by A'zayler
It took her a few minutes to respond, but he heard his phone beep a little while later.
T: It’s cool Moto. I’m good, we’re good. Let’s just be friends. If it’s meant to be, we’ll be together at a more appropriate time.
Demoto: Cool, u still mad at me?
T: Nope! Goodnight Mr. Youngblood
Demoto smiled and drove away. He was good with that. They’d figure this crazy relationship out one day.
*****
“Man Alicia what you doing, suck that shit right!” Demoto said with a handful of Alicia’s hair. He had been at her house since leaving the barbershop earlier that day, and she was starting to piss him off.
“I am Moto damn,” she spat, heated. She didn’t know what his problem was, but she was tired of his attitude. He had been in a pissy mood all day, and she was two minutes from putting him out.
“Man, just stop!” he said as he pulled her off her knees, until she was standing upright in front of him. Her parents had gone out of town for the weekend, and he was staying the night with her.
“Demoto what is wrong with you?” she asked, clearly upset. Looking at her pretty face in anguish, he knew he was wrong for being salty all day but he couldn’t help it. His brother had brought him up to speed with some shit earlier, and he had been aggravated ever since. Pulling her down on his lap, she straddled him and began kissing all over his face.
“I’m sorry, I just have a lot on my mind.” She leaned back and smiled at him.
“I can make you feel better.” She stood back up and removed all of her clothing. They went at it for another hour or two before falling asleep. Demoto awakened to his phone vibrating across the dresser. It was Jacko. They discussed a few details concerning the night’s events before deciding to meet at Jacko’s apartment. After hanging up the phone, Demoto lay there in complete silence. He was past tired, but tonight was the Rich Homie Quan show that he’d been promoting for all week. Before getting the call from his brother, he had been hype about going; now he wasn’t. It had been a while since something like this had come up. He hadn’t decided how he was going to handle it yet; all he knew was that he had to.
*****
Taryn had just gotten back to the shelter from work, and was changing her clothes when someone knocked on her room door. Earlier that week, the girl she had been sharing the room with had moved out, so she had it to herself. She was busy and didn’t feel like being bothered, so she waited a moment before opening it. Once she opened the door, there stood Janay. Janay was nice and had a genuinely sweet personality, so Taryn lost the attitude.
Ever since the night of the meet and greet, they had been keeping in touch. If Janay was there for work, she would always check on her before leaving. She eyed Taryn up and down, admiring her beauty along with her wardrobe. She told Janay she had plans to go to the Rich Homie concert tonight. Janay was ecstatic to find out because her brother in law was going too. She had wanted to hook them up for the longest, but hadn’t yet. Janay smiled at her; she really liked Taryn. She even offered to drop her off at Kia’s house since that’s where she was staying that night. Kia had talked Taryn into staying the night with her after the show. It didn’t take much convincing being that she wouldn’t have had anywhere else to go anyway. She and Janay talked until she finished getting dressed.
Once she got inside Kia’s house, she immediately felt uncomfortable. It was dark and there was loud music playing. There was obviously a party of some sort going on. She had texted Kia the moment she pulled up, and she met her at the door. There were people everywhere, mainly men and a few women. Taryn eyed everyone as they walked through the living room
“Why you didn’t tell me y’all was having a party?”
“It’s always a party at my house. My daddy sell drugs.” Kia kept walking though all of the people like it was nothing. Taryn hadn’t known about Kia’s father, but she could have guessed. He was a fat man with a baldhead and a gold tooth. He was handsome and clean cut. The men surrounding him were watching his every move and listening intently. You could tell they respected him. Taryn looked at herself again in Kia’s full size mirror. She wore a pair of black satin shorts, a black and white crop top, and a cute red member’s only jacket. She wore a pair of black and white Jordan 10’s to compliment her outfit. She couldn’t decide whether to wear heels or flats, but decided at the last minute to go with the sneakers. She had washed and conditioned her hair, so it was big and wavy. Her lips were painted red with her favorite KA’OIR’s Show off lipstick. She wore big gold earrings and bracelets with two gold rope chains around her neck. She wanted to make sure she was cute without looking overdressed. Kia had on a pair of multicolored high waist tights, and a lime green crop top and wedges. Her short hair was spiked with blonde highlights. Kia was looking past cute. Taryn smiled to herself; her and her girl were about to have a good time. They had just gotten out of the car at the concert when one of Kia’s father’s young runners got their attention, letting them know to call when it was over and he’d be back to get them. They closed the door and headed towards the entrance.
*****
The show was going good so far; they just had to make sure they kept it that way. Demoto, Jeremiah, and Jacko were all leaning against the wall backstage listening to the crowd. They had been working on the show for the past three months, and it had turned out to be a success. Jeremiah and Jacko were laughing and having a good time, while Demoto stood silent. He had been mapping his plan out in his head for the last few hours. He had an important situation to handle, and he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. Jacko looked over, noticed how quiet he was, and instantly knew what was up. He had known Demoto long enough to know when he had things on his mind. He wanted his friend to relax and have fun, so he got ready for the surprise even they had planned. Jacko walked to the side of the stage and looked out in the crowd towards the section Taryn and her friend were supposed to be in, and found her.
“Y’all ready to surprise our girl?” Jacko asked as he turned around smiling.
“You know it!” Jeremiah said, walking to dim the lights as Demoto headed for the stage. The three hadn’t known Taryn long, but she had this innocence about her that drew them. She was cool people and a real sweetheart. Tomorrow was her birthday, so they all wanted to do something for her. Jeremiah had already disclosed the little information he knew about her family life with them. Demoto knew more than Jeremiah did, but he chose not to speak on it. He trusted Jeremiah and Jacko, but that wasn’t his business to tell. Rich Homie had just finished his last song when Demoto walked onto the stage. They dapped each other up before Demoto leaned in and whispered something to him. They spoke a few more words before Rich Homie Quan came back on the mic.
“Taryn-Lee where you at girl?” he scanned the crowd, just as Jacko had the spotlight centered on her and Kia. Her face popped up on the two large screens in the front of the arena. The look on her face was priceless. She looked shocked to say the least. Kia stood up and pulled her arm so that she too was standing. Looking around obviously embarrassed, Taryn smiled and waved towards the stage. She was about to take her seat when Jeremiah walked up behind her and grabbed her hand, leading her to the stage. The entire concert sung happy birthday to her before it was over. Demoto and his friends were glad everything had turned out the way they planned. Taryn enjoyed her surprise, and was truly grateful. Demoto hung up his red phone and walked outside, where everyone was to wait for Taryn and Kia. He had a present for Taryn in his car. He was standing there texting when Alicia walked up smiling. Demoto smiled from ear to ear; she was bad! Alicia was flawless, from her smooth skin to her perfect body; he couldn’t help but to love her. She had just finished asking him to stop by Waffle House on his way to her house when three boys came out of nowhere and stopped next to them. He could tell by the way they approached them that it was bad blood. Demoto had noticed the men approaching, but continued to play it cool. Once they were close enough, he turned to face them. He pushed Alicia behi
nd him just as the tallest one of the crew stole on him. His fist hit Demoto’s face so hard his head went to the side. That one punch started it all. The other two men jumped in, and together they jumped him. Even though there were three of them, Demoto was holding his own. A small crowd had gathered around to watch. Alicia’s screams for someone to help fell on death ears. Everybody wanted to see, but nobody wanted to help.
*****
Taryn and Kia had just exited the building when they heard a lot of commotion coming from their left side. They looked around for the guys first, but when they didn’t see them they walked towards the crowd. Taryn wasn’t the one for drama, so she was hesitant about getting closer to the large group of people. Kia, on the other hand lived and breathed drama. She was from the hood; this was what she was accustomed to. Finally reaching the crowd, Taryn looked over people to see what was going on. Once her eyes finally registered the scene, her entire body got hot. She immediately pushed her way through the onlookers; she was past heated.
Once she made it to the front, she saw Alicia standing there screaming like a lunatic. She snatched her jacket off and quickly wrapped her hair in a bun. Taryn was moving at record speed. Kia was about to say something, but it was too late. Taryn had just punched the dude that was kicking Demoto. Realizing he had been hit, the man turned around and got hit two more times. Growing up in foster care had her ready; she had been fighting since she was small. Boys, girls–she didn’t care. When it was time to handle business, that’s what she did. The men were stronger than her, but she was holding it down.
Having one of the men’s full attention on her gave Demoto the leverage he needed, and he was beating the shit out of the other two men. The man was getting pissed because every time he could get a lick in, the girl was hitting him with two. She had caught him off guard jumping in the fight from the beginning, so now she was about to get it. He lunged towards her, and they fell off the sidewalk. The moment her back hit the cement the wind was knocked out of her, but she kept swinging. She was raining punches on his head nonstop until he picked her up and body slammed her on the ground again. This time, she lay there for a few seconds unable to move. Taryn knew he was a coward the moment he started to kick her. He was kicking her any and everywhere. She thought about balling up in the fetal position and just taking the blows, but it wasn’t in her. There was no way she was going to sit still and take a beat down. If she was going to go down, it was going to be with a fight.
*****
Demoto hadn’t been in a fight in so long that it took him a minute to get with it. Three men had been jumping him for what seemed like forever. After a while, somebody jumped in and began helping him. This was exactly what he needed; three was a stretch, but two he could handle. He was beating the shit out of the two dudes. He was so busy fighting he didn’t notice who it was helping him until he heard someone say her name. It was then that he glanced over quickly to see the other dude stomping Taryn out. It was as if his body had transformed. His adrenaline was pumping so hard that he could feel it. His anger maximized in those few seconds. He was trying his hardest to get to her, but the two men he was fighting wouldn’t let up–but neither was he. He gathered all the strength he had and punched one of the assailants in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.
The size difference between Demoto and the second dude was massive. Demoto was big, and this man was like a shrimp. Demoto picked him up and slammed his head against the ground. He wasn’t unconscious like his friend, but by the way his head was leaking blood, you could tell he was out. With them laid out, he ran to Taryn’s rescue but it was too late. Her girl Kia was hitting hard! Taryn had gotten off the ground and both girls were on the man, putting in major work. After a short while, the police came and broke everything up. Demoto didn’t know who the men were or why they had come for him, but he was going to find out. He noticed a black van pull off just before the police had come. He thought he recognized that van from somewhere, but he couldn’t place it. He was heading to check on Taryn and Kia when Taryn brushed past him like a raging bull. He looked to see where she was going, and she was heading straight for Alicia. The moment she was in close enough range, she drew back and slapped the taste from Alicia’s mouth. She hit her so hard it could have been heard across the parking lot.
“Bitch why the fuck you didn’t help him? Taryn yelled. “You just stood your ass right there and let him get jumped! What kind of woman are you?” Demoto hurried towards the girls. From the looks of things, Taryn was ready for round 2.
Chapter 6
Taryn stood there waiting for Alicia to answer her. There was no excuse as to why that little bitch had stood by and watched him get jumped. If she was his girl, she was supposed to help him.
“What the fuck was I supposed to do?” Hearing her act helpless only pissed Taryn off more.
“What the fuck you mean? What were you supposed to do? You his girl–he swing, your ass fucking swing!” Taryn drew back to slap her again, but Jacko stopped her. He and Jeremiah had just walked up. They’d been so busy wrapping up everything with the concert they had missed the entire fight.
“Chill Pretty Lee, what the fuck is going on?” Jacko asked, turning her around and not noticing her face was scratched and bruised
“I don’t even know Jacky. Some niggas was jumping Moto when me and Kia came out, and all this bitch did was stand there!” she was fuming. She didn’t really care for Alicia already; this just made her hate her. Hearing that, Jacko immediately got angry. He was flying off the hook when Demoto walked up. He had been talking to the police when he saw Taryn slap Alicia.
“Yo T, you good babygirl?” he asked. Her eye was swollen almost shut on one side and her lip had burst, but other than that she was fine. She had a couple of scrapes on her knees and elbows, but she was good.
“Yeah Moto I’m straight. You good?”
“Yeah I’m straight, I appreciate you having my back, but don’t do that shit again,” he said as he grabbed her into a hug. Being in Demoto’s embrace made everything on her body feel better. She didn’t care how long she had known him; she would always be in his corner. He had been there when she needed him, so she would do the same.
“Moto you need to get you another bitch, this hoe ain’t shit!” Taryn was glaring at Alicia; she didn’t understand why she hadn’t helped. Kia had even jumped in.
“She stood right there screaming and shit instead of helping!” Taryn could tell Alicia felt bad about it now, but it was too late. Alicia walked towards Demoto trying to explain herself, which only made Taryn madder so she turned to walk away.
“Yo T, chill right here for a minute,” Demoto called out to her. Taryn stopped and looked over at Kia, who was explaining the situation to Jacko and Jeremiah. Both men were deeply engaged in what Kia was saying. She didn’t know what Kia had just said, but Jeremiah rushed towards her at the same time as Jacko turned to look at her. They had obviously just realized her and Kia were in the fight as well. Taryn wasn’t a weak female by far, but it was something about Jeremiah’s presence that broke her down. As soon as he touched her, she melted. She cried silent tears while hugging him tightly around his waist.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help you baby. The niggas are dead when I see them.” He was running his hands through her hair. It had fallen out of her bun while she was fighting. Jeremiah was holding her tight and whispering in her ear everything would be fine. Taryn leaned back so she could look in his face. His smooth dark skin and full lips turned her on every time. He examined her face before leaning down to kiss her. They kissed for a few minutes before Jacko walked over to them.
“Pretty Lee you okay?”
“Yeah I’ll be fine. I’m not new to this fighting shit. I’m a beast my nigga,” she said, drawing a laugh from the whole group. Demoto didn’t know what to say because he didn’t want either of the girls getting hurt, but had Taryn never jumped in things probably would have been a lot worse. He knew Alicia and she wasn’t built for this ty
pe of stuff, but Taryn was different. Alicia was born with a silver spoon, whereas Taryn had to fight for what she wanted. He couldn’t lay the blame on Alicia, but he could definitely feel where Taryn was coming from.
He hugged Alicia and sent her home to try to diffuse the situation between her and Taryn. Taryn was angry and he didn’t want her to kill Alicia. After walking Alicia to the car, he returned to his friends. They were all standing off to the side of the building waiting for him. Taryn was leaning against Jeremiah, watching him walk up. They made eye contact and held it. The look on her face was intense; he could tell she was trying to read his feelings. She needed to make sure he was ok. She may have been wrapped in another man’s arm, but he could tell her heart was with him. He looked at her face, and it pissed him off how swollen it was on one side. From this day forward, he vowed to himself he was going to take care of her. She was a real ass female, and that was rare. She saw he needed help and she was there–no questions asked. Demoto wrapped his arms around Kia and hugged her tight.
“Thank you for helping me Kia. I appreciate that shit.”
“It’s all good Moto, that’s what friends are for.”
“Man Moto what the fuck happened bruh?” Jacko was all ears. He was a known hot head; he was going to handle this shit.
“I’m not sure honestly. Three men approached me when I was talking to Alicia; the next thing I know we were hitting. We fought for a while before Taryn came to help me out.” He looked over at her and smiled.
“When T and I came out everybody was just standing around watching. That’s when she snatched her stuff off and got to it. She ain’t waste no time after she saw it was Moto. My bitch was going hard for her boy. She was working that nigga until he slammed her on the ground and started kicking her.” Demoto laughed at how hype Kia was getting as she told the story.