by J Peach
“If you can give me a drama free year after us telling King, then I’ll say yes. I mean no bullshit whatsoever.” I hope that within that year I’d actually fall in love with Sly instead of having this heavy like I felt for him.
“What? I don’ gave yo ass seven, almost eight years with no drama and now that I’m this close I’m not gon’ fuck up,” he finished speaking with a hard slap to my thigh.
“Ouch, Sly, damn. That shit hurt.” He chuckled as I popped hit chest. “That shit not funny, you bastard. Sly, don’t start playing, I’m tired and you know we have to get up at five before King shows up,” I finished saying with a yawn at the same Sly huffed out a breath. He was irritated with sneaking around. I knew that, but King’s reaction of the news was what I feared most. Sly’s irritation didn’t touch the fear I felt when it came to my brother. Even with these thoughts I still felt the need to reassure him. “Bae, I promise I’ll tell King soon. Even if he do go off, at least he’ll know and we won’t have to sneak around no more.” Another yawn left my mouth and my eyes closed as I buried my face into his neck and got comfortable.
I waited for sleep to take me, but it didn’t come easy as my mind strangely strayed on Blaze and I wondered what he was doing at that moment. My stomach soon tightened as the feel of his rough callused hands touching me invaded my wandering thoughts.
“What you smiling about?” Sly’s voice broke through my reverie.
I didn’t answer, instead I pretended I was asleep as I tried clearing my mind of that cocky smile, that persistent attitude, and that rude personality that was Blaze.
But couldn’t.
That wasn’t good, not at all.
I need to get him out of my head and fast.
CHAPTER 11
One month later I was at Gary’s Health Clinic. I looked at the sign for a few more seconds before getting out of my car and fixing my scrubs. A sigh left my mouth as I rolled my eyes and ran a hand through my hair. Grabbing my purse and then locking the doors, I pressed the alarm button. Securing my baby was a must when I was in a hood Clinic, niggas would steal yo shit without a care.
Going to that place could be so tiring when dealing with some of the lying, ghetto ass folks that went in there. Bitches could have two STI’s and still be claiming they never had sex. Even with the nasty, dirty ass folks that went there, I still loved my job as a medical assistant, especially since it came with good pay.
“Hey Dane,” I said, smiling as I waved at my co-worker.
Dane was a big, sexy, dark chocolate grizzly bear. He was stupid big, I mean his whole body was full of muscles. One might have thought it strange seeing such a big dude working as a MA, but Dane was harmless. He was just a big, chocolate teddy bear. Too bad he was married.
I would’ve had eyes for him if he wasn’t, though. He was sexy, smart, had a bomb ass personality, and a legit job. What more could one ask for?
“Peaches!” Dane called, slapping his hands together in front of my face.
“Sorry, I was thinking about something. How’s Jennifer and the baby?” I asked him as we made our way to the back to clock in.
“Good, Megan’s little badass getting into any and everything she can get her hands on. Jen told me to invite you over for dinner like three weeks ago, but I forgot.”
Laughing, I hit him in the arm. “Just like a nigga. Three weeks really, D? Damn that’s messed up.” He shrugged with a chuckle.
“You know I’m a forgetful mothafucka. So what yo tiny ass been into? And don’t lie saying nothing, yo ass always have a story.” Dane said, making me laugh at his nosiness.
“Shit, same old same old. Hey, have you heard of some dude by the name of Blaze?” I asked him, he was from the hood and well known too. Dane used to play ball with King back in the day, sometimes they still played at the Rex when his nose wasn’t up in Jennifer’s ass.
I asked him about Blaze because I couldn’t ask King without suspension being raised, even though nothing was going on between us. But it had been well over a month since I’d seen his rude ass, which was a good thing. But at the same time, I couldn’t keep my mind from wandering to him. Especially after him telling me that I was got and promising we’d finish what we started. I was kind of hoping we would.
What the hell am I saying? It’s a good thing he’s not coming around no more. The last thing I needed in my life right now was a fuckin’ hood.
Sitting at my desk, I started up my computer then grabbed the manila folders off of the ledge in front of my desk before turning back to Dane who had suddenly become quiet. I didn’t mind talking to him about it at that moment because the clinic didn’t open for another ten minutes and we were the only two at my desk.
“Dane?” I began, but his loud sigh cut me off as he pulled out the chair next to me.
“Shit, he ain’t nothing nice is all I can really say. I ain’t no scary dude, I’ll drop a nigga in a minute. But shit, that’s one mothafucka I wouldn’t want to piss off, no lie. That nigga straight crazy, but smart as fuck. Dude ain’t scared to up strap on no nigga. Remember Carl that used to play ball with us back in the day?” Carl. Just thinking about him had a sigh leaving my mouth. I had the biggest crush on him when I was eighteen, but he was too deep in the streets, fucking anything with legs and I just couldn’t deal with a nigga that couldn’t be faithful. Even thinking about him at that moment still didn’t change the fact I was head over heels for him.
He was the only hood I ever liked.
Carl was a caramel skinned brotha with pretty, green eyes that had specks of brown in them. He stood six feet, three, the height of a basketball player, but built like a football player. Hoes and the dope boy life got to him, though. Just like most young dudes in the hood, he got hooked on the shit and once crack wasn’t enough, nigga got hooked on heroine, then started smoking woo. He smoked it with weed, cigarettes, hell, everything that could be smoked he had woo mixed in it. Shit was just crazy.
His ass was so bad and he’d gotten so small, but I had a crush on the guy and with me wanting to be a nurse and all, I thought I could help him. We had made plans to meet, but never did because he never showed up. Two months had gone by when word got out that he was found dead, burned. I never knew what really happened, but the night we were supposed to meet was the night he died.
“From the look on your face I know you remember,” Dane said, and I nodded my head while playing with my fingers. “Blaze did that shit. My dude Tank used to fuck with Blaze back then, before he got with Tasha. But yeah, said he killed him. I guess Carl stepped to him on some disrespectful type shit. Nigga was high from what Tank told me, but to Blaze disrespect was just that, so he killed him. Said he beat his ass before setting him on fire. Fuck’d up if you ask me. I mean everybody knew how Carl’s ass got when he was gone on that shit. Apparently Blaze didn’t give a fuck and bodied his ass.”
Everything I’d been hearing about that nigga was reason enough for me to stay the fuck away from him. I didn’t want a nigga that was in these streets, I refused to become like my momma was. Staying at home, all alone, worried about when I’ma get that call telling me my man’s dead. Fuck that. I already had to deal with that shit because of King’s ass.
“Damn. And King cool with this nigga?” I asked, not wanting to believe my brother could hang with someone like that. To my surprise, Dane’s big black ass laughed like something was funny. King wasn’t good, I’d never claimed he was, but I didn’t think he’d go that far. Yeah, shooting a nigga would be something normal to him, but to burn somebody for being disrespectful was just fuckin’ psychotic. “What?”
“I know you want to think King’s ass can’t do shit wrong, but that mothafucka just as crazy as Blaze ass, if not crazier. Fuck you mean King cool with him? Them nigga’s grow up in their line of work together,” Dane stated.
“Yo lying ass. I’ve known King my whole life, he ain’t shit like that.” Part of me was in denial about the fact that King wasn’t, not wanting to believe he was psychotic.
“Like I said, King shows you the shit he wants you to know. I use to hang with him and back then wherever he was, Blaze ass wasn’t too far away,“ Dane stated and I smacked my lips before turning away from him.
“Don’t yo ass got to work or something?” Yes, I was pissed because of what he said, I mean I wasn’t saying my brother was a saint. Hell, he was far from it. He was hot headed and would pop a nigga in a minute, but setting fiends on fire for some disrespectful type shit wasn’t right.
It wasn’t like those on drugs were aware of the bullshit they were doing, they were high ass fuck. King would’ve laugh at the mothafucka or probably hit his ass, but not kill ‘em. Hell, crackheads made those damn streets funny and niggas needed a good laugh to deal with that life.
To be honest, I was mostly mad because Blaze killed Carl when I knew I probably could’ve helped him if he would’ve made it to my apartment that night. That’s what I wanted to believe anyway.
“Why you asking about him?” Dane asked.
I shrugged before answering him. “I met him and his friend Sam at ‘Voodoo’ like a month ago, almost cut his dick off. I just wanted some insight on him,” I replied as an approaching figure caught my attention. It was Doctor Silverio Rodriquez, a fine Puerto Rican man whose good looks made my mouth water. I turned to him and waved. “Good morning, Doctor.” A smile came to my lips as our eyes locked briefly.
“Morning.” His lips seemed to move in slow motion and my eyes followed him as he continued down the hall.
A sharp pinch snapped be out of my little trance. “What the hell, Dane?” I snapped, grabbing my arm. “Did you just pinch me?” I asked, looking at the red mark right above my elbow.
“Stop eye fucking him, make me tell King on that ass.” Smacking my lips, I rolled my eyes.
“What the hell he going to do? Shit, but threaten me. King’s not my man and last I checked I’m grown,” I told him before glancing back at the sexy Doctor who I had plans on sneaking off with later on.
“Don’t play, I’m still waiting on my invitation to the wedding.” My head snapped toward him so fast I swear I heard a crack. Did he think King and I were… Peaches and King?
“What the fuck you thinking, Dane? That’s nasty, ain’t no incestuous shit going on up over here. We don’t do that…” my words trailed off. I was a split second from going the fuck off on that nigga then I realized that he was one of those friends that King kept in the dark. He probably didn't know that King was my real brother, and that was by design. King had a deep fear that if niggas knew we were family, they might try to harm me to get at him. So he often lied about my relation to him, and I often did the same.
Dane stood there looking like he was braced to get cussed out, but I switched up on him. “King is like my brother, I don’t see him as nothing other than that. We've known each other since we were kids,” I said calmly.
The nigga looked at me like I was lying or something. “That’s how it always starts then the next thing you know y'all will be fucking,” he shot back.
My lips pressed tight together, stopping the smartass comment from leaving my mouth. I chose to ignore what he said, with a simple shake of my head as well as a hard roll of my eyes.
Dane simply laughed it off knowing what he said had likely pissed me off. “Let me get to work before you try throwing yo little fist at me,” he stated with a nod toward the door.
My eyes followed the gesture, a sigh slipped through my lips as I watched the two front desk receptionists come in. Officially telling us the office was now opened.
I hope no bullshit starts today.
“Peaches, can you pull up Mr. Carter’s file then call him to come in around one-thirty?” Dr. Rodriquez asked coming out of his office.
“Sure. Does Mr. Carter have a first name?” I questioned, getting ready to pull his name up on the computer.
He glanced up from the file in his hand and looked to me. Licking his lips, his head shook as his eyes returned at the papers. “No, just Carter. And he’s not in the computer,” he told me before walking into room three where a patient waited.
God, that’s a fine man. I thought to myself as my eyes followed his retrieving back until the door closed behind him.
A long breath slipped through my lips as I stood from my chair to go to the file cabinet, but then stopped to stare at Dane, who was leaning against the wall opposite me, grinning.
“Peaches, got a little crush I see.” He taunted, with his smile still intact, but wider, showing off his pearly whites.
“Don’t yo nosy ass have work to do?” I laughed, going around him to the A-C file cabinet and pulling this Carter dude’s folder. Once I found it, I turned back to Dane waiting on his response.
Not a word left his mouth, though. Only a hum in the back of his throat before he walked off.
“Trina Daniels!” I called out as I looked around the waiting room. “Trina Daniels?” When I didn’t see anyone get up I turned to walk in the back until I heard…
“Hold up, that’s me. I was in the bathroom.” Looking over my shoulder, noticing it was the same Trina from Voodoo, I smiled at her.
“I’m Peaches, come on to the back with me,” I introduced myself while holding the door open for her then walking to the scale. “Step on so I can get your weight.” She seemed to have a slight attitude for some odd reason, but I paid it no mind. I was at work and didn’t want to act stupid for addressing her on it. After writing her weight down, I took her in room one. “You can sit on the bed or the chair if you like,” I told her as she stood there.
Starting up the computer I looked back at her only to notice she was still standing, looking at me. Ignoring her look, I continued to do my job. After pulling up her info, I grabbed my sphygmomanometer and stethoscope.
“I need to take your blood—”
“There ain’t nobody else in here that can help me?” My brows rose at that before I rolled my eyes.
“Nope, just me. Now you either let me do what I need to, or take yo ass back in the waiting room, your choice. To be honest I really don’t give a fuck which you choose,” I told her.
“You know whatever you got going on with Chase gon’ stop. He got a baby, a family, and don’t have time for no gold diggin’ ass hoes like you comin’ after him. Bitch, I’m baby momma, girlfriend, wifey, so stay the fuck away from him.”
This bitch got me fuck’d up. “First off, don’t come at me with that bullshit! As you said, whatever I got going on with Chase is none of your concern. Yo ass came in here for a reason and it wasn’t for me. So you can sit yo ass down and shut the fuck and worry about that infected ass pussy of yours. That’s what yo ass needs to be worrying about because I can smell that shit from here. And apparently he ain’t to fuck’d up about you seeing—. You know what? Get the fuck out before you make me lose my damn job for beatin’ yo triflin’ ass. Bitch, you got me fuck’d up,” I snapped, opening the door. “Bye, take yo ass to health department so they can treat yo triflin’ ass,” I told her, and the bitch just stood there mugging like she was about to do something.
“What’s the problem?” Dr. Rodriquez asked as both he and Dane stopped at the door, before slowly entering the room, taking a step toward us. The both of them looked every bit of confused.
“Don’t even worry about it, baby, hold this,” I told Dr. Rodriquez while I pulled the Ruger from my hip, brass knuckles chain off my neck, and my knife from my ankle.
That bitch had me all the way fuck’d up. She ain’t know me from shit to pee, but she gon’ step to me like she knew. Oh yeah, Peaches be the right one to fuck with.
“Goes to show how I’m not fuck’d up about you, bitch. Come on, mama, fuck with me.”
I had never been one of those girls that just stood there and argued. What was the point when I didn’t know how to argue, besides calling someone a bitch? That’s was as much of an argument anyone would get out of me. And I damn sho’ wasn’t gon let nobody hit me first, not my thing.
&nb
sp; My fist flew out toward her, but before I could hit Trina I was pulled back. Why was it that whenever I was about to do some damage someone always grabbed me? Damn.
“You better grab that bitch! Hoe, you don’t know I’m from Marshall Town, we rock hoes like you all day. Bitch, you ain’t scaring no mothafuckin body, step to me if you wanna, bet you get that ass handed to you. Stay the fuck away from Chase or you will be seeing me again.” Funny how the bitch got her voice when I was grabbed.
I tried getting free from Dane’s big ass, but that fucka wasn’t letting up. Fuck’d up thing about ol’ girl was if she really wanted to fight, she would’ve run up because nobody was holding her scary ass.
Dane continued to move backwards, further away from the scene as I fussed and thrust around in his arms.
“Fuck you, bitch. If you want it I go to lunch in a half hour, be yo triflin ass outside.” I yelled before a door was closed in my face.
Rude much!
“What the hell is wrong with you, Peaches?” Dane snapped, making me roll my eyes.
“That bitch shouldn’t have come at me sideways when she doesn’t even know me. I’m not about to let no nigga or bitch step to, talk to, or mug me any kind of way. Especially when I didn’t do shit to them.” If she had a problem with me talking to Chase, why not say something at the club that night? Why wait a month later to come at me with that bullshit?
“Peaches, I get that. But come on, man, you at work. Put that pride of yours to the side until you leave here. To make matters worse, yo ass packing in the office,” Dane trailed off as the office door opened and Dr. Rodriquez walked in.
“Dane, you can take your lunch break, I’ve already sent everyone else out,” Dr. Rodriquez told him. Dane cast a glance at me before shaking his head then and leaving out, closing the door behind him.
“I—”
“Shush,” he said, cutting me off as he took off his white jacket and then loosened his tie, all the while not saying anything. We sat there quiet for at least ten minutes and I couldn’t take it no more.