Fallin' For a Thug

by Mz. Lady P

  "It's cool. I'll just stay on the straight and narrow with her ass. She has cleared me to travel. So, we're good." I hated that I had to lie to Tissa. I know that this was for the best though. Belinda was a devious bitch. I knew that she would have me locked up in a minute. I was not going back to prison. I had missed out on five years of my daughter's life, and I refused to miss anymore. Liyah needed me. I would do whatever I had to do to stay out in the streets. Right now I was feeling like Malcolm X "By any means Necessary."

  Chapter 27- La'Tissa

  I played green to a lot of things when it came down to Khalil's street life. I was not stupid though. I know that he was deeper in the streets than I first thought. I loved him with all my heart, so I just fell back and let him handle his business. He had never given me a reason to question his loyalty to me. He assured me every day that I was all he wanted and needed. I'm content with that. However, I had a way of reading people.

  There was something not right about his parole officer and him. She bumped into me on purpose, and I looked in her face and saw this sneaky ass grin on. Something was bothering Khalil that whole day after he met with her, and I didn't know what was going on. I guess it was my woman's intuition and how this bitch wanted him to come and see her twice a week. That was too much. There was no reason why she should be having him meet her so often.

  Did this motherfucker forget that I was a damn parole officer as well? Something wasn't right. I was not going to go snooping or looking for some bullshit. If some fishy shit was going on, I'd definitely find out. What was done in the dark would definitely come to the light. He just better be ready for the consequences that came after. In the meantime, I was going to enjoy the highs of planning my wedding to the love of my life. I loved him enough to give up everything I worked hard for. Hopefully, he loved me enough not to give into temptation. No matter what, a nigga was gon’ be a nigga but I wasn’t accepting that shit from Khalil.

  *****

  "I can't believe I'm about to be a God Momma. I can't wait to spoil him or her rotten." Tosha and I were out to Red Lobster eating lunch. She had invited me out to share the news about her pregnancy. I couldn't be happier for her. She deserved all the happiness in the world. I was so happy her and Gunz worked everything out. I could tell he really loved my girl.

  "Are you sure you're okay?" Tosha was so concerned that I was sad about her being pregnant.

  "I'm fine. You're my best friend. I would never rain on your parade with my problems. That would be selfish. I'm content with my situation. I have Liyah and in a few months, I'll have my God baby to spoil rotten. Stop worrying about me. I'm fine." I tried my best to assure her, but she had a worried look on her eyes.

  "There's something I need to tell you, Tissa."

  "What's going on?"

  "Last week when I had got mad at Gunz, I was going to check into the Double Tree. When I pulled into the parking lot, I saw Joubert and Mariah. They looked like they were a couple or some shit."

  I had lost most my hearing after Tosha told me this shit. I knew that bitch was jealous of me. But to be fucking around with the nigga that almost killed me was just grimey. Back in high school, I had a feeling that she wanted his nutty ass. This was confirmation of my suspicions.

  "Come on we're going to that bitch house." I threw some money on the table and yanked Tosha’s ass out of her seat.

  "Wait, Tissa. I don't think that's a good idea. Khalil and Gunz will be pissed if we got into some shit. Plus you know that nigga Joubert is crazy."

  "Fuck him. I got my nine in my purse. I will blow his fucking brains out if he even thinks about putting his fucking hands on me. I understand if you don't want to go, I'll hit you later." I could tell Tosha wasn't feeling this shit at all, but I was going to beat that bitch’s ass with or without her.

  "Don't play with me, Tissa. You know damn well I'm going with you. I'm giving you a fair warning. If some shit pop off, I'm telling Gunz. The last thing I need is to hear Gunz’s mouth about me hiding shit." I remembered a time when Tosha didn't take no shit or orders from anyone. Her ass had gotten soft since she met Gunz’s ass. I put the pedal to the metal getting to Mariah's house in only a few short minutes. I banged on the door for a couple of minutes before she finally opened it.

  "What the fuck are y'all doing here?" Mariah said trying to close her robe. I could tell the bitch was butt ass naked underneath. I didn't even say shit. I responded by pouncing on her ass.

  "You snake ass bitch!" I felt my fist connecting to her face each time I hit her. I blanked out and started banging her head into the floor. I could feel Tosha trying to pull me off of Mariah, but I was too strong for her.

  "That's right fight for this dick!" The sound of Joubert's voice stopped me from hitting Mariah. It also brought me back to reality. I reacted without thinking. I never should have came over here and spazzed out like this. His voice was so calculating and maniacal. I immediately jumped off of her. I watched as he laid back on the couch and fired up a Newport.

  "Get the fuck out my house bitch!" Mariah said as she tried to charge me.

  "Mariah! Sit your ass down before I beat the shit out of you!" Joubert jumped up and limped towards us. Mariah went and sat down on the couch. It was then I knew he was abusing her just like he did me. I didn't feel sorry for her though. I hoped he beat her fucking brains. I smirked at him limping. Khalil had fucked his ass up. I snatched my purse up from the ground and pulled my gun out.

  "Come on, Tissa. You beat her ass. Let's just get out of here." Tosha was pulling me, but I wasn't budging.

  "Don't you come any closer. I swear to God. I'll blow your fucking brains out." Joubert stopped in midstride.

  "That's what the fuck I'm talking about. My baby is a Boss Bitch these days."

  "I ain't none of your baby nigga. In case you forgot, I'm Khalil's baby."

  "Bitch please. If you loved that nigga, you wouldn't be here fighting a bitch over me."

  "Don't flatter yourself. I hate your fucking guts, you ruined my fucking life. I whooped that bitch’s ass for being a snake. At the same time, you're right; I have nigga who loves me scars and all. Goodbye, Joubert."

  "Bitch you think it's that easy to just walk away. Hoe I own you." He grabbed me by my hair as I tried to walk out the door and I felt him trying to take the gun out of my hand. I panicked and pulled the trigger several times. He fell back on the floor and there were three bullet holes in his chest.

  "Ahhh!" You killed him you bitch!" Mariah jumped up and charged towards me. I had no choice but to shoot her. The bullet hit her in between the eyes and she fell on top of Joubert.

  "Oh, my God, Tissa. What did you do? We have to get out of here. I'm not trying to go to jail for these motherfuckers."

  "Calm down, Tosha. I got this." I looked toward the coffee table and I saw a lighter. I used it to set the couch and the curtains on fire. The flames rose quickly. I grabbed Tosha's arms and we got the fuck out of dodge. Silence filled the car as we drove back to our homes.

  "They left me no choice I had to do it. Please don't be mad at me."

  "I'm not mad at you. I'm actually happy you killed both of their asses. What are we going to tell Gunz and Khalil? I don't want to keep this from them. Just in case someone saw us."

  "Stop worrying. No one saw us. We're going to tell them together. Gunz is at our house now. I don't want you to say anything. Let me tell the story. You had nothing to do with this, okay?"

  We held each other's hand the rest of the ride to my house. We were both scared shitless as we walked into the living room. Khalil and Gunz were sitting on the couch knocking back shots and getting high.

  "We need to talk, Khalil?" I shifted from side to side because I was nervous. I had no idea how he was going to take what we had done.

  "What the hell wrong with you, Tosha?" She sat down next to him on the couch and started biting her nails. I felt like shit getting my friend involved in some shit that could have been avoided.

  "I killed Joubert a
nd Mariah." Tears were falling down my face.

  "What the fuck you mean you killed them?" Khalil was now standing in front of me. I just stood in the middle of the living room in silence.

  "Don't get quiet now. What the fuck happened, Tissa?"

  "I found out Mariah and Joubert were messing around, so I went to her house and we got to fighting. I had no idea he was there. He was talking all crazy to me, and I tried to walk away, but he grabbed me. We tussled over the gun and I shot him three times in the chest. Mariah charged me and I shot her ass in between the eyes."

  "Let me get this straight, you went to fight a bitch because she was fucking your ex. The same nigga that scarred you for life? The same bitch ass nigga that was about to rape you?" Khalil had his fist balled up and his jaws clenched as he spoke. I stepped back a little because I knew that he wanted to hit my ass.

  "It wasn't like that, Khalil. You don't understand."

  "Shut the fuck up, Tissa! The only thing I don't understand is we're supposed to be planning a wedding, but you're out here in these streets fighting over your ex. Where the fuck is the gun?" I went inside my purse and handed it to him. He took it out of my hand and walked away from me, leaving me looking stupid as hell.

  "You're out here on some Thelma and Louise shit, while you're pregnant with my seed." Gunz was now standing over Tosha staring down at her. She just held her head down crying.

  "Don't be mad at her, Gunz. She begged me not to go."

  "I'm sorry, Baby. I had to go with my friend."

  "Take your ass home, Tosha. I'll deal with your dumb ass later." Gunz walked away and that made Tosha cry even harder.

  "I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess. I never should have gone over there." I sat beside her and hugged her.

  "It's cool, Tissa. We've always been there for each other. Before we met Khalil and Gunz, it was always Tissa and Tosha. That shit will never change." She kissed me on the jaw and headed home. I was left alone to deal with my thoughts. I didn't have an ounce of regret in my heart. They deserved them bullets I pumped their asses with. My only concern now was Khalil and where we stood with one another. It hurt my heart knowing how he must be feeling. I was so damn mad at myself for acting on impulse and not thinking.

  It was just that the bitch Mariah was supposed to be my friend. There was a time when we were all inseparable. All that shit changed when I first got with Joubert. She always had something smart to say about my life and me. Knowing that she was now fucking with him had me mad as hell at her. I had no feelings for Joubert. It was the principle of it all. However, I knew that Khalil was not looking at it that way

  *****

  It had been a week since the incident and I still hadn't heard from Khalil. He hadn't even brought Liyah to the house to see me. I was mad, but content because he was staying at Gunz and Tosha's house. I tried calling and texting, but he wasn't trying to hear shit I had to say. I understood his anger, but he didn't have to go through these lengths to punish me. It was the day of our trip and I wasn't sure if we were still going. All of our bags were packed weeks in advance, and I hoped and prayed he still wanted me to meet Mustafa.

  I hadn't left the house since our fallout. I wasn't scared or anything, but I had become depressed because I fucked up by going over to Mariah's house in the first place. I breathed a sigh of relief when I looked at the news and the reports were saying the fire did so much damage to the house that the bodies found inside were basically ashes. There was still an ongoing investigation into the case. For the time ever, I would just go on with my life and act as if the shit never happened.

  The sound of the alarm system alerted me that someone was coming in the house. I got out of bed and looked over the banister. I hoped that it would be Khalil, but instead, it was his mother.

  "Hey, Mama Rose. What brings you over this early?"

  "I came to get you so that we can go to the airport. Get ready our car is outside waiting on you." I was hurt by Khalil's actions. He was that mad at me that he would send his mother to pick me up instead of him coming."

  "Where's, Khalil?"

  "Him and Gunzell caught an earlier fight. Us ladies will be flying together. Come on, Tissa, you need to get ready. Khalil will have a fit if we miss our flight." I rolled my eyes and started to get dressed for the long ass flight to Oran. Khalil was taking this shit too far and we needed to sit down and discuss this shit. I wasn't about to keep kissing his ass.

  I had been vomiting the whole plane ride. It was like I had motion sickness or some shit. It was odd because I traveled all the time and I never got sick.

  "Are you okay, Tissa?" Tosha asked as I sat back down next to her. I had to place paper towels on my forehead to cool my body down. I was hot all over.

  "I think I'm just sick from the ride that's all."

  "Drink that Ginger Ale and eat those crackers that should make you feel better," Mama Rose said as she removed the towel and felt my forehead. Liyah was knocked out. This was my first time seeing her since Khalil left the house last week. My eyes grew heavy and I slept for the rest of the plane ride. When we landed in Oran, there was a beautiful all white Rolls Royce waiting for us. I looked over at Mama Rose and she rolled her eyes at the car. I had a feeling this was about to be a long ass week. When we made it to Mustafa's home, my jaw dropped at the beauty of it. I had never seen anything like it. It resembled a palace to me.

  "This is beautiful ain't it, Mama Rose."

  "Girl please. Mustafa always overdid shit." I could tell she wasn't feeling how he was living. I totally understood her though. Here it was she raised Khalil in the hood in Atlanta and his father was out here living like a fucking King.

  "I swear I could live here forever. This shit is beautiful," Tosha said as she rubbed her hand over the fourteen Karat gold doors with a picture of The Last Supper on it."

  "Welcome to my home. I'm Mustafa's wife, Aamina. Nice to meet you ladies." She reached her hand out and we all shook hands. Mama Rose was looking at her like she had two heads and I was glad she shook her hand.

  "Hi, Liyah. I missed you."

  "I missed you too, Aniyah." I watched as Liyah and the beautiful little girl hugged each other and took off running.

  "Hi, I'm Johanna. Mustafa's daughter. I'm sorry for my daughter's rudeness, but she has missed Liyah so much." This girl was beautiful; she was like a girl version of Khalil. Her stomach was huge and she looked like she was about to give birth at any minute. I could see the hurt in Mama Rose eyes. I didn't know who she thought she was fooling. She was still in love with Mustafa.

  "It's okay. I'm Tissa, Khalil's fiancé."

  "Hi. Nice to meet you. I'm Tosha, Gunz’s girlfriend." She reached out and shook our hands, but she looked like she instantly got an attitude when Tosha introduced herself. Mama Rose didn't even bother to introduce herself.

  "The guys went out to play golf. Please make yourself at home ladies. Fadia will come and show you to your living quarters. I know that everyone is tired from the long flight so feel free to rest until dinner.” Mustafa's wife was being very nice to all of us. That led me to believe that she didn't know about Khalil being Mustafa's son. Johanna had been ice-grilling Tosha since she introduced herself. Tosha was telling her how she and Gunz were expecting and she was straight throwing shade toward her. I wondered if Tosha caught on to what she was doing. She was no longer being pleasant and the shit was confusing to me. She was being a real bitch towards Tosha and I wasn't feeling it. She better slow her role before she got fucked up.

  Hours later, I laid in bed with the worst headache ever. The urge to vomit sent me running to the bathroom. Nothing was coming up, but clear liquid. After I was finished, I could barely stand so I just laid on the floor because my head hurt so bad.

  "Are you okay, Tissa?" Liyah asked as she sat on the floor beside me.

  "I'm okay, Liyah."

  "I'm going to get Daddy, so he can make you feel better." I tried to stop her, but she had took off running and I was too weak to stop her. T
he last thing I wanted was for Khalil to start back talking to me because I wasn't feeling well. Plus, I didn't want to add to the chaos that was about to ensue. Mama Rose had divulged that her and Mustafa were going to come clean about him being Khalil's father.

  "What's wrong baby? Why are you on the floor?" Khalil picked me up and carried me to the bed.

  "I've been vomiting since I boarded the plane. My head is killing me. I think I have the flu or something." He laid in bed with me and it felt so good. He pulled me in close and kissed my neck. I let out a soft moan. All that damn sickness subsided from his touch.

  "You're pregnant, Tissa."

  "No, I'm not, Khalil. Please don't get your hopes up high."

  "I'm going to send Fadia out to get a couple of pregnancy tests. Just to be on the safe side."

  "Please tell her to keep it to herself. I don't want anybody knowing just in case I'm not pregnant. Looking at Tosha and Johanna pregnant is already depressing."

  "I got you, Ma. Get some rest and I'll be back to check on you in a little while." Khalil got out of bed and walked toward the door.

  "I'm sorry for what I did, Khalil. I never meant to disrespect you by acting like I cared about Joubert. I understand why you're so mad at me. You didn't deserve that. I never should have put Tosha in that situation either. Please forgive me."

  "I been forgave you. I just wanted to see you sweat. I also wanted you to admit the error in your ways. Don't ever put yourself in a predicament that will have your ass facing life. You're too fucking pretty to be behind bars. Plus, you're pregnant with my son and we need you here with us. I love you, Tissa."

  "I love you too, Khalil." Tears came to my eyes hearing him speak those words. He always knew just what to say to make me feel better. I just hoped he didn't have his hopes up too high about me being pregnant.

  *****

  Khalil and I sat on the edge of the bed waiting for the results. I could tell he was anxious and nervous. Me on the other hand, I remained calm. I knew that I wasn't pregnant. I made sure not to get my hopes up high.