This Could Be Us But You Playin' 2 (15 page)

She continued to stand in the same spot, hoping that Kaleb would turn back around and look at her. Acknowledge that she was still there. Tell her that he still loved her and understood that things were complicated. Dominique didn’t get any of that though because the next words out of his mouth let her know that what they had was over.

“You just make sure you don’t dial my number because after this, we ain’t got nothing else to talk about. I’m done with this bullshit, Nikki. Get the fuck outta my house.”

Chapter 12

Shanice rolled over on her side. Her head sunk comfortably into the memory foam pillow. With the drapes pulled closed, keeping the early morning sun out, she wasn’t really sure what time it was. All she knew was that she felt well rested and refreshed. Shanice smiled. A sleeping Marcus laid merely inches away from her. Shanice’s heart warmed at the very sight of him. Never had she felt so drawn to someone that she wasn’t sleeping with. With her being pregnant with another man’s child, she and Marcus agreed that they would abstain from sex until after the baby was born. That is another thing that shocked her about Marcus; he was so patient with her that it was ridiculous. Shanice wasn’t sure where the thing between them was headed, but she was all on board. She continued to look at him. The thick-feathered comforter was pulled high on his body. The only thing that could be seen were his nose and eyes. He didn’t snore, so only his heavy breathing could be heard. Apparently, Marcus must have felt her watching him because he started to stir, and not long after, his eyes fluttered open. 

“Good morning, beautiful,” he said. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yep.” Shanice smiled again. “Like a baby.”

It was her first time sleeping at his apartment. At first, they had decided that they were going to stay at her house, but Shanice changed her mind when she thought about the possibility of Deondre popping up like he did not long ago. Before then, it had been weeks since he had showed up at her house, and Shanice was starting to breathe easy. She thought that Deondre had finally come to grips that what they had was over. His phone calls had all but stopped, and she didn’t have to peep out of her door before she left any more. That was until he showed up banging on her door two weeks ago.

Shanice and Marcus had come from a dinner and a movie date, and he had just dropped her back off at home. It hadn’t even been ten minutes before she heard the sound of someone banging on her front door. When Shanice looked out of the window and saw that it was Deondre, she was glad that he hadn’t showed up minutes prior because she knew that shit would have gone down between her baby daddy and her new guy friend. That was something that she did not have time for. She and Marcus were just getting on track after the phone conversation where she revealed everything about herself, including the fact that she had not only slept with, but also had children, by her best friend’s man. While he advised her to come clean with Dominique about her deception, he never once judged her. Shanice was glad that he didn’t, and since that moment, she had been trying her best to keep her past relationship from ruining things with Marcus before they actually had a real chance to start.

It just so happened that she and Marcus were on the phone when Deondre showed up. After hearing the nervousness in her voice, Marcus offered to turn around and come back to her house. Shanice started to have him do just that, but changed her mind when she looked out of the window and saw the expression on Deondre’s face. It was a look of pure agony. There was pain in his eyes that had Shanice afraid to find out what it was that he wanted. Silently, she prayed that there was nothing wrong with Dominique or DJ. While Shanice had betrayed her best friend in the worse way, she would be distraught if something were to happen to either her or her Godson. Deciding to hear Deondre out, she walked down the stairs. With the phone still pushed against her ear, she pulled back the small curtain that covered the window on the door. It was then that she saw that Deondre was actually crying.

After making sure the chain lock was in place, Shanice cracked the door. “What going on, Dre?” Shanice asked, peeking out.

“Can I come in?” he asked, looking at her through the crack. When Deondre noticed that she was reluctant, he spoke again. “Look, Dwight just got killed, and I don’t know who else to talk to.” He paused, “Please.”

Shanice sighed. The old her wanted to slam the door in his face and tell him to go home to Dominique, but the new her knew that she should at least be his listening ear. Shanice remembered how fond of his uncle Deondre was. He talked about Dwight all the time, and even though Shanice had never had a chance to meet him, he seemed like a good dude. He had to be to take Deondre in and raise him as his own after he father got locked up. From what Deondre had told her, he never had to worry about anything when he was younger, and the same went on as he grew up. His uncle made sure that when Deondre went away to college, all he had to focus on was school and that was pretty much what he did. Once Dwight found out that his nephew had been signed with the New Orleans Saints, he was ecstatic and looking forward to cheering him on at his games.

“Mark?”

“Yeah, go ahead and handle your business,” Mark told her. “Just call me if you need me, alright?”

“Will do,” Shanice replied, as she closed the door and removed the latch. “Thank you.”

“No thanks needed, beautiful. You got this.”

“I do. I’ll talk to you later,” Shanice told him before she disconnected the call. At the same time, she stepped back and allowed Deondre to enter her home.

They ended up talking for a few hours. Well, Deondre talked while Shanice listened. He cried like a baby when he spoke about receiving the call in the middle of the night that his uncle had been shot. Before he was actually able to make it to the hospital to see him, Deondre received another call from his mother letting him know that Dwight had passed away from his injuries. By the time Deondre made it to the hospital, they had moved him, so Deondre didn’t even get a chance to see him one last time. From what the police said, two masked men broke in while he was lying in bed with his girlfriend watching television. After pistol-whipping Dwight, they demanded he show them where the money was. They thought with him being such a successful business man, that he must have had some money around the house. What they didn’t know was that there wasn’t any inside the house because Dwight had it all in the bank, where it accumulated interest.

The robbers must have thought he was lying because while one kept his pistol aimed at Dwight, the other snatched his girlfriend out of the bed and started to rough her up. As she laid on the floor bleeding from the beating she received, one of the guys threatened to blow her head off if Dwight didn’t show him where he kept the dough. He pleaded with them to believe him, and even offered to drive them to the ATM to withdraw some money for them. That wasn’t good enough apparently, because moments later, the guy who was holding Dwight shot his girlfriend in the back of the head, before pumping four slugs into his chest. Dwight was able to tell the officers what happened until he went into cardiac arrest and died soon after. His girlfriend was laying in the hospital in critical condition. It wasn’t looking good for her, and they weren’t sure if she was going to make it. 

Seeing Deondre cry tugged at Shanice’s heart. Gone was the man who always acted like nothing ever bothered him. His hard exterior had transformed into something way more gentle. He looked so vulnerable and weak for the very first time since she’d known him. In the back of Shanice’s mind, she wondered where Dominique was. She was who Deondre ran to when things weren’t right, so why was he at her house? The answer to that question was one that she would never receive because while Shanice wanted to know, she didn’t dare ask. It was not the right time. Originally, Shanice sat in the chair, but got up and moved closer to where Deondre sat on the couch. Cautiously, she put her arms around his shoulders and tried her best to console him. Everything was cool for a few minutes, until Deondre turned around and kissed her.

Shanice pulled away and immediately stood up. She walked across the room and just stood there staring at him. Deondre got up as well and walked over to her. When he reached out to touch her, Shanice smacked his hand away. She was angry and ready for him to get the hell out of her house. While she still felt for him after losing his uncle, she planned to do it from distance. Shanice refused to fall back into Deondre’s trap. She had a good guy in Marcus and wasn’t going to ruin that behind someone who only wanted her on the sidelines. Shanice turned and walked away from Deondre and headed toward the door. Once there, she opened it and stood back, giving him a look that let him know that she was ready for him to leave. At first, Deondre just stood there with a look of shock on his face. He couldn’t believe that Shanice was putting him out.

“I’m sorry for your loss, but you need to leave.” Shanice stood back, her arms folded across her chest. “Now,” she told him when she noticed that he still wasn’t moving.

“You want me to leave?” Deondre asked, as if he didn’t just hear her say just that.

“Sure do.”

“Why, because of that punk ass nigga you were talking to?” Shanice looked at him with wide eyes. She didn’t know what to do, so all she did was nod her head. “You know what?” he said, quickly walking over in her direction.

Shanice prepared her body for the impact. She could tell by the way Deondre rushed over toward her that he wanted to do her bodily harm. For a moment, she wished that she had just told Marcus to come back. Better yet, she wished that she had never opened her door in the first place. Fear rocked her body as she watched Deondre lift his arm as if he was about to smack her. She immediately closed her eyes and threw her hands up in defense. When she heard Deondre laugh, Shanice opened her eyes and looked at him confused.

“Dumb bitch!” He sneered. “I wouldn’t dare waste my freedom on a nothing ass hoe. I have better things to do with my time. Fuck you. I hope that nigga breaks your fucking heart. Don’t call me when he does, because I’m done with yo’ trifling ass!”

“Don’t you fucking worry about what he’s going to do to me. You just worry about what you got going on!” She yelled. “Just get the hell out of my house!” Shanice yelled as she pointed toward the door.

“I’m glad to leave.” He laughed again, before walking past her and out of the door.

Shanice was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. She had never been so happy to see Deondre leave in her entire life. As soon as she closed and locked her door, Shanice called Marcus back and told him everything that had gone down while Deondre was at her house. To say he was pissed was an understatement. He already figured that Deondre was going to try to work his way back into Shanice’s life. What he didn’t appreciate was him putting fear into her heart and being disrespectful. Marcus offered to come over, but Shanice was so afraid that Deondre would come back, that she declined and they spent the rest of the night talking on the phone.

“What you thinking about over there?” Marcus asked, snapped Shanice out of her thoughts.

“Nothing, just how it seems that you are too good to be true,” she responded, telling the partial truth.

*****

Shanice and Dominique had just finished eating and were heading to do a little shopping. They hadn’t really talked a lot since the last time they had met up for lunch, so they decided to spend the entire day together catching up. They parked Shanice’s car at her house and elected to drive in Dominique’s rental. A few days’ prior, her car had gotten hit in the parking lot of the grocery story while she was inside shopping. By the time she made it outside, the person was long gone, leaving nothing behind her vehicle; which had been smashed in on the back passenger side. Dominique was glad that she always opted in for uninsured motorist because if not, she would have had to pay for her repairs out of her own pocket. Once Shanice locked up her car, they both climbed into her rental and headed to the mall.

As the two shopped, Shanice thought about just how easy it was to deal with her best friend, now that she was no longer involved with her fiancé. Instead of secretly hating Dominique, Shanice genuinely enjoyed herself. They laughed, joked, and talked about all kinds of things. It was kind of like old times, before hormones and boys entered their circle. While Shanice wouldn’t say out it out loud, she understood that the reasons she disliked Dominique so much before had nothing to do with Deondre. It was simply because she was jealous of her. Shanice realized that she wasn’t happy with herself, and when she saw that Dominique pretty much had it all, she envied her. Now that she was in a happy place with Marcus, everything seemed so clear. She just hoped that if everything came out that her best friend would understand that all of the things she had done had nothing to do with her.

“What about this?” Dominique asked, holding up a shirt.

“Ummm, it’s cute. I like it,” Shanice replied, going through the rack. “Help me see if they have a large.”

They were in Macy’s in the women’s section looking for clothes for Shanice’s growing body. Now at six months, she had gained a few pounds. While she was still small, the clothes that she had were beginning to fit a little snugger than usual. Since being comfortable is vital when your pregnant, she decided to upgrade her wardrobe. Once they found her size and a few more outfits, they exited the department store. Dominique had a taste for something sweet, so they headed to
Great American Cookies
to grab some Snickerdoodles and a few brownies. Just as they exited the line, Shanice received a call from Marcus.

“Hey, Mark,” she answered. When Dominique saw the bright smile on her best friend’s face, she felt happy for her. She didn’t know what had happened between her and Lamar, but whatever it was, she was glad that Shanice had moved on. It seemed like whomever Mark was made her happy and that was alright with Dominique. “Nothing, just at the mall with Nikki,” Shanice told him before glancing in Dominique’s direction. “Okay, I’ll call you later.”