You Ain't My Type

by Nicole Jackson

  “Oh,” Konya uttered, after hearing the messy explanation. “Well, somebody needs to tell Roz’s ass that she aint in the ghetto no more. You’d think that a woman that pretty would know how to act. That bitch loosened a few of my tracks.”

  Rye giggled. “That’s what you get for plotting. Why didn’t you just tell me that you realized that Jaylen’s pawpaw was my daddy when you seen that picture?”

  Konya held her head. “I don’t know. I just thought that I would come to the gathering and finally talk to him. With me thinking that Jaylen was your blood, I didn’t want to have that conversation, unless I was sure.”

  Rye shook her head. “Whatever.”

  Jaylen pulled up to the entrance of their apartment building. Konya took that as her que to exit the vehicle. Once she was stepping into the lobby of the building, Jaylen pulled off, heading to the parking area. Finding a spot, he pulled in, but didn’t bother turning the car off.

  Rye squinted her eyes. “You not coming upstairs?”

  He cut his eyes at her, as he licked his lips. “Are you gonna tell me how you know Wale?”

  She frowned. “After everything that just happened, you’re still stuck on that?”

  “Fucking right. How you know him?”

  “I used to talk to him, Jaylen,” she confessed.

  “When you say talk, don’t you mean fuck?”

  She sighed heavily. “I mean talking as in dating. So, yes, we had sex.”

  Jaylen’s stomach churned. “So, you was standing in front of a nigga that you used to fuck, but wasn’t gonna say shit, until Big Block called your ass out?”

  She sucked her teeth. “Whatever I was gonna tell you wasn’t gonna be right then, Jaylen.”

  He glared at her. “If ever, right?”

  She rolled her eyes. “What are you trying to say?”

  “I’m saying that after today I look at you different. When did this shit about you facetiming him happen?”

  She gulped. “A few months back.”

  He disappointedly shook his head. “That’s why that nigga Tori was moving the way that he was. You be on some hoe shit.”

  Rye’s heart skipped a beat. “Hoe shit? Really?”

  “Hell, yeah. Now you done fucked my cousin’s baby’s daddy. A nigga that I gotta be around. And I don’t know how I feel about that. Shit, clearly, you was just trying to fuck that man, while you had a nigga. You was just reaching out recently, and I’m supposed to be cool with that?”

  Rye took a deep breath. “That was before your time, Jaylen. I didn’t know you like that, and I didn’t know that he was with your cousin. I called him randomly, even though I hadn’t spoken to him in God knows when. It’s really not that serious.”

  “Shit, that’s easy for you to say,” he scoffed. “No real nigga wants to be attached to the bitch that everybody’s had.”

  “You know what?” she placed up a finger. “I’m gone on that note.” She grabbed the door handle. “Cause you done lost your fucking mind.”

  He reclined back into his seat. “Yeah, alright.”

  His nonchalant demeanor was pissing Rye off, as she lost it, smushing the side of his head. With quick reflexes, he flung her hand away from his face.

  “Don’t fuckin’ touch me, man.”

  “Or what? The fuck are you gonna do?” she snaked her neck around. “Huh?” she big-faced him again.

  Harshly, he gripped her wrist, as his lips curled. “Look, I’m not that nigga you was with. I aint finna exchange blows with you. That aint my style. So, keep your fucking hands to yourself, before I break this muthafucka.”

  Instead of Rye heeding his warnings, she exploded, snatching her hand out of his grasp, before unloading a furry on blows onto him. Eventually, Jaylen felt like he’d taken more than enough, as he gripped her neck and squeezed.

  “Get your ignorant ass the fuck out of my car!” he violently shook her.

  Realizing that he could possibly whip her ass if she went any further, she relented, snatching away from him. “Fuck you!” she belted, as she hopped out of the car.

  Jaylen placed the Maserati in reverse. “Nah, I’m good on that. On God.”

  “Oh, trust me, the feeling’s mutual, with your weak ass stroke!” Rye spewed, before kicking the car.

  Jaylen shook his head, as he backed out of the spot. He took one last look at her, noticing that she was giving him the finger, before he skirted out of the lot.

  Rye watched the back of his car, as it disappeared out of the lot. “Bitch ass nigga.”

  Her mind was all over the place, as she traveled to her apartment. As she used her key to unlock her door, she spoke to herself. “I don’t need a bitch ass nigga like him. Who the fuck is he to judge me?”

  Stepping into her apartment, she noticed Konya sitting on the couch. Briefly, Rye paused, as they locked eyes. Konya’s eyes were seemingly pleading for forgiveness. However, Rye wasn’t moved, as she stomped back to her bedroom.

  Entering her room, she collapsed across her bed. Resting her head on a pillow, she stared blankly at the wall. Against her will, she began to snivel. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to get a handle on her emotions.

  “Don’t cry, Rye. Don’t cry,” she whispered to herself. “That nigga aint worth it.”

  For a few long minutes her breathing was labored, as she lied on her stomach, still staring at the wall. Just when she thought that she’d won the battle with her emotions, tears slowly trickled from her eyes, as she questioned why and how Jaylen could have her feeling this way.

  ***

  Lea stepped into the room to find Rye still lying in bed.

  “Bitch, now, you knew that I was coming over here. Why you aint ready? All you been talking about is getting another car, but your lazy ass is still in the bed.”

  Rye rolled over in bed, wearing merely a Nike sports bra with matching biker shorts. Taking a nice stretch, she yawned. “Girl, my bad. I dozed off.”

  Lea carefully regarded her. “Friend, I aint trying to be funny or anything, but you looking mighty chunky today. Since when do you have a gut?”

  Rye glanced down at her stomach. It was indeed pudgy. She sucked her teeth. “Bitch, I’m on my period. I’m just bloated.”

  Lea narrowed her eyes. “Your period? Hoe, you lying. I can see that you aint even wearing no panties in them thin ass shorts.”

  Rye’s legs snapped closed.

  Lea giggled. “Let me find that you ruined our plans. You know that we’re supposed to live our best lives until we’re twenty-seven. Then we’d have some babies. Please tell me that you didn’t get a whiff of the Braxton dick and lose your mind. Tell me that you made that nigga strap up. Please.”

  Rye sat at the edge of her bed, before her eyes casted down to the floor.

  “Rye,” Lea pressed. “Hello,” she sang. “You don’t hear me talking to you?”

  Refusing to give her friend eye contact, Rye stood up. “I’m about to go change, right quick. Give me like fifteen minutes, and I’ll be ready.”

  Lea looked her up and down. “Fifteen minutes? Bitch, really? You standing there with them long ass Queen Latifa Set It Off braids, and no clothes on. Aint no way in hell you’ll be ready in less than a hour.”

  “Yes, I will,” Rye claimed, as she grabbed an outfit and phone off her dresser. “I’m wearing my hair like this.”

  “Okay, now I know that something aint right.”

  Sighing heavily, Rye headed to the bathroom. “Yeah, yeah,” she grumbled, before stomping into the bathroom. Closing the door behind herself, she studied herself in the mirror. “Bitch, you have to be the dumbest broad on the planet. You barely know this nigga. He’s disrespectful, and your dumb ass is late. Aint bled in over two months.” She shook her head. “Lord, let this shit be in my head. Don’t take a G out like this.” she knelt down, before sifting underneath her sink. In the very back of the cabinet she located a pregnancy test. It was a twin pack, but she’d used one the year before when she was with Tori, whi
ch was why they’d been using condoms ever since that false alarm.

  With her fingers crossed, she sat on the toilet, and ripped the test open. She was a ball of nerves, as she pissed on the stick.

  “God, please,” she begged, as she removed the stick from her thighs.

  Silently, she stared at the stick, as two lines slowly appeared across the screen.

  “No, no, no,” she sobbed, as she cuffed her mouth with her palm.

  Tears cascaded down her face, as she impatiently tapped her feet on the floor.

  “What am I gonna doooo,” she bawled, until the sound of her cell ringing interrupted her.

  Grabbing her cell, she noticed Jhyrah’s face flash across the screen. Clearing her throat, she answered the call. “Hello.”

  “Hey, girl. Are you busy?” Jhyrah questioned.

  “Not really?” Rye unintentionally sniveled. “What’s up?”

  Jhyrah briefly paused. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Rye quickly answered. “I’m just dealing with my allergies.”

  “Oh, okay. Well, I’ma cut straight to the chase. My pawpaw wanted me to call you.”

  “Your pawpaw?”

  “Yeah, Ray-Ray.”

  “Okay.”

  Jhyrah exhaled. “Yeah, he wanted your number, so I’m calling to make sure that it’s cool, before I give it to him.”

  “Umm,” Rye tucked her lips into her mouth. “I guess it’s cool.”

  “Okay, good. I’m finna hang up, because he’s about to call you right now.”

  “Alright.” Rye ended the call, and before she could process what was happening her cell was ringing again. “Hello?”

  “Aye, is this uh, Rye?” he questioned, causing a chill to shoot up her spine. Something about his voice resonated with her in an indescribable way.

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, this Ray-Ray. You doing alright?”

  She breathed. “I don’t know.”

  “Hey, I feel that. I haven’t been right since last week. My mind been fucked up since your mama blurted that shit out at my house.”

  Rye nodded, although he couldn’t see her. “Yeah, that was crazy.”

  “It was,” he concurred. “And honestly, I can’t even sleep since she put that out there.”

  “Why not?” she found herself asking.

  “Because…she seemed serious…and you favor my daughters.”

  “Oh.” Her heart beat wildly in her chest, as butterflies brewed in the pit of her stomach.

  “But yeah, that’s why I’m calling. I wanna know if you’d be cool with getting a DNA test.”

  She swallowed hard. “Yeah…That’s fine.”

  “Okay, cool. I’m about to text you the directions to the facility. We can do this in two days, if that’s cool with you.”

  “I’m fine however it goes.”

  “Alright, well, I’ll see you in two days, then.”

  “Okay,” Rye agreed, ending the call. She then remained seated on the toilet, as her mind was all over the place. Things were happening, and she felt that she had no control over her life, anymore. With so much weight on her shoulders, she decided to throw up her hands, and let the chips fall wherever they may. Besides, there wasn’t much she could do about anything, anyway.

  Chapter 17

  It was four in the morning, and pouring down raining, as Jaylen drove home. He’d just left the club, after shutting it down. He and Jahrein Junior promoted a club on Wednesdays and the crowds would be thick as hell. Just as they’d counted their profits for the night, it began to rain.

  Usually, the rain would bring about a certain comfort, but this night was different. A sense of sadness washed over him, as he realized that there was nothing soft to go home and lay up under. For the past three months it had been him and Rye. She was the one he’d end most nights with; at her house or his. It didn’t matter. But now she was gone, and he’d told himself that he was cool with it. He’d tried to convince himself that she was like all the rest. Nothing special. However, after tonight, he knew that it was a lie.

  Girl after girl threw pussy his way. Women still blew up his cell. But the thrill was gone. Pulling up to smash a random didn’t seem appealing. Their energy wasn’t the same. They didn’t stir the same emotions. And being in touch with himself, he had to admit that he missed her.

  “There’s a thousand words I could say. To make you come home. Seems so long ago that you walked away. Left me alone. I remember what you said to me. You were acting so strange. And maybe I was too blind to see that you needed a change…” N’Sync poured from his sound system.

  Jaylen shook his head, as he gripped his steering wheel. Truly, he felt like a sucker. He’d watched several cats around him fall hard for a chick. But he never understood it. So, he’d literally laugh whenever a family member or friend would express anguish over turmoil between them and a broad. It just never made sense to him, until now. Now, he was sitting there trying to forget about somebody, but only ended up replaying her smile in his head. It was frustrating as hell, because he didn’t want to feel a thing. And the damn music…it was like it was reading his mind. What were the odds of this particular song playing, right then?

  “I’ve been sitting here. Can’t get you off my mind. I’ve tried my best to be a man and be strong. I’ve drove myself insane. Wishing I could touch your face. But the truth remains… you’re gone…”

  Tucking his lips into his mouth, he picked up his cell. Holding it in his hand, he contemplated. “Fuck it,” he said to himself, before dialing out her number. Placing the phone to his ear, he listened to her phone ring. He was partially surprised that she hadn’t blocked him.

  When he heard her voicemail pick up, he felt super lame. Super damn weak. He’d reached out, but it wasn’t reciprocated. Sliding his tongue across his teeth, he vowed to never have a moment of weakness again.

  ***

  Rye lied in her bed, staring at her phone. He’d finally called, and she couldn’t move. She didn’t even know what to say, so she said nothing. She didn’t answer for him, although they needed to talk. Regardless of how their relationship ended; they had ties. Still, that wasn’t something she wanted to deal with right then. She also didn’t want to entertain the idea of being civil just for the sake of a baby. Co-parenting and all that jazz was never something she wanted for herself. She wasn’t supposed to be some man’s baby mama. It wasn’t what she wanted, therefore she had to question if she wanted to keep his baby.

  ***

  “Are you alright?”

  Rye huffed. “Yeah, ma, I told you that. So, let’s just get out and get this out the way.”

  Konya shook her head. “I never wanted this for us, baby.”

  “What?” Rye glanced her mama’s way.

  A tear slipped from Konya’s eye. “I never wanted this kind of confusion for you. When Dewayne asked me not to tell you about Ray-Ray all those years ago, I didn’t think about how you’d feel, if you ever found out that I lied. I did what was convenient for me, and that was selfish of me. I’m sorry, and I pray to God that our relationship gets better.”

  Rye grabbed her mama’s hand. “Don’t cry. Believe it or not…after I thought about it, I get it. You did what you thought was best. You didn’t want to do it by yourself. I get it. I just wished that you would’ve told me the minute I was old enough to understand.”

  Konya nodded. “You’re right.”

  “Okay,” Rye exhaled. “Let’s get out and do this.” she pushed the passenger’s door of Konya’s Benz open.

  As they eased out of the car, Konya noticed Ray-Ray and Roz approaching the entry of the testing facility. Once Ray pulled the door open, he glanced back, noticing them. He released the door and did an about-face.

  “What’s up?” he greeted, as Rye and Konya stepped onto the sidewalk.

  “Hey,” Rye spoke indifferently.

  Konya stood at her side, anticipating Roz to spew some smart shit.

  Roz offered a gentle smile.
“I’m glad we caught yall out here.”

  Rye narrowed her eyes, wondering where this was going.

  “First, let me apologize to you,” Roz addressed Konya. “I was wrong for putting my hands on you. So much was happening at once, and I honestly misunderstood you. I thought that Ray-Ray was on some bullshit and had invited you over, thinking that I wouldn’t remember you. But Jhyrah ‘nem cleared the air. Right after that I told Ray-Ray that we needed to find out the truth…because I see the resemblance between your baby and my own kids and grandkids. And woman to woman I can admit that this is not about me or you. Me and Ray-Ray had our own issues concerning our daughter, and I’d never want to see the effects of a absent daddy with another young girl, growing up. If your baby’s his, he has to be involved. I couldn’t be with him if he didn’t rectify this situation.”

  Konya was honestly shocked. She obviously wasn’t expecting this from a woman who’d just snatched tracks out of her hair just a week prior. “Okay, I respect what you’re saying, and I accept your apology.”

  Roz nodded. “I appreciate that.” She then focused on Rye. “And baby girl, I really want to apologize to you. I really should have stopped that fight between you and my granddaughter. It’s crazy that yall were fighting to begin with, and when this is over I’ll make sure that she apologizes.”

  Rye smiled, as she shook her head. “That’s nice of you, but she don’t owe me an apology. It’s really a misunderstanding on both our parts, and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t add flames to the situation, being silly.”