by A'zayler
“But for real though, you think I’ll look good up there?” Summer asked before she burst out laughing again.
“Fuck yeah! Your thick ass thighs, with all that sexy ass chocolate skin. Oh my God!” Jacorey bounced his legs being all dramatic and shit.
Summer was laughing her ass off.
“I heard y’all light-skinned men had a thing for dark women.”
Jacorey bit his lip and shook his head. “You have no fucking idea. When I saw you at the club with your sister them that night I wanted to hop on you then, but I ain’t want you to get the wrong impression being that I had ass and titties all over my lap.”
“I wouldn’t have given two fucks about them hos. Shit, you should have said something.” Summer gave him the side eye. “I was drunk as hell too. You probably would already know what all this ass would look like bouncing on ya dick.”
Jacorey turned so hard in his seat he almost broke the seatbelt. “Don’t play with my emotions right now. My stomach hurt too bad.”
Summer laughed hysterically. She laughed for a good five minutes before she stopped. She had tears in her eyes and everything. She was so fucking pretty.
“Nah for real though sweetheart, I’ll see what it’s hitting like soon enough. I know you want to give it to a nigga anyway. I’ll wait.”
Summer smiled but didn’t say anything. The drive to the emergency room was long and quiet due to the fact Jacorey was slumped over in pain again. The waiting room was beyond packed. There were women and crying babies everywhere. There were even a few people lying on the floor or moaning in pain. Summer observed all the people and though she felt sorry for them her main concern was Jacorey. After they checked in and found two empty seats in the corner Summer helped Jacorey sit down.
“How you feeling?” She looked at Jacorey.
He was slumped slightly in the chair.
“I’m cool,” Jacorey whispered.
It was obvious he was in a lot of pain and didn’t want to show it. Summer placed her hand on the top of his and held it there. He was tense for a moment, with discomfort and pain all over him. Summer wanted to take his pain away but she couldn’t. What she could do was put some fire under these nurses asses.
“I’ll be right back.” She waited for Jacorey to acknowledge he’d heard her. When he nodded his head she got up and walked to the nurse’s station.
“Excuse me, do you know how much longer the wait will be? My friend is in an extreme amount of pain.”
The receptionist looked up. “What’s his name dear?”
“Jacorey Woods.”
The nurse scanned the computer for his name before telling her it would be at least another hour until he was seen. With a suck of her teeth, Summer turned and headed back to her seat. The moment she sat down Jacorey leaned over and laid his head on her shoulder. His eyes were closed as he held on to his stomach. Sumer didn’t even bother to tell him how long it was going to be. She rubbed his back instead. Her arm was wrapped around his shoulder as her hand slid methodically up and down his back.
“It hurts too bad to talk?” Summer looked down at the top of his head.
He nodded.
“Summer?” Jacorey’s voice was low. “I feel like a bitch. I’m balled up in your lap like a fucking kid. I probably look like a little ass boy.”
Summer and Jacorey both snickered a little before she kissed his forehead. Her mouth was a little damp from the perspiration across his forehead.
“Sumer? Is that you?”
Summer’s head whipped up in search of the person that had just called her name. She smiled when she saw Jeremy. He was an old classmate that she’d graduated with. They’d met their sophomore year of college and remained friends. Although he liked her more than just a friend and expressed it on numerous occasions. Summer didn’t feel the same. She hadn’t seen him in almost three months and his hair was different. His dreads were replaced with a low cute fade filled with waves. One thing Jeremy wasn’t, was ugly. His light skin was a tanned brown with a goatee and a pretty smile. He walked to her and took a seat. She felt Jacorey shift in his seat, trying to sit up. She turned to check on him before giving Jeremy her attention.
“Hey Jeremy. What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Just spending my life at this hospital.”
“I know the feeling. It feels like I live at that damn middle school.”
“Jeremy laughed. “I bet those little niggas love you.”
“They’re mannish asses love every female with ass and titties.”
“Being that you have a good bit of both I’m sure you’re their favorite.”
Summer wanted to laugh but she was a little nervous since Jacorey was right there. Jeremy must have sensed her hesitation because he looked over at Jacorey briefly.
“So what brings you in here?”
“My friend has been having real bad stomach pains and he’s nauseous.”
“How long y’all been here?”
Jeremy looked down at the watch on his wrist before pulling out his badge. RN was written in dark blue.
“For about ten minutes.”
“I was about to go on break but I’ll go ahead and take y’all back. Let me go grab his chart.”
“Oh Jeremy, thank you,” Summer exclaimed.
“Thank me by finally taking me up on dinner plans.”
“We’ve already been through this Jeremy.”
He held his heart like he was wounded before pinching her cheek and walking away. Summer looked at Jacorey expecting him to say something about Jeremy hitting on her but he didn’t. He was laid back in the chair with his head against the wall. His eyes were closed but she knew he wasn’t sleeping. When she shook his arm, his eyes popped open.
“My friend is going to take you back in a minute. Okay?”
Jacorey nodded his head and closed his eyes again. His hand was still thrown across his stomach. Summer searched the waiting room with her eyes waiting for Jeremy to come back. He had just stepped out of one of the rooms and was waving them over. Summer leaned down and helped Jacorey from his seat.
“Come on baby. They’re about to see you.”
With a low groan Jacorey stood from the chair with his arm thrown over Summer’s shoulder. They walked slowly to the back where Jeremy was standing. Inside the room Jeremy helped Jacorey onto the bed.
“When did the pain start Mr. Woods?”
“He said it’s been about a month or two now,” Summer answered for him.
“So this has been going on this long and you’re just now coming?”
“He said he didn’t want to come because he doesn’t like doctors.”
The frown on Jeremy’s face wasn’t missed by Summer or Jacorey.
“That’s pretty juvenile, don’t you think?”
Summer’s eyes bucked when Jacorey lifted up off the table. His eyes said things his mouth wouldn’t let him. He opened it to get something out, but Summer cut him off.
“Can you just check him out? What he chooses to do is his business. No offense but chill out Jeremy.”
“No disrespect intended. I was just thinking out loud.”
Summer rolled her eyes. Hopefully Jeremy would just do his job and call it a day. Jacorey already didn’t feel well. They did not need the added stress.
The rest of the night at the hospital went by pretty slow. After finding out that he was suffering from gallstones they were cleared to leave. The doctor advised him to get a surgery to remove his gallbladder completely. The ride home was quiet but Summer was okay with that because Jacorey looked a lot better. The Percocets and Vicodin they’d prescribed for the pain were clearly helping. He was more than willing to take the medicine but the diet that he’d been placed on was crazy and he wasn’t happy about it. Summer made a pit stop on the way back to his house to grab some apple cider vinegar for him to take whenever another attack came on. Now they were back at his house in his room. Jacorey was undressing to prepare for a shower.
“I should knock y
our yellow ass out. It shouldn’t have taken you this long to go to a doctor.”
Summer was sitting on the corner of his bed while he continued to remove his clothing. They’d just gotten back to his house from the hospital and she’d been fussing ever since. It was bad enough they’d been in that cold ass room for almost three hours waiting to be seen. Jacorey had gotten annoyed by hour two and because Summer’s little boyfriend kept coming in it made the visit even longer.
“Yeah just like I should I knock your black ass out for all that damn flirting you was doing with that bitch ass nurse.”
Summer rolled her eyes.
“Nah don’t stop talking now. I should put my foot in your ass right now.”
“Jacorey, that boy is my friend.”
“Friend my ass. That nigga want some pussy. If I hadn’t been feeling so bad I would have beat his faggot ass.”
“Now you need to quit.”
“I don’t need to quit shit.” Jacorey looked at her with his eyebrows raised.
He watched Summer look down to the floor and laugh. He didn’t know what she thought was so funny because it most definitely wasn’t that li’l nurse that kept running in and out of his room fucking with her all night.
“Jacorey, you are not my man. I’ve told you this already before.”
“And you can tell me a thousand more got damn times and its not going to change a thing. We kicking it right now so that means every little nigga you got in your corner can get their ass beat.”
Oh what the fuck did I say that for?
Her little chocolate ass burst into a fit of laughs. See that was the kind of shit that had a nigga thinking about keeping her on the team.
Summer poked her bottom lip and stuck her hand out to him. “Aww I’m sorry Jacorey. Don’t be mad. I didn’t like him then, and I don’t like him now.”
“We’ll see about that,” Jacorey said as he walked away and into the shower. He thought about Summer as he washed and how she’d been there when he didn’t even ask her to be. Now that was a characteristic of a winner.
Chapter 12: Caught Up
“All I’m saying is that I’m about to start exposing their asses.” Alex flipped his weave over his shoulder and pulled the strap to his cheetah print Louie bag.
He and Rain had just pulled up to the nursing home where his grandmother was staying and were on their way inside. He had just gotten off the phone with Damien and was pissed to the max. Damien wanted to dictate everything Alex did with other men, not to mention his free time. Mildly putting it, he was fed up with his shit.
“So what you gon’ do? I mean you know how this stuff goes. Don’t get brand new now because Damien wants to put a leash on your ass.”
“Bitch a leash? That’s what you think? Now you know me better than that. I love leashes. I’m just saying I need somebody that’s real. This life is starting to take a toll on me. Sometimes I don’t know if I even like who I am anymore sis.” Alex’s voice broke but only for a second. By the time Rain looked over at him he was back to smiling. “Come on, let’s go see this old ass woman so I can get back to my regular scheduled program.”
“Look here little girl, you do know that old ass woman you’re referring to is your damn grandma. The sweet old lady that has raised your gay ass since forever,” Rain said as she linked her arm through his.
Alex snaked his neck so that he could look at her. “Don’t you start too Damien Junior.”
Rain laughed while holding the door open for them to walk in. Alex took the lead once they were inside. He was all too familiar with this place. River Place. He’d had her placed there on her seventieth birthday because she refused to live with him but he didn’t want her to live on her own. It was a clean and spacious environment filled with other elderly people that needed living assistance. Alex opened the door to her room and walked in with Rain in tow.
“Hey Granny. How you feeling with your fine ass?’
She looked up and smiled just as Rain slapped his shoulder for cussing.
“Hey my baby. Come give me some sugar.” Her arms were outstretched in the air for Alex to walk into.
He threw his purse down and walked over to her. His smile was huge the whole time as he wrapped her in his small arms.
“I missed you Mama. You doing okay today?” Alex alternated between calling her Mama and Granny because although she was his grandma, she was his mother in every aspect of the word. He was fifteen when he first came out to his parents about being gay and they disowned him the moment he said it. His femininity had always been the elephant in the room but no one chose to address it until the day it came directly out of his mouth. His parents didn’t pass go nor did they collect two hundred dollars. They put him out of the house the moment he said it. Had it not been for his granny he would have been assed out in the worse way. She never judged, although she spoke her opinion quite frequently. She didn’t agree with it, but she didn’t condemn him about it either. Every day he spent with her was a gift. He begged her to live with him but she was used to being independent so she declined. Now every weekend he was able to, he came to see her.
“You look marvelous as always my beautiful boy.” She rubbed her hand down the side of Alex’s face.
“Don’t I though? I get it from you.”
Alex got up and walked over to the bed to sit down.
“Hello Rain. How are you baby?”
Rain walked closer to her. “Hey Granny, I’m fine. You look amazing.”
“Don’t I always?” She waved her hand around dramatically as Rain sat on the bed next to Alex.
“What’s wrong Alex? You look like something is bothering you.”
Alex looked at Rain then back at his grandma. He thought carefully for a moment about how to word his situation with Damien. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell her; it was that he didn’t know how to without going into too much detail. After going over it in his head a few times he decided to just let her have it. He told her everything from Damien, to the undercover men, to his rocky relationship with Troy. Her facial expression gave away how surprised she was but she remained silent the entire time until he finished. He was glad when Rain interjected on certain parts to help him explain various things. Rain being there had definitely been for the best. She helped say things he hadn’t really wanted to say. His granny was the only person in the whole world that made him nervous about anything. When he finished the room was quiet. His grandmother rocked back and forth in her chair with her pink pajamas on and smiled at him.
“Alex, don’t you think it’s time for you to stop this baby? The Lord is not pleased with the way you’re living. I love you and so does He but this lifestyle is dangerous. Not only are you in danger of Hell’s fire, but with the society we live in today baby people are going to hate you. They’ll hate you for being yourself. It’s not safe Alex. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” She wiped the tears that were forming in her eyes. “Somebody will kill you Alex.”
“I’m fine Granny. Nobody is going to hurt me,” Alex said softly.
“I worry about you Alex. This isn’t right baby. You know I’ma love you either way, but it’s time to stop.”
Alex kneeled on the floor in front of her and laid his head on her knees. His twenty-six-inch Brazilian straight weave fell across her lap as she rubbed his head. With his arms wrapped around her legs Alex let out the tears he’d been holding in for the last few days. When Rain realized he was crying she shed a few tears of her own. Alex hadn’t meant for this to happen but being around his grandma always made his feelings come out. He cried for a few more minutes before he relaxed and sat back against the wall.
“See this is why I don’t come here. You always turn me into a little boy.”
“You are a little boy. You’re my sweet, beautiful little boy.” She blew him a kiss.
Rain and Alex stayed with her for a few more hours before deciding to leave.
“You coming upstairs?” Alex asked as he put his car in park.
He’d just pulled up to his apartment complex and was about to get out of the car.
“Yeah I guess I can come up there for a few minutes and write while I have some time.”
They got upstairs and got comfortable inside. While Alex headed straight to the back Rain sat on the sofa and pulled her laptop and notebook from her bag. She kicked her shoes off before setting everything up. She’d just sat her bag on the floor when her cell phone rang.
“Hey Dakota Love.”
“Hey baby doll, you good?”
Rain smiled. “Yes. What you doing?”
“Just left work about to grab me something to eat. I wanted to pull up on you. Where you at?”
“I’m at Alex’s house. Come on.”
“Cool. I’m on the way.”
Rain ended the call and got down to work. Maybe she could get a few thousand words in before he got there. She was in her zone when Alex burst back into the living room.
“Aye bitch, I’m about to have company. You want to stay in here or go in my room?”
“I guess I can get ready to leave. Love is on his way to see me anyway so he can just take me home.”
“Oh that’s even better.” Alex smiled and the doorbell rang.
Rain grabbed her things and ran to the back of the house. She hated to be a third wheel. She could hear voices as she sat on Alex’s bed. It couldn’t have been any longer than ten minutes when she got a text from Love letting her know he was outside. Rain stuck her things in her bag and headed into the living room only to get the shock of her life. It was the guy from the party that had been hitting on her that she later found out was Love’s friend. These niggas ain’t got no chill.
“Oh my God,” she mumbled. Obviously she had been loud enough for him to hear her because he looked up and from the look on his face she’d shocked him too.
Rain diverted her eyes quickly so she could pretend like she didn’t see him.
“I’m about to go boo. Just call me later,” Rain said, looking at Alex.