’t called me, texted me, or anything, so I knew she was waiting on me to come by. She was ready to go off on me. I could feel it.
“Call me as soon as you’re free, bae,” she said before getting out.
I watched Taylor walk to her front door before I backed out. My heart was pounding as I got closer and closer to the yard. My girlfriend was the craziest girl I’d ever dealt with. She didn’t take shit from no one, could hurt yo’ feelings without realizing it, and rarely did she apologize. So not only did I sleep around on her, but she’d known about this shit for days and sat on it, mulling over the idea of me sleeping with another woman while being with her. I knew I was in for some shit.
It didn’t truly hit me, though, until I made my way down the hallway of her apartment, already seeing my shit packed in a box outside the door.
“Fuck, man,” I groaned, reaching down, seeing all the clothes, pictures of us, and random shit we had together. You knew going in her room that she had a boyfriend, because my shit was everywhere. Just like going in my room at the frat house, her smell-goods were in the bathroom with lotions and tampons and shit. Panties sometimes got washed with my shit.
I smiled, looking at one picture of us at a football game that she had forced me to go to. I always said she was beautiful for a dark-skin girl. I started to knock on the door before realizing it was slightly cracked open. I could hear Biggie playing from her room as I walked in, closing the door before entering farther into the dark apartment.
“Jade!” I called out, and the music stopped.
She stepped out, wearing a small white T-shirt. Bangles decorated each arm with her now chocolate locs pulled back into a ponytail with the back hanging freely. Changing her hair color did so much to improve how she looked. I almost smiled, proud to even say she was my girl. She was standing there with her tattoos on her arm, looking at me with those sexy, dark eyes. I tried to approach slowly, using the light from her room as a guide, illuminating into the living room.
“I wanted to say—”
She held her hand up. “Just get yo’ shit and go, nigga,” she said softly as I backed up. “I . . . I don’t have the energy nor patience to argue and fight with you anymore. I know you been fucking around with shorty, and at this point? I did my crying. I did all the yelling I can do, Trent. I hope she was worth it.”
“You not gonna even let me explain myself? Why I cheated on you? This whole time you have done nothing but bash a nigga from day one!” I snapped, moving closer. “You treat me like one of yo’ homeboys, like I’m just a regular nigga you fuck with. So yeah, I like affection. I like attention from my woman, and since you thought that shit was gay, I found someone else that would gladly step up in your place!”
She didn’t even blink. Her eyes watered up, but she refused to let one tear drop.
“Jade, I’m sorry, but you already knew this was going to happen.”
“Is that it?” she asked.
I backed up in confusion. Where the fuck was Jade? Where was the girl that was quick to cuss me out? “I mean, if you don’t have nothing to say—”
“I have nothing to say. We can break up, and you can let the woman take my place. I wasn’t the kind of girlfriend you needed anyway,” she said.
I stood there, stunned, not knowing what to do, what to think.
“You not going to even fight to get me back?” I asked, feeling myself get angry. “I stood up for you so many fucking times when people used to talk shit about you! Almost got into fights over yo’ stupid ass, and you telling me it’s over like you don’t give a fuck?” I flipped.
She just tilted her head to the side, looking hard at me. “What’s my first name, Trent?”
My mind went completely blank as I tried to think back. I heard her sister use it all the time. Shit!
“My favorite color, favorite thing to eat? My friend’s name? Any one of them. Where do we always hang out at? My birthday? Shit, do you even know my zodiac sign? I have a tattoo of it on my arm. Do you even know how old I am?”
I stayed quiet, realizing her point. I didn’t know my own girlfriend, but I made sure she spent her time knowing everything about me, my family, my fraternity brothers, and history. All those times she tried to get me to hang out with her friends or hang out at places that she wanted to go to, I always had an excuse, because I just never wanted to go. Now, all this shit was comi
ng back up in my face, because I couldn’t even figure out her first fucking name. Looking at her, I just shrugged pathetically.
“I’m not going to fight for a nigga who don’t even know my first name, yo,” she said softly as she turned to walk back into her room, closing the door.
I stood there, feeling like I was sick to my stomach as I went to her door, knocking on it. Trying to open it, I was feeling frantic.
“Jade!” I yelled, banging on her door. “Open the fucking door!”
She turned up her music once more, drowning me out. I dropped my head, arms falling weak to my sides.
What the fuck did I just do?
When I made my way back over to my sister’s house, I sat on the couch, waiting on Taylor to get out of the shower. Olivia walked back and forth around the kitchen, running her mouth on the phone.
“Girl, I know, right?” She laughed, rubbing her nose to relieve an itch. “We can meet up with them niggas next weekend, though.... Uh-huh.”
I watched my sister talk, wearing some short-ass shorts and a cropped shirt, with mismatched socks. Her hair was wrapped in a scarf, hazel eyes were beaming as she laughed again.
“Girl, please. He wasn’t about it,” she said, looking at me. Her smile dropped before letting out a sigh. “Yeah, let me call you back. Give me like fifteen minutes. Okay, bye,” she said, putting her phone down as she came and plopped down on the couch next to me.
“What’s wrong?”
“Jade knew about Taylor and me,” I mumbled. She gasped. I was surprised Taylor hadn’t told her. Maybe she had, and she was just playing like she didn’t know. Fucking females.
“Well, I mean, you said you were going to break up with her anyway. So really, it’s a blessing, right? So you can be with Taylor?” She sounded hopeful.
I stared at my sister, eye for eye. She knew me better than anyone from the clan, so when her face dropped, smile disappearing? She knew.
“Trent, do not do this to Taylor. That girl has been in love with you for years.”