She palmed her face as her heart fluttered. “Baby, what’s really bothering you? Your attitude has been switching up all weekend long.”
He took a deep breath as he flopped down on his bed. “The record deal fell through.”
“Oh baby, I’m so sorry,” she cooed as she wrapped her arms around him. “Another opportunity will come along.”
She knew that he had to be disappointed. He’d been talking about a meeting with some big shots. He knew for sure that it was going to be his big break.
“I hope so. I’m tired of being disappointed,” he sighed, taking comfort in her embrace.
“It will get better,” she assured him as she glanced at the alarm clock. It was now eleven.
“I hope so, man. This was the one thing that my brother always said that he wanted us to do.”
“What is that?”
“Get a record deal and just rap. Like fuck slanging dope, robbing and all that. That nigga taught me everything I know and I then I started flowing better than him.” Melo laughed.
“Really? I wish that I could have met your brother.”
“Me too,” he replied solemnly. “He would have liked you,” he nodded. “Shit, I probably would have had to chin check him about flirting with you.”
“Oh, so he was like you?” she teased.
“Like me? Naw, you got me wrong. I don’t touch what’s not mine.”
“But he did?”
There was a slight pause. “Yeah, that’s why they killed him. He fucked with the wrong nigga’s shit,” he revealed.
“That’s so messed up, baby; but I know that he’s in a better place now,” she hugged him a little tighter.
“That’s why you my baby,” he grinned as he kissed her on the forehead.
Necole peeked at the clock and twenty minutes had passed. “Damn, let me call my mom,” she sighed.
They both lay in bed as she called her mother.
“Hello,” Janet spoke into the phone.
“Mom, I was calling to see if I could spend a night over Corrine’s again.”
“Necole, it is a school night. You know that’s out of the question and why in the hell aren’t you home yet?”
“I was about to leave right now.”
“So, I should expect you here in ten minutes because that’s all it takes to get here from Corrine’s.”
“I think more like thirty.”
“Thirty minutes? No, I don’t think so. You need to leave her house right now; and if you don’t get here within the next fifteen minutes, consider yourself grounded.”
“But mom…”
“Bye, Necole,” her mom breathed as she hung up on her.
“She trippin’, huh?” Carmelo pried.
“Yeah,” she exhaled.
“So, are you going home?”
“I guess not. Either way, I’m in trouble because there is no way that I can make it home in fifteen minutes.”
By that morning, Necole’s mom had called her cell ten times and she never bothered to answer. This was the first time she’d deliberately went against her mom’s direct orders and she wasn’t looking forward to facing her.
She pulled into her driveway and took a deep breath before getting out. She tipped to the door and unlocked it. She walked into the house to find her mom sitting on the couch waiting.
“Mom…”
“Where the hell have you’ve been?” Janet hopped to her feet.
“I…I…I was at Corrine’s.”
“Don’t stand here and lie to me, Necole! I went over to Corrine’s and you weren’t there. In fact, her mom told me that she hasn’t seen your face in over a month. So, you know I stood in shock since you’ve been leaving this damn house every weekend claiming that you’re spending the night over there.”
“Mom, it wasn’t…”
“Necole, just shut the hell up! I know that you’re about to stand there and lie. Just tell me where you’ve been.”
“I was at my boyfriend’s house.”
“Your boyfriend? Since when do you have a boyfriend?”
“For a little while now.”
“So, why am I just hearing this? He must not be somebody that you can bring home, which means that you have no business with him.”
“It’s not like that, mom. I knew that you would judge him before getting to know him.”
“You didn’t even give me a chance, Necole. What does he do?”
“He works.”
“Where?!”
“Do you have to yell?”
“You just walked your ass in this house at seven in the morning and you got the nerve to ask me that?”
“He needed me, mom.”
“He needed you?” Janet repeated incredulously. “Did he know that you have school in the morning?”
“Yes.”
“So, why didn’t he encourage you to go home? A real man wouldn’t stop you from getting your education.”
“He’s not trying to stop me from getting my education,” Necole argued.
“Oh, really?”
“Yes.”
Janet shook her head. “You sound so damn stupid right now.”
“That’s your opinion, mom.”
Janet snarled. “No, that’s a fucking fact! And how old is this nigga that has you losing your damn mind?”
“Twenty.” Necole lied.
“Twenty, huh? So, why isn’t he in somebody’s college?”
“He does go to college.”
“Where does he go?”
“TSU.”
“Necole, you’re a liar and the truth ain’t in you!” her mom roared. “Consider yourself grounded. Now get ready for school.”
In all her years, Necole had never had an argument with her mom. This was all new to her so she couldn’t think straight. Right then, school was the furthest thing on her mind. She needed to be comforted. So, she headed back to Carmelo’s.
“What’s wrong?” he asked her as she walked in the house with tears in her eyes.
“Me and my mom had an argument.”
“Damn, that’s fucked up, baby. I’m sorry about last night. I was high and trippin’.”
“On what? I didn’t see you get high,” she was utterly confused.
“I guess off of that weed from earlier,” he laughed it off.
“Oh,” she sighed as she rested her head on his chest.
“It’s gon be okay,” he whispered as he led her back to his room. Carmelo made passionate love to her before they both fell asleep. They kicked it until around seven and then she headed home.
She knew that her mom didn’t get off work until eight, so she was surprised to find her car in the garage when she got home. She stepped into the house to find her mom sitting on the couch. “You’re home early, mom?”
“Actually I called in. I figured that I’d go and check you out of school early so that we could sit down and talk. I was going to ask you about your little boyfriend to show you that I could be open minded, but to my surprise, you weren’t there. In two days you have managed to make an ass of me, Necole.”
“Mommy, I’m so sorry. I just didn’t feel like going to school after our argument.”
“You didn’t feel like it?!” Janet shouted. “Since when is going to school a choice? You didn’t feel like it? I don’t feel like paying bills around here, but somebody’s got to do it. I don’t like going to work, but I have a spoiled ass daughter that needs things. There’s a lot of shit that I don’t feel like doing. Who the fuck are you, Necole?”
“I said that I’m sorry, mom,” she cried.
“Save those damn crocodile tears. Go to your fucking room. I can’t stand the sight of your fucking face right now!”
Necole ran to her room and buried her face into the pillows. She cried herself to sleep. She’d never imagined losing her mother’s trust. She was beyond disappointed in herself.
For the next few days, Janet kept Necole on a short leash. She was only allowed to drive to school and then home. She
hadn’t seen Carmelo all week long. The last time she’d spoken to him, he and Lil’ Daddy were headed to the club. That was two days ago and she was about to go crazy. It was now Friday and she was still grounded.
She’d been home from school for two hours and was about to go nuts. She’d called Carmelo’s cell and got no answer. She’d left so many messages that his inbox was full. After thirty more minutes, she couldn’t take it anymore. She had to see him. So she dressed in her black, off-the-shoulders dress, grey leggings and black leather boots since it was cold out. Without a second thought, she hopped into her car and headed to Carmelo’s.
She halfway expected him to be at home; but when she pulled up, she saw his car parked in the driveway. She hopped out of her car and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Chocolate was at the door.
“Hey, girl,” she spoke wearily.
“Hey, where is your brother?”
“Umm, hold up,” she halted as she shut the door.
Necole was caught off guard by Chocolate’s actions. She would usually just step aside and let her in. She could hear talking on the other side of the door, but it wasn’t clear. Still, she knew Carmelo’s voice from anywhere.
She listened closer and she could distinctively hear two girls’ voices. Feeling the adrenaline running though her veins, she turned the doorknob and opened the door. She stepped inside and found Carmelo standing there with a light skinned slim chick.
“I know this bitch didn’t just walk in here! I thought you told this bitch that you wasn’t fucking with her no more?” the girl snapped.
Necole’s heart sank down to her stomach. “Carmelo, what’s going on?” her voice trembled.
“What you doing here, Necole?” he grimaced as he stood in his basketball shorts and no shirt, letting her know that he’d been good and comfy before she showed up. The girl was standing there in his tee, letting her know exactly what time it was.
“What am I doing here? Is that all you have to say?”
Carmelo swallowed hard. He was praying that she didn’t just pop up. His worst nightmare had come true. The devastation in her eyes was killing him. “Let me talk to her in private,” he told the girl.
“What?! Hell, naw! You need to tell her to leave!”
“Go in the room!” he shouted.
“Daddy, why are you screaming?” a little boy emerged from the back of the house and asked.
“Go in the room Little Carmelo,” the girl chided. It was then that Necole realized that the girl had to be Carmelo’s baby mama, Serena.
“Look, Necole…my baby mama and my son didn’t have nowhere to go so they moved in,” he reluctantly admitted.
“And you couldn’t tell me that?” she asked with tears in her eyes.
He opened her arms. “I didn’t know how.”
“Why didn’t you tell her that we got back together to be a family?” Serena added.
“What?” Necole asked as the tears slid down her face.
“You heard me!” Serena snarled.
“That’s enough, Serena. Go in the room, man!” he shouted. Finally, she listened and went to his room to wait for him.
“I can’t believe you, Carmelo,” Necole gritted.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he apologized as he wrapped his arms around her. Even though he knew that it was wrong, he still wanted her.
“I know you ain’t in here hugging this bitch!” Serena lashed as she stalked back into the living room.
“Hey didn’t…” he got out before she ran over attacking Necole.
“Bitch, you better not ever bring your ass here again!” she yelled as she gripped Necole’s hair.
“Let me go!” Necole screamed as she grabbed Serena’s legs and body slammed her onto the floor. She had the precision of a seasoned boxer as she pounded Serena’s face.
Carmelo was surprised at how Necole was fairing in the fight. He thought for sure that a light wind could blow her over. He enjoyed watching the girls fight over him before he broke it up. He had to pry Necole off of his son’s mother. “Ya’ll chill out!” he yelled as Chocolate stood watching with a grin. She loved watching a good fight. That’s why she’d purposely left the door unlocked for Necole.
“Let me go!” Necole shouted as she tried to break away from him. She wasn’t done with Serena who had a change of heart about going to the floor with her.
“Calm down,” he gritted. “Chocolate, grab my jacket for me,” he told his sister as he dragged Necole out the door. “Let’s go for a ride and talk.”
He had to force her in the passenger seat of her car while his sister handed him his coat. He jumped in on the driver’s side. “Where the keys at?” he held his hand out.
She handed him the keys and he started the engine. He then backed out of the driveway. He drove around for about thirty minutes in complete silence. When she was visibly calmer, he explained, “They needed somewhere to stay. Us getting back together was her idea. I ain’t gon lie, I went along with it. I was horny and she was there. I fucked her and realized why we ain’t together now. The thrill is gone with us. She’s holding on to some shit that has been dead. The only thing that’s keeping her around is my son. I don’t get to see him when she gets to trippin’. And I know that if she leaves, she’s going to have him going from pillow to post.”
“Whatever, Carmelo. Those are all excuses. You could have kept your son until she gets on her feet again.”
“I tried that. She won’t let me keep him.”
“Yeah, right. I don’t believe you. You wanted that in-house pussy and now you got it.”
He shook his head. “It ain’t like that, Necole.”
“Then how is it then?” she pressed.
“I want to be with you. She knew all about you and I think that’s why she came around.”
“What do I have to do with anything?”
“She heard that you look better than her and she wanted to know if she could take me back.”
She frowned with disgust. “That’s sounds so stupid.”
“I know, but I’m telling you that’s how she thinks. She’s simple minded.”
“Sure,” she nodded sarcastically.
“I’m serious. I don’t want her.”
“So what…you expect for me to wait until that bitch finds another place to stay?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” he pulled out a blunt from his coat pocket. He grabbed his lighter and lit up. “She gotta go one way or another,” he claimed as the blunt dangled from his mouth. His cell phone started ringing.
“Hello.”
“Where the fuck are you?!” Serena shouted into the phone.
“Man, I’m a grown ass man.”
“Where are you, Carmelo?”
“I riding with my woman,” he winked at Necole.
“Your woman? That little ass girl ain’t no woman. Why are you playing these childish ass games?”
“Who said that I was playing? Why don’t you pack your shit up and go? Leave Junior. He ain’t gotta leave, but you gotta go.”
“So, it’s like that? You choosing that child over the mother of your son?”
“Put it however you like. Just pack your shit and go,” he spat with finality as he ended the call.
“I can’t believe that you’re putting her out while you’re gone. How do you know that she won’t destroy everything you own?”
“She ain’t crazy. My sister would beat the brakes off her ass.”
“Whatever,” she rolled her eyes.
“No whatever…that’s real talk.”
“So, am I supposed to act like nothing just happened now?”
“What are you talking about?”
“This is the second time you’ve had me in an awkward situation. So this is how it’ll be every time I go home?”
“Naw, baby. I’m telling you that it’s not like that. I was just trying to do what’s right.”
“And what’s right? Hurting me? Giving me the shortest end of the stick?”
“That didn’t have shit to do with the fact that you were fucking his mom! You did that because you wanted to. No one forced you to stick your dick in that bitch!”
“I know, baby…and that’s my bad. I could have handled shit much better. It was just all types of shit going through my head and I was confused.”
“About what?”
“About you. I started feeling like I was getting too serious with somebody that is really too young for me. The first time we fucked, I didn’t know that you were seventeen. I didn’t know that you had curfews you needed to follow and shit like that. Then I really felt bad for pressuring you to stay over that Sunday. I don’t like feeling like I have you doing shit that ain’t you. I’m used to these ghetto bitches that don’t give a damn about school or what their mama’s say, so I hadn’t really been around a girl like you. Then I started questioning what was going on between us. I mean…you say that I’m your man yet I haven’t met your mama. I haven’t been to your house. It’s like you come and visit my world for a few, and then go back to your reality. Shit, for all I know you could have a boyfriend out there.”
“So, why didn’t you talk to me about this?”
“Because…like I said, I was confused. I know that I have feelings for you, but I don’t know what to do with them. I’m grown and I have to wait for my gal to ask her mom for permission before she does anything. This ain’t how I roll.”
“So, what do you want me to do? I can’t apologize for being who I am,” she fumed.
“And I don’t want you to. That’s why my mama likes you. She likes the fact that you’re about to graduate and you have a little sense. Being smart and having goals is not a bad thing. I’m not looking down on you for having your priorities straight; but it all just goes back to our age difference. That’s why I was thinking that I should back off…at least until you graduate.”
“Back off? Is that what you really want?” she questioned as the tears slid down her face.
“No, that’s not what I want; but tell me how do I get what I need from this without interfering in what you have to do? I don’t want to be the cause of you slipping on you school work or you missing dance class. So, how do I manage the limited time you have for me?”
Love is Blind (G Street Chronicles Presents) Page 6