• • •

Elijah Baker

I looked down at the body, then back up to Marc.

Then back down to the body.

"So....?"

He still looked agitated, "Why would she do this shit? What would make her do some like this?"

"Marc." I paused and closed my eyes, counting to 100 "You got a whole fuckin' wife and you won't stop cheating! That's what make her do some shit like this!"

Clearly, the counting didn't work.

Zion was in the corner trying to console Lauren. It wasn't going well at all so he looked in our direction, "Ion know what to say to her. You know I can't do the crying shit."

"I just...Call Christian. Ian in the mood for this."

"He told me to call you or ZI."

Zi sighed, "Ion know why he say that 'cause I got plans. You know that girl work inna place with Ken that stay flirting and shit? I'm finna try my luck."

"Maria?" I tried to remember, "You think that's flirting?"

"She asked if I had kids. What she wanna know for if she ain't tryna fuck with me?"

"Ion think that's flirting but you got it."

He laughed, "Yeah Ian taking no advice from nobody who stalked his girl at a sex party. Weird ass nigga."

I was about to respond but Marc interrupted, "Ain't no way y'all sitting here talking about bitches and sex parties while this woman dead on my living room floor."

The dead woman should've never been in the house in the first place, and this situation likely wouldn't have happened.

Marc was both bold as hell and stupid as hell to bring her over here. I guess he thought Lauren was going for what my mama put up with.

And now a lady was dead for no reason.

My eyes floated back to the corner to Lauren, "We all going to hell."

"Ain't no 'we'." Zi countered, "I was minding my business then I get dragged in some bullshit."

Story of my life.

I walked over to Lauren, sitting beside her on the floor. She laid her head on my shoulder, the tears dampening the shirt, "You gotta let this shit go Lau."

She nodded her head, but I knew she was just trying to get me to stop talking, so I kept talking, "What if Lani was witchu'? And you see Marc don't give a fuck. You gone kill everybody he cheat with?"

"She was in my house, Eli." The pain was evident in her voice, "My daughter lives here."

"Who brought her over here?"

Marc scoffed, "Aye shut up. You ain't no fuckin' marriage counselor. We gone work through it."

When I told my dad I'd help Lauren take everything from Marc, I meant that. She came in empty-handed, and he was the type to make her leave with nothing just to be a dick.

But she wouldn't even try to leave.

"Work through what?" I asked.

"Mind yo business bitch."

"Lauren." I started slowly, "Go pack some clothes or some, and let's go."

She didn't move her head from my shoulder, silently closing her eyes.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, hugging her to me, "Don't call me again."

Her arms tightened as she nodded her head.

• • •

"Ian think she had it in her." Christian sighed.

He didn't sound like he cared at all that a woman was no longer alive because Marc couldn't take two seconds to make a smart decision.

"Stop telling him to call me after he do dumb stuff. I'ma stop answering my phone."

He laughed, "It ain't hard to find you these days. Ken? Kensley? What you want me to call her?"

"Ion want you to call her shit. Why can't nobody in this family be normal?"

There were a number of ways that he could've found out about Kensley, but I didn't have to guess because he volunteered the information after a few minutes of me just staring at him.

"Leah called your mama the other day and said you hit her 'cause she found out about Kensley." He put emphasis on her name while changing his voice to a higher pitch.

This somebody grandaddy.

"But you know we ain't believe that shit." Christian continued, "You never been a fighter."

"Why my mama ain't say anything?"

He yawned, "I told her not to. Wasn't no point in running your mood when we know she a liar."

I looked down at the bracelet and wondered if it was working already.

Maybe partially.

"So when you bringing her over here?"

"I'm not. Why would I?"

"Shit she got you handing out divorce papers, Marc said you be smiling all the time now. We thought the wedding was next week."

For some reason, I didn't think they paid that much attention. Yeah, I was in a better mood, but being away from them for extended periods of time would do that to anybody.

Either way, wasn't no meetings being had.

"Everybody been telling you to get a divorce for months. She tell you once and there it go."

I shook my head, "Ion wanna talk about her witchu'. You needed some else?"

• • •

I always tried to be respectful until people gave me a reason not to.

Sometimes it backfired, and I wish I would've been disrespectful from the beginning, but most times it went well

It hadn't been determined which way this was going yet.

"The steaks be good," Zi suggested.

That woman ain't thinking about no steak.

Ari's facial expression confirmed that "Who is he?"

"Damnnn." Zi mumbled, "I'ma let y'all have it."

"It's his restaurant," I replied when Zion walked off.

I didn't know where else to go. She couldn't come to my house for damn sure, and I really ain't wanna talk to her anyway.

If I had a 'friend' I couldn't see myself going to the dude she fucks to ask him to stop.

It was getting weird.

At least I thought that's what I thought she was doing. What else did we have to talk about?

"I'll keep it simple." She started slowly, "I know you're married. It never has to reach Ken's dad if you just...Be with your wife. Hell, I don't care who you be with as long as it's not Kensley.

I couldn't help the laugh that came out, and when I saw anger flash across her face, I laughed harder. Was it a threat? A request?

"Did I say something funny?"

Kensley and Ari seemed close, but at this point, I had to assume that Kensley knew how Ari felt and just pretended she didn't. It's no way she couldn't tell this lady wanted to be with her.

I mean, I wanted to be with her too.

So I could sympathize.

At the same time though, was I supposed to just sit here and act scared? I didn't have a problem not responding in a threatening way, but I felt like the whole point was to put fear in me.

"I wouldn't say she's my wife. We're not together."

"If you're not divorced, you're married."

I could've told her that I was in the process of a divorce, but I hadn't even told Kensley. Besides, this ain't have shit to do with her.

"Ariana" I paused, "You care if I call you Ariana?"

She didn't hesitate to respond, "Yes."

"Cool. Ariana, Kensley is 22. You don't ever stop and ask yourself, "Why am I so worried about who my 22-year-old friend has sex with?"

"I don't care how old she is. If I see her making a bad decision, I'll try to help her avoid it."

"Try." I emphasized, "She got boundaries and shit. I just really don't think she'll appreciate you doing this."

Ari stared unblinkingly, "She'll get over it."

"You know her better than me." I smiled.

She saw that I wasn't taking her seriously at all, "I don't know what Ken has told you, but she's been in a situation like this before, and it didn't end well."

If I hadn't heard the story I'd wanna know. But I did know the story, and it made me feel a way that she was so freely speaking on some shit that once again had nothing had to do with her.

"Where do Jade be when you running 'round doing shit like this? Planning the wedding you don't wanna be in?"

"She understands what I'm doing, and don't  refer to situations you know nothing about."

I wanted to project an image of me that would make people think I wasn't capable of the shit that went on in my head.

Sometimes though, you had to prove a point.

"I really don't care who you tell. That don't mean nothing to me." I replied as I pushed away from the table, "I can't imagine tryna regulate somebody pussy while my mama on her death bed."

"What? She's not dying."

"Not yet. CNA's fuck up all the time though, and she's what? 72? She might fall down the steps or some."

Ari looked like she was trying to figure out how I knew where her mama was, so I helped her with that, "They ain't stop making internet when they made yours. Google free."

I wasn't sure if Zi used Google or not, but it sounded good.

I thought hinting that her mama could end up dead behind this would be enough.

Of course, it wasn't.

• • •

Kensley Parker

I was sitting behind the mall taking a smoke break when Elijah sent me a link to an article.

There was a recent string of car break-ins near our area, and Elijah was again telling me that I should stop sitting in my car at night.

I'd seen it on the news yesterday night, so I wasn't surprised: you not letting this car thing go, huh?

My phone rang, and I blew out air as if I was smoking, "Hey Maria."

"Hey. You almost done? It's a lady in here asking for you."

I frowned in confusion, "Yeah I'm almost done. Who's the lady?"

"Hold on." She pulled the phone away from her ear to ask, then quickly put it back, "She said her name is Leah."

• • •

idk if i would call ari weird. y'all think she just trying to be a good friend?

thanks for reading 💕