It's Always The Pretty Ones (18 page)

“I didn’t come here for Romeo.”
 
Reina said in a small voice.
 
“I came here to talk to you.”

Krystal blew air out of her lips.
 
“What for?
 
We don’t have anything to talk about.”

Reina walked inside and stood beside Krystal in her chair.
 
“Yes we do.
 
I want to apologize.”

Krystal laughed.
 
“Apologize, huh?”

“Yes, apologize.
 
I went back to the hotel and really thought about the things you said to me and I realized they were true.”

“Did you now?”
 
Krystal said with heavy sarcasm.

“Yes I did.
 
I realized that I have been jealous of you.”

Krystal continued to look straight ahead and continue to put on her makeup.
 

“I guess, I have always felt like we were competing and I don’t know why.”

Krystal put her eyeliner down and looked up at Reina with little-to-no concern for any of what she was saying.
 
“I know why.
 
It’s obviously because you have the self confidence and talent of a gnat and I threaten you.
 
You need to take all this bullshit you are shoveling and get the hell out of my room,
and my life
.
 
Got it?”

Reina looked at her eyes and saw that any love that was once there was now replaced by hatred.
 
“Fine.
 
I’m gone, but one more thing?”

Krystal let out a loud sigh.
 
“What is it?”

“Romeo does love you.”

“Yeah, I saw that last night while you guys were swapping spit.”
 

Reina shook her head.
 
“No, he was adamant that he wanted you.
 
I did lure him in here and all the advances came from me.”

Krystal looked down at her cosmetic bag.
 
“Whatever.”

“Seriously, Krystal.
 
This is the God’s honest truth.
 
He is a good man and he is head over heels for you.
 
Don’t lose him because of my stupidity.”
 

Krystal just stared at her with a straight face.
 
Thanks, but you are the last person I would listen to when it came to Romeo or any man for that reason.”

Reina held her head down as she walked out of the room.

A single tear fell from Krystal’s eye as she looked at a photo of her and Romeo she had on her keychain.

Romeo jumped up out of bed when he was startled by the cries of a baby.
 
“What the hell?”
 
He said as he tried to adjust his vision while he made his way down the hallway.
 
He walked into the living room to find his ultra-modern design had been taken over by high chairs and baby toys.
 
“What is going on here?”

“Good morning, Romeo.”
 
Anton said holding Angel while making her a bowl of cereal.
 

“Umm…what is all this?”
 
Romeo asked looking around at all the stuff cluttering his living room.

“Oh, I needed some things for Angel, so I stopped at Target on the way home.
 
I got a little carried away.”

Romeo smiled.
 
“Uh, you think?”

“I hope you don’t mind.
 
I just couldn’t leave her there with Dazzy, man.
 
She flipped her wig last night, on a real serous level.”

Romeo walked over to Anton and put his hands out for Angel to come to him, which she did.
 
“You know Angel is the only woman I’ll allow to sleep over.”
 
He said kissing her chubby little hand.

Romeo raised his eyebrow as he poured warm water into her cereal bowl.
 
“Umm, what about Krystal?”

Romeo walked out of the kitchen and put Angel in her high chair.
 
“Afraid, that’s over.”

“
What
?
 
Romeo, what did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything this time, I swear.
 
She walked in on her skeezer of a friend, Reina, kissing me.”

“Aww
man
.
 
Did you tell her what happened?”
 
Romeo sat down in front of Angel and fed her a spoon full of cereal.”

“I tried, but she wasn’t having it.
 
You should have seen the hurt in her eyes.”

“Just give her time.
 
I’m sure she’ll come around.
 
You can’t just give up on her.”

Romeo walked back into the kitchen for a bowl of Captain Crunch.
 
“I almost did.
 
I went over to Tandy’s house last night.”

“What?
 
Romeo
!”

“No, nothing happened.
 
She actually encouraged me to go find her and make her listen to me.”

Anton looked at Rome shocked.
 
“
Tandy
?”

Romeo smiled.
 
“Yep, Tandy.”

“Hey, doesn’t her show open this afternoon?”
 
Anton asked trying to keep Angel’s hands out of her mouth while she was eating.
 

“Yeah, but I’m not going.”
 
Romeo said as he took a bite of his cereal.

“You should!
 
That’ll be a good way for you to show her how serious about her.
 
Then maybe she’ll listen to what you have to say.”

Romeo hunched his shoulders.
 
“I may, I’m not sure yet.
 
Now, How about you tell me what happened last night with Dazzy?”

Anton shook his head.
 
“I can’t even find the words, dude.”

“What happened?”
 
Romeo asked intrigued.

“She called me here and told me that Angel was really sick in order to get me over there.”

“What?
 
That’s low down.”

“Tell me about it.
 
I was furious when I figured out what she had done.
 
I told her she was serious mental case and that’s when she lost it, dawg.”

“What did she do?”

“Man, this chick smashed her own hand with a statue.”

Romeo squinted his eyes.
 
“What do you mean she
smashed
her own hand?”

“Just that!
 
She picked up the damn statute and smashed her own hand, saying she was going to tell the police I did it if I didn’t stay.”

“
Damn!”

“Exactly.
 
That’s why I took Angel, and I’m going to sue her for full custody.”

Romeo walked out of the kitchen and sat at the table.
 
“Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do to protect Miss Lady here.”

“I plan to.
 
Hey, can you keep an eye on Angel for a second while I run to the bathroom?”

“Sure.”
 
He smiled as he went and sat in front of Angel.
 
“Hey girl, what’s up?”
 
He asked with a smile.

She looked at him with a toothless smile.

“So, you’re a girl.
 
Do
you
think I should go to this show?
 
What if she kicks me to the curb again?”

Angel picked up her spoon and started to bang it on her high chair table.

“Hey, no need to get rowdy!
 
I know I love her and if I love her I should fight for her.”
 
He took another bite of his cereal.
 
“I’m new to this whole ‘love’ thing, you know.”

Angel let out a loud squeal.
 

“Okay, I get it!”
 
He smiled.
 
“No need to yell.
 
I’ll go tonight and try to talk to her again.
 
You’re pretty pushy, you know that?”
 

She looked at him and gave him a big smile.

Colbey stepped out of her bathroom after a long hot shower humming her favorite song, “Irreplaceable” by Beyonce.
 
“You must not know ’bout me…you must not know ’bout me.”
 
She sang quietly.
 
She danced over to her full-length mirror and loosened the towel that was around her freshly washed hair.
 
She bent over, still singing, making sure to get her hair completely dry.
 
She froze when she stood up to see Dazzy standing behind her in the mirror.

“Oh, keep singing.
 
I don’t want to interrupt the song.”
 
Dazzy said smiling.

“What the hell are you doing in my house?
 
How did you get in?
 
I’m calling the police!”
 
She started to walk towards the phone, but stopped cold when she saw the barrel of the .38 Special revolver that was put in her face.
 

“I don’t think you want to do that.”
 
Dazzy said with a crooked smile.

“Why are you doing this?”
 
Colbey said, her voice trembling.

Dazzy just looked at her.
 
There was a lethal calmness in her stare.
 
“You are really going to stand here and act like you don’t know what you did to me and my family?”

“No, I swear.
 
I don’t know.”
 
Colbey started to cry.

“Aww, don’t do that.”
 
Dazzy smiled, using the barrel of the loaded gun to wipe away Colbey’s tears.
 
“You brought this on yourself.
 
You should have just stayed away from Anton.”
 
She said in a very chilling tone.
 

“You are crazy.”
 
Colbey said shaking like a leaf.

Dazzy pulled back the hammer of the gun.
 
“Now is that a good idea to insult the lady with the gun?”

“Please Dazzy.”
 
Krystal pleaded.
 
“I don’t deserve this!”

“Oh, don’t you?
 
If it wasn’t for you, I would still have my family.
 
Now, I’m alone.”

“What am I supposed to do about any of this?”
 
Colbey whimpered.

“First get dressed.”
 
Dazzy took a step backwards away from her.
 
“Then we’ll go from there.”

Chapter 18

      Romeo walked through the crowded backstage to Krystal’s dressing room where she was just getting the finishing touches put on her makeup.
 

“All done.”
 
The makeup girl smiled when she saw Romeo in the doorway.
 
“Good luck.”
 
She patted Krystal on the shoulder as she grabbed her makeup case and left.