by J Peach
“Doing this isn’t going to change my mind, you know. And get your shoes off my couch,” I told him while stretching my neck to peck his lips.
Sam quickly took over the kiss, sliding his tongue through my parted lips. His hands grabbed my thighs, bringing them up to his waist.
“Peach!”
My eyes went wide at the sound of my name and I quickly pushed Sam off me onto the floor.
Chapter 8
Peaches
“Damn, Peaches. What the fuck?” Sam snapped as he fell hard.
“Ooh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to push you that hard—”
“Pea—ches. Oh, um… I didn’t know—” Ebony started saying slowly as her eyes jumped from me to Sam.
“It’s cool. I told you to come over. I thought you would’ve been here when we got home,” I lied. I honestly forgot about Ebony coming over.
“I was, but I didn’t wanna be waiting here by myself and risk running into King. So I waited. Hey, Sam,” she said with an awkward wave, making me laugh. “We brought drinks.” When she said that, I knew it was something serious.
We rarely drank anything on weekdays, especially not that late on a Friday unless it was something. And if the other girls were there then yeah, it was serious.
Getting off the couch, I fixed my shorts and stepped over Sam. I went to Ebony.
“What’s wrong?” Immediately her eyes started to water. Blinking, she wiped them, letting out a strained laugh.
“Nothing, I’m fine.” I could literally hear in her voice that a lump had formed in her throat.
“Damn, E, you could’ve helped us,” Angel said, coming in the house holding two bottles of Don in her hands and a white bag hanging from her wrist.
Kimmy walked in with a case of Heineken. Missy was behind her with three pizza boxes in her hand and a few grocery bags full of junk food hanging from her wrist.
This is most definitely serious.
“Oh, fuck!” All eyes turned to Sam as he cussed. He didn’t say another word as he got off of the floor, grabbed our food and walked out of the living room.
“What’s his problem?” Angel asked. I was thinking the same thing, but Sam was the least of my problems.
“What happened?” I asked and they shook their heads before walking in the living room.
“Some of this, some of that. Everything piling on top of everything else which called for a girl’s night in,” Angel said, letting out a breath as she flopped on the couch.
Immediately understanding, I held up my finger and went into the kitchen where Sam was. He was just closing the refrigerator when I walked in. Seeing me, he leaned against it.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Sam shook his head.
“Like what? You’re the one saying, ‘Oh, fuck’,” I replied while walking over to him.
“Yeah. Oh, fuck. Your friends make me feel uncomfortable. Shid, my dick hurt just looking at they asses.” I laughed as he referred to the time Wayne was about to get his shit cut off. “That’s not funny. The four of you mothafuckas is trouble, real talk.”
“Yo scary ass. Y’all need to stop saying that, tho. We’re not crazy, we just don’t take shit is all. But—”
“I know, you’re putting me out, right?” He asked and I nodded my head yes.
“Yeah, it’s an emergency. If it wasn’t, I’d ask you to stay,” I said truthfully.
Pulling me to him, Sam’s hands went to my hips. “I’mma hold you to asking me soon. So get back to yo psychotic little clique and I’ll see you later.” His right hand grasped the side of my face as his head came down.
“Alright,” I mumbled against his lips, kissing him. My arms went around his neck as I started to get into the kiss. Sam’s grip tightened on my hips and he picked me up, sitting me on the counter.
The heels of my feet dug into his lower back, bringing his lower body closer to my sex. Lifting up on him, I started moving against him.
I smiled against his lips as he groaned.
“Why you wanna tease me, Peaches?”
“I’m not teasing, it’s not like we gonna have sex,” I whispered, letting my hand slid down to his ass. I grabbed it and pulled him more into me.
“You better stop playing,” he threatened as I licked his lips. “I regret saying that shit now.”
Laughing, I pulled back, looking at him. “You changed your mind?” I asked teasingly.
“No, but yo ass better stop. I can slip,” he said, making me laugh.
“I’ll stop.” Feeling Sam through his jeans, I could tell he was thick and long. So I stopped and went back to just kissing him.
“Peach, we need— Oh, damn,” Missy said. Hearing her, I pulled back from Sam, watching as her eyes jumped from me to him. “Plates. We need plates.” Walking to the cabinet, Missy pulled out some plates and turned to look at us. “Six plates?” She asked, glancing at Sam.
“No, he’s about to leave. Plus, y’all scare him,” I told her and she looked at him. Missy smiled wide.
“Come walk me out,” Sam said, taking me off the counter and pushing me towards the kitchen entrance. Once out, Sam laughed. “Your girl was looking at my dick, nosy ass wench,” he said once we were in the hallway. “Don’t be telling them I’m scared of their asses either. I don’t want that shit going to their heads. Those mothafuckas might be crazy, but they ain’t fuckin’ with me. I’ll pop one of their asses,” he looked behind him and made me laugh.
“If you not fuck’d up about them, why you looking back?” I asked.
“She the one with that big ass knife, I have to watch her ass behind me.”
Laughing, I pushed him to the door. “Bye, Sam, with your crazy ass.” I held the door open and he walked out on the porch. “Sam?”
He turned to look at me, “Miss me already?” He joked.
Rolling my eyes, I stepped outside with him, pulling the door closed behind me. “No. But thanks for this. Today, I mean. It was nice not feeling the way I have been this past week. To feel wanted, even if what you said wasn’t true, it was nice hearing it. So thanks.” Hugging him, I kissed his cheek once and pulled back. “Good night, Pretty Boy.” Turning around, I walked back in the house with a glance back to see him watching me.
“Peach, I meant everything I said.” His tone was serious and I believed him.
With a smile I waved at him before I closed and locked the front door. Once I did, my smile dimmed because I knew Sam and I would never be anything more and what we did would never happen again. He was only comfort for me. The only thing on my mind was to hurt Blaze as well as try to distract myself from the ache in my chest. The wanted feeling he gave me did just that.
“Okay, mami, what the hell was that?” Missy asked as soon as I rounded the corner.
I went over to Kimmy, grabbed the cup she was holding out for me. I tucked a leg under me and sat down, realizing all their eyes were on me. “What?” I asked dumbly before taking a sip from my cup.
“What? Don’t play stupid, Peach. I smell sex. Hot, dirty, good, hard sex,” Angel’s dramatic ass grunted out.
I started choking on my drink trying to laugh at her. “We didn’t have sex, we just hung out is all.” I took another drink.
“Blaze is gonna have a bitch. He gon’ fuck y’all up.” Angel saying that kinda pissed me off.
I was so tired of everything being about Blaze, everything that surrounded me was Blaze. I couldn’t do shit without him coming up. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t be by myself without him popping into my head.
Every fucking thing is him!
I was tired of Blaze, period. It was time I got back on my shit where Peaches was the main focus of everything that was me.
“Blaze not gon’ do shit. He has no say in what Peaches does anymore. Last I checked, Peaches was her own person. So she don’t give a fuck what type of fit Blaze has.” Sitting my cup down, I grabbed a beer.
“Damn, chill, Peach. I was just fuckin’ with you. So y’all fighting? This bitch talkin’
in third person and everything. Angel thinks Peaches is mad.” Angel saying that had everybody laughing.
Even tho I chuckled, I didn’t answer at first. My anger had gotten the best of me, sending my nerves out of whack which caused my right knee to bounce shakily and fast.
“Bae, I didn’t mean to piss you off. What’s been going on?” Angel came to sit on the side of me.”
Letting out a breath, I shook my head before looking at Ebony. “We’ll talk about it later. But what’s going on with you, E?” I asked her, trying to take the attention off of me for a minute. But knowing my damn girls, the attention wasn’t going to be gone for long.
“I don’t know where to begin,” she replied, looking at the other three girls. They all seemed just as depressed as she looked, so they knew.
“Start wherever,” I told her. Letting out a heavy sigh, she grabbed her cup and took a drink. Once done, she didn’t say nothing. “What is it, E? You texted earlier about being distant, so start there. To be honest I haven’t really felt that way, I mean you’ve been snappy, but not really distant. I just figured it was because of King,” I explained to her.
“It was, but it was also you. Let me say this now, okay. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop or anything, but I was walking to the back when I heard it and after it was said I left.” She was beating around the bush which we never did with each other. We’d always been straight forward. Always.
“What was said and who said it?” I asked, confused as hell.
“You said it. I know it wasn’t meant to hurt me, hell, I wasn’t even supposed to—”
“Would you just tell me what the hell I said? Damn! Stop hinting at the shit and say it, E.” It was frustrating as hell for someone to tell me I said something then didn’t wanna tell me what I said.
“Damn, Peaches, shit. Calm down, you don’t have to be snapping—”
“Angel, shut the fuck up. She saying I said something, but not telling me. If you didn’t hear it or don’t know what it is then shut the hell up,” I snapped at her, I was frustrated as hell now.
“How about we all calm down, okay. Let’s have a drink,” Missy said, taking a big drink from her cup.
“Whatever. She ain’t gotda snap at the girl for tryna talk to her,” Angel said, rolling her eyes.
“Bitch, you didn’t have to say shit, period. I was talking to Ebony, not yo ass. So shut the fuck up. Ebony, can you please tell me what I said?” Looking at Angel, I rolled my eyes at her. She responded by sticking up her middle finger. “Bitch,” I mumbled and Kimmy elbowed me.
“Stop. Y’all too damn old to be acting like some damn kids. Ebony, please finish because no matter what, at the end of the day we all gon’ still be sisters. So kill that beating around the bush bullshit and talk to yo fuckin’ sister,” Kimmy said and I laid my head on her shoulder only to have her nudge me off. “Get off of me.”
Rolling my eyes at her, I looked at Ebony.
“You right, Kim. I overheard you talking with Blaze about how you didn’t want to end up like myself and your mom. I know it wasn’t meant to hurt me, but after actually hearing it, I felt a lot of resentment towards you for saying it. Trust me, I get it, Peaches. But hearing you comparing me to your mom really hit me. It made me realize how stupid I was for dealing with everything and staying with your brother.
“My whole youth revolved around that man. Even knowing how he was, it didn’t matter because I was dumb in love. And I resented you for speaking truth on it, being related to him, just everything I resented. Peach, you don’t understand how hard I’ve tried leaving, but couldn’t because if I don’t have King, who am I?
“Everything I am is King. Half the shit I’ve been through with that man, you don’t know. And to hear you speak about not wanting to be like me hurts because I don’t want to be like me. I don’t like this person I am, but I can’t change, I don’t know how. And I love King with everything that’s in me. So… I don’t…” She trailed off, wiping at her cheeks and I did the same. Just seeing the pain and hurt reflected in her eyes, hearing her talk, had me feeling her pain.
“Ebony, I didn’t—” I started to apologize, but she cut me off.
“I know, Peach. You’ve been telling me since we were younger to leave him alone. But I couldn’t, I was too far in with him. King’s been everything to me since I can remember. I done gave and lost so much dealing with him that it has gotten to the point that I hate him. I actually hate him.
“And I felt like I couldn’t talk to you because he’s your brother and I didn’t want you to have to choose sides, which you shouldn’t have to. But you’re like a constant remember of him, as well as… the three… I lost.” Ebony was crying so hard that her words began breaking up.
Getting up from my seat, I went to her, wrapping my arms around her body and pulling her into my side. Her body shook violently as she cried.
“E, bae, it’s okay—” I tried saying to comfort her, but she cut me off.
“No, it’s not, Peaches. I’m not like y’all. I don’t know how to deal with this. I don’t know how to leave. But I can’t stay with him, I done had three miscarriages because of him. I hate him so much, but who am I without King? Peaches, I love him.”
My body went still at the miscarriages, meaning more than one.
To be precise, three.
Chapter 9
Peaches
“Oh, my God, you were pregnant?” It was probably a dumb thing to ask but… “Oh, my God.” I would’ve had a niece or nephew, I couldn’t even imagine the pain Ebony felt with having one, but to have three? God!
“And King knew?” I asked her, not wanting to believe my brother was just heartless to not even try to be there for her. Hell, to continue to put her through shit when he claimed he loved her.
Love wasn’t supposed to hurt, not constantly. She was crying so hard that I regretted asking her the question. It wasn’t healthy for any one. I loved my brother to death, but no woman should’ve had to put up with that shit.
“E, I know you’re probably tired of hearing this, but you need to leave him. Sweetie, he does not deserve you. Ebony, you shouldn’t have to constantly go through this. If you’re tired of it, leave,” I told her honestly because he wasn’t worth the stress. Ha’Keem was Dmitri’s child, my dad put my mom through the same shit. She wanted to leave but never did.
“I do, Peaches, but—”
“No buts. If you wanna leave then I got you. E, you know that I got you. We have you, always have. Brother or not, this is wrong. It’s not healthy at all.” Wiping her eyes, she shook her head.
“I can’t put this on y’all—”
“Ebony, don’t do that. Stop tryna get out of this. If you wanna leave then we got you. If you don’t, then say so. Don’t start with that bullshit, okay. You’re not putting anything on us. Now what do you wanna do?” If she wanted out, then I was damn sure gon’ help her and let King’s ass know I helped her leave his ass.
Wrong is wrong and this is all types of fuck’d up.
Pulling back, Ebony grabbed a napkin and wiped her eyes. Then stared at all of us.
“I wanna leave, but King’s not going to let me go. He owns my house, my car, and he’ll take all of that,” Ebony said. She had a point, King was going to have a bitch when he found out, but so be it.
“Get a restraining order on his ass, problem solved,” Angel said, and we all shook our heads.
“I can’t, King got police in his pocket. So a restraining order is pointless,” she said, her eyes watering again.
“She’s right. I doubt he’ll put you out of the house, King’s too controlling and protective for that. He’ll have to know you’re safe and that you’re not fuckin’ with nobody. Your car, tho, he’ll burn it like he did the others.” My head shook at the thoughts. King was crazy so there was really no telling with him. “I need a drink.” I mumbled.
Getting up to grab my cup, I took a drink and started pacing, thinking about what she should do. “Give him his car an
d the keys to the house. Well, pack your stuff up first and get it out then give him his shit. You can move in with me, I’ll have my locks changed tomorrow and you can use my mom’s car, I still have it. Or you can use any one of my dad's trucks. I even know a guy that works on cars, so he can check it out and make sure everything is running.
“We can have all this done tomorrow if you’re serious about this. So what you wanna do, E?” I asked again while grabbing my cellphone.
“I want to leave,” she said.
“Okay, King’s going to be at Britt’s thing tomorrow so you have a few hours to pack your stuff. I know the girls will help, but I’ll call Dane, hopefully he can come by to change the locks. I’ll go to Menards in the morning to get new locks for the doors.
“Ebony, don’t have us doing all this only for you to go back to him,” I told her seriously. I couldn’t deal if she did that. That would just cause more problems for the both of us.
King was going to try to beat my ass for helping her, but he couldn’t keep doing her like that. It wasn’t right.
Ebony’s ass needs to meet Bianca.
“I’m not, Peaches, I’m serious about leaving. I can’t keep going through this with him. So I’ll pack my stuff. If Dane can’t come, I can even call Leon and Ron to help move the heavy shit.”
Leon was King’s friend so he wouldn’t help, he’d end up telling King what was up.
“Wait, Ron’s in town? If so, why the hell didn’t I know?” I asked. “I was just thinking about Jerron. You know what? Leon just said the other day I wasn’t gon’ be able to avoid him for long.” I cussed to myself, but even doing so, a giddy feeling set in the pit of my stomach.
That was something that couldn’t be helped when I knew his sexy, dark skinned self was in town. I wasn’t really into dark skinned men, but my god. Jerron would always be an exception in my book.
“Yeah, he moved back like a month or so ago,” Ebony said, pulling me down next to her. “Peach, I missed you. It just wasn’t the same with these other bitches, they couldn’t make me feel how you do,” she said, kissing my cheek.