“Money! Bitch, you better check your facts. I get out there and work for mine every day. When you got your own, it ain’t nothing to cut a nigga off. Fuck you mean!” Lyric yelled.
She and Zina went back and forth arguing for a while as Kierra and Bronx tried their best to diffuse the situation.
“Bitch, what’s up? I’m not with all that arguing and shit. You can talk to these hands though,” Zina said as she held up both her fists.
“What’s up hoe? I ain’t never scared!” Lyric yelled as she shoved her purse into Kierra’s hands.
“Chill out with that dumb shit Zina,” Bronx fussed.
There was no way in hell that he was going to let the two of them fight. Lyric had a lot of mouth, but she was no match for his wife. Zina was as hood as they came and fighting was like a sport to her. He knew without a doubt that she would punish Lyric and he couldn’t let that happen.
“Let’s just go Lyric. I can bring you home,” Kierra offered.
Zina wasn’t willing to walk away just like that thought. She was out for blood and she wanted Lyric in the worst way. She ran on the side of her husband and hit Lyric with so much force, she staggered a bit but she didn’t fall. Blood gushed from Lyric’s mouth and Bronx was ready to body slam his wife to the ground. He was fuming as he walked up on her, but Lyric beat him to it. She was filled with rage as she rushed over to Zina and hit her with a blow so hard that Bronx and Kierra both cringed. Zina was shook and Lyric used that as her opportunity to pounce. Lyric was like a hungry lion and Zina was like raw meat. She got in a few licks before Zina got herself right and started fighting back. They were going blow for blow and Lyric was rolling in her six-inch heels. She was right and she could do anything in heels that he could do in tennis shoes. Bronx and Kierra were trying to break them up but it was too hard to do. Both women were angry and rage was what fueled them. Bronx finally managed to pull Zina away and Kierra had Lyric under control. Lyric was busy cleaning up her face when Zina broke away and charged at her again. Lyric was ready for her that time though.
“The fuck!” Bronx yelled when Lyric kicked and caught Zina right in the face.
She was on some Jackie Chan type of shit as she kicked again and Zina went crashing to the ground. Lyric and her mama were always talking about dropkicking somebody and they obviously weren’t lying. When the all too familiar red and blue lights started flashing, Bronx already knew what it was.
“Oh God,” Kierra said nervously.
Zina had been to jail more times than she could count but the same couldn’t be said for Lyric. Her cousins were total opposites and it was killing Kierra to see them out there fighting. She couldn’t believe that a night of fun and relaxation had turned out the way it had. She wished Nova was free to go to the concert with her and things wouldn’t have turned out the way they did. Zina really didn’t want to go but Kierra begged her to. Now, she was sorry that she did.
“Put your hands behind your back,” one of the officers instructed Lyric right before cuffing her.
“They’re good officer. Everything is under control now,” Bronx said, trying to plead their case.
“Back up and let me do my job. We’ve gotten multiple calls about an altercation inside and outside of the venue. These two with the bloody faces match the descriptions given perfectly,” he replied.
Zina was cuffed next and her and Lyric were read their rights. Bronx and Kierra watched helplessly as both women were put into different cars and taken to jail. Kierra knew better than to call her auntie, so she had to go down to the police station to see how she could get both her cousins out.
“This is so fucked up. I need to go to the ATM,” Kierra cried as she started to walk away.
“I got it Kierra,” Bronx said as he walked behind her.
“No thanks, you’ve already done enough,” Kierra snapped angrily.
“Aye, you might as well kill that attitude girl. You don’t know shit about the jail house or bonding somebody out,” Bronx pointed out.
As much as Kierra hated to admit it, he was right. She didn’t know the first thing to do and she needed his help. She still had Lyric’s purse and her phone was inside. She didn’t know what to do or who to call, so she followed Bronx to the police station like he told her to.
Chapter 24
For as long as Lyric lived, she would never forget the stench of mildew, mixed with piss and cheap perfume that permeated the air around her. From ten the night before until noon the following day was how long she had to endure it and she hadn’t closed her eyes once. Not only was she leery about the crackhead looking women around her, but she didn’t trust the bitch on the other side of the room who had been mean mugging her all night. Zina was mad with the wrong person, but she didn’t see it that way. It was all good though because Lyric was the least of her worries. Deuce or Bronx or whatever the hell he wanted to be called, was her problem now.
“Lyric Carter and Zina Harrison, let’s go. Time to roll out!” the manly looking guard yelled as she opened the gate.
Lyric jumped up from the bench and damn near ran out of there when she heard her name being called. Her stomach was growling, but she was almost sure that she wouldn’t be able to eat anything. Being heartbroken was nothing new to her. It was the days after that really counted. The days, weeks, and months that she would spend getting over yet another failed relationship was the hardest.
After signing a few papers, Lyric walked out of the building and was happy to see Kierra standing there waiting for her. She still couldn’t believe that she had been arrested. It would be nothing for Mr. Malone to make the little misdemeanor go away, but she hated that it happened at all.
“Cousin! Are you okay?” Kierra asked as she pulled her into a hug.
Bronx walked over to them and Lyric’s eyes dared him to even say anything to her.
“Touch me and I swear they’ll be cuffing me again,” Lyric warned angrily when she saw him reach his hand out towards her.
“Can we talk Lyric? Even if it’s not right now. I owe you an explanation at least,” Bronx said.
“Please tell me that you’re not still trying me with this same hoe,” Zina said as she burst through the double door.
“Are you okay Zina?” Kierra walked over and asked her.
“Get the fuck out of my face Kierra. I don’t fuck with your shady ass no more.” Zina frowned.
“Seriously Zina? I’ve been put in a fucked up position too but you never once thought about that, did you?” Kierra asked with tears in her eyes.
“Oh well. That’s what you get for hooking your cousin up with my husband. Fuck outta my face,” Zina fumed as she walked off and stood in front of Deuce’s car.
He stood there and watched Lyric until she got into the car with Kierra and pulled off. As soon as she was away from him, Lyric put her hands up to her face and burst into tears. The black cloud of love seemed to have lifted for a minute, but it had come back and started following her once again. Heartbreak and mistakes seemed to be the story of her life. When Kierra pulled up to her house, Lyric’s eyes were red and swollen from crying so much.
“I’m so sorry Lyric. I wish this would have never happened to you or Zina. I’m so sorry,” Kierra said as she cried with her.
“I just want to be left alone,” Lyric said as she grabbed her purse and got out of the car.
She wasn’t blaming Kierra, but she was in a foul mood. Being by herself seemed like a good idea until she got inside and saw all of Bronx’s things that he’d left at her house. The bags and tags from the clothes that they wore to the concert were still on the dresser and so was his cologne. After breaking down again, Lyric decided that she didn’t want to be at her own house anymore. She grabbed her big suitcase from the closet and started throwing things inside. Once she had everything that she needed, Lyric took a hot shower where she cried some more. She washed all the makeup from her face and all the dirt and grime from the jailhouse from her body. Thirty minutes later, she was dressed dow
n in some leggings and a t-shirt. After being home for almost two hours, Lyric was ready to go again. When her doorbell rang, she paused and tiptoed to the front of the house to look out of the window. Seeing Bronx standing on the other side of her door made her want to grab her gun and start shooting.
“Man, I know you in there Lyric. Open the door and talk to a nigga,” Bronx begged as he rang the doorbell and knocked.
Lyric wasn’t about to entertain him and he could keep his lies and apologies. Instead of saying anything to him, she grabbed her phone and dialed three familiar numbers.
“Lyric! Open the door girl,” Bronx begged.
He almost thought that she wasn’t home, but he had a feeling that she was. He was sure that she would have wanted to take a shower and change clothes after everything that she had been through in the past twenty-four hours. Bronx kept calling her name and ringing her doorbell until he saw two police cars pull up in front of the house and parked.
“I know this damn girl didn’t call them people on me,” Bronx mumbled to himself.
“What’s going on?” the first officer asked when he walked over to him.
“Nothing is going on. I’m trying to talk to my girl,” Bronx snapped angrily.
“Well, she called us, so she obviously doesn’t want to talk to you,” the officer replied.
“Deuce?” the second officer asked when he walked over to them.
Deuce recognized him as one of the officers who sometimes did paid details at Ace’s. Deuce didn’t remember his name but he never forgot a face. His name tag read Norman, but he knew that was his last name.
“Yeah. What’s up man?” Deuce spoke as he gave the other man dap.
“I got it bruh. You can peel out,” Officer Norman said to the other policeman.
“This girl is out of her damn mind. I can’t believe she called the law on me,” Deuce laughed sarcastically.
Once the other policeman was gone, officer Norman gave Deuce some real talk to make him understand the seriousness of the situation.
“Look bruh, I don’t know what’s happening with you and your girl, but these people don’t play with domestic issues. Too many women are losing their lives because some men can’t let go. I’m not saying that you’re one of them but you might want to give her some time. If she’s pissed enough to call the police, then she’s not ready to forgive you just yet,” he said, giving Deuce a lot to think about.
Deuce nodded his head in understanding as he walked back to his car and pulled off. Officer Norman was right and he had to respect Lyric’s wishes. He hated to admit it but he was one of the men who the officer had just described. He would never physically hurt Lyric, but he couldn’t let go and he wasn’t going to try.
Lyric watched from her living room window as Bronx talked to the policer officer before getting into his car and pulling off. She waited around a few more minutes before setting her alarm and exiting the house through her garage door. Once she left her house, she headed straight to the people who always gave her comfort, no matter what she was going through. Lyric willed herself not to cry, but that was exactly what happened as soon as her mother answered the door.
“Oh, hell no! What’s wrong with my baby?” Melody yelled as soon as she opened the door for her.
Lyric’s parents were cuddled up on the sofa watching tv, but they made room for their one and only daughter to sit between them.
“What’s going on Lyric? What’s up with the tears?” Lenard asked her.
“He’s married,” Lyric sniffled as she continued to sob.
“Who’s married baby?” her father asked.
“Bronx,” Lyric replied.
“Married! I knew there was something about his sneaky ass that I didn’t like!” Melody yelled.
“Stop lying Mel. You were just saying how much you like him when they were over here the other day,” Lenard said, calling his wife out just like always.
“Well, I don’t like his ass no more. Bastard talking about he’s looking for a wife knowing that he already got one,” Melody replied as she hugged Lyric and rocked her.
“Are you sure that he’s married Lyric?” her father asked.
“Look at my baby Lenny. Do you think she would be this broken up if she wasn’t sure?” Melody fussed.
“Stop acting like she ain’t my baby too,” Lenard argued.
“Yeah, well, you weren’t the one who was fourteen years old and in labor with her for ninety six hours,” Melody countered.
“Yes, I’m sure that he’s married daddy but that’s not the worst part. He’s married to Kierra’s cousin, Zina,” Lyric replied.
“The tall skinny one who Kierra be with sometimes?” Melody asked just to be sure.
“Yep, that’s the one,” Lyric sniffled.
“I mean, were they separated or going through a divorce or something? He sure don’t act like a married nigga,” Lenard noted.
“How does a married nigga act Lenard? You damn sure didn’t act like you were married when you were living with Hillary sumo wrestler built ass,” Melody said, rolling her eyes.
Before her father could respond, Lyric raised her hand to stop them. “Please don’t start y’all. Can we please have a discussion without turning the focus on the two of you? I can’t take it right now,” Lyric said.
“I’m sorry baby. Tell us what happened,” her father requested.
After telling her mother not to interrupt her, Lyric told them the story from start to finish, ending with her calling the police on Bronx before she got to their house. Lenard was always calm and collected, but Melody was pacing the floor while hitting her fist into her open palm.
“That bitch hit my baby,” Melody fumed as she grabbed Lyric’s face to inspect it.
“Is that all that you got from that story?” Lenard asked her.
“She got the first lick but she damn sure didn’t get the last,” Lyric said.
“I don’t understand why she’s mad at Kierra though,” her father said.
“Me either because she didn’t do anything. All of us were in the dark except for Bronx’s dog ass. I don’t think he knew that Kierra was my cousin though,” Lyric pointed out.
“Have you ever met anybody in his family Lyric?” Melody asked.
“No, but it wasn’t a big deal at the time. We were still getting to know each other and it hadn’t really gotten to that point yet. He met y’all by default because I wasn’t ready for that to happen when it did,” Lyric replied.
“Have you ever been to his house?” Lenard asked.
“Several times. Now that I think about it, I don’t know who’s house I was at. This is all too much. I’m getting a headache and I’m tired. I’m going lay down,” Lyric said as she got up from the sofa.
“Did you bring any clothes? I’ll feel more comfortable with you staying here with us for a little while,” Melody replied.
“I plan to. My clothes are in my car.” Lyric yawned as she walked down the hall to one of the spare bedrooms.
An unknown number was calling her phone and she already knew that it was Bronx. She waited until the phone stopped ringing and added the number to the block list, along with his and all the others that he called from. Against her better judgement, Lyric listened to the voicemail that came through and she was crying her eyes out again soon after. How could Bronx be swearing that he loved her so much when he had a wife at home? Lyric just wanted him to leave her alone and let her get over him. She was hurt and she didn’t know why bad things kept happening in all her relationships. Knowing that she couldn’t go to work the next day, Lyric called Mr. Malone to take the day off. Since she was so hoarse from crying, telling him that she was sick sounded believable. In a way, she was sick. She was heartbroken but there was no medicine or cure for that kind of pain.
Chapter 25
An entire week had passed and Kierra hadn’t spoken to either of her favorite cousins since the concert. Zina had her blocked and Lyric never answered the phone when she called. Accor
ding to Nova, Lyric hadn’t been to work all week but she didn’t know why. Kierra didn’t say anything because it wasn’t her place. She was stressed out and a trip to the gym was needed. She wanted to get a good workout in to alleviate some of the stress that she was feeling. When she walked out of her house, Kierra was shocked to see Deuce parked out front. He was standing outside of his car smoking and he looked just as stressed as she felt.
“Don’t make me call the police on you,” Kierra fumed as she walked to her car that was parked next to his.
“Come on Kierra, man. Don’t do me like that. I’m fucked up right now,” Deuce said as he put his blunt out on the concrete.
“How do you think I feel? Thanks to you, both of my cousins got their feelings hurt. None of them are speaking to me, even though I didn’t have shit to do with it. You indirectly involved me in your bullshit and I didn’t know what was going on. Don’t come at me talking about how you feel because nobody is more fucked up than I am,” Kierra snapped as tears rolled down her face.
“You’re right and I apologize. I just really need your help right now,” Deuce begged, sounding more pitiful than she’d ever heard him sound before.
“You must be smoking more than weed if you think I’m gonna help you,” Kierra fumed.
“Man fuck! Kierra please. You know I never beg nobody for nothing, but I’m losing my fucking mind right now. I just need to talk to her. Just hear her voice or something,” Deuce said desperately.
Kierra knew that she was stupid for even standing there listening. She felt like she was betraying both her cousins by even entertaining him. But Deuce was right, he wasn’t the begging type, so it had to be serious. He looked like he was on the verge of tears and that was the first time Kierra had ever seen him look so defeated.
“I’m sorry Deuce, but I couldn’t help you even if I wanted to. Zina blocked me from calling her. I can’t get her to talk to you if she won’t even talk to me,” Kierra said while shaking her head.
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