That Girl: Bre

by Amber Monroe

  “Ma!” Wayne yelled. Even he was shocked at how my mother was speaking and behaving.

  “It’s cool, Wayne. I’ll be okay, I’ll make sure that we are okay.”

  “You have five minutes, and it’s going to take longer to move all this shit out, so you better get your brother to help you. Whatever is left is on my property will go in the trash. Leave your fucking key.” She stated as she got up from the table.

  “I hate you! And you can act like you don’t care, but one day you will, when you see I’m living without you. You’ll realize that any hate I have towards you is your fault.” I said. She went up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door. I gathered up some things and started taking them outside. Hopefully, Jemar will be here soon.

  “I’ll help you,” Wayne said.

  We probably had about thirty seconds to spare, so I quickly grabbed the rest of my things and left out. I didn’t have the energy to see what my mother would do if I was still in the house. Jemar had pulled up and quickly started helping Wayne put my stuff in his car. I can tell Wayne was a little upset that he was meeting Jemar like this for the first time. After they finished putting my things in the car, Wayne pulled him to the side and talked to him. Then he walked up to me.

  “Call me when you get in. I love you, and mama loves you too. Just give her some time. Call me if you need anything.” He said as he hugged me.

  “Love you too. And I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. You’re still my little sister, and I’ll always be proud of you. Prove mama, and whoever is against you having this baby, wrong. Don’t let it be your motivation, but a reminder that you’re stronger than you think.” He said.

  “I will,” I said and meant.

  5. Bre

  “You okay?” Jemar asked as he crept into the bedroom. It had been about two weeks since my mother kicked me out. To my surprise, Jemar actually stepped up and was looking out for our child and me. Trying to adjust to living with him was not easy since he kept his place open like a Holiday Inn. His friends were always over, spending the night, and eating up everything. It was rare when I had the house to myself because even when Jemar wasn’t home, his friends still stayed around. I always kept myself in the room, even when Jemar was home. I only socialize when Ricardo was around, and that was becoming less lately. I never really understood why he hung out with Jemar and the other guys because he was so different from them.

  “Yeah,” I said with the covers still over my head.

  “You sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “Look, I know shit is crazy with your mom. You know, I know how sensitive and hurtful that shit is. You know my situation with my mother.”

  “Yeah, I do. I feel numb, but at the same time, I feel everything. I just never expected for shit to go down like it did. She really hurt me, and I don’t think I can ever forgive her.” I shared. This is another thing Jemar, and I could relate to. He didn’t have a relationship with his mother because when she and his dad broke up, she sent him to go live with him. She didn’t want to be a mother if she couldn’t be a whole family. Honestly, the story sounded crazy, and Jemar never really talked about her. I don’t even know if she still lived in the city or not. I know that she was still alive because he would often ignore her calls, and sometimes when his dad called, he would ask about her. His dad never seemed to be mad at her, but Jemar acted as if he hated her.

  “I’ll never forgive my mother. Fuck her.” He said. I finally took the covers off my head and looked at him. Jemar could play tough all he wanted, but I saw the hurt in his eyes. I sat up and wrapped my arms around him while laying my head on his back. I listened to him breathe for a minute.

  “Are you going back out?” I asked him after ten minutes of silence.

  “Nah.” He said, and I smiled. I was wearing one of his t-shirts and nothing under it. I leaned back in the bed and moved over to give him room. I was finally in the mood, well I was still feeling nauseous, but I could manage. Jemar gave me a look, and I confirmed what he was asking with a smile. He wasted no time taking off his clothes except his boxer and got in the bed. He kissed my lips, and I kissed his back.

  “I love you.” He said as he entered me.

  “I love you too.” I gasped as my body was getting familiar with his again. I closed my eyes and wished this feeling and moment could last forever.

  ∞∞∞

  “That’s game, bitch!” Jemar yelled from the living room. I rolled my eyes because he was so damn loud.

  “Nigga, you cheated!” Frenchie, his friend, yelled back. They were never told to use their inside voice in elementary school. His friends have been over here for the last two days, getting on my last nerve. And I never understood why they were over here so much when they each had a home to go. But Jemar lived without any adults, so this was the place to do whatever they wanted to do.

  “Do y’all always have to be so loud?” I yelled as I walked into the bedroom. I was cleaning up since this was now my place too, and I couldn’t live in filth. I spent three hours cleaning up the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. I only had to tackle the bedroom, but I was waiting for Jemar because it’s the least he could do since I cleaned everything else. I walked over to the dresser and cut my pink Beats pill on, turning the volume up high to tune them assholes out. “Boss Ass Bitch” Remix ft Nicki Minaj was blasting and was my favorite song.

  “Yo, I employ these niggas

  They be grown men, but I little-boy these niggas

  Want the cookie, so I gotta Chips Ahoy these niggas

  But I never iPhone, Android these niggas”

  When I walked into the living room. Jemar and Frenchie were sitting in front of the big ass tv, playing NBA 2K. Jace, Ricardo, DayDay, Marco, and 3Bit were lounging on the couch, watching and bagging up weed. Marco or Demarco was actually my blood cousin. He was my Aunt’s Cookie’s son. We weren’t close, and you could tell because he irritated my soul. And I was surprised to see him when Jemar brought him around. And yes, Jemar sold drugs, weed as far as I knew, that’s how he kept money. All that talk about getting a “real” job was a damn lie, but I couldn’t complain because I never wanted for anything. He always kept the bills paid, food in the fridge, and clothes on our back.

  Pussy like girls, damn, is my pussy gay?

  It’s a holiday- Play with my pussy day!

  Pussy this, pussy that, pussy takin’

  Pussy ride dick like she a Jamaican

  Pussy stay warm, pussy on vacation

  I rapped in front of Jemar. He was so into the game that he was barely paying me any attention. And it was crazy how whenever music was on, I was never shy. I loved music, was really passionate about it, and wanted to become a singer. I even wrote my own songs, but that was my little secret. I was trying to annoy him like how his friends were annoying me ever since they’ve been over here. I could see his friends looking at me and laughing because Jemar was getting upset that he was losing, but his ass was losing before I even walked out here.

  “Move, Bre!” He yelled.

  Clap, clap, clap for this pussy, nigga

  But I can’t give this pussy to a pussy nigga

  Aw man, slow down

  I ‘ma give you somethin’ that you could hold down

  But I can’t give you head, I’m too ill for that

  I ‘ma make a movie still Kill Bill for that

  “Bre, move. Shit!” He said while moving his head, trying to see the tv behind me.

  I said, rule number 1 to be a boss-ass bitch:

  Never let a clown nigga try to play you

  If he play you, then rule number 2:

  Fuck his best friends, then make ’em yes-men

  And get a dick pic, and then you press send

  And send a red heart and send a kissy face

  And tell him that his friends love how your pussy tastes

  And that’s rule 3, I’m the school T

  My wrists look like I am a jewel thief

  But that’s ju
st ’cause I am a boss bitch

  Now macaroni cheese and grill my swordfish

  “Move, fuck!” He said as he pushed me, thank God I found my balance quick because I would’ve hit the floor.

  “Really, Jemar?” I screamed. I was pissed because it wasn’t that serious, I always rapped and sang in front of him. He would be annoyed, but eventually, he would laugh it off and continue to ignore me.

  “You see, I’m in the middle of a game, and your ass wanna play and shit. I told you to move.”

  “You’re always playing that game, and you were losing before I even came out here,” I smirked. His friends burst out laughing. Jemar gave me a death stare that made me feel terrified for some reason. However, I wasn’t going to let him intimidate me in front of his friends, so I rolled my eyes and walked into the kitchen.

  “Are y’all serious?” I yelled as I looked around the kitchen and saw dishes piled up in the sink and trash on the counter. It was as if I never cleaned up, and this pissed me off.

  “What?” Jemar yelled while his eyes never left the tv.

  “This! I spent hours cleaning this dirty ass house, and not even an hour later, it’s back to where it was before. Y’all are so fucking trifling! I know y’all don’t leave your own house like this, so I don’t know why y’all come over and do this shit.”

  “Because we have a maid here and not one at home,” DayDay said while the rest of the guys, including Jemar, laughed. I looked at Jemar, burning a hole in his head until he looked at me.

  “I’ll make sure we clean up before we head out.” He said. I rolled my eyes. Ricardo got up from the couch and came to the kitchen. He gathered the trash from the counters and threw them away.

  “Thanks, Ricardo,” I said and smiled at him.

  “Why you always calling that nigga Ricardo like he famous or something?” Marco said, laughing.

  “That’s his name,” I said while putting my hands on my hips.

  “His government name. We call him Ricky. Hell, everybody calls him Ricky except the hoes he fucking.” He smirked. I saw Jemar’s jaw tense up, and he looked over at us for a minute.

  “I’ve known him since elementary and always called him Ricardo. He’s never corrected me. Do you have a problem with me calling you Ricardo, Ricardo?” I asked him.

  “Nah, Ambrelle. We have always been on a first-name basis.” He smiled.

  “I thought you didn’t like it when people called you Ambrelle,” Jemar said as he came behind me and kissed my cheek.

  “I don’t, but it’s only a hand few of people who do so I let it slide.”

  “And Ricky is one of them, huh?” Marco said.

  “Nah, he’s not. He gon’ call her Bre like everybody else.” Jemar said as he mugged on Ricardo.

  “Don’t do him like that. Ricardo is cool, and we grew up together. He’s always called me Ambrelle, so why stop now? It’s not that serious.”

  “It ain’t that serious, but what I look like letting some other nigga call my girl by her first name when I don’t even do that shit.”

  “You choose not to, though. It’s not like I told you to call me Bre.”

  “It’s cool. Just call me Ricky, and I’ll call you Bre.” Ricar- Ricky said.

  “Fine,” I said, rolling my eyes. I didn’t see the problem, but if Ricky wasn’t tripping, I guess I’ll let it go. However, I liked calling him Ricardo, but I think that was the problem.

  “When are your guest are checking out because this fucking hotel is closing this weekend,” I said while crossing my arms across my chest. I heard his friends sucking their teeth behind me.

  “Man, stop tripping. This crib is their as much as it is yours.” Jemar said.

  “Jemar, I get that, but they don’t always have to be here ALL THE TIME,” I screamed the last part so they could hear me.

  “What’s the problem? They don’t even mess with you, and you mainly are in the room when they’re here.”

  “They’re messy and always making noise.”

  “I’ll make sure we clean up after ourselves before we leave, and I’ll try to keep the noise down. But you know you don’t always be in the house.”

  “Where will I go?” I said sarcastically.

  “You can always go over Chianne’s house. Whenever you wanna break from the crib, I’ll take you.”

  “Why you always trying to brush me off to somebody. Why can’t we just spend time together? Like go on dates and hang out without your friends. You always like to keep me in the house like you don’t want to be seen with me or something.” I said.

  “Here you go. If you want to go out, we can. You never do shit. You always in the bed or walking around here complaining.”

  “I don’t complain that much.”

  “Shit!” Marco and DayDay said under their breath. And just as I was about to curse them out, Jemar grabbed my hand.

  “We’ll go out when I get back. I got some moves to make, but when I get back, lets go out to eat.” He said while kissing me. He grabbed his keys off the counter then signaled to his friends to bounce with him.

  “Aye Bre, you might want to clean that bathroom again. Shit is bad in there.” 3Bit, fatass said as he sprayed the Airfreshner while coming out of the bathroom.

  “Let’s go y’all,” Jemar said to his friends because he knew I was about to go off. I walked back to the bathroom, and the smell coming from it was already hitting my nose. I was scared to go in, but I had to see the damage his big ass caused.

  “You nasty bitch!” I yelled. I heard the guys laughing as they walked out of the apartment. I don’t know about this; living with Jemar and his friends was starting to get under my skin, and it’s been two weeks since I’ve been here. I can’t bring my child in here living with these dirty bastards. Jemar is going to have to do something and fast because I’m going to end up hurting somebody.

  6. Raquel

  It felt good being home for the holidays and having a little break from school. Although I still had about two years left, I was already over it. I wasn’t in a rush to come back home; to be honest, I don’t think I would be moving again. I was loving this newfound freedom and was used to it. I did miss my family, but I could always visit and love them from afar. I wasn’t Rere and Kingsley’s second born and their first child to go to college, I was Rah. Rah, the It Bitch of FAMU. Yeah, I was that bitch, and that meant a lot to me because I never felt like an individual whenever I was home. I was always overshadowed by my other siblings. Yeah, I made my parents proud by getting through high school without a baby and getting myself into school without their help, but that’s all I was known for. I was Wayne’s little sister and Eric, Bre and Alexis’s big sister. My mother always put pressure on me to keep the house together when she worked, and that shit was draining me. I wanted to live a normal teen life and hang out with my friends, but I had to be Little-Big Sister/Mama Bear when I never wanted that title. So when I found the opportunity to leave that responsibility behind, I hopped on the flight to Florida and started living my life. And I know that meant my responsibilities fell on Bre, but she always wanted to be a wife and mother, so I feel like I was giving her the practice early. Now two years later, I am finally living the dream I always wanted to have; rich and fabulous. Of course, I maintained good grades, but I was very involved in campus life. During my first year, I ran and won Miss Freshman, and I was currently Miss Sophmore. I was also a student ambassador, a part of several clubs/organizations, and secretly wanting to become an AKA. I always participated in clubs and things when I was in high school, but doing it in college made you feel like you were somebody famous and known. I wasn’t seeking popularity or attention, but I didn’t mind it either. So that’s why I cut my Christmas visit home short because I wanted to get back to my life as Rah.

  “Thank you so much for this last-minute favor. I owe you big time.” Charisma said into the phone as I was currently waiting for my Uber at Regan Airport.

  “No problem. You’re really helping me out with
some extra shopping money. I haven’t done any shopping for my family, and Christmas is next week.” I said as I looked for a black SUV amongst the heavy airport traffic.

  “Well, you will have plenty because he pays wells, and since its Christmas time, I know he'll give you a bonus.”

  “What is he like?” I asked, trying to prepare for tonight’s task.

  “He’s cool and laid for the most part. I think he’s just lonely and wants company. He doesn’t like that weird shit. He just likes great conversation and music.”

  “Okay, cool. Well, just send my details, and I’ll be there tonight.” I said as I noticed a black car pulling up. I checked the tags and my app to make sure it was my driver.

  “Alright, I will. Thanks again, I would’ve done it, but my current client is paying me to double to stay until Christmas, and he bought me gifts.”

  “That’s what’s up. Have fun, boo!” I said, then I ended the call. The driver pulled up, got out to help me with my bags then drove off when I settled in my seat. Tonight was going to be a long one, but making $3000 in one night didn’t seem too bad.

  ∞∞∞

  “You finally got rid of her, huh?” I joked as I entered Bre’s and Alexis’s room. It was also my room whenever I came home. Three girls in one room were never fun, but we made it work. I usually put Alexis in the bed with Bre and took her bed, but it seemed like I didn’t have to do it this time.

  “Mama did.” She mumbled. I had no idea what she was talking about and really didn’t care. I heard about Bre’s little teenage mood swings, so maybe she went to Grandma Pep’s or our dad’s house for a minute.

  “Well, are you going to give your big sister a hug or something? I missed you, ladybug!” I said to her as she laid on her bed with her face buried into a book. Alexis was so stinkin’ cute, and she knew it. She literally looked like a babydoll with her big black round eyes, small button nose, and chubby cheeks. Her skin was soft and golden like honey, and she had long black hair. She reminded me of myself, but she always thought she favored after Bre more. However, if you put our baby pictures side by side, we were twins; she was just a little lighter than me.