A Trillion to One

by Chenell Parker

  “Why do you even care?” Ciara asked angrily.

  “What is my lawyer saying?” Viper asked while changing the subject.

  “He said that it’s looking kind of good. Prisons are overcrowded and you have a nonviolent offense. He said he’s trying to see if you can get house arrest or maybe monitored probation,” Ciara replied.

  “Man, I might as well stay in here if they give me house arrest. I can’t move like I want to with that anklet on me. I’m trying to get some money. Skip said that shit is lovely out there and I know he got me.” Viper nodded.

  “Skip don’t even touch that shit no more. From what I’m hearing, Logan is his right hand man now.” Ciara shrugged.

  “A lil boy trying to play a grown man’s game. Logan learned how to hustle but hustling is in my blood,” Viper noted.

  “His sad ass was trying to get with Amore but her man came and shut that shit down,” Ciara laughed.

  “Bitch ass nigga,” Viper fumed.

  He always did catch the slick way Logan used to look at Amore and he checked the nigga about it once before. Logan swore that it was innocent and he even apologized to Viper. He was a hoe and that was proven by the way he behaved when he found out that Viper was fucking his girl. Viper would have murdered somebody behind Amore. Logan acted like a bitch and stopped speaking to him instead.

  “He’s gonna die when you come home and he sees us together,” Ciara said as she grabbed his hand. She made sure to do it above the table since the prison guards watched so hard.

  “What’s been going on with my grandmother?” Viper questioned while ignoring what she’d just said. Ciara was too fragile to deal with a nigga like him. He appreciated her for holding him down but she could never be his girl.

  “She hates me, so I wouldn’t know. She called me a slut the last time you told me to go visit her and I haven’t been back since then,” Ciara answered.

  “It’s nothing against you. She just loves Amore,” Viper replied.

  “Okay but you’re not with her anymore. Apparently, she’s not the only one who loves her,” Ciara snapped angrily.

  “I’m not that nigga, sweetheart. You played that rowdy shit with Logan but that’s not gon’ fly with me. You’re getting a little too comfortable with that reckless ass mouth of yours. Fix that shit,” Viper warned.

  “I’m sorry baby but I’m tired of feeling like I’m in competition with your ex,” Ciara replied.

  “Anderson! Times up!” one of the prison guards yelled before Viper had a chance to answer.

  He stood up and Ciara stood up with him. Viper wasn’t big on kissing, so he gave her a hug and walked away. He went and stood near the bars and waited for one of the guards to walk him back to his dorm. Once he was escorted back in, Viper waited until the coast was clear before he went to his hiding place and grabbed his phone. He was anxious for the visit to be over with so that he could go see a few things for himself. The first thing he did was google Amore’s name.

  “From prisoner to prison,” he said, reading the book title out loud.

  An Amazon author’s page came up with a beautiful picture of Amore. The years had been good to her and she looked amazing. Viper read the biography that was under the picture where Amore gave a little background info on herself. They had a link to the book, so Viper clicked that too. He saw that there was a sample of the book so he downloaded it. The first thing he saw was her acknowledgements. Amore said how thankful she was for a few people in her life, mainly her cousins and his grandmother. When she got to talking about her man, Viper’s face contorted into a frown. Amore was talking like that nigga was her savior but that couldn’t be the furthest thing from the truth. It was him and his grandmother who had saved her and gave her a decent place to stay. It was Viper who took care of her and made sure that she had everything that she needed.

  “Loosely based on real life events,” Viper read out loud. He got comfortable in his bunk as he started reading the sample that he downloaded. He couldn’t even front, Amore had skills and her book pulled him in from page one. When the sample came to an end, Viper was pissed. He called one of the guards who he was cool with, hoping that he could do him another favor. The guard was cool with Skip on the outside and he was the one who snuck in Viper’s cell phone.

  “What’s good fam?” the guard asked.

  “I need a favor. I’m trying to get a book from Amazon but I don’t have a credit card,” Viper replied.

  “I got an account. Let me log in and I can get it on my card. You owe me too nigga,” the guard said as he grabbed Viper’s phone and ordered the book for him.

  “I got you fam. I’ll get my people to hit up your cash app just like always,” Viper assured him.

  “You’re good to go,” the guard said while handing him his phone back and walking away.

  Viper tuned out all the noise around him and laid back in his bunk. He picked up right where he left off in the book. When he got to the part about the main character’s mother trying to sell her virginity for drugs, he knew that Amore really did write the story based on her own life. She named her lead character Amina but he knew that she was speaking about herself.

  “Cobra, huh?” Viper questioned aloud as he read the part about how the main character was rescued outside of a grocery store by a sweet old lady and her great-grandson. It didn’t matter that she changed the names, he knew exactly who she was talking about. The way she portrayed him in the book made him seem like he was a monster. The cheating and beatings seemed a little overdramatized in his opinion. He was pissed when he read the part about her not being in love with her man anymore and feeling like a prisoner instead. He couldn’t stop until he finished and he was mad that the guard who got the first part for him was already gone. Viper saw that part two was out and he wanted to read it.

  “Yeah, okay bitch. I need my cut too,” Viper said out loud. He was in his feelings but it was cool. Since Amore wanted to write about him in her book, he hoped that she was ready to pay up and give him his share of the profits. If she decided to pick up where they left off, then all would be forgiven. He didn’t even care that she was having another man’s baby. He would help her raise the little bastard or she could give it to the father and start a family with him. Just thinking about the other man had Viper curious. He pulled his phone out again and decided to find out some info on the man who now seemed to have Amore’s heart.

  “Alright bitch, I’m tired of sitting out here now. This is day four and nothing has happened yet,” Chanell complained as she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel impatiently.

  “Just wait a few more minutes cousin,” Amore replied as she continued to stare.

  “You said that over an hour ago,” Chanell argued.

  “Calm your impatient ass down,” Dallas said from her place in the back seat.

  “You better shut up Dallas. I’m still pissed with you. I told you that I didn’t want Azra’s child molester ass nowhere around my house,” Chanell fussed.

  “Calm down bitch. She only helped me get the rest of my clothes out,” Dallas replied. Amore never officially let Dallas have her apartment and she didn’t need to. She was never home, so Dallas took it upon herself to move in. Amore’s apartment was small and comfortable enough just for her. It was also the perfect place for her to entertain. Her lawyer bitch, Cathy, and Azra were always coming over and Dallas loved the privacy.

  “You know I always have to keep it real with you cousin and you’re dead ass wrong. Azra is not the enemy like you’re making her out to be. True, Dallas was young but she wasn’t naïve. We’ve always been wise beyond our years because we were forced to grow up fast. Grown ass men used to try to get at her back in the day and she always turned them down. She could have done the same thing with Azra. You’re looking for someone to blame for Dallas being a lesbian and that’s not fair,” Amore admonished.

  “I’m the same person that I’ve always been. Who I choose to love shouldn’t matter and it shouldn’t make you lo
ve me any less,” Dallas said.

  “Nothing will ever make me love you any less and I don’t ever want you to think that. I don’t even care that you like women. I just held Azra to a higher standard. I felt kind of betrayed when you told me about y’all. I thought she was helping us from the kindness of her heart. Now I feel like she only did it just because of what y’all had going on. As your big sister, it was my job to protect you from stuff like that and I didn’t,” Chanell replied.

  “I am who I am. You can’t protect me from myself,” Dallas pointed out.

  “I understand and I’m sorry sister. I’m woman enough to admit when I’m wrong and I owe Azra an apology too,” Chanell replied.

  “Aww, I love y’all so much. I feel like crying right now,” Amore cooed.

  “Sit your overly emotional ass down somewhere,” Dallas laughed.

  “I wish you put those damn binoculars down. You act like we’re on a stakeout,” Chanell laughed, as her sister looked through her second set of eyes like a spy.

  “This is a stakeout. You know I love this kind of shit,” Dallas said excitedly as she continued to looked towards Leah’s house.

  “That bitch probably ain’t coming out. We can go if y’all want to,” Amore said as she rubbed her small baby bump.

  She was now in her fourth month of pregnancy and Leah had been driving her and Trillion crazy since they let Tristyn make the announcement a month ago. She took the drama to social media and had Trillion seeming like the bad guy. She was saying that he was illegally trying to keep their daughter and people were actually feeling sorry for her. Trillion wasn’t being totally unreasonable and he always took Tristyn over there to visit. He didn’t feel that Leah was stable, so he had his daughter living with him. Trillion swore that he’d never seen that side of her before and he was scared for Abby too. There was really nothing that he could do about that though.

  Trillion was fed up with Leah’s games. She called him all day with bullshit and drama. She swore that Amore was stalking her but she never went anywhere around her. Yet, she was always sending Trillion pictures of something else that supposedly happened to her. The last straw was when she sent Trillion a picture of her broken car window and said that Amore had sent someone over there to do it. She was a certified nut and Amore was sick of her. Trillion had been on her back about getting a job and that’s what drove her crazy the most. Since he didn’t plan on sending Tristyn back to live with her, he was no longer going to be paying her bills.

  Amore just wanted some kind of proof to know that Leah was just as crazy as they knew she was. She actually had people hating Trillion and he hadn’t done anything wrong.

  “Fuck it. We can come back tomorrow,” Chanell said as she started up the car.

  “Wait! Somebody just opened the door!” Dallas yelled.

  Amore perked up and looked towards the house. A few seconds later, Leah walked out carrying a black garbage bag. She threw the bag in the trash can and wheeled it to the curb. Amore recorded her as she walked up to her car. They thought that she was about to get inside but she never did.

  “The fuck!” Dallas yelled as she got a clear view with her binoculars. Leah pulled out a knife and proceeded to stab all four tires on her car. She had a crazy looking smile on her face as she did it before she walked back inside.

  “That bitch is a lunatic,” Chanell said as her mouth hung open in shock.

  “I told y’all! That bitch is stalking her damn self and always saying that I’m sending somebody at her,” Amore replied as her cousin drove away. She couldn’t wait to get home to show Trillion just how right he was. Taking his daughter away from her was the best decision that he’d ever made.

  “Bye cousin. Love you,” Chanell said when they dropped Amore off in front of Trillion’s building.

  “Love y’all too,” Amore said as she got out of the car and headed to the elevator. She looked at the video again as the elevator went up to the penthouse. As soon as she walked into the house, Trillion’s voice was the first thing that greeted her. She could tell that he was upset and she already knew why. Tristyn was with Jackie and his father, so he didn’t have to watch what he said.

  “You sound dumb as fuck right now. My girl is pregnant and you’re the last thing on her mind. The fuck would she want to flatten your tires for?” Trillion yelled out loud.

  “Hang up on her,” Amore suggested, prompting him to do exactly what she said.

  “How the fuck did I not see this crazy side of her all those years ago?” Trillion questioned out loud.

  “Because you were still with her. She didn’t have a reason to show her crazy side then,” Amore noted.

  “I guess that’s something else that she’s about to take to social media.” Trillion frowned as he rubbed his temples.

  “Not if we take it there first. Look at this,” Amore said as she handed him her phone.

  “The fuck is she doing?” Trillion questioned out loud as he watched the video.

  “The same shit that she’s been doing from day one,” Amore replied once he was done watching.

  “But I’m the bad guy. I’m not gon’ even do her dirty like that though,” Trillion said as he handed Amore her phone back.

  “What! I don’t know why the fuck not! She got people thinking all kinds of crazy shit about you,” Amore argued.

  “You know me, Love. I don’t give a fuck what nobody has to say about me. Unlike her, I think about my daughter before anything else. And you need to stop playing detective. Fuck Leah,” Trillion replied as he rubbed her stomach.

  Just like he’d said, Trillion didn’t miss a beat with Amore’s pregnancy. Many mornings she woke up to see a picture of her sleeping peacefully on his page. He was enjoying the changes in her body and he was excited when he saw her stomach start to grow.

  “That’s the whole problem now. You give that hoe too many passes.” Amore frowned.

  “I got something for you,” Trillion said as he got up and walked to his bedroom. Amore knew that he was trying to change the subject and lighten the mood but she wasn’t having it. He didn’t have to post the video because she was going to do it for him.

  “What is all of that?” Amore asked when he came back into the room with a huge gift bag and two smaller ones. Instead of answering her, Trillion handed her the bags and let her open them.

  “That’s a back pillow and a cushioned lap desk,” he said when she opened two of the gifts.

  “Okay, but what is it for?” Amore asked him.

  “Open the last one,” Trillion answered.

  “Aww baby, thank you. I really appreciate this.” Amore smiled when she pulled out the rose gold Mac from the last gift bag.

  “It’s time for you to get back to writing Love. You don’t have to hand write the shit no more,” Trillion replied.

  “I still haven’t published my other books yet,” Amore noted. Her first series did amazing and she was in the process of getting the other ones out too. She had twelve books left, a total of four series.

  “I know baby but you gotta keep them coming. I know you be writing in your notes and stuff but you need to put everything on your laptop now,” Trillion replied.

  “Okay, I will,” Amore said as she got up from the sofa. It was still early, so she fixed her and Trillion something to eat. Once they ate, they both cleaned the kitchen and Trillion went to take a shower. Amore used that time to make a post on her Instagram page and upload the video of Leah. She knew that Trillion would be upset but he would get over it. Bitches like Leah liked to seek sympathy and attention and she was about to give her just what she wanted. Trillion had been having her back from day one and Amore had his too.

  “D amn boy, another girl,” Jordon laughed as he and Trillion sat in his mother’s living room and talked.

  Tristyn had stayed the night at Stacy’s house with Jordon’s daughter, Jazz. They were in the backyard playing while Stacy watched them. Trillion and Amore had posted a video, revealing the sex of their baby earli
er that day. People loved their relationship and they loved when they went live or posted videos.

  “Yeah man but I really didn’t care about the sex. I do want my junior one day but I’m just happy to be here to experience the pregnancy,” Trillion replied.

  “Amore is good people. I’m not ashamed to admit that I was wrong about her,” Jordon replied.

  He and Trillion always had disagreements but they never let their problems linger. After their last argument, Jordon called Trillion the next day to apologize. He sometimes went too far but he was trying to do better.

  “It’s cool. A lot of people judge her before they get to know her. I was one of those people,” Trillion admitted.

  “Boy, I was laughing my ass off when she posted that video of Leah. I told you fam, that girl ain’t wrapped too tight,” Jordon chuckled.

  “Her ass is hardheaded. I told her to leave it alone but I’m happy that she did it. Leah deactivated her page and she hasn’t been on social media since then,” Trillion noted.

  “People like Leah don’t stay away. She probably deactivated her page but I’m sure she got a new one that same day. Trust me, she’s somewhere lurking,” Jordon said.

  “I really don’t care. My life has been peaceful and I hope it stays that way. I bring Tristyn to visit her a few times a week and keep it pushing,” Trillion replied.

  “I can’t believe that she’s not acting a fool about that. Tristyn was her crutch. I didn’t think she would let you just take her without putting up much of a fight,” Jordon said.

  “She tried but she’s not that dumb. I told her ass that we were going to court and she backed down real quick. If we get the courts involved, I’m going for full custody. Once they evaluate her crazy ass, it’ll be over before it starts. I’m trying to find a good realtor to help us buy a house. I want my kids to be stable and living under the same roof,” Trillion replied.

  “I moved out,” Jordon said out of the blue.

  “You moved out of where?” Trillion questioned.