Yeah, in my mind I was attracted to this guy, but I never thought I would see him again anyway. So I cut him off, stopped the feelings that I had from flowing, and put him out of my mind. I could do that because I had never had a true girlfriend, only my sisters, but I was enjoying what Taylor and I were building. Certainly, she had to feel that too.
“You’ve got to forgive me. We’ve got to get up there and sing,” I said, trying to convince the leader.
“We’re not getting up anywhere and singing no note together ever again. You’re out of the group,” Taylor coldly blurted out.
She walked away, taking her two goons with her. Dayna looked back and laughed. Other groups backstage that I hadn’t even noticed started laughing too. There I stood, all alone, feeling like I’d been bitten with venom and was left there for my dreams to die.
I couldn’t believe this. Just when I thought I found a group that I fit in with—maybe not perfectly, but at least fit into—it was too good to be true. They were about to take the stage, and I wasn’t going on there with them. How were they going to adjust? When I heard their first note, the harmony with three sounded fine. They were showing me they didn’t need me at all, so I needed to get the heck out of there, and that’s what I did. I couldn’t get out of the theater because Avery stood in my way.
“Wait, wait, wait, let’s talk, beautiful,” he placed his arm on my shoulders and said.
“Are you serious? You’re calling me beautiful, and my group just dropped me because of you,” I said, smacking his hand away.
“Did you not mean the things you said? Forget them, they’re just jealous.”
Huffing and puffing, I said, “Why would you think I want to be with someone who just broke my friend’s heart? If you made her all crazy, I’m not going to give you the chance to make me the same way. Move out of my way.”
“You need to let me explain before you just accuse me of whatever she told you. There’re two sides to every story last time I checked. Taylor Dale is a stalker. I mean, shucks, she was smothering me. I couldn’t take it. A girl looks my way, and she’s trying to fight her. I don’t call her every hour, and she’s crying. So I cut her loose. I wasn’t rude, mean, or harsh to her, but there was no way to say it to somebody who honestly wasn’t mentally all there. I mean dang, she acted like she owned me. Nobody should be in a relationship like that.”
I rolled my eyes and looked up at the ceiling. I heard what he was saying, but it just wasn’t adding up. I mean, he was right. There were two sides to every story. How could I tell if his side was the right one? I did witness firsthand that he broke Taylor’s heart, and I wasn’t trying to break it all over again.
“Come here, girl,” he said as he grabbed me and then kissed me like somebody out of a movie would.
First it was feeling good. Heck, I never had been kissed before. I didn’t know what I was doing. But I didn’t ask for the kiss either, so I stepped back and slapped him as hard as I could.
“Hey! What’s going on here?” I heard Shelby ask.
“Yeah, what are you doing to my sister?” Sloan demanded, with all my sisters by her side.
“You need to step back,” Shelby said to him.
He put his hands in the air. “Sorry.”
“What’s the problem here?” Sloan asked me.
Shaking my head, I said, “It’s a whole long story.”
“We didn’t hear you sing. Isn’t that your group up on stage?” Yuri asked, trying to move past the drama they walked in on.
“You just hit this guy. You’re supposed to be on stage with those girls. Something happened. You need to tell us now before we call the police,” Shelby said. “Is he messing with you?”
“I’ve got this, y’all. Just please, please leave,” I said to my sisters.
“We’re not leaving you alone with some guy you just slapped. Obviously he was out of line or you wouldn’t have done that,” Shelby told me as her eyes locked on mine.
“You’re still here?” Dayna came up to me and said. “We kicked you out. I thought you’d be gone by now.”
“Kicked her out of what?” Shelby asked.
“I’ll explain to y’all at home. Let’s go,” I uttered, grabbing Sloan’s hand, since she was standing near me, to leave.
“Yeah, you better take your sisters and leave,” Dayna called out.
“Excuse me?” Sloan turned around and said.
Fed up and pissed, I said, “Y’all just go on to the car. Let me handle this witch.”
“Handle me? Whatever,” Dayna grunted, almost spitting on me.
Wiping off the mist from my cheek, I said, “You the one who set this whole thing up! You knew Avery was the guy I was talking about.”
“I didn’t know anything. Don’t try to put words in my mouth,” Dayna lashed back.
I said, “Oh, so you’re going to deny it. You can’t even woman up and admit that you set this whole thing up, knowing he was the same guy that had just broken up with Taylor!”
“So you like this guy?” Sloan asked.
“Please, Sloan. I told you I would explain this later.”
Dayna laughed. “You need to talk to your sister now because you all up in my face working your neck, you’ll get it broken off.”
“I dare you to touch me. You’re all talk, but you ain’t got no backbone,” I said to Dayna.
She pushed me, and I pushed her back. She pushed me again, and I pushed her back. The next thing you know, the two of us were on the ground tussling, someone from another group waiting to perform was recording it. It was a mess. Two of my sisters grabbed me.
I yelled out, “Naw, let me shut her up.”
Shelby and Ansli pulled me up. Sloan grabbed my bag that had my costume and everything in it. Yuri looked over at me with scratches all on my face, and she shook her head. As we were about to head out, the contestants were being called back on stage. I didn’t turn back, but the crowd erupted when Avery’s name was called.
“Keep it moving, sis.” Shelby pushed me in the back and said.
In the car, Sloan said, “What in the world, Slade? People got that mess on tape.”
I uttered, “So what? I was supposed to sit there and let her push me? Let her talk to me any ol’ kind of way?”
“No, you did what you had to do. I’m just sorry it didn’t work out for you,” Yuri said. “I know you really wanted to be in a group.”
“I did, but girls are a trip. I guess I just wanted what you guys have so bad.”
“What do you mean ‘have what we have’?” Ansli asked.
Tears were starting to well up in my eyes as if someone had turned on a faucet.
“You guys always pair up. I’m always the odd man out.”
“You’re always with me and Yuri,” Sloan said, clearly not understanding what I was talking about.
I said, “I just don’t have a best friend, okay? But I guess I’m learning it ain’t nothing wrong with having my sisters. At least it’s real. I got to settle for the fact that maybe my dream is not gonna ever come true.”
“Now you’re talking silly,” Ansli said. “You’re way more talented than me, and if I could make something of my dream then you could do the same. But you’ve got to be with the right people.”
Knowing she was right and that I was with the right people I uttered, “I don’t want to go home right now, you guys.”
“Well let’s go get a big, fat burger and some fries,” Yuri said, feeling me.
I smiled and nodded. I was truly thankful for my sisters. The five of us gulped down big juicy burgers with cheese, and during my time with them, I forgot my woes. Eventually, we had to head to the Sharp estate.
As soon as we walked into the house, our parents were sitting there waiting on us—and not because they didn’t know where we were. Ansli made sure we checked in. The fight had gone viral. The headline was, “How can Sharp run the city when he can’t even control his daughters?” It was just me fighting, but the video made it seem li
ke all of us were out of control.
“Explain this. Somebody tell me what’s going on here,” my dad said as he held up his iPad.
“Somebody stepped to Slade wrong, Dad,” Yuri said.
“Yeah, but sweetheart, you can’t just fight,” my father responded in a sweet tone.
I stepped up and took responsibility. “I wasn’t trying to ruin your campaign, Dad, and I hope I didn’t do that, but …”
“But what?” my mom asked. “You just begged me to spend the night with these girls. You were in a group with them, and now you’re fighting one of them. What in the world happened?”
“Jealousy,” Shelby uttered.
“Well listen, that doesn’t surprise me at all,” my dad said, surprising me. “But you’ve got to be bigger than that, Slade Angel Sharp. Somebody steps to you wanting to fight, you’ve got to step back. The stakes are real high.”
“But it ain’t cool to punk out, Dad,” I voiced.
“It ain’t cool to get a juvenile record either, Slade. And whether I’m the mayor or not, this family is already on front street. I know that’s a lot of pressure you girls didn’t ask for, but if ever there were five young ladies who could rise to the occasion, it’s my girls. Don’t let anybody change you from who you are. Slade Sharp doesn’t slither on the ground attacking people. That’s somebody else’s M.O., ya feel?” he said.
He patted my head and took my mom by the arm and walked out. He turned back to me and gave me a wink.
A week had gone by, and I couldn’t get Avery out of my mind. He was in my dreams and my thoughts, and when I came out of the school building, he was in my reality. Or was my mind just playing tricks on me again? I blinked several times, and there he was actually standing there waving at me.
The election was getting closer, and my sisters all went with Shelby to go to my dad’s campaign headquarters. I was going home. I had a project coming up, and thanks to Ansli being on punishment because she skipped school, I had been driving her car. My dad understood that I couldn’t help because of my school work. Though I had to get my project done, Avery’s presence put it on the back burner. My sister Sloan would never be diverted from get her work done. My name wasn’t Sloan, though.
Getting close to him, I put on a poker face. I had to ignore him. He was toxic.
“You just gon’ ignore me? You see me waving. You not saying anything. You still that mad at me? Come on, I thought you’d be over it by now,” he said.
He was so fine, I wanted to pass out. I held it together, though. He couldn’t see me sweat.
“Avery, why are you here at Marks High?” I said when I touched his shoulder. I actually felt chills go through my body when I felt a muscle. “Are you getting back with Taylor or something?”
“No, I’m here because I need you.” Avery was looking deeply into my eyes.
“Excuse me?” I said, moving back from him.
“No, no, really. I mean don’t get me wrong. I’d love to have the opportunity to win you over, but I really need your help.”
“With what?” I asked.
“I’ve got to cut this demo for a friend. Your voice … I need you for background. I promise it won’t take too long.”
My dad had spies everywhere, even in the form of the principal, so if I was going to do something daring, I had to get to it. Not totally thinking through what I was agreeing to, I just said yes.
“Great! You can ride with me, and just leave your car here.”
“Uh, no,” I told him, with a big attitude and a frown. “I’ll follow you.”
“Alright,” Avery said, seeing I was serious. “I appreciate this. Really. You’ll be there an hour tops.”
“That’s all I have because I got to get home. I’ve got a big project due tomorrow, and my parents are expecting me to be home when they arrive.”
“Thank you,” he said, stroking my hand.
It took us about fifteen minutes to get to a house. I actually thought we were going to a studio, but as we were walking up to the door, Avery told me the studio was in a back room. When we arrived at the eerie house, I felt a little uncomfortable. I saw nothing but guys. And not young ones either. They all looked to be twenty and older. There were even more of them inside the house. I started coughing when smoke hit my lungs, but it wasn’t smoke from cigarettes or even cigars. These jokers were smoking weed.
“Where are you taking me?” I said to him, getting really agitated.
Before he could answer, the Boots guy from backstage at the pageant stepped up to him. “You’re late.”
“I know. I’m sorry, Boots,” Avery said to him.
“Get in there and make my hit record. K.J. is already in there.”
I was pissed when I found out we were here because Avery was trying to pay off some of the debt he owed. “Avery, I’m not staying.”
I turned around to walk out. He grabbed my waist, pulled me to him, looked me eye-to-eye, and said, “Please. I know this seems crazy, me bringing you here like this. But if I didn’t need you, I wouldn’t have.”
Then all I could do was flash back to the night he was getting punched in the gut, and I said, “Alright. Hurry up.”
Avery opened the door, and we started a session. I sat on the couch when he recorded the lead vocal tracks. Without fail, hearing his voice again made me want to take off my clothes and let him do all the things he was singing about.
When it was my time to add the chorus, my creative juices kicked in. And when he told me what he wanted me to sing, I asked him, “How ’bout this?” and tried something way sexier. He loved it.
“Record it. I’ll be right back,” he told me when there was a knock on the door.
“Hey, sexy lady. You ready to start?”
I couldn’t see who was on the other side of the engineering booth.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“One, two, a one, two, three, go.”
I sang. Before I knew it, a guy appeared before me, and he was about two hundred and fifty pounds, with a little gut that I could see. It was October, but he had on a cut-off T-shirt. He looked nasty, and he kept walking toward me.
“Shucks, you fine. Come touch Daddy,” he said with his gross lips.
“What?” I said, falling on the couch as I was backing up. He fell on top of me. “Get off of me!”
This K.J. guy covered my mouth and started touching my chest. I couldn’t even move. This guy was trying to rape me. His lower body was slithering on me like a snake.
CHAPTER FIVE
STRETCH
K.J.’s gritty dog-hands were all over my waist. His funky, nasty breath was all in my face. When slobber fell from his mouth and onto my lips, I felt more uncomfortable than I ever had in my life.
“Stop!” I screamed out. “Don’t do this!”
“Just ease up baby, dang. It’s ain’t going to take long,” K.J. said as his rough, sticky hands went to my jeans.
I was happy they were tight. It made it difficult for him to unbutton them and pull them down. As hard as I tried to wiggle away, he controlled my movement.
“Please get off of me! Please,” I yelled when he touched my skin down low.
He was digging deep, trying to find my treasure. I was moving erratically, trying not to give him a map. Just as he got inches from a hot spot, the creep was pulled off of me. I was too afraid to sit up.
Then I heard Avery punching him and saying, “You have no business touching her.”
I sat up quickly and buttoned my pants. I screamed, “Avery, let’s just go! Come on! Let’s go!”
When Avery looked up at me, K.J. got the upper hand. The jerk put Avery in a chokehold. He would not let up.
As he squeezed Avery tighter, I screamed, “Help! Somebody help!”
I didn’t know where we were, and I didn’t know whose house we were in, but surely there had to be decent people who weren’t for all this violence. Thankfully three guys rushed in and pulled K.J. off of Avery. When they stood together, I was real creep
ed out because Boots was in the middle. It was déjà vu seeing the same guys who had threatened Avery before at his mom’s theater looking to do the same thing again. I knew he owed Boots dough, but was being here worth it?
Boots grabbed Avery’s arm and said, “I ain’t want no trouble. You just was supposed to come in here and make me a hit record, paying back some of what you owe. I liked the sound you just played, but now you want to come over here bringing this chick who doesn’t understand the game. We take what we want in my house.”
“She didn’t come here for that, Boots,” Avery said.
Boots grabbed Avery’s collar. “I wasn’t asking you all that. I said we get what we want in my house, so get her out of here, and just know now we’re back to zero. You owe me all my money. I want it in two weeks, or I’m going to let my partners here finish what they started with you and your mom. You hear me? Two weeks!”
Avery nodded and grabbed my hand. I reached back down to grab my purse, and the two of us fled like we just stole something.
As soon as we got outside he said, “I know you drove, but just follow me, please. I want to explain. Just follow me.
“I—I got to go home,” I said, still shaking.
“Just please follow me.”
Still worried about Avery, I told him I would. He walked me to my car. When I saw thugs eyeing me down, instinctively I marked the location using the GPS.
We went to a park. I pulled up right beside him. Avery motioned for me to come over to his car. Against my better judgment, I went and got into his car.
“It’s getting late, I can’t stay long,” I said to him.
“I know,” he said as he stroked my hair. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“No, I’m not okay. I’m shaking from top to bottom. Why did you take me there? Those are the same guys who threatened you and your mom.”
“You know I was trying to pay down some of the debt.”
“Okay, but why did you take me there? They are crazy as I don’t know what, and as soon as you left, he tried to rape me.”
“Of course I didn’t know that he was going to do that.”
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