by Lady Lissa
“Wassup cuz! Whatchu coming around here looking for me for this late for?” he asks.
“I need your help cuz,” I say.
“Aight, well come inside.”
“Actually can you come out here so we can talk in private?” I ask.
I don’t need my mom’s fat ass cousin Barbara in my damn business. I can bet any money that before I leave here, my mom will be calling me to see what the hell I’m doing over there. But, what else was I supposed to do? I need Ernest’s help fixing my windshield and he’s the only one that I know who will do the job for cheap.
He steps outside and his mom says, “Does your mom know that you here Mandy”
See that shit? What did I tell you? She is always sticking her nose is somebody’s business. Now watch how she runs her damn mouth and spill the beans as to where I am. I know my mom will have way too many questions for me when I get home, but hopefully, my car will be in really good shape so she won’t be asking me any questions about that bitch’s death.
Once we are walking away from the front door, Ernest asks, “What’s going on with you Mandy? Why you come around here so late?”
“I was in a little accident cuz. I hit a deer and it cracked my windshield,” I lie.
“A deer? Where yo car at?” he asks.
“I parked it under the tree by your shed. I figured you might need to inspect the damage,” I say.
“Show me,” he says as we walk over to my car.
He goes into the shed to get a flashlight and returns with one of those big heavy duty ones. He shines it on the windshield and looks at the damage from different angles. When he finishes looking at the windshield, he turns his attention to me.
“So, you hit a deer right?” he asks.
“Yea,” I answer.
“Cuz, what did you hit for real?”
“I told you that I hit a deer,” I lie again.
What the hell is with the fucking interrogation? Why the hell he gon’ ask me a stupid question like that anyway? If I told him I hit a damn deer, then he should just believe me and move the hell on. I hit a damn deer, point blank period.
“Look Mandy, I have been a mechanic for a long ass time. Just because I allow my family members to get over on me and pay me a six pack of beer from time to time, doesn’t make me a dumb mechanic. I just love my family and I love working on cars. So, sometimes I’m willing to take whatever they can pay me to help them out. But, I know the difference between a vehicle that hit a deer, a cow, a tree, another car and a human. Now, you can continue to play me for stupid if you want to and take your car somewhere else to get it fix. Or you can keep it real and I might help you out anyway,” he says.
I don’t care what my cousin says, there is no way I’m going to tell him the truth. This is one secret I plan to take with me to the grave. Why the hell should I tell him anything about what I did to that bitch? If she had never taken my fucking man from me, she would still be tucked away in her little bed while Onyx and I celebrate our graduation.
Instead, I didn’t get to graduate and she got to spend the night in a swank hotel with my man. That was supposed to be me rolling around in those sheets with him. That was supposed to be me caressing his body and feeling him inside me. It was supposed to be me, me, me. But, it’s cool, I’ll be there for Onyx when he needs comforting as he watches that bitch being lowered in the ground.
He will have to take me back now. I mean, who else is better for him than me? We’re both going to the same college and that means we will be seeing each other a lot. If I have anything to say about it, we will be seeing each other a whole lot.
“I don’t know what you think I hit cuz, but I’m telling you, I hit a freakin’ deer. You want me to show you where it was?” I ask.
“Nah see, I don’t believe you man. Here’s the thing; a deer is a heavy ass animal, so if you were to hit a deer, it would have smashed the shit out of your front end and if it would have hit your windshield, you would have way more than a crack in it. That mufugga would be broke as fuck yo!” he says.
“Wow! I was there cuz so I think I know what I hit.”
I am getting extremely aggravated with his ass. I mean, how the hell can he be so sure that I didn’t hit a damn deer? People hit animals in the street all the time. I just don’t understand what the big deal is. If I hit something or someone, what business is it of Ernest? Why can’t he just fix the damn car so I can be on my way?
“You couldn’t have hit a deer. The damage would have been way more extensive than what it is,” he says.
“Well maybe I hit a dog,” I say.
“Well a dog sounds more plausible,” he says.
Plausible? What the fuck does this nigga know about what sounds plausible or not? I know one thing, he better fix my damn car.
“So can you fix it or not?”
“Don’t you have insurance?”
“Don’t you want this money?” I ask him.
“What money? You finna pay me money for this?” he asks with a puzzled expression on his face.
Shit! Now I done put myself in my fucking mouth. I wasn’t planning to give him any money. All I planned to give him was a six pack of beer. Shit, that’s what the rest of the family give him to work on their cars or trucks. Now I told him I would pay him so I guess I gotta come off some money to pay his ass. Ugggghhhh! Could this fucking night get any worse?
“Yea I was gon’ pay you boy! I mean, ain’t that what people do when someone repairs their vehicles?” I ask.
“Yea, so how much you was gon’ pay me?” he asks.
“A hundred bucks,” I answer.
I cross my fingers, hoping that a hundred dollars will be enough for him. When I see his eyes light up, I know that it’s enough.
“When you gon’ give it to me?” he asks.
“When you fix the windshield! You can’t get the money if you don’t do the job,” I say.
“Well, it’s late so I can’t do shit right now. Come back in the morning and we’ll go to the junkyard to get some parts for your shit,” he says.
“Come back tomorrow? Where the hell you expect me to go with my windshield fucked up like that?” I ask.
“Go to yo fuckin’ house!” he says with an attitude.
“I can’t go home with my car like this. My mom will fuck me up!” I say.
“Well I don’t know where you finna go, but you get to get the fuck on with this shit! Now, I said I would help yo ass but don’t fuckin’ push me cuz. Now get the fuck on and come back in the morning!” he says as he walks pass me and marches in the house, slamming the front door behind him.
Now I’m pissed the fuck off! Where the fuck am I supposed to go? My mom will kick my ass if I come home with my car with the windshield smashed up. I already gotta take money off this debit card to pay Ernest and now he’s telling me to go home before the car is fixed. Awww hell no! I don’t know where I’m gonna go, but get from ‘round here.
I get in my car and back out the driveway. I can barely see because the crack in the windshield is on my side too. I decide to go to a parking lot where it won’t matter if I sleep in my car, but it has to be in an area that isn’t well lit. The last thing I need is for someone to come across my car with the busted windshield and connect me to the hit and run that killed Starr earlier.
This is the first time I thought about her since I ran her ass over. I’m too happy that I killed that bitch. I just need my man back so we can be happy like we used to be. I know if we have sex one more time, he will be mine forever again. Now that Starr is dead, Onyx will be grieving and mourning her death. I can’t fake and say I’m sorry for his loss. He knows I didn’t like that bitch.
I’ve been listening to the radio, hoping that the newscaster would say something about her death, but they haven’t mentioned it. I bet they would have said something on the news. I pull my phone out and check to see if Onyx left me any messages. I am a little disappointed when I see that he hasn’t called or texted me once.
I pull up in the high school parking lot and make my way to the rear of the building. I’ll just park back there for the night and leave early in the morning. I don’t really know where else to go in order to stay out of sight.
I relax the seat and make myself as comfortable as I can. My phone starts ringing before I can even shut my eyes to fall asleep. I look at the screen to see who it is, crossing my fingers that the caller is Onyx, but instead it’s my mom.
“Hey mom,” I answer.
“Mandy, where are you?” she asks.
“I’m sleeping over at Dana’s house,” I say.
“Why didn’t you call me to let me know that? I was so worried when I saw on the news earlier that a teenage girl was involved in a hit and run,” she says.
“You were worried? But mom, this is the first time that you have called me and who was involved in a hit and run?” I ask, pretending to not know what the hell she’s talking about.
“I’ve called you several times and left you a few voicemails. Is your phone working okay?” she asks.
“Yea, I think so. Who got hit mom?”
“Um, that girl that Onyx is dating, Starr something. When the news first broke, they didn’t tell us who it was. All they said was a girl had been hit but then when the news came on a little while ago, they named her. Are you sure you’re okay?” she asks.
“Yes mom, I’m fine. I can’t believe Onyx’s girlfriend is dead. He must be beside himself with grief,” I say with this huge smile on my face. I can’t believe this bitch is finally out of our lives.
“Dead? Who told you she was dead?”
“You did,” I say.
What the hell is she talking about? She just told me the girl was hit by a car. Surely, she didn’t survive that. And if she didn’t survive, that means she’s dead.
“No I didn’t. I told you she was hit by a car but she’s not dead,” my mom says.
“She’s not dead?” I ask as my heart plummets to the bottom of my underwear. What is this bitch, Supergirl? How could she not be dead when I hit her ass with my fucking car?
“No she’s not. She’s in the hospital and she’s going to be fine. Thank God. I know her family must have been so worried. I’m just glad she’s going to be okay. No family should have to bury their child,” my mom says.
“Well, that’s great.”
“Yea, they’re looking for a car that looks just like yours. Good thing your car doesn’t have a busted windshield or they would be looking for you,” she says with a slight laugh.
I let out a nervous laugh and say, “Yea, good thing. Well mom, I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow. Okay?”
“Okay honey, make sure you come home tomorrow. I need to discuss some things with you,” she says.
“Yes ma’am,” I answer.
As soon as the two of us end the call, my blood starts to boil. This bitch is still alive! How the hell is she still alive? That bitch! Now, my man is probably sitting by her damn bedside, waiting for her to get better. This is some bullshit! I wish I had not answered my mom’s call because now, there was no way that I am going to be able to sleep tonight. How the hell can I sleep comfortably when my man is sitting over at that hospital with that bitch?
My phone starts to ring again and I look to see who it is. When I see my cousin, Lucy’s face flash across the screen, I wonder why the fuck she is calling me. She knows after that shit she pulled at the party, I’m pissed off with her. I’ll answer though because I can’t imagine why the hell she would be ringing my fucking phone.
“What!” I answer. Ain’t no sense in pretending that we’re cool. Fuck all the pleasantries and let’s get down to the reason for her damn call.
“Well hello to you too bitch,” she says sarcastically.
“Why the hell you playing on my damn phone, Lucy? After what you did that night, I don’t know why the fuck you calling me or how you even got the nerve,” I say.
“Got the nerve? Bitch whatever. The same fuckin’ blood that runs through your veins run through mine, so the same fuckin’ nerves you got, I got. Where the fuck you at anyway?” she asks.
What the fuck she wanna know that for? As if I would tell her anyway. All she gon do is turn around and rat me out to whoever will listen. I ain’t stupid now and I know that she will give me up in a minute.
“Why the fuck you need to know where the fuck I am?”
“Damn bitch! You act like you in hiding or something,” she says with a slight laugh.
“What the fuck you want Lucy?”
“I just wanted to know if we could chill. I found out something last night about Gregory and I need to talk to someone,” she says.
Oh snap! She must have found out that nigga is married. Well good for her. She needed to know that shit because that muthafucka been playing her damn ass from day one.
“So you found out the nigga married huh?” I ask.
Ain’t no sense in beating around the bush about that shit.
“You knew?” she asks.
“Yea I knew.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“What the fuck I needed to tell you for? You was gon’ find out soon enough and besides, you ain’t been loyal to me, so why the fuck I gotta be loyal to yo ass?” I ask.
The nerve of that bitch. She blew my shit right out the water and then want loyalty from me. Fuck that! She’s right, we from the same damn family and the same blood runs through our veins.
“You knew that Gregory was married and you didn’t bother telling me? You let him make a fool out of me?” she cries.
“Girl bye. I don’t have time for this shit right now. What the fuck do you want?”
“I wanna know where you are,” she says.
This is the second muthafucka tonight that’s asking me my whereabouts. They both ain’t looking for me to just chop it up with me. They got some shit on their minds but fuck them. I ain’t telling them shit. Instead of telling Lucy bye, I just end the call on her ass. I have nothing left to say to that bitch, even if she is my cousin.
I’m still trying to get over the fact that my mom said Starr’s ass is still alive. Damn. When it rains, it definitely pours. How the hell did this happen? I knew I should have backed up on her ass or hit her again. I bet if I had done that, she would be dead. And who the fuck turned me in? Who saw me hit that bitch to give a description of my damn car?
Now, not only is Onyx looking for me but my cousin, Lucy is looking for me too. What the fuck is really going on? Ernest has got to fix my windshield before the police start looking for me, if they ain’t looking for me already.
The more I thought about it, the more certain I am that the hotel must have gave the police their video surveillance. Of course they did. Why the hell didn’t I think about this surveillance sooner? I should have known that an expensive hotel like that had video cameras, but that’s the last thing I was thinking about.
When you are faced with such a tough decision, there are a lot of things you don’t think about. I don’t know how that Starr bitch managed to survive, but she’s going to wish she had died when I hit her with my car. Speaking of car, my mom said they’re looking for my car. I definitely have to get Ernest to fix that shit. If he doesn’t, they are going to put me in jail and lock me away for a long time. I can’t afford to go to jail. How will I get Onyx back if I’m locked up behind bars?
CHAPTER THREE
Luciana
Getting a phone call from Onyx for whatever reason, makes my day. I didn’t know he was going to ask me about Mandy though, but oh well. If I could help him find her ass, I will. But, when I call that bitch, she has an attitude.
Then she mentions to me that she knew Gregory is married. That bitch knew that nigga was married and playing me and didn’t say one fucking word. How the fuck could she do that shit? I would have never kept information like that about Onyx away from her. If I had found out some shit like that, I would have told her ass.
When I see her ass, I will fuck her up. Withholdi
ng information like that from me is a reason to get her ass fucked up. I ain’t even gon’ tell her nothing, just walk up to her and start busting her dumb ass.
Finding out that Gregory is a married man with children is something that hit me in the gut. Not because I loved him so much, but because this nigga really got over on my ass. How the hell could he have pulled the wool over my eyes for two whole years? What kind of wife doesn’t know her husband has a girlfriend and that he’s had one for two fucking years? The chick must be deaf, dumb and blind.
Well, I could say the same thing about myself since I didn’t know he was playing me either. I often heard children playing in the background when Gregory and I spoke sometimes, but when I questioned him about the noise, he said they were his niece and nephew. This whole time that son of a bitch was lying because those were his damn kids.
I need to find out where he lives so I can go there and confront his wife. I need her to know that her man is a lying, cheating ass bitch. If I can break up their marriage, then good. If she chooses to stay with him after I give her that information, then she’s even stupider than I thought. But how do I find out where they live?
Maybe there address is in the white pages. I quickly get online on my phone and type in his name. Low and behold, his fucking address pops up on the screen and the nigga lives only twenty minutes from me. Well alright then, this just means I can head on over to his house and be there by the top of the hour.
I go through my closet to look for something to wear. I don’t want to throw on just anything though. To meet Gregory’s wife for the first time, I need to look as cute as possible. She’s probably some sloppy woman that used to be thin, but let herself go after she had her kids. That doesn’t make any difference to me though. I need to see who my competition was.
The day after graduation, I decide to do something I didn’t think I would do. I need to see for myself just how dumb of a woman this nigga is married to. I choose to wear a blush pink skirt with a white spaghetti strap camisole. My cute little Keds shoes match my skirt and I push my hair up in a bun with loose tendrils about my head. A quick inspection of my reflection and I am confident that I will have this woman wishing she were me.