Who Can I Trust: A Naptown Hood Drama (Trust Issues Book 1)

by Tamicka Higgins

  “But you was sure lookin’ out the patio door earlier today,” Kayla said. “I noticed you doin’ that, so don’t even say that you wasn’t.”

  Marcus knew that he might as well go ahead and be honest about that part. “Yeah,” he said. “I was. I ain’t gon’ front. That Hakim nigga had said he was gon’ hear from me, but I ain’t know what he meant.”

  “And it ain’t even fuckin’ occur to you to fuckin’ tell me, Marcus?” Kayla asked, starting to feel deep into her feelings. “What if they woulda shot me or some shit, huh? You think about that? What if one of them bullets would have got me or something?”

  This part of the possible scenarios was one that really got to Marcus. Deep down, he felt oh so guilty that he did not tell the woman he loved about Hakim’s round-about threat. He felt so stupid looking back at it now. However, not telling Kayla seemed to be the right thing to do at the time. He didn’t want her to get all worked up over something that might not even be legit. Furthermore, Marcus was even trying to go over and talk to Hakim about it all, to let him know that he really did not take the half a brick. He honestly did not know how a hole got into the side of the brick. And he wondered where so much could have spilled out without him even noticing.

  Marcus also knew that the cherry on top of the shit he was caught up in was the fact that he smashed Hakim’s chick. This was not the first time that he’d gotten a dude super mad about taking down his chick probably better than he could. However, this dude was different – this dude was one that Marcus knew he should not have messed with in any way at all. He felt so guilty about it all looking back. However, in the moment also, it felt so good. She had that pussy that he could only describe as far. At the same time, Marcus could not think of any reason that Tweety would tell Hakim about what happened between the two of them – not unless she was the kind of chick to play games. Marcus had already learned in life the way some women will try to use another man to make their own man jealous. At this point, he could only hope that that was not Tweety’s game. Aside from talking to Haim, Marcus wished that he could find a way to talk to Tweety. If anybody would have some information that he could use right now, it would be her. Nonetheless, he did not have her phone number and had failed to find her when he searched on Facebook.

  Kayla drove the rest of the way to the Shadeland Avenue exit on Interstate 70 without saying much of anything. Suddenly, her world had changed and was going to continuing to change. As soon as tomorrow, Marcus would be headed up to Ft. Wayne to stay low while she had to look over her shoulder to make sure that Hakim and his boys were not shooting up her house. Yes, she believed that Marcus probably had not told Hakim and whoever else where his girlfriend lived. However, at the same time, she knew that Indianapolis was only so big, and it was oh so small when you’re black. People talked and talked and talked as if it was a small town and not a city of a million people.

  “I don’t know, Marcus,” Kayla said. “I just don’t know. This shit is kinda scary.”

  “We gon’ be alright, baby,” Marcus said. “We gon’ be alright. Like we sat at the hospital, I’mma go chill with my cousin Larry up in Fort Wayne for a little while…until Hakim move on with this fuckin’ shit and realize that I ain’t got his stuff.”

  “And what if he don’t, Marcus,” Kayla asked. “What if he ain’t the kinda nigga to let go of the situation and move on? What if he one of them niggas who gon’ be lookin’ for your ass for years or some shit?”

  That is exactly what Marcus was scared of. He knew that part of Hakim’s furiousness with him had to have something to do with his chick Tweety. At the same time, he practically racked his mind until he was tired trying to figure out who would have even told Hakim that he smashed his chick down in the living room that day when he got back from down south. In fact, Marcus still had the text message in his phone from Hakim – a text message that said Hakim had sent, saying that he was going to fuck Marcus up for “getting into what was his.”

  Marcus kept an eye out for any and everything when Kayla pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex and around to his building. Everything seemed so calm – seemed as if a dozen or so bullets had not been flying just earlier that day. Nonetheless, that still didn’t mean that whoever Hakim had sent would not be coming back around to see if Marcus came back. Marcus knew this and this is why he was already making a little list in his mind of the stuff he would hurry and get.

  Kayla pulled into a parking spot a few spots down from where she would normally park. Even in the dark of the winter night, she and Marcus could see how the landlord had to board up Marcus’ apartment. The door to his apartment from the outside, rather, was still intact and simply shut. Kayla handed Marcus her keys since they had not remembered to get his before he left. She then grabbed his cell phone out of the side compartment of her car door and handed it to him.

  “You want me to come in with you and help?” Kayla asked.

  Marcus shook his head, feeling the stiffness in his shoulder get stronger and stronger as the “juice,” as he called it, started to wear off. “Naw, baby,” he said. “Just sit out here and chill for a second. I’mma only be a minute.”

  “Okay,” Kayla said. “If I see anything, I’mma call you. Just please, Marcus, don’t turn on no lights. Let’s make this quick so don’t no more shit pop off or nothin’.”

  “Aight,” Marcus said, as he opened his car door. “I’ll be right back.”

  Marcus virtually disappeared, using the light in his cell phone to guide his way as he looked around his apartment. He got some change of clothes, a couple pairs of shoes, and grabbed some money he had stashed away.

  Kayla had never felt so nervous in her life. Part of her felt like she might feel safer with this entire situation if the hospital had just kept Marcus in overnight. Every so often, she would glance at the time on her car stereo and realize that tomorrow would come faster than she knew it. It was so crazy how just practically twelve hours before this point she had been lying in bed with Marcus on a snowy day, to say the least. It was so crazy how quickly things changed.

  As Kayla was thinking about everything that had happened, headlights slowly turned in from the main road of the apartment complex that led out to Shadeland Avenue. Kayla noticed immediately how the car was moving rather slowly, especially considering how the sunny part of the day had virtually melted all the snow and ice on the surface of the parking lot. Quickly, without even thinking, she grabbed her phone and called inside to Marcus. He answered.

  “Watch out,” Kayla said. “This car movin’ real slow in the parking lot and I don’t know what they bout to do.” Kayla dipped down in her seat, moving her head ever so slightly to watch where the car went.

  Inside, Marcus ducked down. He also watched where he stood, being sure to not stand in any light that was shining inside from the windows that were not shattered during the shooting. From where he stood, in the living room, he could see out to the parking lot and see the very same car that Kayla was talking about. “Yeah, I see it,” he said.

  Soon enough, the car came to a stop. Three small children began to climb out of the backseat then an adult out of the front passenger side seat. Instantly, both Marcus and Kayla both relaxed.

  “I’mma hurry up and come out, okay,” Marcus said then hung up.

  Marcus quickly grabbed the rest of the things he had come to get and was heading back out to the car. Kayla quickly pulled out of the parking spot and headed over to Marcus’ mother’s house. Lorna lived in a cute little ranch style house, not too far from where Marcus lived. She had lived in it for a few years, but had put enough work into the yard to where you would have thought she lived there for decades. Even covered in snow, anyone could see the outline of the flowerbeds and the brick-lined walkway.

  Kayla pulled the car up out front. They could already see that Lorna was home because there were a few lights on in the house. Marcus began to take his seatbelt off and push his car door open. He noticed that Kayla was not moving,
or at least as quickly as he was. He stopped and looked over at her.

  “Baby,” Marcus said. “Ain’t you gon’ come in?”

  Kayla shook her head. “Naw,” she said. “I mean, I want to, but I prolly need to go home to my brother and sister. Make sure my mama ain’t left them at home alone or some dumb shit. You know how she is, Marcus.”

  “Is that what you over there thinking about, Kayla?” Marcus asked. There was clearly a bit of disgruntled feelings in his tone. “Huh?”

  Kayla looked over at Marcus and could see that he was somewhat upset, judging by the way his forehead was wrinkled up.

  “Ain’t no need to catch no attitude with me,” Kayla let him know. “Let’s not forget that I’m the one who almost got my head blown off today cause you done got caught up in some shit with that nigga, whatever his name is.”

  “I know, I know,” Marcus said. “And I’m fuckin’ sorry. Trust me, girl. I love you. I would never wanna put you in no kind of harm’s way. You think I ain’t been thinkin’ bout this shit just like you have? Of course I have. I mean, I almost lost my fuckin’ life today and all over some shit that I ain’t even do.”

  “Yeah, well, you not about to lose me,” Kayla said.

  “What the fuck you mean I ain’t about to lose you?” Marcus asked.

  Kayla looked at him, dead in the eyes. “You the one who gon be going out of town to lay low tomorrow. Where does that put me? You think about that? What if that was them coming by my house, asking for you? I really don’t think it was just some coincidence that they just so happy to come by on the very same day that you got shot and sitting up in the hospital. Yeah, I could be wrong. And I certainly hope that I am wrong, but still. Plus, what if this shit don’t just roll over like you all think it will?”

  “So, what?” Marcus asked. “What? You thinkin’ that this dude is gon’ come traveling all over the world to find me or some shit, huh? Huh?”

  “I don’t fuckin’ know,” Kayla said. “You the one who supposedly know the nigga…I don’t. You tell me. If he was angry enough to shoot up your place like that, who is to say that he might not try some other kind of way to get you whenever he fuckin’ feel like it. He clearly pretty fuckin’ shitty. Plus, unless I heard you wrong, you said you saw the two dudes from when you was standing in your patio doorway. You ain’t say that you saw this nigga who you supposedly in some deep shit with.”

  “Yeah?” Marcus said, wondering where she was going.

  “Yeah, so…” Kayla said. “That tell me that this nigga must have a little money to be payin’ people to do some shit like this, or at least some niggas he cool with that got the time to be doin it.”

  “Look, why don’t you go to Fort Wayne with me, then?” Marcus asked. “What you got here in Indianapolis? Nothin. You young and try’na be a mother to them kids, Kayla. Them not your kids. You don’t gotta do what you doin’ for them you know. Maybe if you stopped doin’ that shit, then their real mother would actually step up and do it. Fuck, she ain’t gon do it if she know that if she don’t do it, then you will just step in and do it.”

  “Get out,” Kayla said. “Get the fuck outta my car right now.”

  “And now you mad at me and shit?” Marcus asked. “Look, Kayla, I ain’t no happier than you are about this shit. I swear to God I ain’t. But you actin’ like this ain’t gon do shit to make it no better. I’m just try’na offer you a different option. That’s why I said we should move to Atlanta. You and me and nobody fuckin’ else has to know.”

  “You was sayin’ that shit because you knew your ass was caught up in some shit and you wanted to get out of town before the shit started to look bad for you, Marcus,” Kayla said. “That’s why your ass was try’na move to Atlanta and don’t even act like it wasn’t.”

  “Kayla,” Marcus said, now getting a little angry. “I told you that I had been thinkin’ bout that shit and I really had been. Why you try’na act like this and you know that I might be goin’ outta town tomorrow and layin’ low for a little bit? You realize what the fuck be on my mind right now. I got the fuckin’ police breathin’ all down my neck and shit. You know how they love to lock niggas up over any damn things. Yeah, sure, they might not do much investigating over this. But what happens if something else pops up and they try’na get me cause I look suspicious to them or something? Aside from that, I gotta worry about some niggas being after me and try’na shoot my fuckin’ head off. I ain’t even gon have two arms for a minute.”

  “Okay, so why not just stop then Marcus?” Kayla asked, in a very serious and calm tone.

  “Why not just stop what?” Marcus asked, confused.

  “Stop this shit out in these streets,” Kayla said. “Why don’t you just stop that shit and, like your mama said, take what happened earlier today as a big wakeup call? Just stop before the shit get even worse.”

  “So now you want me to stop this shit, huh?” Marcus said. “You for real? You want me to stop now, do you? You sure wasn’t sayin’ that shit when I was taken you out to them nice restaurants. What about all them clothes I bought you, huh? Kayla? I bet you that you still got that shit and still wear that shit any fuckin’ chance you get. You ain’t say all that when I was payin’ to get your hair done; buying you any kind of jewelry you wanted at the mall.”

  At that moment, for the first time during their relationship, Kayla felt vulnerable and a little guilty. She was well aware that so many of the nice things that she had she would not have had if it were not for Marcus. In so many ways, he spoiled her and made her feel so pretty. Now, however, she was starting to see the downside to that kind of lifestyle. It was as if she always knew that that downside existed; she just did not think that it would hit so close to home, so fast. Seeing Marcus lying on the floor, shot in the shoulder after bullets practically sprayed into the apartment, made her think of everything in a different light. All of the sudden, all of those nice things that he’d gotten for her meant absolutely nothing at all.

  “I’d rather have you,” Kayla came out and said. “Marcus, I’d rather have you than to have all that shit. That shit don’t mean shit to me if I ain’t got you. I guess that’s what I’m try’na get you to see.” Kayla’s eyes swelled up with tears. She didn’t normally think of herself as the emotional kind of chick, but when she got into her feelings, that side could definitely come out of her.

  Hearing this point of view from his mother was nothing new for Marcus. However, hearing the same thing from his girl’s point of view really made him look at it differently. Marcus pulled the door back closed and pushed his head into the head rest of his seat.

  “Marcus, this shit ain’t even worth it if you ask me,” Kayla said. “You ain’t makin’ enough money that it’s worth your life.”

  “I told you, though, Kayla,” Marcus said. “I ain’t even do it. Whatever they put in the car before I left Dallas is what I took to his house. I put it right where he told me to put it, cause his ass wasn’t even there. Look, baby, I know you scared and stuff but you can’t go thinking like that now.”

  “Thinking like what?” Kayla asked. “A rational chick.”

  Marcus pushed his car door open. Immediately, cold air whipped inside of the car. Kayla turned and looked the other way, feeling a cold tear start to stroll down the side of her face. Quickly, she wiped it away.

  “I’ll text you later on if you wanna talk or anything,” Marcus said. “I really am sorry about today, Kayla. I am. I never meant for none of this shit to effect you like this.”

  Kayla sniffled. “I know,” she said, nodding her head. “I know.”

  On that note, Marcus pushed Kayla’s car door closed and headed up the driveway, into her mother’s house. He was leaving one stress behind (Kayla and what she was talking about) to go deal with another (his overbearing mother).

  Chapter 6

  Kayla decided to take the street way home instead of the interstate. Since the streets were practically clear, especially toward the middle lanes, she knew that she
could just take her sweet time – sit in her thoughts and really reflect on the entire day. There was no doubt that there would probably be some form of mothering when she got home that she would have to do.

  Just as Kayla pulled up to a stoplight near Miss Lorna’s house, she could feel her phone vibrating in her pocket. She hyperventilated as she rolled her eyes and pulled her phone out of her pocket. To her relief, it was not her mother calling. Rather, it was her girl, Myesha.

  “Hello?” Kayla answered.

  “Whew, girl,” Myesha said. “Please do not take this the wrong way, but you definitely do not sound too good right now.”

  “Girl, I’m fine,” Kayla said. “I just got into it with Marcus when I was droppin’ him off at his mama house. I don’t know if I told you earlier or not, but the doctor said that he could leave the hospital tonight instead of having to spend the night and stuff. They got him all bandaged up with his arm in a sling.”

  “Well, that’s good,” Myesha said, trying to say sounding positive. “Girl, I was just hitting you up to see how you were doing. I remember earlier how you were all stressed out and stuff.”

  “Girl, that wasn’t even the end of it and now I really don’t know what to think,” Kayla said

  “What, Kayla?” Myesha asked. “What you mean that wasn’t the end of it? Girl, what done happened now?”

  Kayla shook her head. “Myesha, girl, I been up at the hospital all night,” she said. “And you not gon’ believe what’s gon be happening tomorrow?”

  “What?” Myesha asked, clearly very interested.

  “Marcus is gon be going up north,” Kayla said. “He gon’ lay low up there until all of this blow over, or so they hope.”

  “Up north?” Myesha asked. “When, and how, did they decide that he would be going up to north? Where he gon’ be goin’ up north?”

  “His mama,” Kayla said. “They got a cousin up there that she talked to who said that he could come stay up there. Girl, this nigga done got somebody after him.”