Black & Ugly

by Styles, Toy

  "Because, I can't worry about one of you convincing the others to go to the authorities when I get home.

  That's why it is imperative that you make me believe the survivors will remain quiet. You should know that I have a lot of information on you and your families.

  The cops that you've been talking to report to me so you can already gather, from your conversations with the fake officers, how much I know. I even have your addresses."

  "So, the cops ... uh ... weren't real?" I ask.

  "I like to send them first to find out what's up before I even get off the plane. A lot of times they eliminate the legwork for me, but since you all appear to be pretty loyal to one another, I had to go deeper under-cover. If they'd confirmed the killer, I would've never met you, Parade. But I'm sure I would've seen you at one of your friends' funerals." He smiles at me.

  I hate him. I hate how I allowed him into my heart only to hurt me and my friends. I can't believe he's the same man I shared my body with, the same man who, just earlier in the day, made love to me. He's the friend-liest and most professional murderer I ever met. And 220

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  I'm terrified of him.

  "For the last time, I'm gonna go down the row and ask each of you, one time and one time only, who you believe murdered Melony and why. If you don't tell me what I need to know, and I don't hear a yes by either the person who did it or the person who knows something, I'll have to kill all of you." My mind is working overtime, and I hope theirs are, too. I don't want any of us to be hurt, but unless one of us thinks of something quick, I can't guarantee our safety. For some reason, a plan pops in my head but if it goes the other way, it can end up with all of us being killed. But right now it's our only alternative.

  "Can I go to the bathroom?" I ask him as I stand.

  "Why all of a sudden?" he questions, sensing I'm on some bullshit.

  "'Cuz I'm scared and my stomach is bubbling. I'll be quick, please," I plead as I start moving up and down in place. "You owe me that, Cannon."

  "Well, hurry up," he says politely. "And Parade ..."

  "Yeah," I reply as I turn around.

  "Don't fuck me."

  "I won't," I respond and run in the bathroom.

  Once inside, I grab my cell phone. I stuffed it in the hamper earlier because I didn't want Sky asking me to use it again and seeing Jay's number. He called telling me he ended the relationship with her like that will make me want him again. Stuffing my phone in the hamper was dumb, but it was all I could think of at the time. If she would've asked to use it, I had plans to tell T. Styles

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  her I didn't know where it was. I guess it was a waste of my time considering she already knew about Jay and me anyway.

  Quickly, I look for the number. I find it and Cannon yells from the living room, "Parade, make it quick." I hate him and wonder if his real name is even Cannon. I won't bother askin' him, though, because I'm sure he won't tell me.

  "Okay!" I yell back.

  The pressure is killing me. I cut the water on to muffle the sound, hit send and pray he will answer his phone.

  "Markee, it's Parade."

  "Awww shit. What up, yo?" he says.

  "I was calling to see if you seen Miss Wayne. I just carried all these purses in his house and he ain't here."

  "Oh ... uh ... naw, young. I ain't seen that nigga," he replies in a devious tone.

  Cannon knocks on the door and I can tell he's using the butt of his gun. I muffle the phone and sit on the toilet as if Cannon can see me.

  "Yes?" I respond as if I'm in pain.

  "What you doin', baby?" he says in a creepy tone.

  "I'm usin' the bathroom. I'll be right out."

  "So, why the water on?"

  "'Cuz I can't concentrate without it," I utter, praying that he buys it.

  Silence.

  "Hurry up. We got business to take care of out here."

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  "Okay."

  "The next time I knock on the door, finished or not, I'm draggin' you out by your hair."

  "Okay."

  He's gone so I turn my attention back to Markee.

  "What you doin', yo? He there yet?"

  "No," I say, trying to sound disappointed. "I guess I have to leave all his shit in his house. Oh well, I gotta go."

  "I'm out," he states and gets off the phone quickly.

  I know immediately that my plan worked, or at least I hope it did. Otherwise, why would he get off the phone so fast with me? Any other time he would be pressed to talk because he stayed asking me when I was gonna call him and shit. I know he has all intentions of busting in Miss Wayne's place to rob it. It's just a matter of time - while time is exactly what we don't have a lot of right now.

  I could've called the police but I didn't because I believe Cannon when he says that he'd have somebody kill us. For all I know, he'll hire another set of fake cops to take us out. This way, Markee can bust in and at least cause a diversion long enough for us to help Sky out.

  I walk out of the bathroom and make sure Miss Wayne's bedroom door is open then I go in the living room and sit down. Everybody is still shaken up and Daffany quickly wraps her arms around me.

  "You finish?" Cannon asks like he knows I'm up to something.

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  "Yes."

  "Good. I'm gonna start with Wayne first," he says.

  "Miss Wayne," I interject.

  "What?" he asks.

  "I said he likes to be called Miss Wayne," I answer, using the silliest things to buy time.

  "Sweetheart, I appreciate your help, but this gentleman has a gun. So, at this time, he can call me anything he wants," Miss Wayne adds.

  "Thank you 'cuz I'm not into calling another man Miss anything. So ... Wayne, did you, or do you have any idea who killed Melony Walker that night?" he asks slowly.

  I hope that Markee is rounding everybody up and not wasting time. I've never looked so forward to a robbery in all my life.

  "Cannon," I say, trying to cause another diversion.

  "Yes," he responds as if he's extra irritated with me.

  "Are you gonna give us enough time to answer the question first? Like five minutes or so."

  "Naw," he says, looking at me. "We don't have that much time. And don't interrupt me again, Parade. This is not a fucking game. Answer the question, Wayne."

  "No," he says as he shakes his head. "I don't know who killed that woman and I'm so sorry I don't. Can you tell Mr. Walker I said that I'm so sorry about what happened to his wife?"

  "Yes, but do you have an idea who may have done it?"

  Again, he shakes his head no.

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  "Wayne, I need you to answer the question."

  "No ... uh ... no I don't," Miss Wayne conveys as he begins to cry.

  "Daffany."

  "Yes," she says, crying as hard as everybody else.

  "Yes, you do know?" he asks, thinking she's telling him something.

  "No, I don't," she responds and puts her head down. "But I wish I did. I'm so sorry." He then moves to me, looking into my eyes as if he knows I know something. Sky grabs my arm and squeezes it tightly, and I can tell she's worried that I will betray her.

  "Parade, baby, do you know who killed Melony?"

  "No. I don't know anything," I answer quickly and prepare to give my life for the only true family I ever had. If I have to die beside them, I'm going to. And I know they feel the same, otherwise they would have given Sky up, too, because although they're not sure, I know they suspect her.

  "Well, you know what this means. If Sky doesn't admit to killing her or denies killing her, I'll have to tell my chop men to get four body bags. So Sky, did you kill Melony Walker that nig
ht?"

  "Yes," she says as she busts out crying. "Yes, I did, but please don't hurt my friends." Up until this moment, we all thought Sky was selfish and only cared about herself, but here she is admitting to the ultimate crime in order to save our lives.

  "I knew you did, but to be honest, I thought you'd T. Styles

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  sell your friends out."

  "Uh ... how ... uh ... did you know?" Sky cries.

  "Because you're wearing her one-of-a-kind canary-yellow diamond pendant necklace. I needed to get a good look at it and since it's dim in the living room, I followed you in the kitchen. "So," he says as he stands and grabs a pillow. "Lay down on the floor."

  "Oh, God no! Please don't. Please don't kill her!" we all scream.

  "Shut the fuck up!" he yells as he points the gun at us and silences the crying, "or I'll kill you mothafuckas anyway."

  Sky reluctantly gets face down on the floor, crying.

  He places the pillow to the back of her head, cocks the gun and attempts to pull the trigger. Someone rattles the door.

  "Shut the fuck up!" Cannon whispers harshly but loud enough for us to hear. "You expectin' somebody, mothafucka?" he asks Miss Wayne.

  "No." He shakes his head rapidly.

  "Everybody get on the floor," Cannon commands as he grabs us by our arms and cuts off the light.

  The door creeps open and, in the dark, I push my friends toward Miss Wayne's bedroom. The sounds of several footsteps let me know Markee bought more than one person. Unnoticed, we're able to get into Miss Wayne's bedroom and lock the door.

  "Who the fuck is that?" a voice yells.

  "Who the fuck are you?" Cannon hollers back.

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  "You came at the wrong time, man. You betta get the fuck outta here!" Cannon shouts.

  "Fuck you, nigga. We ain't goin' a mothafuckin'

  place and you ain't either. So what, you trying to beat us to the purses?" Markee asks.

  "Purses? What the fuck are you talkin' about?

  What are you, some type of gay bandit?" Cannon questions.

  "You callin' me gay?" Markee asks. "Fuck this shit.

  You callin' me gay, mothafucka?"

  "Markee ... is that you, man?" Cannon inquires.

  Now I'm worried. I didn't know they knew each other. Now I'm sure they're gonna work together to kill all of us anyway. My little plan backfired and it's all my fault. My stomach is churning and I feel like I can throw up.

  "Yeah," he responds, apparently recognizing him, too.

  "What you doin' here, man? You fuckin' shit up."

  "Shit! My fuckin' brotha's gonna kill me. Shit!

  Shit! I didn't know you were in here, man. Parade called me and told me some purses were here and I was tryin' to jack them joints before the faggy came home."

  "Okay, just walk out and let me handle my business. I'll never tell your brother you were here," Cannon says real smoothly.

  "Sorry, yo, I can't do that." Bang, Bang, Bang.

  We all hold one another and start crying as we hear the sound of a body dropping to the floor. We want resT. Styles

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  olution, but hearing the shots scares us even more.

  Someone immediately approaches the door and we know it's Markee.

  "Who in there? Open this fuckin' door. Parade, I know you set me up, bitch. I'ma kill your ass. Don't think that just because I killed this nigga that hit on y'all's head ain't goin' through. You ain't buy nothing but a few more seconds."

  "Oh my God. I'm so sorry, y'all. I made things worse," I tell them.

  "I love y'all," Daffany says, feeling like the rest of us - that things are all over now and that we are certainly going to die. We know that if he fills the tiny room with bullets, we'll all be dead. There is nowhere to escape, not even in the closet because it sits directly opposite the bedroom door.

  As we hear the shots ring out, we continue to say our good-byes on the floor, holding one another. They stop. We stand up and feel our bodies.

  "What ... uh ... happened?" I ask as if they know.

  "I don't know," Daffany says.

  "I think we okay," Sky adds.

  "Oh. I forgot. That's a metal door." Miss Wayne laughs.

  He says that and I drop to my knees and thank God.

  We all know his door is metal, but in all the commo-tion, forgot.

  "FREEZE. THIS IS THE POLICE!" Hearing those words, for once in our lives, is like music to our ears. We stay in the room while listening 228

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  to Markee being hauled off. Next, we hear authoritative knocks on the metal door.

  "Is anybody in there?" an officer yells.

  "Yes!" we say simultaneously.

  "Well, please open this door!" he continues.

  I think about Cannon hiring fake cops and say,

  "With all due respect, can you slide your badge under the door? We've been having run-ins with fake cops lately." We all bust out laughing.

  "No problem, ma'am," he answers as he slides his badge under the door.

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  Epilogue

  Parade

  Six Months Later

  LIFE IS DIFFERENT. I MOVED away from the Manor because I couldn't stay around there anymore.

  Everything about that place reminds me of a life I hate and gives me bad feelings.

  The night everything jumped off, we were all worried that something bad would eventually happen to us, but with Markee shooting Cannon three times in the chest, we felt positive that we would be okay. We were wrong, because Sky was murdered the next day.

  It was terrible. Whoever killed her did a far worse job than what Cannon would have done. They stabbed her so many times in the face that she was unrecogniz-able and because her parents were both witnesses, they did the same to them. It was a closed-casket funeral.

  We were so scared that none of us went. Later, an anonymous call came to my phone threatening to handle us if we opened our mouths. Needless to say, we didn't.

  Daffany admitted to having HIV and went to the 230

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  doctor to get meds. She claims that she has stopped having sex for money, but Miss Wayne says he still sees her hanging out with certain men around the neighborhood. I just hope she's safe. We hang out sometimes, but only if she comes to my place over here in Riverdale, Maryland, which is about twenty minutes away.

  Miss Wayne moved, too, with a man he met on MySpace, and they've been doing pretty good. He visits around the way more than I do because his family and everything he's ever known is still there. Unlike him, I don't have shit to say to my mother or a reason to go back, so if it weren't for him, I'd never know what was going on.

  Miss Wayne is somebody I'll never stop talking to because he's the one person I truly consider family. I'm happy for him and his new friend and hope it lasts because I hear gay male relationships usually don't.

  They live in Largo, Maryland, which is an upscale part of the state about forty-five minutes from me.

  Whenever I talk to him, he tells me he's getting dicked down with eleven inches or something else nasty like that. He's such a freak. Just as long as he's happy, I'm good.

  Markee was convicted for the murder of Russell Hargrove a.k.a. Eclipse a.k.a. Cannon. He didn't last three days in jail because Jay paid somebody to sodom-ize him with a broom handle and slit his throat. He said it was for raping his niece and stealing her ATM

  card a couple of months back. They found out he was T. Styles

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  responsible for that, too, after running his prints. I guess all the shit he did
finally caught up with his ass, truly. So, Silver and Jay have major beef now.

  Anyway, I'm on my way to meet Daffany and Miss Wayne at PG Plaza. I can't wait to see them because I miss them so much. That's one thing I can say is different about where I live now. Back at the Manor, I had all my friends accessible. Now, I don't.

  They arrive at the mall and we all hug for five minutes as if we didn't just see each other last week.

  "Hey, girl!" Miss Wayne screams. "I'm lovin' your hair. You done got all fly on a nigga and shit. DO IT

  BITCH YEOOUUUSSSSS!" he says as he hits my arm.

  "Thank you, baby. Workin' at that salon pays off. I get my hair done free because they don't like their employees looking any kind of way," I tell him.

  What's sad is that since everything happened with Sky, and I left home, I finally feel better about myself.

  Maybe I should've distanced myself from people who brought me down a long time ago. Now I realize that I'm black and beautiful. It's a shame it took a murderer to show me that.

  I'm still hiding a secret from my friends. I have a new man and it's serious. The only thing is he's a drug dealer. I met him a week after Sky's murder.

  ~~~~

  In the wake of Daffany's HIV status, I decided to go get tested. I went to the clinic in downtown DC that gives immediate results. I had unprotected sex with too many men including Melvin and Jay. I'm sure Sky was 232

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  having unprotected sex with Jay, too, and who knows if either of them was fucking Daffany, so I was scared.

  Thank God I'm negative. After receiving my results, I decided to go to Arundel Mills Mall and buy a new pair of shoes. A diamond necklace in the window of a jewelry store caught my eye as I was leaving the mall. I stopped to look and stood there staring at it for few minutes. I searched through my purse already knowing I didn't have enough cash to make the purchase. I couldn't help but think about Cannon and everything he did for me when I thought he was real. I'm sure he would have bought the necklace for me in another time and in another life. Just as a tear fell down my cheek, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around.

  "Excuse me, I just wanted to tell you that you are absolutely beautiful," he said. "I mean stunning."