Around the Way Girls 9 (22 page)

“I did not lie. You can ask my mama.”

He ignored her continuing to lie. “Not only that but I've never been in love with you. I've always been in lust with you. I know that isn't right and it may sound fucked up but it's the truth.” By now they'd reached her house. He pulled up in front and put the car in park.

“So you are going to leave me while I am pregnant with your baby?” Her eyes filled with tears. “King, don't do this,” she pleaded.

Seeing her cry bothered him but not enough for him to change his mind. He was ending their relationship before she got out of that car. “I am still going to be here for you and my baby. As a matter of fact, I still want to take you to all of your doctor's appointments and anything that you ever need I will try to provide.”

“Fuck you!” She grabbed the latch on the door and opened it. Before getting out she turned to King and said, “I am going to make your life a living hell. I am going to put your ass up for child support the same day that me and the baby come home from the hospital! Don't no nigga try to play Davita and get away with it.”

Her ignorance was pissing him off but he remained calm. “Cool.”

“Oh that's cool?” His calmness only pissed her off even more. “You'd better watch your back, motherfucker, because I am going to get my cousins Mookie and Earl to beat your punk ass! We'll see if that's cool, too,” she said getting out of the car and slamming the door behind her.

King rolled down the window. “Tell your bitch-ass cousins that they can both suck my dick! I ain't scared of either one of them niggas and I ain't hard to find so whenever they get ready to do something tell them to holla at me.” He didn't wait for her response. Instead he rolled up the window, put the car in drive, and left her on the sidewalk yelling after him.

When King got home, the house was empty, all of the guests had left, and Breezy was cleaning up the kitchen. “Where did everyone go?” he asked her walking into the kitchen and hanging his coat on back of one of the chairs so that he could help her with the mess in the kitchen.

“The ladies went home and your ma and Mr. Curtis are gone to bed. I told them that I would clean the kitchen for them,” she answered. She stopped washing the dishes for a second and looked over at King. “Wow can you believe what happened here today? LaToya and Judy were here and LaToya wants to use one of my stories in her book.” She smiled at the thought and shook her head. “God is amazing.”

“Yeah, He is, but you deserve it.” Something crossed his mind. “I bet your ma will be knocking down doors to get to you now. She'll probably want to be nice.”

She looked at him and laughed because the same thing had crossed her mind. “Oh well, she is going to be in for a big surprise. That chapter of my life is closed. I am looking forward to my future and she is nowhere in it.”

“Is that right?” King asked. “Well, I hope I'm in that future.”

“Stop trying to play me. You already know what time it is.”

He smiled at her. “Nah, I don't. Why don't you tell me?”

“It's time for you to go and get my slippers out of the room because these heels are killing my feet.” She laughed.

“You know you ain't right.” He swooped her up in his arms surprising her and carried her in his room and sat her down on the bed. He could tell she was wondering what he was about to do. She looked nervous. “Relax.” He told her and then reached down and unzipped her boots and took them off. He sat down on the floor and massaged her feet.

She looked down at him and thought about all of the years that she'd harbored a secret crush on him and how she'd always loved him but was too afraid to say anything. To know that he loved her back was a wonderful feeling. “I broke up with Montez,” she blurted.

King stopped what he was doing and looked up at her. “What do you mean? I mean, when?”

“After you kissed me the other night. I couldn't continue being with him knowing how I felt about you. He deserves someone who only loves him and is not using him as a fill-in. I'm not the type of girl to use someone and I realized that is exactly what I was doing. So I broke it off.”

King was speechless. “Wow.”

“Yeah, well he took it pretty well. He told me that he respected my honesty and hoped that we could remain friends.”

“You told him we kissed?”

“Nah, I just told him that I had feelings for someone else and that I couldn't continue a relationship with him knowing that I had these feelings for someone else.”

“Oh,” was King's reply. “Well, I broke up with Vita tonight.”

“What?” Breezy laughed.

“Damn don't look so sad,” King teased.

“Nah, I'm not laughing because you broke up with her. It's just crazy how I tell you that I broke up with Montez and then you turn right around and tell me that you gave Vita her walking papers.”

“Yeah, well she wasn't as nice as Montez,” he admitted. “She went in on my ass. Even threatened to get her cousins to jump me.”

Breezy's hands went up over her mouth. “What?” she exclaimed becoming afraid for his safety. “What are you going to do?”

“Nothing.” He waved his hand. “I ain't thinking about them niggas. She is just blowing hot air because I don't want to be with her.”

Breezy let out a sigh. “I sure hope so.” She didn't like the sound of that at all. King started back massaging her feet. “Oooh that feels so good.” She leaned back like she was in heaven with her eyes closed.

“Breezy, please don't say things like that because I can't take it right now. I can't promise you how much longer I will be able to practice self-control.”

Her eyes popped open. “Boy, stop it!”

He laughed and continued to massage her feet for a little while longer before rising to his feet. “Well, I am going to go on and finish cleaning up and then hit the sofa.” He kissed her on her forehead. “Good night.”

“Why are you going to bed so early?” she asked looking disappointed. “I wanted to talk for a while before we went to sleep.”

“Actually, I just need to get away from you for a while because my hormones are going crazy and it's obvious that I need to try to keep them under control. Look at the mess that they already got me in with Vita.”

“True.” Breezy laughed, appreciating the respect that he had for her. “Good night, big head.”

King left the room and she got undressed and crawled into bed.

 

Breezy walked into the gymnasium humming, oblivious to the three girls standing in a group watching her with angry glares. She walked past them and went into the locker room to get changed. As she walked over to her gym locker she sang the hook to Ja Rule's “Always on Time” and a few of the other girls joined in. She turned the dial on the combination lock. “‘Baby, I'm not always there when you call, but I'm always on time. And I gave you my all, now baby be mine.'”

Vita and her two cousins, Rachael and Michelle, entered the locker room and walked directly over to Breezy, who was rummaging through her locker singing. Vita nodded to Michelle and Rachael. One of the other girls who had been singing with Breezy knew that the three girls were up to no good by the way that they all had come in and walked up behind Breezy. She opened her mouth to warn her but was too late. Michelle punched Breezy in the back of the head as hard as she could and then she and Rachael both proceeded to beat her. The attack had caught her totally off-guard. She fell to the floor and balled up into a fetal position with her arms up over her face.

Vita stood off to the side laughing and egging her cousins on. “That's right, beat that bitch's ass! Stomp that ho!”

The same girl who'd attempted to warn Breezy jumped in the fight and tried to break it up because everyone else was just standing around watching. “Somebody help me!” she yelled as she tugged on Michelle. Two other girls started to help her break it up and someone else ran out and got the gym teachers.

Ten minutes later all four girls sat in the principal's office, with two of the school's security guards standing between them. Vita looked over at Breezy. “How's your head feeling, bitch?” She laughed.

Before Breezy could respond, Principal Fenner intervened. “Ms. Newsome, you are already in enough trouble. I am going to ask that you shut your mouth.”

“For what? I didn't touch anybody,” Vita snapped.

“No, but you instigated the entire thing. Several of the girls in the locker room said that they saw you tell Michelle and Rachael to attack Brionna while she had her back turned.”

“They're lying.” Michelle smacked her lips.

“So why did you all attack Brionna then?”

Michelle looked over at Breezy being sure to make eyes contact with her. “Because she like going around messing with things that don't belong to her.”

“Oh my God, are you serious?” Breezy jumped to her feet but was immediately asked to sit back down by one of the guards. “Y'all jumped me over a boy who don't even want her. The fact that y'all would jump me over a dude says a lot about every one of you!”

“And the fact that you go around fucking other people's men says a lot about you.” Vita shot back. “I bet you will think twice the next time that you think about fucking with somebody's man!” Vita and her cousins all laughed.

“Laugh now but I bet I'll be laughing last because I plan to press charges against every one of you!” The girls got quiet because they hadn't expected that. Breezy looked back and forth between Michelle and Rachael. “I bet you two pit bulls will think twice before putting your hands on someone.”

Principal Fenner nodded his head. “I don't blame you one bit. This violence has to stop!” he began and then pointed to Breezy. “Look at those scratches on her face and that knot on her head. It could've been worse.”

“It should've,” Vita mumbled not wanting to hear the mess that he was talking.

“You have a lot to learn, Ms. Newsome. Violence is never the answer to any problem. You are sitting here in front of me in a world of trouble, about to be suspended from school and have charges pressed against you, all over a boy. Did you ever stop to think that you don't have to fight for someone who loves and wants to be with you? Now you are in all of this trouble and he is still going to be living his life, doing what it is that he needs and wants to do. While you, on the other hand, are suffering the consequences for your action.”

“So? And?” She shrugged her shoulders.

Principal Fenner let out a sigh and decided he wouldn't say anything else until the parents arrived. He realized that the young lady in front of him was headed down the wrong road if someone didn't step in and do something fast. When the parents arrived they were informed of what had taken place.

DaVita's mother, Dianne, was so disappointed to find out what she'd done. “DaVita, you know better than to do some mess like that! Michelle and Rachael, you two know better as well.” She scolded all three girls but mainly her daughter. “You cannot make anyone want you and fighting surely isn't going to make him want you.”

“I agree,” Annette spoke. “I'm not trying to be mean or nasty but you girls are going to pay for what you did to this child. She is under my guardianship now and I refuse to let this go. When we leave here, I am taking her down to the police station so that she can file charges on every one of you. You need to learn that there are consequences for your actions and you are about to learn starting today.

“Vita, I halfway want to sympathize with you because you are the mother of my grandchild but I realize that I have to treat you the same as these two in order for you to learn before it's too late. Maybe this will help shape and mold you into a more mature young woman, which in turn will make you a better mother for that baby you are carrying in your stomach. You can't be running around like this, doing mess like this once that baby is born. What kind of example would you be setting for your child? I know that you want the best for that baby, don't you?”

Vita rolled her eyes and tears fell. Annette's speech had gotten to her. “Of course I want what's best for my child,” she snapped still trying to act tough.

“In that case you need to get your act together and stop doing mess like this.”

Vita didn't say anything; she just sat there with her head down crying.

Principal Fenner suspended Vita, Michelle, and Rachael for fifteen days apiece. Breezy didn't get suspended because she never hit anyone and they all attacked her. She still decided to take the rest of the day off from school.

“I'm not going to press charges,” Breezy told Annette as they walked to the car. Her lips were swollen, which caused her words to come out distorted.

Annette looked at her. “What do you mean? Those girls need to pay for what they did to you. If you let them get by with this, they will do it again to someone else.”

“I can't because Vita is pregnant and I don't want to put her through any unnecessary stress. I think she knows what she did was wrong. I could tell by how she broke down in there.”

Annette hit the unlock button on her keychain remote to unlock the car doors. They both got in and she turned to Breezy. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, ma'am. I'm sure.” She nodded her head. “I just want to go home, take something for this headache, and lie down.”

“All right,” Annette agreed. “I swear you are better than me because I would be pressing charges on all of them with the quickness.”

“Yeah, well I've learned that sometimes you have to sit back and allow God to handle things. They will get theirs. If you ask me they are already getting theirs because while I will be at school getting my education so that I can graduate and better myself, they will all be at home and may possibly fail for missing so much work. I am about to have one of my short stories featured in a book and one of my poems featured in my favorite magazine. I have a job, I am surrounded by people who love me, and I refuse to stop until I reach the top. I'm winning and the best payback that you can ever get on anyone is to continue winning. Those girls hate me because they ain't me. I saw jealousy in all of their eyes and to be honest I felt sorry for them. They'd rather see me being beat and dogged to secure some type of popularity among their peers because with me in the game they feel threatened.” She shook her head unable to understand. “Those girls scream all day how they are the baddest bitches when really they are the most insecure bitches.”

Annette laughed as she started the car and put it in reverse. “Baby, you are a mess, with yo' old soul.” She continued to laugh, feeling blessed and proud of the gift that God had given her in Breezy. She was a good kid and she felt blessed to be a part of her life.

When they got home, Breezy took a shower and lay down.

King couldn't wait to get home after hearing what had happened to Breezy. He'd called her phone to check on her but hadn't gotten an answer because she'd turned her ringer off before lying down. He rushed through the door and was greeted by Annette who was sitting on the sofa watching TV.

“Hey, Ma,” he spoke dropping his book bag down at the door.

“Hey, son.” She noticed his urgency to get down the hall as he speed walked past the sofa. “She's asleep,” she called after him as he headed down the hall.

He didn't reply; he just continued down the hall and pushed the door open to his room. Breezy was knocked out with her mouth opened snoring. He could see that her face was swollen and bruised. That angered him because he felt partially to blame. What bothered him the most was that he couldn't do anything about what had taken place. He let out a sigh. Not wanting to wake her, he kicked off his shoes and got on the bed behind her. He kissed her on her cheek and wrapped his arm around her, causing her to stir in her sleep. Her eyes fluttered open and she turned and looked behind her.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” she asked unaware of the time.

“School is out.” King replied enjoying how she felt in his arms.

“Don't you have to work?”

“I took the day off.”

“Why?”

“To be with you. Now hush up and go back to sleep. You sound like you're high.”

“I'm fine, you can go to work. I took some Tylenol for my head and it made me groggy.”

“I know you're fine but I'm still not leaving you so hush up and go back to sleep.”

“Okay,” she mumbled and closed her eyes. A few seconds passed before she added, “I love you, King.”

“I love you too, Brionna Lee.” He wrapped his arm around her a little bit tighter and they both drifted off to sleep.

 

 

“I don't know what we are going to do with those two.” Annette shook her head as she and Curtis stood side by side in King's doorway watching him and Breezy sleep so peacefully.

“Plan their wedding,” Curtis replied and they both laughed before closing the door and leaving the two lovebirds to rest.