Synergy (Synergy Series #1)[BWWM]

Chapter 2 'Trap'

Dee

It was around 20:30 and the latest rap songs could be heard from a top bedroom window. Inside, Dee Thompson was sitting at a dressing table, applying her lipstick in the mirror as she sang along to the songs quietly. Her dark brown eyes were covered in heavy black makeup, creating a smoky look, whilst her plump lips were being covered in a vibrant pink. The contrast with her dark cocoa skin complimented her complexion. Behind the over the top makeup was a beautiful woman, one who didn't need much makeup to look good, but in a job like hers, appearance was everything. Most importantly, it was money. Dee stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. 

She studied her face for a few seconds, checking to see if the makeup she had just applied was perfect. She gave her hair one last scrunch, her long black curls spilling over her shoulders. Picking up a beer bottle from the dressing table, she knocked back the last sip and placed the bottle back down before moving from the mirror. 

Her mini skirt barely covered her behind and her cropped top showed off her flawless cleavage. Her large breasts were all hers, something a lot of the girls she worked with couldn't claim. Her 22-year-old body was slim and toned, and she wore a sparkly belly bar in her navel. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she grabbed her trench coat and began to button it up before taking one last look in the mirror. She pulled her curls from inside of her coat, letting them flow down her back.

As she moved to the other side of the bedroom, she turned off her music, placing her music player in her pocket for the journey ahead. The sudden silence highlighted shouting in the near distance. Though it sounded like it was coming from outside, it didn't sound too far from her home. For many, shouting may provoke alarm, but Dee barely batted an eyelid. Shouting was the norm on Diamond Street and with the walls of the houses so thin, you could often hear the neighbours rowing. 

However, as the shouts turned to screams a startled Dee headed for the bedroom window. Janet Houston, a larger lady in her 40s who lived across from Dee, hovered over a body lying on the ground. She was screaming, pleading for someone to help as tears gushed down her face. Dee saw utter devastation in her features, but before she could place the identity of the person on the floor, someone shouted 'DARREN.' He was Janet's husband.

The couple had moved in around five years ago. Dee and her family often heard the two of them shouting and arguing. Sometimes the fights would end up on the streets but again, this was nothing out of the ordinary for Diamond Street. Most of the time, nobody got involved. It wasn't until the family saw strange men arriving and leaving throughout the day while Darren was at work that Janet's secret was revealed to everybody; she was cheating on him. Some women had tried to make Janet see sense. Darren wasn't somebody you wanted to mess with; they had all seen how angry and heated he could get during their arguments, and rumours were afloat that he'd done time before for beating her. Nevertheless, Janet carried on doing what she wanted to do.

As she watched the scene from her bedroom window, Dee became more concerned at the lack of movement from the body that lay on the floor. She closed her curtain behind her as she turned from the window, left the room and went downstairs. As she did, she heard commotion from downstairs and knew her family must be watching the same scene. As she entered the living room she saw her mother peering out of the window. Without looking up, she gestured for Dee to join her. With no beating around the bush, her mother exclaimed, "I think Darren Houston just got stabbed!"

Her mother was short in stature, around five feet, and a chubby lady. She wasn't always chubby; it was more a recent thing. Presumably since she gave up drugs a few years ago, she used food as a substitute. Dee joined her mother at the window, towering over her in her heels. By now, Janet was hysterical and as someone pulled her from the floor, blood covered her hands.

"You don't think...?" Dee started but her mother cut her off.

"Girl, Janet ain't even like that. No. She wouldn't."

Although her mother had her opinion, Dee wasn't so sure. After all, she'd learnt not to trust people a long time ago; she found they were often unpredictable. Plus, she knew if a man had put his hands on her like Darren had to Janet, she sure as hell wouldn't think twice about slicing that motherfucker.

Gathering her thoughts for a moment, Dee moved from the window and headed back up the stairs, this time to the bedroom at the end of the corridor. She opened the door slowly and poked her head in. She could see a little face peeping out from the covers, eyes tight shut. As she watched the little person breathe, she was sure he was asleep and made her way into the room quietly. 

As she approached the bed, she saw the little boy in his Spiderman pyjamas fast asleep. She squatted down next to the bed and rubbed her hand over his head. His dark skin was smooth and soft and underneath his closed eyelids were the most beautiful brown eyes, just like his father's.

Sometimes she had to reality check herself that he was hers, her perfect little son. He was the only constant in her life, the only man she could ever trust. Not wanting to wake him up, she thanked her lucky stars that he was a deep sleeper and oblivious to the commotion outside. She placed a soft kiss on his forehead before making her way back down the stairs. As she reached the bottom, she picked up her bag from the banister and announced her departure to her mom.

Dee moved as quickly as possible out of the street, not wanting to get caught up in the commotion. She had a job to get to, and standing around gawping at something wasn't considered help, though many would use it to get the gossip. As she turned the corner into Emerald Street, she heard the loud sirens of police and ambulance heading towards her street. She sighed and picked up her walking pace. Just another night.

As Dee turned the corner she saw the usual group of teen boys hanging outside Tina Bryant's house. Tina was a single mom, and despite her best efforts to keep her teenage son on the straight and narrow, he had already been thrown out of school. God only knew who or where his father was. Though Tina had been seen with a lot of men over the years, no one was too sure whether any of them were the boy's father. That was the problem with most kids in Dee's neighbourhood; most of them had never had or known a father. They learnt everything from their mothers, and with the lack of a male figure they tended to latch onto older, more experienced boys and take note of their behaviour. This led to half the neighbourhood ending up in jail or a coffin.

Tina's 14-year-old son was in the middle of the group, wearing his hood up over his cap and smoking from a large blunt. Rashaad was a nice boy, he always hollered at Dee as she passed and although he had the bravado, she knew he was harmless. That kid even had some potential; he got straight As in school before he was kicked out for his unruly behaviour. Just as she walked a few steps closer Rashaad turned around and saw her coming. He wolf whistled down the street and the group of boys with him laughed and nudged each other.

"Yo baby!" he shouted, watching her walk closer.

"When you gon' stop frontin' and give me a chance?" He smiled her way waiting for her reply, knowing she would laugh him off. Dee kept a straight face as she walked toward him, never feeling intimidated in their presence.

"In ya' dreams lil boy!" she replied, and that sent his friends roaring into laughter.

As Dee drew level with Tina Bryant's house, she smiled at Rashaad.

"Stay outta trouble, ya heard?" she told him. He nodded before he passed his blunt to another boy, who Dee knew as Dean Rowland. He was 17 and had just been released from prison a few months ago. Dee worried about Rashaad's future knowing he was hanging around with the likes of Dean Rowland; that boy had been trouble from the minute he was born. She knew if Rashaad continued to hang out with him, he would end up the same way.

Dee thought about Rashaad Bryant on the way to work. She thought about what his future could be if he lived in a better city than this one. She often had the same thoughts about her own family, especially her son. He was practically still a baby, but she always worried about his future. She wondered if she would ever get out of this town, and how she would do it. She knew handfuls of people who always proclaimed they were 'getting out of this fucking town' but she had yet to meet someone who had grown up here and started a better life somewhere else. People got stuck here, it was a trap.