by J Peach
“I’ll stop when you stop being a hoe—” Ron started choking off my water downed ice-tea as I started at Britt in disbelief.
“Excuse me?” You could clearly hear the anger in my voice. Ron most definitely did as his hand went to my bouncing knee under the table.
See, I’mma have to beat her little ass and just deal with Bianca later.
“You heard me, stop being a hoe and I’ll stop. Like you really up in here with this nigga like you just don’t give a fuck no more. Blaze wouldn’t do nothing like this to you. I don’t even think hoe even suits you. You know what? I apologize Ron because you probably didn’t know how much of a vindictive bitch Peaches is. I mean to hurt my brother the way you did now you threatening to abort his baby!” She yelled at me.
The anger that was in me dimmed as the last bit left her mouth. “What—” I started but was cut off by a shocked Jerron.
“You’re pregnant?” He asked a little too loudly.
“What? No—” Again I was cut off as Brittany started talking.
“So you really got an abortion. How could you do that to him?”
My mouth opened then closed, looking at Jerron I shook my head. “I’m not pregnant—” turning to Britt I held up my finger cutting her off, “—nor have I ever been. Even if I had been, I’d never get an abortion for the simple fact that I don’t believe in them. Whoever the hell told you I was is a fuckin’ liar,” I explained to the both of them.
Britt didn’t look convinced. “You a fuckin’ lair Blaze told us last night. You are such a hoe—” Reaching across the table, I slapped the shit outda her.
“Yo ass is not gon’ keep disrespecting me. Blaze and I are not together so get over it. Don’t come in here acting like a little bitch because we’re not. I know you wanted us to be, but we’re not and there’s nothing I can do about that. Now if you don’t like that then walk yo ass around to my side and do something. If not get yo ass outda here and go back to school.
“Think wisely because if you chose to come over here, I’m going to beat yo ass like you’re a chick on the streets then take yo ass home to Bianca, I will not hold back at all,” I told her truthfully as I reached in my purse for a hair tie to put my hair in a ponytail.
“I hope Blaze beat the both of y’all’s asses. Oh, and believe he’s going to find out about this.” Pushing out of her seat, Brittany stormed off.
“You better be at that school when I call otherwise momma is gon’ find out yo ass skipping,” I yelled at her, drawing even more attention towards us.
“I don’t give a fuck, tell her and make sure you let her know you’re a hoe.”
I quickly got out my seat about to go after her, but Ron grabbed me. “I swear I’m gon’ fuck that little girl up. Jerron, let go of me, damn.” I jerked away from him.
“Peaches, chill the fuck out. How you gone let that little ass girl piss you off like this?” Ron said, pushing me down in my seat.
“Don’t be pushing on me, Jerron. And her little ass should watch her mouth. Blaze ain’t told them I was pregnant, she saw you and made that shit up. Ooh!” I was pissed the fuck off at the stunt she’d just pulled, it was embarrassing as hell.
Damn, I just wanted to choke the shit out that damn girl.
“Let’s go.” Pulling me out of my seat, Ron pushed my purse into my chest before grabbing my wrist and pulling me towards the door.
“You don’t have to be pulling on me, I can fuckin’ walk.” Again I pulled away from him once we were outside.
“You ain’t gon’ keep snapping at me when I ain’t done shit to yo ass. Don’t get pissed at me for the shit that just happened. You better calm yo ass down,” Ron snapped at me which pissed me off even more.
I wasn’t so much mad at him, but I was pissed and he just so happened to be there at that moment. So my anger was turned on him.
“You’re supposed to be grown, though, but you reacting like a fuckin’ kid. Ain’t no way yo ass should’ve got that mad, especially if the shit wasn’t true, no matter how embarrassing the shit was. You should’ve been grown and laughed that shit off, but n’all, yo ass tryin fight a fuckin’ kid,” he went off.
“Jerron, shut the fuck up talkin’ to me.” I jerked on the handle to his truck trying to open the door, but it was locked. “Can you unlock the damn door, I’mma be late for work.”
“If you don’t lose that damn attitude you gon’ be walking yo ass to work. I ain’t about to argue with you and yo ass ain’t gon’ be snapping at me for some shit I don’t have nothing to do with. So lose that fuckin’ attitude,” Ron said and stopped by the back passenger door, leaning against the truck.
Is he serious right now? I jerked on the door, when it didn’t open I turned towards him.
“Jerron, open the fuckin’ door and stop playing. Damn, black ass,” I snapped, hitting his door.
“Calm yo ass down and I will, otherwise you can start walking. We ain’t far, you have ten minutes.”
“Would you stop fuckin’ playing, damn?”
“Would you stop acting like a bitch—”
My hand shot out so fast, slapping him hard across the face.
He looked at me, a glare covered his face as his teeth bit into his bottom lip hard.
I wasn’t scared of Jerron, not in the least. But like Blaze, Ron had no problem with slapping my ass back.
He rubbed his cheek. His gaze stayed on me, not saying anything. Suddenly he jumped at me and instinctively I jumped back, hitting the truck. That’s how hard I flinched.
Laughing, he unlocked the truck.
“I should’ve slapped yo ass back. Get in.” He continued to laugh as he walked to the driver’s side, got in and started up the truck. I just stood there because I could’ve sworn he was mad. “You gon’ stand out there or get in? You have five minutes before you’re late and I got to meet Leon at the office. So are you coming or walking?” Jerron asked through the window.
I looked back at him, my brows furrowed. Let that have been Blaze, there was no doubt he would’ve slapped the shit out of me like I knew Jerron would have a few years back,
“Peaches, get in the truck before I leave yo ass here,” he said, letting up the window. It wasn’t until he put the truck in reverse and started pulling off that I came to my senses.
“Stop playing.”
“You’re the standing out there looking stupid, so how the hell I’m playing?” Rolling my eyes, I put on my seatbelt. “Check this, yo ass slap me like that again I’m choking the shit outda you, promise.” He stated seriously as he rubbed his cheek again.
“You shouldn’t have called me a bitch,” I told him as he pulled out the parking lot.
“You shouldn’t have been acting like one. I mean, if yo ass pregnant, so what? If you not than why get pissed about the shit? She lied because she wants you with her brother. Ol’ girl said that shit to keep me away.
“I picked that up, shid, every time she said something about you being pregnant she looked at me. Instead of being the grown mothafucka you claim to be yo dumbass fed into her bullshit. You should’ve just laughed that shit off. But n’all, Peaches too good to walk away from shit, right?” Jerron said.
Hearing him say that, maybe I had overreacted a bit. But who the fuck lied like that? I knew Blaze didn’t tell them no shit like that for the simple fact Blaze don’t want no kids. And if I did actually get pregnant, he would have been the first one talking about abortion, not me.
“It was embarrassing that she came in there calling me hoes and shit then turned around talking about me being pregnant. You believed it, I saw the look on your face, Jerron.”
“So what? I believed it for a second, but even me believing it wouldn’t have changed shit, Peaches. Throwing a fuckin’ fit don’t prove nothing but how fuckin immature you are, damn. For a smart mothafucka you dumb as hell, real shit. You can sit there and mug all day, I’m just telling you this as a friend.”
Reaching over the seat, I punched him because he was right. I knew how Britt coul
d be when it came to mine and Blaze’s relationship. So to be honest, her reaction was a normal one. For her of course.
Through my embarrassment, I looked past that and snapped at her when she only wanted me to change her brother. But Britt fails to realize that I couldn’t change a grown ass man. Even though she didn’t seem to understand it, that didn’t mean I had to be a bitch and hit her.
“Now you got me feeling bad, but I can’t be responsible for what he does. Brittany, fails to see that. I mean, I don’t want him in any bad situations and believe me if it came down to it I’d always have his back, which he knows, but we’re just not meant to be. I want Britt to see that and not blame me for wanting to have a life.
“This isn’t the first time she done went off on me because I’m not with him. I don’t want this to become a habit. Ron, it’s embarrassing as hell to be getting yelled at in the middle of a restaurant, being called a hoe and being accused of aborting a baby I don’t have. Maybe I shouldn’t have threatened to kick her ass, but she deserved that fuckin’ slap,” I explained with a sigh.
He pulled into my job and parked by the door. “Just like you explained to me, that’s how you go at her, not threatening to beat her ass, man. What I just tell yo ass about hitting me, huh?” Ron pulled me into his seat and his hands went around my neck as he started choking me, jerking my body playfully.
“Ron, stop. I’m already late.” Laughing, I pushed away from him, accidently beeping the horn.
“I’ight, go. I’ll come by yours once I finish with Leon. I think yo little boyfriend dented my fuckin’ truck too. When I see his bitch ass I’mma fuck him up.” My brows furrowed at what he said. “Sam’s ass. When I left yo crib the other morning, my side was dented. I think that nigga kicked my shit. I’mma beat his ass, though. Shid, fuck with me, not my truck. She too pretty to be riding around with marks.”
Smacking my lips, I laughed at him. “I don’t know, Ron, that’s kind of petty. It could’ve been some kid’s, I can’t see Sam doing something like this.” Shaking my head at that, I just couldn’t see Sam doing that.
“If it was some kids, they would’ve did King’s truck. Why walk up the driveway to hit mine’s when King’s shit parked on the street? Kids my ass, that mothafucka did it. It’s cool, though. And you late, get on, I’ll see you tonight. Bring something sexy or nothing at all, it don’t matter. But I want a dance tonight.” Hitting him with my purse, I opened his door and got out.
“Sorry, baby, I can’t give you a dance tonight—” I started saying. I was about to walk away from him, but he grabbed me as I was talking.
“Is you on your period?” My eyes went slightly wide, not expecting that question from him at all.
“No, why?”
He asked another question. “Is your period coming soon?”
What the hell type of questions are these?
“No, I just came off. Why?” I asked him again.
“Then why the fuck I can’t get a dance?” Laughing at him, I pulled out of his hold.
“Boy! Bye, Jerron, I’m late. I’ll see you later.” After kissing his cheek, I pushed away from him. Waving, I walked into the office.
“Someone looks happy. That must have been some lunch, huh?” Vanessa said as she came out of a room. Shaking my head at that, my eyes rolled as what Britt did came to mind. “Maybe not…” She trailed off while putting the patient’s file on the door. Walking over to our station, I sat my purse in the bottom drawer then looked up at Vanessa standing in front of the desk like she was waiting on my reply.
“No, the lunch was nice, really nice as expected.” Shrugging, I grabbed a patient’s folder then headed to the front.
“As long as it was good that’s all that really matters, right?” Vanessa replied back. She was trying to be nosy like every other person in that damn office. The girls there were nosy as hell and wanted to know some of everything that was gossip worthy.
I kept my personal life outside of the work place. I kept things to myself and shared only with my bitches. The coworkers tried prying, but they were too gossipy for me. I didn’t need that, I was there to work, not make new friends. Even though Vanessa and I talked, it was never about our personal lives.
“Right.” I responded to Vanessa. Pushing the door to the waiting area open, I looked down at the folder. ”Rosaline McHale,” I called, looking around for her. “Rosaline—”
“That’s me, I’m here.” A girl picked up her jacket from a chair and made her way to me.
Once in the back, I lead her to room two. After taking her weight and writing it down, we went back into the room. Once I took her blood pressure and asked what complications she was having, I typed the info into the computer and got a bit more information from her. Then I left the room, promising to be back in a bit.
“…Carter.” I caught the tail end of Dr. Harris’ conversation as I left the room. I walked over to where she stood waving. “Hey, Peaches.” I returned her smile and she turned back to Vanessa to finish the conversation they were having which I wasn’t playing any attention to.
“Dr. Harris, Mr. Carter is here.” The front receptionist called from her the door.
“Okay, send him back,” the Doctor replied as I went back into the patient’s room. I wrote her name on the small plastic cup and handed it to her.
“Ms. McHale, here. You know what to do when you’re done, put it in the sliver door,” I told her while grabbing a sheet from the drawer and sitting it on the medical bed. I explained to her that once she finished giving a urine sample she could get undressed from the waist down. Then I went on to inform her that the Doctor would be with her shortly.
I left the room and went back to my station. I flopped down in my chair just as my phone started to vibrate, informing me of a text.
Jerron: I think I just got my first client!
That’s what his message read, causing a little squeak to leave my mouth. A smile came to my face because I knew he was happy, everything seemed to be falling into place for him.
Peaches: Bae that’s good, where’s the job?
I replied back to him before slipping my phone into my pocket as I saw Ms. McHale leaving the bathroom.
I put on a pair of latex gloves and got her urine sample then I went on and did her pregnancy test. Discarding the urine and my gloves, I washed my hands before retrieving her folder to write the results on her chart. As I put the chart back my phone went off just as Dr. Harris’ office door open.
Jerron: Out in Marshall Town, yo brotha sent them my way. Me and Leon about to meet them now, so I’ll get at you later.’
Reading Ron’s message, I was truly happy. God, I hoped he got the job because it would mean so much to him to have his own thing going.
I also knew he was going to say something to King about what he did. No doubt he was grateful, but you couldn’t really blame him for not wanting to deal with the folks King messed with.
Blindly, I walked back to my station and put my phone away.
“Peaches can you schedule Mr. Carter an appointment three months from now?” Humming, I pulled up the calendar, bringing it to June 30, 2015.
“Would you like a morning or afternoon appointment? We pretty much have that day open so anywhere from ten to one or afternoon two to five. Which would you like?” I asked, finally looking up only to come face to face with Blaze.
Chapter 33
Peaches
“What the hell are you doing here?” I whispered at him.
“Had a doctor’s appointment and anytime is good with me,” Blaze replied back, leaning on the desk with his phone in his hands. If I was paying attention maybe I would’ve caught on to the name and hidden in one of the empty rooms.
Glancing to my right, I saw that Vanessa was looking our way. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her. I turned back to the computer monitor and scheduled Blaze’s appointment for two o’clock that day as well as making a note to call off after lunch. “You dirty as fuck, man. You gon’ hit my sist
er because you wanna be a hoe,” Blaze tossed his phone in front of me.
Before I could respond back my word got caught in my throat by the video that was playing on his phone.
That little bitch!
There I was feeling bad about going off on her ass when she had recorded me and Ron at the Chinese restaurant. I watched myself sitting on Ron’s lap, kissing him. How long had she been there?
Why the fuck would she send this to Blaze? I kept my composure as I turned off the video. I handed him his phone back. If I wasn’t at work there’s no doubt we would’ve been fighting because I would have slapped the fuck out of him for calling me a hoe.
“I don’t see how I’m considered a hoe when I’m single and I slapped Britt because she was being disrespectful with calling me out my name. June 30 at two o’clock.” I passed him a card with his appointment time and date on it. I prayed he would take it and walk away.
“So yo ass done got loose, huh? You think that shit cute that yo ass hopping from one dick to another? But to have this mothafucka around my sista tho—” Blaze continued, not trying to keep his voice down.
No he was talking so that everyone close to us could hear.
“You are not about to do that here while I’m at work. For real, Blaze?” I whispered, mugging his ass hard as hell. “Now is not the time—”
He grabbed my arm and pulled me from behind the desk then walked to Dr. Harris’ office. He pushed me hard into the woodened door. Once inside the room and behind the closed door I turned around punching him.
“Are you fucking stupid? Don’t ever bring yo ass up here like this. What the fuck is wrong with you? What made you think it was cool coming to my job talking reckless?” I snapped at him.
“What the fuck made you think having this nigga around my mothafucka sista is i’ight? Huh? That’s some disrespectful shit right there. Now would I be wrong fah slapping the fuck outda you fah being disrespectful. Huh?” He asked before snatching me up by the front of my shirt, pushing hard against the desk. The edge of the desk pressed deep into my lower back. Causing pain to immediately shoot up my spine.