No Matter What

by Nicole Jackson

“Wait what?”

  “Listen. Just hear me out. He needs to get his money up, and he can’t really do that locally. It’s too hot. So, he gotta move around. Just long enough for him to make enough money for his lawyer and bond. Then he can live back in the city freely. Take shit to trial if need be, cause he can beat the case.”

  “What? So, so, where is he going? When is he leaving?”

  Lickz tucked his lips into his mouth. “He left yesterday.”

  Nunnie’s heart dropped down to her toes. “Yesterday? And he didn’t bother telling me?”

  “It was already understood that I’d tell you. He would never leave you completely in the blind, Nunnie.”

  “The fuck you say,” she spat. “This is the blind. He should’ve told me this shit himself. And where the fuck did he go?”

  Lickz shook his head. “I can’t tell you that.”

  “You can’t tell me?” she snarled. “Nigga, are you serious?”

  “Yeah, I—”

  Nunnie didn’t hear the rest of his statement, as she stormed off in the opposite direction. She was livid and incredibly hurt. Tears clouded her vision, as she aimlessly traveled through the mall. Everything that had transpired over the past few months ran rampant through her mind. Now she had to question if it had all been in vain, as she found herself completely alone. Nothing in life was scarier, as she didn’t know what tomorrow had in store for her.

  Chapter 9

  Scratching her head, Nunnie switched through the apartment. “Where’s Dreka?” she asked Ted, as he stood in the kitchen, shirtless. Admittedly, he was a well-built man, and if Dreka hadn’t mentioned that he was nearly 40 years old then Nunnie would’ve never guessed it. He was definitely aging like fine wine with his light brown complexion, smooth skin, and wavy hair.

  Ted turned to face her with an obvious bulge in his shorts. “Oh, she left with Tink. I think they made a run to the store.”

  “Oh,” she scowled, donning a look of confusion. “Why didn’t she say nothing?”

  “I guess she didn’t wanna wake you up,” he smiled, giving her the creeps. “You was sleeping so good in there.”

  “Yeah?” she spun around and headed to the living room. Plopping down on the couch, she called Dreka up on her cell.

  After a few rings she picked up. “What’s up?”

  “Man, why yall left me here by myself?”

  “Girl, chill out. We’ll stop by to come get you, before we hit up the next mall. We in the gallo, and was trying to respect ya mind. Seeing as how you work up here, we figured that you wouldn’t want to roll with us, while we snatch this shit up.”

  Nunnie sucked her teeth. “Nah, I could’ve hung at the food court or something. Aint nobody trying to be stuck in here.”

  “What, Ted fucking with you or something?” Dreka enquired.

  Nunnie cut her eyes towards the kitchen. “No, but still. You never know. I aint trying to leave the door open.”

  Dreka tittered. “Girl, stop it. That nigga aint crazy. He knows that I’ll fuck him up.”

  “Who Ted?” Nunnie could hear Tink faintly question in the background.

  “Yeah,” Dreka responded.

  Tink giggled. “Bitch, please. That nigga is a straight up pervert. He got some kinda weird shit going on with his sister-in-law. I told you that. He be checking that girl’s Facebook every two hours. I saw him. And why he got a picture of him and her next to his bed? Weird shit. I’m telling you. I bet his fine ass brother don’t know. Nigga probably be fucking you, staring at that girl’s picture, bitch. Don’t he, Dreka? Tell the truth.”

  Nunnie exploded with laughter, which was something that she hadn’t done in quite some time. “That bitch Tink is stupid, man.”

  Dreka was laughing right along with her, taking no offense to Tink’s comments. She herself had noticed Ted’s weird obsession with his sister-in-law Keirah. It was always Keirah this and Keirah that, when Keirah didn’t even seem to care too much for Ted from what Dreka could tell. They’d met on several occasions, because Ted would often drag her to family functions, and Keirah was actually from 5th Ward, so they’d instantly clicked. She was a cool chick but didn’t too much fuck with Ted for whatever reason, but he worshipped the ground she walked on, leading Dreka to ask him if he wanted to eat Keirah’s ass. When his nasty ass told her that he’d already done so on several occasions way before his brother ever had, she decided to leave that subject right where it was.

  “Anyway,” Dreka snickered. “Nunnie, we’ll be there in a minute. Just be ready.”

  “Alright, bye,” Nunnie agreed, before ending the call.

  Springing off the couch, she headed to the back of the apartment to get herself together. Going to the malls with Dreka and Tink wasn’t necessarily the ideal way she’d usually spend an off day, but she had to roll with the punches. Frankly, she didn’t know what the norm was for her anymore.

  It had been two weeks since Lickz had shown up to her job and told her that Mix was going on the run. For the first week after, she cried her eyes out. Now she was all cried out and was trying her best to move forward. Whatever that meant. All she knew was that Mix wasn’t there, and she had to keep breathing. Beyond that, nothing had been substantiated.

  Thirty minutes later, Nunnie was fully dressed. Checking herself out in the mirror in the bathroom, Nunnie noticed the growth in her midsection. It wasn’t super noticeable to the naked eye, because she wasn’t eating right. Stress played a major role in her eating habits, as she worried about the fate of her future.

  “Bitch, you look a hot ass mess,” she whispered to herself, as she rocked a PINK ensemble Dreka had recently stolen for her. She fiddled with her hair, hoping to spruce up her look a tad. “That’s a damn shame. Look at that damn gut. Look like you be chugging down 40’s and shit.”

  Shaking her head, she headed out of the bathroom. Rubbing the contours of her figure, she felt self-conscious. Nunnie had always been blessed in the body department, so she was having trouble adjusting to the changes, especially since she wasn’t exactly sharing the reason behind the changes.

  Re-entering the living room, the smell of fried chicken wafted through the air. Admittedly, it didn’t smell half bad. Ted was a decent cook and Nunnie had enjoyed a few of his dishes, however, she wasn’t going to go out of her way to get a plate. She kept her interactions with Ted down to a minimum, because she hated the lustful stares he’d throw her way. He’d never said too much to her, but that was primarily because he’d never been given the opportunity. Nunnie had never been left alone with him, which was why she was anxious for Dreka and Tink to come scoop her up.

  “Aye, you hungry?” Ted quizzed, as he ambled into the room.

  Nunnie briefly contemplated, listening to her stomach growl. “Uh, yeah, I can eat.”

  “Alright.” He nodded, before heading back into the kitchen. “You want some tater tots with it too?” he asked from the kitchen.

  “Yeah, that’s fine.”

  “Alright. I got some salad. You like salad?”

  “Yep.”

  “Yeah, I figured you did. You look like a honey mustard girl.”

  Nunnie smiled. “Yeah, how you know?”

  “Cause…I can tell. For some reason, you remind me a lot of my…you remind me of Pretty Girl. And Pretty Girl loves honey mustard too.”

  “Pretty Girl? Who is that?” Nunnie questioned curiously.

  “Pretty Girl is my sister-in-law…Keirah,” Ted revealed, as he moseyed into the living room with Nunnie’s plate of food in tow. “Here.” he stepped over and handed her the plate.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he smiled.

  Nunnie proceeded to dig into the food, while he sat awfully close to her. Instantly, she picked up her phone, fiddled with it, before sitting it in her lap, placing it face down.

  Ted sat, watching Nunnie chew her food, concluding that everything about her was cute. She and Dreka were like night and day, and Nunnie had all the traits th
at he wished Dreka possessed. Nunnie was more reserved. Younger. Probably easier to manipulate.

  “You know, Nunnie, you kinda favor Pretty Girl. Yall both got those innocent faces that drive niggas crazy,” Ted unnecessarily complimented.

  “Oh,” Nunnie mumbled, while continuously chewing on her food.

  “Yeah, it’s different from your sister. She’s a wild one. But you different. I feel like you need somebody to take care of you,” he claimed, slickly placing a hand on her thigh.

  Nunnie stopped chewing and placed her plate on his coffee table in front of them. She then callously flung his hand off her. “Don’t touch me.”

  He smirked. “My bad.”

  “Yeah, your bad,” she snapped. “I don’t know what type of party you think this is, but I don’t fuck behind my sister.”

  He closely regarded her. “Why you gotta say it like that?”

  “What?” she grimaced.

  “I’m saying, you make it sound like something foul…when it don’t have to be that way. At least not between me and you. I mean, I see something different in you. Nothing like what me and your sister got going on. Me and her are just fucking…here and there. Then she asked me if you and her could crash here for a few days and I said yeah. That’s it. But I honestly like you. I see your situation, and I think that you just need a man like me. Somebody willing to take care of you.”

  “Oh, okay,” Nunnie poked out her bottom lip. “So, you think that I’d be cool with being saved by my sister’s hype? Is that it?”

  “Hey, my brother showed me that siblings shouldn’t stand in the way of you finding love, Nunnie. You’ll fuck around and pass up on a blessing. I can be that for you. Me and Dreka aint got nothing special. So, she might be mad for a little while, but she’ll get over it. Trust me.”

  Nunnie gave him a look of disgust. “Do you hear yourself?”

  “Yeah,” he nodded. “I hear myself, and I know exactly what I’m saying. I just need you to really think about it. It’s a cold cruel world on the other side of that door. Don’t find yourself out there, looking for a way back in.” he grabbed her hand, placing it on his hard-on. “You feel that? I can take you back in that room, right now and show you what I can do. Fuck you real good. Eat that pussy. And you’ll never have to worry about having somewhere to rest your head again.”

  Something deep inside of Nunnie instantly ignited. She didn’t know what that something was, until she felt herself gripping his dick on her own. Feeling victorious, Ted reclined in the couch, as she held his dick in her hand.

  “You wanna take me to the back, huh?” she questioned seductively.

  “Hell, yeah?” he exhaled.

  She curled her lips. “Bitch nigga, you got me fucked up.” She viciously squeezed his dick with all her might.

  “Awwww!” he howled in excruciating pain. “You fucking bitch!” he lashed, as he reached back, slapping her.

  Immediately, Nunnie hopped up, coming to her feet. Frantically, she glanced around the room, searching for a weapon. However, before she could successfully find anything, the front door swung open, and both Dreka and Tink came rushing in.

  Ted scrambled to his feet, ready to take Nunnie’s head off, but took a pause once he realized that she now had back up. He knew firsthand that Dreka was certifiable off her rocker, so he was wise enough not to react off mere emotion.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Dreka questioned, as she glared at Ted.

  His nostrils flared. “Your fucking sister done lost her mind in here. That’s what.”

  Dreka inched closer and he stepped back. “And how did she do that?”

  He huffed. “Shit, she put her hands on me.”

  Dreka hooded her eyes. “You sure that’s the lie you wanna go with?”

  “Come again.”

  “I asked if this was the lie you wanted to go with,” she reiterated. “Cause I been on the phone the whole way over here, Ted. I heard you. My sister reminds you of Pretty Girl? They’re both pretty? You can take care of her? Huh? I wonder what that nigga Killah would think about this,” she referred to Ted’s brother. “I bet he finds out when I let him hear the conversation, because I recorded the whole fucking thing!”

  Caught completely out there, Ted curled his lips. “Look, fuck all that shit! All you plotting ass bitches can get the fuck out of my apartment, while yall trying to set a nigga up!”

  Dreka whipped her head around. “Nunnie, cover your face up with your shirt.”

  Without thinking twice about it, Nunnie followed her sister’s instructions, and seconds later Dreka and Tink both had their mace out, spraying Ted from different angles.

  “Awww, my eyes!” he belted, as he scampered to the kitchen. “I’ma kill you bitches!”

  With her hand over her mouth and nose, Dreka ordered, “Let’s grab our shit.”

  With urgency they ran to the rear of the apartment and grabbed their belongings. Thankfully, they’d made a habit of leaving most of their clothes back at Tink’s, so it wasn’t much to pack. Therefore, within a couple of minutes they had everything, and were rushing out of the door, while Ted was still attempting to rinse his eyes out.

  Dreka was fuming, as she hopped into the passenger’s seat of Tink’s car. “His bitch ass better be lucky I knew about that pistol he keeps in the kitchen. Otherwise we would’ve jumped his ass.”

  “For real,” Tink co-signed, as she backed out of the parking lot. “Straight drag his ass down the stairs. Would’ve made sure to bang his head on every fucking step.”

  Nunnie shook her head from the backseat, feeling an array of emotions. Yes, she was relieved that they’d stepped in before things had gotten too far out of control. Still, Ted had managed to slap the hell out of her, and she could still feel the sting from that. Not just that, but once again, she and her sister would be forced to figure something out. Not knowing where she would be resting her head for the next few days was unsettling, and she didn’t know how much longer she could go on like this.

  Chapter 10

  “Damn, I’m fucking sleepy,” Nunnie yawned, while lying across Tink’s bed. She’d just gotten off work an hour prior and was in desperate need of a nap, but Dreka and Tink were keeping up too much of a ruckus, as they sorted through their stolen merchandise, preparing to sell it off.

  Dreka pursed her lips. “I went and got that issue for you. I think it’s time for you to go ahead and take it, cause this shit is getting old.” She folded a shirt on her lap.

  “Real quick,” Tink chimed in, while sifting through a trash bag filled to the brim with stolen goods.

  Nunnie sat up. “What shit?”

  “Hoe, you know,” Tink offered casually.

  “Nah, I really don’t,” Nunnie claimed.

  “We talking about that damn gut you totting around. That nigga Mix done pumped your ass full of baby and it’s time for you to face it.”

  Nunnie sucked her teeth and grumbled. “That nigga aint did shit.”

  Tink giggled. “Yeah, right. Even you don’t believe that. Pretty soon, you gon need to skip right over this test shit and just go see what you’re having, cause it’s clear to see that you’re carrying. We know that much. I mean, at least I know.”

  Nunnie simply rolled her eyes, deciding not to go back and forth on the matter. It was a dead issue as far as she was concerned.

  Before anything else could be said, Tink’s bedroom door was pushed open. “Tink,” Tink’s mama, Soya, called out to her. “What yall about to do?”

  Tink glanced up at her mama. “Why? What’s going on?”

  “I’m about to head out, and I need to lock my house up. So, I’m trying to see what yall about to do.”

  “Oh, well, I got my key,” Tink shrugged.

  “Nah, yall gone leave when I leave,” Soya clarified. “Croy is staying here and you know my rule,” she referred to her boyfriend. “Aint no pussy staying here when I aint. Not even you.”

  Tink swallowed hard, thinking that her mama would at
least have some couth in front of company but there was none. This was the exact reason why she herself was constantly house hopping. Her mama was insecure as hell and she didn’t have time. Over the years, Tink had blossomed into a thick chocolate beauty that men all over the city pined over. Unfortunate, this radiance was viewed as a threat or a weakness that any man simply couldn’t resist in Soya’s eyes. Not even her man. Therefore, she made sure to safeguard the situation, by leaving no room for error. Her man and young girls, including her daughter, weren’t going to be left alone. Period.

  “Okay, mama,” Tink huffed. “We about to go. Shit.”

  “Okay. I’m leaving in the next hour,” Soya announced before leaving the room.

  Hearing that, Nunnie rolled her eyes to the ceiling, knowing right then that she probably wouldn’t be getting much sleep any time soon.

  ***

  Standing behind the register at work, Nunnie could hardly keep her eyes open. She was utterly exhausted. Working around Soya’s house rules was seriously messing with her sleeping patterns, as she found herself bouncing around with Dreka and Tink.

  After over two weeks of house bouncing, Nunnie was about to lose it, so she had made a proposal to both Tink and Dreka. She’d suggested that they’d all go in on an apartment. Knowing that they hated paying bills, she tried to be reasonable about it, suggesting that they merely get a one bedroom, since they were already sharing the same room most of the time, anyway. At least then, they could probably contribute three hundred or less for rent a piece, which was feasible, and they’d have the freedom of having their own space. Collectively, they’d agreed to get an apartment, but Nunnie felt in her heart that she was really the only one truly concerned about the situation. Both Dreka and Tink were accustomed to this way of life. She was the oddball out, wanting to switch things up, forcing them into the adult world, and real responsibilities.

  A spike of nervous energy surged through her stomach, as she awaited Dreka’s text. She was waiting to see if Soya was going to be home today. The night before they ended up having to crash at Tink’s little dip’s, because Soya had to work overnight, and didn’t want them in her home, while she wasn’t there. So, now Nunnie would literally be at work, stomach twisted in knots, not knowing from day to day what her sleeping situation was looking like. Dreka acted like it was nothing to move around, not knowing where they were going to rest their heads from day to day, but that was no way to live. No, it had never gotten to the point where they had to sleep on the streets, but there had been a few times where they’d sit in Tink’s car, texting around, figuring out their next moves. Flat out, the shit was embarrassing, and something had to give.