Behind the Hood (Behind the Lives)

by Hansen, Marita A.

  Nike grimaced. What Leila said made sense. Jayden always gave up way too easily. Hell, Tama would have been stupid to tell the giant pussy anything.

  “Then tell me what time he showed up, and what you gave him?” Nike asked.

  “About one in the morning, and I gave him weed and a coat hanger,” Jayden answered in a rush.

  “Shit!” Nike pushed back his hair, knowing what it meant. Tama had probably stolen a car. How the hell was he supposed to find him now?

  “Did he mention any names?” he asked.

  “Nah.” Jayden grabbed his briefs and pulled them on.

  “Take a guess.”

  “Probably Mikey’s, possibly Sledge’s. Sledge’s sis likes Tama, and always gives him cash,” Jayden gabbled as he picked up his jeans. “I’m really sorry ‘bout Maia. I slapped Tama ‘cross the head for it.”

  Nike nodded, appreciating the sentiment. “Anything else?”

  “Nah, sorry.”

  Nike sighed. Jayden appeared genuine, but it didn’t make him feel any better, he was still getting jack shit. He already knew about the guys Jayden had mentioned, and fully intended on paying them a visit later.

  “Do ya think he went up north?” Nike asked. “I heard he’s got an uncle up there.”

  “Possibly,” Jayden replied.

  “Where?”

  Jayden shrugged. “Dunno.”

  Nike knew Jayden was bullshitting him now. Jayden and Tama were best mates. The two had been tight ever since primary school.

  Nike moved Leila aside. “You’re a bloody lousy liar.”

  Jayden backed up into the window. “No, I’m not lying.”

  “It’s Kaitaia,” Leila said.

  Jayden turned on Leila. “You bitch, ya didn’t hafta tell him.”

  Nike glared at Jayden for a moment. Christ, he really couldn’t stand him. He turned and left the room, not wanting to waste any more time.

  Footsteps followed close behind. “Wait up, Nike,” Leila said.

  Nike stopped in the lounge. “Whatcha want, Leila?”

  “Didja get my last email?” she whispered.

  Nike blew out a sigh. “Yeah ... you gotta stop sending them. I ain’t leavin’ Jess.”

  “But, you said you’d always love me.”

  Nike rolled his eyes. “For fuck’s sake, I wuz fourteen and you cheated on me.”

  “How many times do I hafta say I’m sorry? Please, Nike, I made one mistake—”

  “Two mistakes,” he snapped. “Or have you forgotten about crying rape?”

  Leila dropped her gaze. “I panicked. I didn’t want to lose you. I love you, Nike.”

  Nike sniffed. “Funny way of showin’ it by sleeping with Tama.”

  “I never meant to do it. I wuz drunk.” She glanced over her shoulder then back at him.

  “Why the hell should I believe anything you say?” he said.

  “Cos I’m tellin’ the truth. Why can’t you see that?”

  “Because you’re a liar, just like your bloody husband.”

  Leila slapped his face. “I am not!”

  Nike closed his eyes and breathed in deep, trying his best to calm down. He felt her hands run over his cheeks.

  “Sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to hit ya.”

  He opened his eyes and pushed her hands away. “I’m not your baby. I’m married and in case you haven’t noticed so are you.” He pointed at Jayden, who filled out the passage doorway.

  Jayden looked devastated. Nike knew the feeling. For once he felt sorry for the guy ... but then again, maybe he’d finally got some justice for his cousin.

  Jayden turned and walked away, the bedroom door slammed behind him.

  Leila started crying. She looked from the doorway to Nike as though conflicted. “Please, Nike, I need to be with you.”

  “Stop it, Leila. This isn’t good for anyone.”

  “Then leave Jess.”

  He sighed. It was useless. She wasn’t going to let up. He peeled her fingers off his arm.

  “I’d leave Jay in a second for you,” she blurted out. “I only married him cos I wuz mad with you for gettin’ hitched.”

  Nike stared at her, completely taken aback.

  She fidgeted as his silence continued. “Say sumpthin’, please.”

  He turned and walked out the door.

  8

  Leila

  Leila waited until Nike was out of sight before she headed back to her room. Jayden was lying on their bed with a pillow over his face. She sat next to him and brushed her fingers across his bare chest. “I’m so sorry.”

  When he didn’t move she tried to pull the pillow off, but he gripped it tighter.

  “C’mon, Jaybaby ... you know Nike and I ‘ave history, but you and me, we’re the present.” Yeah, she knew it was corny, but he needed it right now.

  “Go away,” he said, his voice muffled.

  She slipped her hand down the front of his pants hoping makeup sex would bring him round.

  Jayden grabbed her hand and yanked it out. “Fuck off!”

  Leila slipped her hand down again. Jayden never stayed mad at her for long once she got him going. He always forgave her. Yeah, he called her bitch a lot, and lately ho, but he never meant anything by it. He was a big softie when she put on the charms.

  She leaned over and nuzzled his ear. “I didn’t mean to say that to Nike. He just upsets me so much. But I love you more. I really do.”

  Jayden yanked her hand out and sat up so fast she fell off the bed.

  Leila landed on her butt. “Whatcha do that for?”

  She looked up and froze, shocked by his expression. She’d never seen him look so angry. His usually soft face was hard, his big lips pulled back into a sneer. This wasn’t her sweet Jaybaby and it frightened the hell out of her.

  Jayden pushed up out of bed. Leila got to her feet and quickly backed up into the wall. He placed his hands either side of her.

  “Jaybaby, you’re scaring me.”

  He glanced at her chest then her face, with a look that she could only describe as violent. He’d only ever been gentle with her. He wouldn’t hurt her ... would he?

  Jayden’s gaze dropped to her chest again. He went to say something, but stopped, his harsh expression now uncertain.

  She slipped off her nightie, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed into him.

  “Get offa me!” He pushed her away and backhanded her.

  She felt his ring slice her top lip, and tasted blood as he hit her again. A punch landed across her jaw, knocking her to the floor. She would have screamed, but nothing came out. This wasn’t real, Jayden wouldn’t hurt her. He was romantic, bought her roses on Valentine’s Day, remembered her birthday and took her to sappy movies. This wasn’t real!

  He stood over her, his face furious. “You humiliated me,” he yelled. “Why didja even marry me?”

  She couldn’t tell him it was because of Nike, he’d go even more ballistic.

  “Answer me!” he yelled.

  She jerked back. “Cos I love you.”

  “Bullshit! You’re a fuckin’ liar.” He covered his face. “I also know ya fucked Tama when I wuz at work.”

  Leila felt sick. She pulled herself up. Her legs were shaking so bad she was surprised she could stand. She grabbed onto the window ledge. The curtains were closed. Jayden could do anything and no one would see. In a panic she yanked one side across and opened the window. Across the road, in front of a row of brick flats, the Sprat boy was juggling a soccer ball. He didn’t notice her, his concentration fixed on what he was doing. Leila wanted to scream out to him, but couldn’t.

  Jayden pushed her onto the bed and yanked the curtains shut. He turned and glared at her. “Why didja hafta do it with Tama? He’s like a brother to me.”

  “I didn’t ... How didja ... Oh God, I’m so sorry.” She stood up and edged towards the door. “I’m really sorry—”

  A punch struck her jaw, sending her reeling into the cabinet. She knocked over
the photo of her mother and the phone as she tried to stay upright, then slid down the side and onto the floor.

  Jayden pushed her onto her back. “Aren’t I good enough for you?” he asked.

  “No, you’re g-g-good.”

  His face darkened. “That’s not what I heard. Mikey blabbed. Whenever the kid saw me he laughed. I wanted to know why, but he wouldn’t talk until I got him high. Tama told him what ya said ‘bout my dick. Thin like a finger, too small to feel.” Jayden jammed a finger between her legs, making her squeal. He sneered. “Ya felt that, didn’t cha?”

  Leila started to shake. “Please stop, please.”

  “No! I’ve known for a week now and like a retard I did nuthin’.”

  Stunned, Leila stared at him, realising that was when he’d started calling her a ho. “Why didn’t cha tell me sooner?” she sobbed.

  “Tama wuzn’t gonna steal ya. He may fuck ya, but he’s still my mate...”

  Leila didn’t see his logic.

  “...but Nike is different. If he said yes, you’d leave me in a second.”

  “But I never slept with Nike when I wuz with you.”

  “Not from want of tryin’.”

  Tears ran down her face. “Please stop, Jayden, please...”

  He removed his hand and stood up. “Who’s the ugly one now?”

  Oh God, he looked like he was going to kill her.

  He growled and kicked her stomach.

  Leila finally screamed.

  9

  Jess

  Jess massaged her forehead as she stood in front of the meat section. Could she afford to get some ham? She was sick of not being able to buy meat to go with their veggies. Stuff it, Nike deserved a treat. He’d been so stressed lately, not only with Maia, but also with the long hours at work.

  She popped the leg of ham into the basket hanging off Jake’s pram and headed down the aisle, weaving between customers. She stopped behind two women blocking her path. Dressed in their Sunday best, they chatted animatedly in Samoan.

  Jess frowned at the mention of church. Her hand went to the gold cross hanging from her neck. If it wasn’t from her late father she would have chucked the necklace. All religion ever did for her was to make her bible-toting family disown her because she’d gotten pregnant at sixteen. But it upset her even more that they couldn’t accept that she’d married outside her culture ... especially since her brothers dated whoever they damn well pleased.

  She let go of the cross and was about to ask the women to move when a hooded figure shot past the aisle. Jess froze. No, it couldn’t be Tama. Although he followed her around the supermarket a few days ago, he wouldn’t risk doing that now... Would he? She wished she could’ve told Nike, but he would’ve gone after him. And Tama hadn’t touched her since high school. She shuddered at the memory of being pushed into the boys’ restroom. She didn’t like to think about what could’ve happened if Nike hadn’t showed up.

  Someone tapped her arm. She jumped and spun around.

  A teenage girl with a stroller glared at her. “How many times do I hafta ask you to move?”

  “Sorry, I didn’t hear you.” Jess turned back to the Samoan women. “Excuse me.”

  They moved aside. She pushed Jake down the aisle and into the next one, her eyes scanning for the hooded figure. A teenage boy turned the corner, his dreadlocks sticking out from under his hood. Relieved, Jess smiled at him.

  He smiled back and nudged his fat mate. “Told ja all the chicks love me.”

  She turned right into the baby aisle, and stopped in front of the nappies. She reached up for a packet.

  “Oi! Put that back!” a male voice yelled.

  Jess whipped her hand away and looked to her left. A skinhead in cargo pants and a black jersey yanked a toy out of a little boy’s hand. The kid started wailing.

  A skinny blonde woman stopped pushing her trolley. “It’s only three bucks, for Chrissake. Let him have it, you mean bastard.”

  “I’m not payin’ for that rubbish.” The skinhead thrust a finger at the woman. “And don’t you fuckin’ contradict me, bitch.”

  Jess cringed. Why did people speak like that in front of children?

  A toddler in a pink fairy costume started crying, matching her brother’s wail. The woman pulled the girl out of the trolley, grabbed the little boy’s hand, and stomped off.

  “Don’t you walk away from me!” The man’s gaze shifted to Jess. “What the fuck you lookin’ at?”

  “Nuthin.’” Jess grabbed a packet of nappies and focused on it.

  He pushed the trolley past her. “Nosy coconut bitch.”

  Jess bit her lip. She really couldn’t stand racists. She jammed the packet back onto the shelf and grabbed the right size. Her other hand went to her stomach. Ooh ... why did she feel so rotten? Dammit, Nike probably got last night’s dinner from down the road. She was so going to kick his arse for that. He knew she didn’t like takeaways with C ratings.

  She sucked in a deep breath, and headed for the open refrigerators. Someone coughed behind her. She glanced back at an old man sucking on a ciggie. Not wanting the smoke to get to Jake, she grabbed some milk and pushed the pram into the bakery section. In the far corner, a hooded figure hovered in front of a shelf. Jess focused on the guy’s ripped jeans. The dreadlocked kid had been wearing newish-looking ones. She wondered if she should forget about the bread. Nah, she was just being stupid again. She let out a nervous laugh and stopped by the discounted table. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the guy tearing open a packet of raspberry buns. Without looking at the prices, she grabbed two loaves and left.

  At the checkout, an old Chinese man held out a hand for her card. Please, please, please don’t decline. She let out a sigh of relief as it was accepted. With a huge smile, she signed the slip and popped her groceries under the pram.

  Jake woke up and started crying. She cooed at him, trying to quieten him down. His crying picked up in volume. She felt wet patches form over her nipples. Damn breast milk! Why did it always have to leak in public? She blushed, and got out of the store fast.

  Rainclouds blanketed the sky. Man, it was sunny when she’d left home. She hurried across the tarmac, past the pub, and along the road. She glanced back to make sure that the hooded guy hadn’t followed her. Except for a stray dog the footpath was clear.

  She cut through Kea Way, and onto Pleasant Parade. She always thought it was an odd name for the road. With overgrown lawns, poorly looked after houses, and unwanted junk left out for the inorganic collection, it looked anything but pleasant.

  Her phone started ringing. She stopped to pull it out.

  “Hi gorgeous, how’s it goin’?” Nike said.

  Jess was relieved to hear his voice. “Good. Where are you?”

  “Just leaving Mikey Thomas’s house. You know, Tama’s cousin?”

  “No.”

  “The kid that Maia has a crush on. You remember that time I told ja I caught her spying on him while he was mowing his lawns?”

  Jess smiled. “Yeah, that was so sweet.”

  “No it isn’t. I told ja he’s Tama’s cousin. I don’t want her anywhere near him. Anyway, his mother said Tama showed up last night. She called the cops on him, but he got away.”

  “Well, at least his family isn’t willing to hide him. So, you’ll be headin’ back then?”

  “Nah, I wanna check out Sledge’s house first.”

  “No, that’s a gang house.”

  “It’s not a gang house—”

  “Nike! You’re not goin’ there.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be back by lunchtime.”

  Jess felt her face flush. “No, come home now!”

  “Sorry, babe, I hafta go. Love ya.”

  The phone went dead. Jess stared at it for a moment, then jammed it into her bag and started pushing the pram. The pigheaded idiot thought he was bullet and knife proof. He was definitely going to get it when he got home.

  A patter of rain started up. She pulled t
he plastic covering over the front of the pram and turned onto Queen’s Avenue. After several houses, she stopped to check the road. Her eyes locked onto a hooded figure as they exited a walkway about eighty metres away.

  She quickly pushed the pram to the other side. As the person darted across the road, Jess took off. She could see her friend’s blue house down the end of the road. She glanced over her shoulder, hoping that the person had disappeared into one of the properties. Instead he was sprinting straight for her, his long strides eating up the distance. Oh God, it was him! There was no way she was going to make it in time with the pram.

  A car drove past and turned into a driveway a few houses down.

  “Help me!” she screamed.

  A man and woman got out.

  “Mrs. Daniels!”

  Jess kept on running. She went to scream again, then closed her mouth. That wasn’t Tama’s voice. She glanced over her shoulder. The person’s hood had fallen off. He looked no older than Maia, his sweet baby face anything but threatening. She stopped as he came to a halt in front of her. Although he was tall, his clothes were too big for his skinny frame.

  “Why were you chasing me?” she yelled.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, sounding out of breath. “I just wanted to apologise for what happened to Maia.”

  “Oh.”

  “Can you please tell Nike that I didn’t know Tama wuz gonna hurt her.”

  “Who’re you?”

  “Michael Thomas.” He dropped his gaze.

  “Mikey?”

  He nodded. “Is Maia alright?”

  “She’ll be out of hospital in a coupla days.”

  He looked back up with a huge smile. “Thank God.”

  Jess remembered her phone conversation. Maybe Maia had snuck out to see Mikey? “Are you her boyfriend?”

  “No.”

  “Didja see the attack?” She pulled out her phone. “Have ya seen Tama?”

  His face changed back to a look of shame. “No, I thought she got away. Sledge and Tama busted down the door where she was hiding, but she climbed through a window. The gang split when the cops showed. I didn’t know that she’d been stabbed until Tama turned up at Sledge’s house.”