We Both Can't Be Bae

by Borderhouse Publishing

  Cameron turned on her radio at her desk and was able to make it through the day without any further incidents. Listening to music was always relaxing to her and she loved all types. It was just her thing. When I’m not Gon Cry by Mary J, Blige came on, she sang her little heart out on the verge of tears but some kinda way she held it together. The very next song was Get Low by Lil Jon and The East Side Boys which changed her mood instantly out of the funk she had been in. She filed all the documents that had been handed down to her, sorted through cases, and conducted research for the current cases she had been assigned at a robotic speed. She was beyond busy and loved the distraction and satisfaction that it brought to her. Malcolm would never understand how much she loved her job or the reasoning behind her dedication to it. On the flip side, he never tried to understand either.

  As the day came to an end, Cameron grabbed her things and said her goodbyes to everyone. She decided to order take out from Malcolm’s favorite restaurant because she wasn’t up for cooking today, so she called in an order right before she left the office. She ordered them both eight ounce rib eye steaks, baked potatoes, and house salads from Harvey’s. Kingston would enjoy his favorite, a burger and some fries. She could have easily grabbed that from McDonald’s but she only wanted to make one stop. As Cameron drove to pick up the food she sent Malcolm a text to let him know her plans because he would have a million questions if she was late, especially on a day he picked Kingston up.

  As soon as she sent the text and put her phone down it vibrated. She picked it up expecting a reply from Malcolm, but instead she read a text from an unknown number that said, YOUR TIME IS ALMOST UP!!! “What the fuck?” Cameron said out loud. She decided to call the number instead of texting back but got no answer. She called five times but no one ever picked up the phone. She sent a couple of text messages since no one answered and waited for a reply. Nothing came. Cameron was ready to fuck someone up and she knew she needed to start with Malcolm, but she wanted to get whoever had been texting him first because she was pretty sure it was the same person who had just texted her.

  ***

  Chapter 4

  Two Months Later

  Things had most definitely taken a huge turn in Cameron’s life, and not for the better. She began to catch Malcolm in more and more lies. He even started coming home from work without texting her, but she knew which day he was coming because she kept up with his schedule herself. She didn’t have anything to hide so it didn’t matter to her one way or the other about him not texting. Whatever he thought she was doing was just all in his crazy ass head. He always accused her of cheating, it had become a weekly debate and she was tired of it. He didn’t know how close she was at times but she had been true to her vows so far.

  When she confronted him last month about the text messages she saw on his phone and even the one she had received a couple of months ago he acted like it was nothing. She even saw more messages but remained quiet in order to build her case. He told her that if the number wasn’t saved in his phone then someone must have texted the wrong number. He even tried to flip the message she received on her by saying someone must have been after her for something she had done! He once again accused her of fucking around. She told him he must have been the one cheating since he was always accusing her. She almost told him if it wasn’t for the bullet she had, she probably would have been cheating but she bit her tongue.

  In the midst of their arguing Cameron’s phone rang and she immediately recognized it to be the number that had been calling and texting Malcolm. She silently wished she was wrong but her gut was telling her that all hell was about to break loose. The very first message that started all of her problems, I enjoyed you see you soon, with those two got damn smiley faces was one she couldn’t forget even if she tried. She was already pissed the fuck off so she answered the phone with an attitude by screaming “WHO THE FUCK IS THIS?” The female on the other end of the phone said, “Malcolm and I are in love and he’s leaving you to be with me!! I’m tired of us having to hide and you don’t love and appreciate him the way he deserves. He made a mistake marrying you, it should have been me. I even love King”…that was all the caller could get out before Cameron snapped. “LISTEN YOU BITCH DON’T YOU DARE LET MY SON’S NAME COME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU BECAUSE AFTER I FUCK MALCOLM UP PLEASE BELIEVE I WILL BE FUCKING YOU UP AS WELL!!” The female revealed her name to be Nikki and was trying to apologize for things unfolding the way they did but was cut off again by Cameron. “Nikki Johnson from around the corner?” Cameron began to feel weak. There is no way in hell this motherfucker went and fucked this trailer park trash right in the same town, Cameron thought. She wasn’t able to say anything else because Malcolm ran up and grabbed the phone from her before throwing it against the wall shattering it to pieces. “YOU LOW DOWN STUPID ASS DUMB ASS BLACK MOTHERFUCKER! YOU FUCKING THAT TRASH ASS BITCH THAT LIVES IN THE TRAILER PARK?” Cameron screamed. “How could you do this to me?” Tears streamed down her face and she felt her anger level rising higher. She didn’t want to cry, especially in front of him, but she couldn’t stop the tears no matter how hard she tried. She screamed and cried, then scream some more. Cameron called him every name that she could think of plus a few she even made up. “You got your bitch threatening me and then you got the nerve to try to blame me? You must be out of your rabbit ass mind you low down dirty son of a bitch!” She totally forgot that Kingston was there watching and listening to every word but she couldn’t control her anger.

  The argument was so intense that night that it turned physical. Cameron broke pictures, even wedding pictures. She broke a TV, shattered an end table, threw several random objects and attempted to burn some of Malcolm’s clothing. She wasn’t successful with burning anything because he restrained her at that point and she was overpowered. Not giving up her rage, she scratched his face and drew blood so he began choking her. He had both of his hands wrapped around her throat and was squeezing with all of his strength. Cameron felt her world fading away and was fighting to stay conscious. He was choking her just that hard! She had her nails as deep into his skin as she could get them because at this point she was fighting for her life. He was telling her to let go but she wouldn’t. She knew at that point he had lost his everlasting mind because HE was the one choking HER! The house phone began to ring but they both ignored it. Kingston was crying and screaming at them to stop but they both ignored him as well. They were still literally at each other’s neck. Cameron was finally able to gather some strength after Malcolm made a move when the phone rang again so she brought her leg back as far as she could kneed kicked him in the nuts. He screamed and immediately released the grip he had on her neck to grab his balls. She started coughing uncontrollably but was finally able to get up from of the floor.

  A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. It was two of the neighbors, nosey ass neighbors at that. After she completely broke away from Malcolm he headed towards the front door limping. She seized the opportunity and grabbed her car keys before heading towards the back door. She heard Kingston crying for her but she was unable to physically or emotionally comfort him at the moment. She needed to get away from the chaos before someone died in front of her son. She didn’t want him to witness a murder and be scarred for life. Malcolm turned around to see that she was trying to escape and rushed in her direction with fury in his eyes but she picked up a lamp off the other end table and threw it directly at his head before he could reach her. This made him stagger and she noticed a knot immediately begin to form. She saw blood so she used this opportunity to continue making a run for her car. “AS SOON AS MY BROTHER COMES HOME HE’S GONNA FUCK YOU UP YOU BLACK MOTHERFUCKER!” she yelled and slammed the door.

  Cameron only had one location on her mind and that was to get to Nikki Johnson’s house. She didn’t consider Nikki to be a friend or anything but they always spoke to each other in passing. Nikki always prolonged the conversations they shared which she always th
ought was odd, but nonetheless thought she was cool since she wanted to talk. She had figured that the woman just probably didn’t have any friends to talk to. I can’t believe this motherfucker, she thought to herself. Cameron was seeing red and she couldn’t think straight for shit. While she was driving she drifted back to a time in her life that she wanted to forget. Anger that Cameron thought she had buried years ago was beginning to rear its ugly head. She started thinking back to the many people who had wronged her and the different acts of revenge she used. She would be in jail if anyone would’ve known the exact details. Many speculated, but no one could prove anything. Cameron drifted back to her sophomore year in high school. Throughout all of her years in school up until the last two she was the dark skin, skinny, pimple faced, unattractive (in her eyes) girl who wore glasses. She never had a boy so much as to even look at her. There was one boy that she secretly liked but he hung out with one of the guys that always picked on her so she never even entertained the idea of approaching him. She received ridicule from boys and girls constantly and she never even bothered a soul.

  Cameron was on the basketball team, and it was in the locker room where the prank started that pushed her over the edge. Despite being a loner, Cameron was a decent basketball player and her coach even encouraged her to run track. He told her it would help to keep her in shape year round along with other things so she agreed. Her dad loved that she participated in sports; he never missed a game and recorded just about everything she participated in. He was her number one fan.

  After practice one day, Cameron was the last person to walk in the dressing room. She didn’t have curves like the other girls so she purposely stayed behind to shower last. Some days she waited until she got home to shower, but on this particular day she was very sweaty and needed to stop by the store before going home. She couldn’t skip taking a shower that day. She was tired of being picked on so she waited later and later each day trying her best to avoid the girls.

  When she thought the coast was clear, she hurried out of her clothes and made her way to the shower. Upon reaching the shower floor Cameron slipped and before she realized what had happened, she saw cameras flashing everywhere. One girl even had a bottle of baby oil in one hand and her phone in the other snapping pictures. Her name was Brittany. She tried several times to get up to no avail so she finally just sat there looking and feeling humiliated. She refused to shed another tear in front of these stupid ass girls. They had followed Brittany’s lead and played tricks on her before but never to this extent. That humiliation lasted for about fifteen minutes but it seemed like an eternity.

  She went home that night and cried herself to sleep without telling her mom or dad what had happened. They never understood where she was coming from when it came to matters like these. Her dad assumed everyone loved her, and her mom was simply always busy. She tried talking to Charlotte, her sister, but she said that she probably was just the victim of a senior prank and shrugged her off. Charlotte never even stopped to say those few words; she just spoke her peace and kept walking without missing a step. Cameron felt like her sister didn’t like her so she didn’t confide in her much anyways and this was the perfect example of why. She was always stuck up under her man of the month’s ass so she rarely had time for anything else. Cameron suspected that Charlotte didn’t like her because she was used to being the baby, but their parents treated them all the same so she never understood the cold shoulder her sister always gave her. Charlotte even let two girls jump on Cameron while she was in junior high but luckily Cameron held her own and kicked their asses. Charlotte gave her the excuse that she knew she could handle them but Cameron wasn’t buying it. If two girls would have jumped on her sister, she wouldn’t have thought twice about jumping in to help her. They were like night and day and Cameron was slowly trying to accept the fact that her sister hated her. Her parents would always say Charlotte didn’t hate her and make excuses for her but Cameron was tired of the lies so she started facing reality.

  If only her brother Fred was at home. He was a hot head for sure but he was also the one person who always had her back no matter what. Fred graduated two years prior and because of his constant mishaps with the law their dad made him enlist in the army. He consistently hung with the wrong crowd and trouble seemed to always find with him ease. At first he was upset about being forced to join the military, but he eventually grew to love it. She missed her brother so much, this day proved why she kept things to herself. She cried herself to sleep that night and tried to fake a sickness the next morning, but her mom was not buying it. She made her get dressed for school and told her she didn’t want to hear anymore fuss about it. When Cameron made it to school she noticed the weird looks and laughs that she started receiving from everyone. She wanted to turn around and run away from school, but she continued to drag one foot in front of the other. When she made it to the hall near the cafeteria, she saw pictures hanging on the walls and doors. The closer she walked the clearer they became. They were pictures of her lying naked on the floor in several different positions. The pictures from yesterday had become her worst nightmare come true today. The most shocking picture of them all was the picture with Arnold, the school nerd, lying naked with her. Cameron couldn’t understand how or why anyone could or even want to do this to her. She had never been around Arnold naked. She started fuming on the inside as people continued laughing and pointing their fingers at her.

  At this point, she could only turn around and run. She ran straight to the gym where no one would be at this early in the morning. It was right then and there that she decided she would stand up for herself and take matters into her own hands. She began to mentally put her plans together. Cameron got up after about two hours and headed out the door. She didn’t care about the absentee mark that she would get for the day. She would come up with something to tell her parents whenever they brought it up. She had shed enough tears and her tears were getting her absolutely nowhere. She wasted no time putting her plans into action. Her parents would be gone to work by now and she would have easy access to her dads shed. All she needed were a few tools from the shed, and a trip to the store to gather other necessary supplies. Her grandmother worked in the cafeteria so she knew just what to do in order to complete phase two of her plan. Phase one would require more manual labor, but she was willing to put in work that night. She had watched her dad change enough flats and work on enough cars in her spare time to be able to do what she had in mind.

  Cameron thought back to how the “accidents” played out, leaving Brittany dead from a car accident, two of her friends in critical condition, and pretty much the entire school with either diarrhea or vomiting…some both. Detectives said that something went wrong with Tiffany’s tires and that it was just an unfortunate accident. No foul play was ever suspected, by the authorities anyway.

  Cameron took pride in her revenge and it was even sweeter that no one could prove what she done. It was scary that it was so easy to implement what she had visualized, but she had no remorse. Not one ounce. Things turned around quickly for her after that. People began befriending her and it gave her a sense of confidence. Brittany’s friends later came and apologized to Cameron for following Brittany’s lead and putting her through so much hell. They told her that they didn’t realize what they were doing at the time and if they could take it back they would. She talked her mom into letting her get contacts and also made an appointment to a dermatologist who corrected her skin problems. Cameron became more active in social activities, and even worked out and lifted weights outside of her mandatory sports regimen. She even started dating. She didn’t like to think about her boyfriend much because it made her cry. He was killed in a car accident about a year after they started going out. The two had become the school’s favorite couple and his accident almost shut Cameron completely down. She would forever cherish the memories she shared with him. Keith came into the picture later but she never considered him to be her boyfriend.

  Being told that
time heals all things; she began pulling herself together after the loss of her boyfriend. Along with the help of counselors and friends, she was able to heal up pretty nicely and even gained more confidence. She felt like she was the shit again within a couple of months after the accident and took a turn for the better in her eyes. One thing she had vowed to do was leave her anger tucked deeply away forever. Who would’ve known her husband would be the one to cause those old feelings to resurface.

  It only took Cameron about ten minutes to reach her destination. On the short drive over all she saw was red while reflecting on the past and present. She could not think of one reason why would Malcolm mess with someone in the same town they lived in. And then he picked a hood rat with four kids already and rumor had it that she was pregnant again. She shook her head and tried to calm herself down but it was pointless. She just couldn’t understand his logic. She had given Malcolm a chance when everyone else only used him. He shared with her about his past relationships and she felt bad that he had gone through those trifling women. Everyone he dealt with in the past only used him for his money. She never asked him for anything and he found that to be strange which made him shower her with gifts often. She was so hurt and confused about everything that was going on it almost made her sick.