Upgrade U

Chapter 7

"Do you need a ride?"

"No." I stubbornly responded as I looked for my phone.

"Your car isn't working and you're trying to get home. Are you sure you don't need a ride?" She questioned again, with her hands in her pockets.

"I'm sure." I went on my phone to message Meek. Then I remembered his vivid protest to me working at the club.

"Cool, get home safe." She smiled before walking over to her own car. I sat in my car for a good 10 seconds before I overcame my stubbornness.

I reached over to my passenger seat and grabbed my duffel bag and purse as well as any other important things that I had in my car. Then I locked it.

I shamefully walked over to her car and she was distracted whilst turning on her radio. I reluctantly knocked on her window. She smiled when she noticed who it was then rolled it down.

"Come on. Put your stuff in the back and get in."

"Thank you." I placed my duffel and other items in her back seat before walking over to the passenger seat.

"Do not try to kidnap or kill me." I warned her as I climbed into her car. "My best friends would hunt you down and I will put up a fight."

"You're funny." She chuckled. "Buckle up and where to?"

I typed a random address that was in my neighbourhood into her GPS and she started driving. We engaged in some small talk as she drove me. Then I loosened up the closer we got to my apartment.

"Here." She handed me her phone with her contacts open. I looked at her with my eyebrows furrowed.

"What?" I held her phone as she pulled up to my street.

"Put your number in there. So that you can call me whenever you need to be picked up from the club again." I looked at her sideways and was about to pass her phone back.

"Why would I do that?"

"I'll get someone to bring your car to you tomorrow, so I'll call you when it's arrived for you." She scrambled for another excuse.

"I'll give you my number so you can take me back to get my car tomorrow." I responded whilst typing my number into her contacts.

I passed her back her phone and she peeked down at it and read out the contact name, "Barbie."

She chuckled before parking her car. When I looked outside, it was my apartment block.
As I reached behind me to grab my duffel and other things, she watched me intently.

"Don't be weird." I commented when I had my stuff in my lap.

"Happy belated birthday." She smirked and my eyes widened.

"How did you know it was my birthday?" I glanced over at her before focussing my attention on my things. Her eye contact was way too intense.

"You posted it on your Instagram." She shrugged.

"You stalk me?" I questioned with a smile on my face.

"No, you randomly popped up on my recommended and so did your birthday post." She defended and I slowly nodded my head.

"Well...thank you for driving me home, BK."

"Bey. Call me Bey." She gave me her hand. I ignored her and rolled my eyes before opening the passenger door.

"Bye, Bey." I said whilst shutting the door. I quickly waved at her as I walked up to my apartment.

When I got to my floor, I noticed the lights were on so I knew Meek was home.

"Baby?" I called out for him and I didn't get a response. So walked further into my apartment after locking the front door.

I placed my stuff on the couch and took off my shoes. When I got to my bedroom, I heard my tv playing and when I fully opened the door, there sat Meek with an empty bottle of whisky by his feet.

"Hey, bab-" I started to unzip my sweatsuit.

"Don't hey baby me, who was that that drove you here?" He asked at a levelled tone with his eyes on the floor.

"My car broke at the club so someone offered me a ride." I explained, confusion laced in my voice.

"That didn't answer my question." This time he looked up at me, his eyes low and his fist balled up. "Who drove you?"

"That doesn't matter, Meek." I tried to ignore as I walked away but he stood to his feet and gripped my arm. "Meek, you're hurting me. Let go."

"Who?" He gritted whilst tightening his grip on my arm. When I didn't answer he moved closer to me and shouted. "WHO?!"

"One of my friends, baby. Please let go, you're really hurting me." He appealed to my pleas but instead of just letting me go, he forcefully pushed me away from him.

I tripped over my own feet and fell into the wall, leaving a dent in the wall. I lifted myself up and rubbed my arm.

"I told you I don't want you going to that club no mo, didn't I? DIDN'T I?!" I hesitantly nodded my head.

Before I could even react, my face had been hit by what felt like 100 needles and my head flew to the side. My hand immediately went up to grab my cheek and caress it. I felt my cheek numb itself from the attack.

"You dirty bitch." He spat whilst looking at me with a disgusted look. "Go clean yourself up."

I whimpered silently as I recalled what just happened. He was drunk, he probably didn't mean it. That didn't stop the tears from falling.

I immediately ran into the bathroom to see my cheek and was met by half of my face being swollen.

"Hurry up, you better not have nothing on either. You need some sort of punishment for not listening to me." He ordered from the bedroom and I cried harder. He had never been like this before and I was scared. Scared to speak and scared to move.

When I got back to the room, he was putting his shoes on whilst talking on the phone. When he'd finished, he menacingly glared at me before speaking.

"Your hoe ass is lucky I just got a call." He took his belongings as he exited my apartment. When he left, I started really crying.

That's all I knew how to do, to cry. I used all my strength to get myself out of my clothes and into my bed. I forgot to check if my apartment was locked, but that didn't matter to me in the moment.

I hugged myself and cried myself to sleep, occasionally caressing my cheek to maybe slow the swelling down. Nothing worked. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore, until the sun came up. I cried and replayed everything from the night before whilst crying.

🩷🩷🩷

Thoughts?