SAVAGE 2

18

"You were angry with me because I refused to cover for your boyfriend—"

"Ex-boyfriend." Kelli interrupted her.

"At the time, he was your boyfriend." Jersey jibed. "It still hurts me that you took his side, knowing he was in the wrong. He fucked up Malcolm's apartment, and he fucked up your face."

"I know..." Kelli trailed off as she leaned against the table. "And this is why I wanted to have a conversation with you. I want to apologize again."

"Apology accepted." Jersey muttered. "Can I talk now? Since you've been doing most of the talking."

"Go ahead." Kelli replied before taking a sip of her cold water.

"Let me start by saying that...you did hurt me." Jersey spoke as she pursed her lips. "We made a pact at a young age to always be there for each other, and you broke it. You let some nappy-head bum break our agreement. How could you?"

A tear slipped from Jersey's ducts as her lips quivered. She wasted no time wiping them away while looking at Kelli, who had no choice but to shed some tears.

"I don't know, I'm sorry." Kelli muttered as tears sloped down her face. "I was stupid, Jersey."

The women stayed quiet as they tried to settle their tears. Kelli wiped her face and let out a light chuckle, causing Jersey to look up.

"Hey, remember when we were thirteen, and we used to terrorize Ms. Julia's dog? What was his name?"

A small smirk appeared on Jersey's face as she wiped her eyes. "Uh, his name was Jasper," she laughed a little and said, "He was a wiener dog. We used to spray his ass with water."

"We did." Kelli concurred in a hearty chuckle. "We were bad as hell. Remember that one time when she caught us doing it and tried to whoop our asses with a belt?"

"I remember that day." Jersey pointed while pulling a chair over so she could sit in it. "Your grandma almost whooped her ass."

"Good times...." Kelli trailed off. "Helen wasn't playing no games."

Jersey just nodded her head as she thought about the good times she had as a child. They weren't always traumatizing. She spent time outside playing with Kelli. They acted like little tomboys. Always playing with the neighborhood boys and being destructive.

"You know my grandma still asks about you." Kelli said with a faint smirk. She broke Jersey's concentration. "I went to her house about two days ago, and she asked about you."

"Oh...well, tell Ms. Helen I said hello."

"You should tell her yourself." Kelli jibed while leaning her head to the side. "She's cooking tomorrow, and you know you can swing by and grab a plate."

"I don't know..." Jersey shook her head as she trailed off. "I can just call her."

"You're still afraid?"

Jersey nodded stiffly as she looked off.

"It's been years, Jay." Kelli continued. "Nobody is going to mess with you."

"It's not that... it's the house."

"The house?"

"My grandma's brothel," Jersey replied.

"Oh, Jay... there's nothing to be afraid of."

"I haven't seen it in years, and I haven't been on that street in years." Jersey pushed out while realizing her words. "Which is sad because I haven't seen Ms. Helen in years."