This Could Be Us But You Playin' 2

by Cachet

  “I don’t know why that hoe keeps looking over here. I don’t want nothing to do with that raggedy looking shit.” Desmond laughed. “Unless you trying to hit it. Then, by all means, do your thing. bro.”

  Kaleb cracked up. He was laughing so hard, he almost dropped his beer out his hand. When he was sure he had a good grip on it, he replied, “I may be in a fucked up place right now, mu’fucka, but I ain’t never that pressed. That hoe looks like she’s carrying some shit with her,” he said, gesturing in her direction. “Besides, she looks more your speed anyway.”

  “Hell nah nigga, you got me fucked up.” Desmond mean mugged his friend for a second before busting out laughing once again.

  The duo continued to play pool, drink beers, and shoot the shit for the next thirty minutes or so. They were at the end of their second game when Desmond received a phone call. It was NiChia and when she found out where they were, she asked if she could meet them there. Since he and Kaleb were doing their own thing, he told NiChia that he would call her back after he asked if was okay. After hanging up, he did just that. Kaleb thought about it for a minute, before he decided that it was cool if she came. He figured since she and Desmond were a couple, he was going to have to get used to being around her. It wasn’t her fault that her sister was playing games, and it wouldn’t be fair if he took his anger out on her.

  Tired of playing pool, the friends retreated to a nearby table. Minutes after they sat down, a female server came over and asked if she could bring them anything. After ordering a few more beers, two plates of hot wings, some chili cheese fries, and a plate of nachos, she walked away, promising to return soon with their orders. With different sports playing on all of the mounted televisions, Kaleb and Desmond focused on the one that showed a basketball game that was in the fourth quarter. They watched as one of the top playing athletes and his team took shot after shot, bringing them closer to the win. Their opponents tried their best to keep up, but were unable to, and slowly began to fall behind. By the end of the game, they were down by twenty and walked off the court with the salty face.

  Taking his eyes off the screen, Desmond turned to his best friend. “So, what are your plans? I know you said you’re going to leave Nikki alone, so are you going to see if you can make it work with, Te-Te?” Although he did not really want to keep bringing up what he was going through, but wanted to make sure that Kaleb was going to be all right.

  “Shit,” Kaleb sighed, dropping his eyes to the table. Picking up his almost empty beer bottle, he took a swig and finished it off. “Honestly, I don’t even know. On one hand, I want to say fuck Nikki and cut her off completely, but I love that girl so much, ya know? I can’t even explain how happy I was to finally see her again after all these years.”

  “I know you were. I remember seeing that look on your face when she walked through the door that day.”

  “Yeah man, that shit was crazy.” Kaleb grinned. “I wanna walk away and just leave her alone, but I’m not even sure if I can. The fucked up part is the fact that I may not have a choice. Apparently, she’s picked her nigga over me, so what the hell can I really do?”

  “Shit… you can’t do shit but respect it,” Desmond chimed in.

  “You got that right, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m just going to fall back.” Just then, the server walked back over with their beers. When she walked away, Kaleb started back up. “I don’t know about that situation, but I think I know what I’m going to do about Te-Te. I’m going to drop by her apartment tomorrow and see if we can talk. I hope that she’ll be up for it. I already feel like shit for fucking things up between the two of us.”

  “Are you going to tell her about Nikki?”

  “Hell nah nigga, is you fucking crazy?” Kaleb yelled.

  Desmond almost spit out his beer laughing. “Damn, my bad… I was just asking.

  “I’m sorry for fucking up, but I’m far from dumb.” He chuckled himself. “If I tell Te-Te some shit like that, I already know ain’t no way in hell she’ll take me back. She’s told me on numerous occasions that she ain’t with that cheating shit. Fuck that, I’m taking that shit to the grave with me. She’ll never know. It’ll be like Nikki never even fucking existed,” he said truthfully.

  “I know that’s right,” Desmond replied before he glanced towards the front of the bar where the entrance was. Kaleb’s eyebrows furrowed when he saw the shocked expression on his face. “I didn’t know she was bringing her,” he said, as he turned and gave Kaleb a look of regret.

  “What you talking abou—” Kaleb started turning to follow where his best friend’s eyes had gone once again.

  When he did, he saw NiChia coming towards them with a smile. He was too busy waving that he didn’t notice the person behind her, until she stepped into view. It was then that his breath got caught in his throat and his heart beat sped up. Dominique walked over and it was no surprise that she was just as shocked to see him as he was of her.

  “What’s up y’all?” NiChia greeted, taking a seat beside Desmond. When nobody said anything in return, she looked at everyone with annoyance. “Damn, what’s wrong with y’all?” She asked, as if she hadn’t just showed up at the bar with her sister that no one was expecting.

  “Let me talk to you for a minute,” Desmond told her, grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the chair.

  NiChia looked at Dominique and shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll be right back girl,” she said before she was practically drug away.

  Not knowing what else to do, Dominique just stood beside the table. She was upset at her sister for making her have to deal with Kaleb. She had no clue that he would be at the bar when NiChia suggested that they come. All she said was that Desmond was there. Thinking back, Dominique thought to herself. Why in the hell would Des be at a bar by his damn self? That should have been a red flag, but it wasn’t. At the time, Dominique just wanted to get out of the house. After she spoke to Deondre after leaving lunch with Shanice, she decided to stay at her grandmother’s for another night. When she got back to the house and saw that NiChia was there, they decided to go out and have a few drinks.

  “You can sit down, I won’t bite,” Kaleb told her, just as the server brought over their food before she turned and walked away. He watched as Dominique pulled out the seat beside him and sat down. “You want some wings?” he offered.

  “Sure,” was all she said in return as she picked one up.

  For the next few minutes, they sat there in silence, each feeling awkward about the situation. Kaleb wanted to say more, but decided against it. Although he was happy to see Dominique, if she didn’t want to talk to him, he wasn’t going to beg her. Before long, Desmond and NiChia walked back up and took their seats. NiChia plopped down in her and by the look on her face, everyone could tell that she now had an attitude.

  “What has everyone been up to?” NiChia asked, picking up a wing and taking a bite. “Cause I ain’t been doing shit but getting told about myself by his big head ass.” She pointed in Desmond’s direction.

  He looked at her with his face twisted. “I done already told you don’t start no shit, Peanut,” he warned, causing NiChia to roll her eyes. “You always gotta do the fucking most,” he said in an annoyed tone.

  “Whatever,” NiChia responded, not really wanting to argue with him in front of Kaleb and Dominique. “What you been up to Kaleb? I ain’t seen you in a while.”

  “Shit,” Kaleb replied. “Just doing me.”

  “That’s what’s up.” NiChia smiled. “And Nikki, what have you been doing?”

  Dominique cut her eyes at her sister because she already knew what she was doing. “Shut up, Peanut. I’ve been at grandma’s house with you all weekend, so you already know what I’ve been doing,” she snapped.

  NiChia smacked her lips. “Well, excuse the fuck outta me.”

  For the next half hour, the group made small talk. Desmond and NiChia did the most talking, while Kaleb and Dominque said a few things, but not too much. They felt u
ncomfortable around each other and really didn’t know what to say to each other. Dominique figured Kaleb was upset with her about ignoring his phone calls for the last few weeks and she wasn’t going to pretend like everything was cool between the two of them. He, on the other hand, was just glad that she was around, even if they weren’t speaking. What Kaleb didn’t know was that Dominique felt the same way. While surprised that he was there, she was happy just to be in his presence.

  “Why does that ugly ass girl keep looking over here?” NiChia asked. “Her eyes have been glancing this way since I sat down. Do either of y’all know her?” When Desmond laughed, she stared at him with a look that let him know that she didn’t see a damn thing funny. “Fill me in on the joke. I wanna laugh too.”

  “Calm yo’ ass down,” Desmond told her, still laughing. It was no secret that his woman had a jealous streak.

  “That’s Des’ girl,” Kaleb joked, as he dipped his chicken wing into the small cup of ranch that sat on the table.

  Desmond threw his head back and laughed even louder. “Fuck you, nigga. That’s yo’ girl.”

  “Will y’all stop giggling like little ass girls, shit!” NiChia yelled. Seeing the girl look over at them once again had her frustrated. “I need to know if I need to smack a bitch or not.” She knew that the chick wasn’t her man or Kaleb’s type because she looked ran through and rough, so NiChia wasn’t worried about that. She wondered if the girl had a problem with her, because if that were the case, she would gladly go on over there and solve it.

  “I said calm down.” Desmond got serious. “That damn girl ain’t thinking about you,” he told her. “She’s with that big nigga over there playing pool.”

  “Well, why does she keep staring over here?” NiChia asked. As she finished her sentence, another female caught her attention. This one was walking straight towards their table.

  “What’s up, Des?” The chick said when she was standing right beside him. “Long time no see.”

  “Hey, what’s up Pam?” Desmond responded. He could feel NiChia’s eyes burning a hold in the side of his head.

  “Humph,” NiChia snorted.

  She looked the chick up and down, not happy at all by what she saw. Pam was light-skinned, with gray looking eyes that sparkled under the lights. She was of medium height, with a long, bone straight weave in her hair that flowed down her back. The pair of skin tight, damn near see-thru leggings she wore left very little to the imagination, and a cut off white belly shirt that displayed her defined abs, letting one know that she hit the gym a few times a week. With thick thighs and hips and ass that you could see from the front, NiChia felt a twinge of jealousy as she observed the beautiful woman that was too close to her man for her comfort. She knew that she was just as attractive, but it was something about their connection that bothered her. The way the female leaned her head and smiled at Desmond gave her the inkling that they had previously had an intimate connection.

  “Pam, this is my girl, NiChia and her sister, Dominique,” Desmond introduced. “You remember Kaleb.”

  “Yeah, I do. What’s up Kaleb?” she spoke, never once acknowledging the women at the table. “Tracy was just asking about you the other day.” Dominique’s ears perked at the mention of another female, but she didn’t say anything.

  “What’s good? You can tell her I said hello,” Kaleb told her, trying not to be rude.

  The truth was he wasn’t thinking about Pam or her crazy ass friend. Tracy was one of the women that he messed with before he met Tiera. He and Desmond met them one day at the gas station. At first, she was cool with their arrangement of just casual sex, but soon she started to act like they were in a relationship. She would call his phone all times of the night and pop up in places that she knew he frequented. Not only that, but she would threaten to whip whichever chick’s ass she caught him with. It just became too much for him to deal with. It got so bad that Kaleb had to change his number to keep her from calling. Desmond, on the other hand, dated Pam for a little while longer before they called it quits. Just seeing Pam had him wondering if Tracy was nearby. Kaleb hoped she wasn’t, because he didn’t want anything to jump off between her, Dominique and NiChia.

  “We should get together sometimes,” Pam said, licking her lips. She smiled as she leaned in closer to Desmond.

  “Nah, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He looked at her like she was crazy, while putting his arm out and stopping her from getting too close. “As you can see, I’m with my woman.”

  Pam put her hands in the air. She glanced towards NiChia, before refocusing her attention back on Desmond. “I’m sorry, no disrespect. Can I speak to you in private for a minute?”

  It was NiChia’s turn to say something. “Damn, bitch! Don’t you get it; he’s not interested. Take yo’ desperate ass on somewhere!” she yelled. She was tired of trying to play nice. The bitch was trying to be slick, and she had about used her pass up.

  “Shit,” Dominique whispered. She knew that it was only a matter of time before her sister snapped, and she hoped that woman would just walk away.

  “Who the fuck you calling a bitch?” Pam snapped, taking a step back. “You don’t know me, hoe!”

  “You right, I don’t know you,” NiChia said in a calm tone that scared everyone at the table because they already knew what she was capable of. “But if you don’t get the fuck away from this table, my fist gone know yo’ face.”

  “Pean—” Dominique started, but was interrupted.

  “I’m not the least bit worried about you or those weak ass threats,” Pam rebutted, showing no fear. Dominique couldn’t do anything but shake her head because the female clearly didn’t know what she was in for.

  “Oh, they aren’t threats baby girl. I plays no games about mines,” NiChia told her.

  “All that talking ain’t necessary. I’m all about actions, sweetheart. Now if you don’t mind, I would like to continue my conversation with my ex without any more interruptions.” Pam smiled and winked her right eye.

  When NiChia slid her seat back and stood up, both Desmond and Dominque got up as well. Desmond was the first to grab her arm, so Dominique stood back because she figured that he had her. Both looked confused when NiChia started to laugh. She was pissed that the chick tried to play her, but it was also funny because she didn’t have a clue who the hell she was dealing with. Yeah, her little comebacks where cute, but they didn’t hold any weight. NiChia knew that she was crazy with her hands, and even if Pam could fight, she wouldn’t be able to fuck with her; and that she was certain of. With Desmond holding her arm, she contemplated her next move. Since she wasn’t able to blast her ass in the face at the moment, she thought of something else. Quickly, she picked up the plate of wings and slung the meat across the table. Before Pam could react to the chicken being thrown on her, she was smacked in the face with the plate.

  “Bitch!’ she yelled, lunging across the table, knocking all of the food to the floor in the process.

  This was exactly what NiChia wanted. Snatching her arm from Desmond’s grasp, she grabbed ahold of Pam’s hair and pulled her the rest of the way across the table. Both her and Desmond’s chairs flipped over, as she started to swing, hitting Pam all in the face. Dominique rushed over and tried her best to grab her NiChia, but she wasn’t having it. She turned Pam’s now dangling body in the direction of her sister, stopping her from to getting too close. Desmond stepped over the falling chairs and grabbed NiChia in a bear hug, lifting her off of his ex. When he did this, Pam was able to stand up, even though her hair was still being pulled and before anyone had a chance to grab her, she swung and hit NiChia in the face, splitting her lip.

  “Bitch!” Dominique yelled.

  Seeing her sister hit, she threw a punch and hit Pam square in the back of the head, which caused her to stumble forward. She turned around and rushed towards Dominique, but before she got there, NiChia wiggled free from Desmond’s hold and grabbed her hair, jerking her backwards, and pulling her to the floor. B
oth sisters began to swing on a now screaming Pam, as she tried her best to curl into a ball. Everyone in the bar came closer to see the fight. Some were yelling, while others were recording everything as it went down. The sound of security rushing their way snapped Kaleb out of the trance he was in and right when he saw one roughly grabbing on Dominique, he intervened.

  “Get your fucking hands on her, Fam. I got her.” Kaleb pushed the guard out the way and grabbed Dominique by the arm. When the tall dark-skinned guy turned around like he was going to do something, Kaleb gave him a look that let him know that it wasn’t a good idea. Not wanting to get into a brawl himself, the guard turned back around and started to help Pam off of the floor.

  “Stupid ass bitch!” NiChia yelled, as Desmond, once again, lifted her off of her feet.

  Not wanting either of the girls to get arrested for the fight, he told Kaleb, “Let’s get the fuck outta here!” Moments later, when they were outside, Desmond sat NiChia inside his car and turned around. “I’m going to take her crazy ass to the house. You want me to drop you off, or can you ride with her?”

  Kaleb looked over at Nikki, not thinking that it was a good idea. When she spoke up and said, “Yeah, I’ll take him home.” He was shocked.

  “Cool. I’ll talk to you later,” Desmond told him before he climbed into the driver’s side of his car.

  “Call me, sis!” NiChia yelled before he closed the door.

  “Alright,” Dominique replied, shaking her head. She couldn’t believe that NiCiah’s crazy ass had gotten into yet another fight, even though she was already going back and forth to court for the one she had with Shanice. “Something is seriously wrong with that girl,” she whispered as she and Kaleb climbed into her car. “Where to?”