by J Peach
I snatched her arm and pulled her to me. When I did, her eyes snapped to mine. They were wide and red, I knew she was high. “Kelley, that money you took, I need it. You can keep the clothes and the TV. Just give me that money back,” I pleaded with her. I was desperate.
She laughed and snatched her arm from me. “Don’t be grabbing on me—”
“Momma, please. I need that money,” I tried begging her once more.
And just like before, she laughed and her head shook. “I don’t have no money. Yo black ass wouldn’t give me shit. Now get yo ass on, little bitch. Always fuckin’ up some shit,” she mumbled to herself and started picking up the clothes, stuffing them back into the duffle bag. “Here, you sell that and see what you can get,” she threw me a pair of shorts.
That’s when I lost it. I snatched her by the short, nappy ponytail on her head and slammed her to the ground. And I just started punching her. “You fuckin’ crack head bitch! You gon’ fuckin’ break into my shit and steal from me! I fuckin’ hate yo ass! Stupid bitch!”
I stood up and started stomping her in the face. Never had I ever hit Kelley before, but her stealing that much money from me, talking shit about what I owed her and then trying to give me my own shit to sell, clothes I bought for myself, pushed me over the edge.
Just thinking about all the times she mistreated me, sold me, every terrible thing she had done to me came rushing back to my mind and I lost it. My foot stomped and kicked her in the face before it move to her fragile, bony body. The rage in me had me stomping as hard as I could on her. I didn’t care, I wanted to kill that bitch. She didn’t deserve to live in my eyes. My foot kicked her in the stomach, then in her face before I pressed it against her throat. I was about to crush her windpipe.
“Yo, Angel, come on, ma, chill out! It’s kids out here,” Smoke finally spoke as he pulled me away from her.
“N’all, fuck that! Let me go. I’m about to kill this bitch! She done lost her fuckin’ mind. All that you’ve done for me? Bitch, you ain’t never did shit for me. Smoke, let me the fuck go! Kelley, yo ass gon’ give me my fuckin’ money. You better get yo ass up and go get my shit or go sell that ran down ass pussy of yours to make it back,” I yelled at her as I struggled in his arms trying to get free.
Smoke wasn’t listening, instead he held me to him as he walked away from the courts.
“Smoke, dude, for real let me go! This ain’t got shit to do with you. Please, let me go.” I was so pissed off, tears ran down my face. I wasn’t done with her ass, I wanted to hurt Kelley. My soul didn’t feel like I’d done enough to her.
“It got everything to do with me when you bring that bullshit in my area. Ain’t nobody tryna have the laws out here because you done killed that bitch. Take that shit to yo part of town. Don’t bring it my way, I got too much shit out here for that bullshit,” he fussed at me as he walked us to his front door. “Get yo ass in there and calm down.” He pushed me inside his house and went to stand on the porch. “Ayo! Joe, run to the courts and get those clothes and shit. Don’t let Slick Kell take shit, hurry up,” he instructed someone before coming back into the house.
I stood in the middle of the living room pacing, I was so mad I wanted to go out there and kill her. Every nerve in my body was so on edge I just wanted to cry.
“How much she take from you?” He sat on the arm of the couch looking at me.
“Eighteen thou, that bitch broke into my house and stole all of it. That wasn’t even my money, though. I had to give somebody that shit today, now what I’m supposed to tell them? My crack head momma stole yo shit?” Laughing, I sat on the couch. My face fell into my hands as I let out faint chuckles.
“Damn, that’s fuck’d up. Shid, I ain’t even know Slick Kell was yo moms, tho. Why would you have that shit in yo crib knowing who yo moms is?” He slid into the spot next to me.
“That bitch ain’t my momma. Smoke, I had a lot of shit going on and forgot. But I didn’t think she was going to break into my house. Man, this some bullshit.”
I looked at him and ended up laughing. I didn’t know what it meant to catch a break. Every time I felt like I was moving forward in my life, I always got knocked back ten more steps. I just wanted to give up. I mean, what was the point of wanting something better if shit kept happening? I was becoming tired of everything.
“Here,” Smoke held a blunt out to me.
With a shake of my head, I took the blunt and inhaled deeply as I tried to figure out how I was going to explain everything to Martell. Then I laughed again as I realized that I had rushed back from Indy only to be faced with this bullshit.
Chapter 5
Angel
“That’s fuck’d up, Ang. I’m sorry, but I’ll probably still be out there whoopin’ my momma’s ass.” Missy let out a heavy sigh.
“Girl, I tried to crush that bitch windpipe. Missy, I have every mind to go find her and beat her ass again. Like, that’s some fuck’d up shit. Bitch, I had eighteen thousand dollars that she took.”
“Kelley ass bogus as fuck for that shit. Bitch, I’m ready to go help you find her ass. Real talk,” Missy fussed as she finished twisting up a blunt. “Here. You can light that up. If you know where she hang at we can roll up over there. I’m sure her ass still got some of that damn money. She ain’t spend all that in a day.”
“Missy, I was gone for two days, not including the day I left. That bitch probably spent all that shit. It’s no telling how much work she done bought. Kelley ass can’t keep no fuckin’ money. That shit always end up in her veins, in her pipe, and on some liquor,” just thinking about it had me fuming all over again. “I told you she had my fuckin’ clothes out in Delaney trying to sell them. If her ass had any money left, why the hell was she selling my shit?” I stressed. I didn’t want to believe that she bought drugs with the money she stole, but I knew my momma.
My hands went to my head and all I wanted to do was cry. I hated Kelley’s ass, I wanted to kill her. My spirit was on fire with hatred for her ass.
“Bitch, I say we go roll up at whatever crack house she be at and take whatever crack, weed, liquor her ass got and steal that shit,” Missy pitched.
I inhaled the weed smoke and then exhaled as I stared at her. That ain’t a bad idea. “We can do that. But shit, I’m sure I scared her from Delaney. Let me call Smoke and see if he know where her ass at.” I handed her the blunt, pulled out my phone and dialed Smoke up.
***
Missy pulled in front of the abandoned house with boarded up windows, the one Smoke gave me the address to. We stayed in the car looking at the run down place. I didn’t know what we were about to walk into, but I didn’t really care about that. I needed that money or some work to make up for what I’d lost.
“You ready?” Missy nudged me.
I let out a heavy breath and nodded my head. “Yeah, let’s get this over with,” I glanced at her as I pushed my door open. “Missy, really?” I asked with a small laugh as she grabbed her damn purse.
She looked at me like I was crazy. “Bitch, yeah really! You a damn fool if you think I’m not going in there with my bag. We’re about to walk into a house of fiends trying to take back some work. We might have to shoot a couple of those mothafuckas. And I’m ready,” she pulled out her desert eagle and cocked it. “Let’s go.”
I couldn’t do anything but let out a few chuckles at her. My bitch was ready to ride no matter what. I got out of the car and followed Missy around to the back of the house.
She stopped at the back door, looked at me and then looked down at my hands. “Bitch, what are you doing? Where yo gun at?”
My eyes rolled up in my head, I personally thought she was being a bit dramatic. I didn’t feel like shit was going to pop off with some crack heads. Regardless of my feelings, though, I reached in the back of my jeans and grabbed my .9mm. I took it off safety and then turned toward the back door. Grabbing the door handle, I slowly twisted it. The door was unlocked so I pushed it open and walked inside. Then I tu
rned on my phone’s flashlight and looked around the dusty place. We walked into what looked to be a living room, pallets decorated the floors.
“Oh shit!” I jumped hard, almost dropping my phone as a big ass rat ran across the floor. “Bitch, you see that big ass thing!”
“Ugh! It smells like straight ass and funk up in here!” Missy gagged as she walked up close behind me.
My lips twisted up at the smell and I shrugged her off of me. “Get off of me and go check a room for something.” I pulled myself from her. “Kelley!” I yelled out loudly. I wasn’t about to creep around that dark ass rat infested house. “Kelley!” I walked over to a door in the living room and opened it. I flashed the light inside only to have another rat run out. “Oh, hell n’all!” I shuddered as I slammed the door shut. If it wasn’t for the fact I needed that money, I wouldn’t have even been in that place.
I heard a door close upstairs. “Missy!” I waited a few seconds for her to respond, but she didn’t. “Melissa!” I yelled out to her, using her government name.
“Don’t be yelling my name like that,” she mugged me before she let out a laugh. “Girl, why the fuck it’s two fiend’s in the back fuckin’? My nigga tearing that shit up,” Missy’s hand spanked air as her hips thrust forward.
How could she find humor in a place like that when I was ten seconds from saying fuck it if I saw another gotdamn rat? “And yo nasty ass back there watching them?” I asked, pointing the flashlight in her face.
“Hell yeah! Shid, that’s what that funky smell is. Nasty ass fuckas. I told their asses they had this mothafuckin’ house funky as hell and that they needed to go wash the fuck up. Funky ass bastards.” Missy’s lips turned up and her eyes rolled.
I didn’t know why, but I believed her stupid butt told them that. “Did they stop fucking?”
Her head shook. “Hell n’all, they told me to get the fuck out and continued. That’s when you started calling me.” She shrugged. “But it wasn’t shit back there, though, just that room and a bathroom.”
“Come on, I heard a door upstairs close.” I grabbed her wrist and began to pull her with me up the steps. “Ah shit!” I let out a loud scream once I made it to the top as a skinny, dirty faced white dude turned the corner. My hand went to my chest and I panted hard. “Dude, what the fuck?”
He smiled a wide toothless smile. “You looking for me?” His hand wiped at his nose before he grabbed his crotch. “You want some—”
I pushed his ass hard, making him fall. “Get the fuck away from me. Talking about want some, hell n’all.”
He laid on the floor laughing. “She want some of me,” he repeated, looking from me to Missy.
“Girl, go before I have to shoot his ass,” Missy nudged me in the back.
I started down the hallway and after passing up one room I pointed to it. “Check that, Miss.”
While she was doing that, I continued making my way further down the hall, coming to another room. I went to open the door, but it was locked. Stepping back, I raised my foot and kicked the door hard. It didn’t move. I raised my foot again and kicked it harder and just like before, nothing happened. This time I raised my gun and aimed for the handle.
“Ang, what the hell are you doing?” Missy came over to me and pushed my gun down.
I pointed to the door with my gun. “It won’t open so I’m about to shoot the knob.”
“Move, damn. We gonna go to jail for B&E because yo simple ass don’t know how to break into a room.” She pushed me away from her and pulled out a butterfly knife. Missy slid it into the slit of the door, pushing it in and out. A few seconds later the door creaked opened. “You’re welcome.”
Walking into the room, the first thing I saw was my TV. “This Kelley’s room. That bitch!” There was barely anything in the room besides a comforter on the floor, my TV, and a few bags. I moved straight to the duffle in the corner. Picking it up, I emptied all the contents on the floor.
“Ang, look,” Missy held out a brick of powder. “Here, you think that cost eighteen thou?” She tossed me the brick.
I shrugged my shoulders as I looked at it. “Hell if I know. We can ask King—”
“Hell no!” She quickly shut the idea down. “King will flip out on our asses like he’s our daddy. He’ll probably think we’re trying to sell some shit. I don’t have time to deal with him. Then he gon’ wanna know where we got it from and all that jazz. I just don’t feel like being interrogated.”
“I guess we can talk to Smoke and see if he wants to buy it off me,” I told her, looking at the brick. I just didn’t understand how that shit made folks not care about anything.
“If you gon’ holla at Smoke you might as well talk to Blaze. I mean Smoke ass work for him after all,” Missy suggested.
My gaze tore away from the drugs in my hand to Missy. “What? Bitch, is you crazy? Hell no! That man wants to slap my ass. If I go to him with this he probably ain’t gonna give it a look without asking if he could slap me. N’all, Miss, I’ll ask Smoke.” Going to Blaze was the last thing I was thinking about. I was far from a punk, but when it came to that unpredictable ass nigga, I couldn’t take any chances.
“Bitch, it’s two of us. What the hell he gon’ do? Do you think I’ll let him touch you?” Missy’s stare was serious as she gazed down into my eyes.
I pushed her away from me and started laughing. “Girl, bye! He’ll smack yo yellow ass too. The fuck?” My eyes rolled into my head, I didn’t want to talk to Blaze period. But then again, maybe he would lookout for me because of his thing with Peaches. “Ugh, damn. Fine, let’s go talk to him. But if he tries something, like for real, Missy,” my facial expression turned serious as my head shook and I bit into my lower lip, “like dead ass for real, if he try something, bitch, you better be ready to run because I’m leaving yo ass.”
Missy started laughing, but I didn’t. I was every bit of serious. After that nigga sent a few shots through the back window of my car, I knew he was for real crazy and not just playing crazy like a lot of niggas did.
“Missy, put that shit back in the bag and grab that bag of clothes,” I instructed as I handed her the brick of powder.
I quickly swooped up my TV and then headed for the bedroom door with Missy right on my heels.
“Ang, Kelley gon’ be pissed when she see that you took all her shit,” she panted as she hoisted the bag more up her shoulder.
I stuck my foot into the wedge of the back door and opened it before I replied. “Bitch, this my shit. I’m taking it back. To be honest, I might not even keep this stuff because it was in that damn house. Did you see those big ass rats?” I burst out laughing.
As soon as the word rat left my mouth, Missy dropped the bag of clothes. “Are you stupid? Yo ass got me carrying that damn bag and there’s rats in that fuckin’ house? Hell n’all, you dirty for that shit! Ugh,” her body shuddered with disgust. “You laughing and I really feel like punching yo ass. That shit wasn’t cool at all. Now for that bullshit, you shake every piece of clothing in that bag before you put it in the car. Ol’ stupid black ass!”
I stood on the sidewalk laughing as I watched her stomp to my car and get in the driver seat. I had every mind to just leave my clothes in the grass and pull away. But I couldn’t, I worked too hard for every top, bottom, and outfit I had. I couldn’t just throw my stuff away or leave it for a damn crack head.
Sighing, I poured all my clothing out the bag and began to shake them piece by piece.
***
“Peaches said he’s here. She didn’t tell him we were coming to see him and she stressed the fact that we need to knock on his office door and wait until he tell us to come in. Ang, Peach said don’t just walk yo ass in there.” Missy’s eyes rolled as she relayed to me what Peaches was telling her.
I gave her a bored look. “I got it the first ten times she said that shit, damn.”
“Peaches said, bitch, don’t get smart— Hold on, I’m not about to be relaying messages,” Missy put the phone
on speaker.
I reached over to her and took the phone out of her hands. “Peach, bitch, I got it, damn. I’m going to knock on the door and wait for him to answer it. I don’t know why you just ain’t tell him we were coming up here, shit. It would’ve been a lot easier.”
“And I don’t know why you won’t tell me why you’re going to see him. So no, I’m not warning him and I’m not telling him to be nice either. This is all on you, boo,” Peaches’ voice came loud through the speaker. I could tell she was irritated because I wouldn’t tell her my reason for wanting to see her crazy ass man.
“Okay, fine—”
“Angel, please do not go in there with yo mouth popping slick with him. He’s still not over the fact that you tried to run him down with your car. And I’m not there to try and calm him down. And Missy, don’t go in there with that fuckin’ bag of yours. If y’all hurt my baby I’ll be real life pissed off at y’all, I swear I will. Y’all please just go in there nice and maybe he’ll be nice too,” Peaches whined out.
Missy and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“Bitch, shut your crying ass up. Hell no, I’m not leaving my fuckin’ bag in the car. I might have to shave that nigga and Ang might have to put a hot one in his ass. The fuck you mean, Peach? You must be out yo gotdamn mind if you think we’re walking in a room with a psychopath unarmed. Hang up on her ass,” Missy fussed.
I leaned in my seat laughing because I knew Peaches was serious. She was not around to protect us from him so we had to do it ourselves. I couldn’t lie and deny the fact that Blaze scared the hell out of me.
Peaches let out a groan, “Y’all I’m so serious—”