The Choppa Effect

Twenty-Six

"Take your time. Just breathe with me." I take her through some breathing exercises and she takes a deep breath before speaking to me.

"You know that Jordan and I used to date and fuck or whatever. I thought I loved him at first but then I realized he's such a piece of shit and I hate him now." She takes a deep breath before continuing. "We were going good but then he changed like I don't know. I'm still not sure if it was his friends or what but he changed..." Her voice trails off and she takes another deep breath.

"All of a sudden he would get aggressive and put me in my place unnecessarily." She chuckles.

"Bwoy did all start fuck pah mi enuh." Her eyes meet mine.

"I felt like I wasn't enough. He fucked with my self esteem because I was always wondering why I was never enough for him. I gave him everything, Jade and he would still fuck other girls and tell me that I shouldn't worry about it." She kisses her teeth.

"Anyway, out of nowhere he wouldn't want to use condoms with me and I'm so stupid because at the time I felt like it was because I was special and his personal woman so he can fuck other people but he always fucks me raw and he really made me believe that. As you can imagine by now, he got me pregnant and I was young Jade. So young."

She blinks away a few tears.

"I was willing to carry my child but he manipulated me and made me think it would have been stupid to go through with it. It happened a second and final time and even though I was determined to carry this one I had a miscarriage and he was happy- ecstatic even."

Oh...

The sadness in my heart immediately turns into anger directed at Jordan.

"Y'know what he said, Jade?" She lets out an emotionless laugh. "He said 'now we don't have to worry about a fucking baby' like what the fuck."

I hadn't even realized that I was crying until something wet fell on my chest. I wipe my face and embrace my best friend as tightly as I could but she starts crying and speaks through her tears. "He said God punished me because I was selfish the first time when I was sad. Jade, I had to break up with him."

I keep her in the embrace until she calms down again most likely at the sight of Chino with Tego trailing behind him.

I release her but Chino immediately pulls her into another embrace and rests her head on his shoulder. "Jade, I love you. I'll talk to you when I feel better." I nod in response. She and Chino walk to the parking lot and disappear from my vision.

Tego and I stand in silence. We both were processing everything from just now.

Jordan? Jordan a pussy.

Speak of the devil...

Jordan came out to the dock stumbling with a swollen face but it brightens when he sees me. My stomach immediately turns at the sight of him though.

He staggers over to where Tego and I stand. "Tego, why pree?"

Tego doesn't answer. His face is unreadable but he just looks at Jordan from head to toe.

As if he couldn't wait any longer, he kisses his teeth and sways over to me instead. "Jade!" He screams then laughs.

I grimace. "Why pree?"

I look him dead in the face.

"Yah move like pussy enuh Jade. Mek mi all haffi expose Alexia." He laughs.

"You're really fucked up, you know that?" I blink at him.

He narrows his eyes at me. "How am I the fucked up one?"

I just kiss my teeth. "A neva me dash weh belly." He sneers. "It was Alexia and you just don't seem to be able to understand why she's wrong. She's manipulating you and you're falling for it. What did she tell you huh?"

I start grinding my teeth out of anger as I observe the bruises and swelling that have taken over his face. I can't hit him again.

"Huh?" He jeers as he takes a step forward but Tego comes between us at the same time.

"Easy yuh bomboclaat self." Tego growls. "Don't step to Jade like that. I'll fuck you up and you know that."

He stands by my side but Jordan just sighs. "She made you think it was my fault."

"You can't even prove to me that she lied. Fuck off." I don't break eye contact with him.

"She's a liar and you're an idiot. Fuck you." He spits before turning on his heel to go back to the party but he pauses.

"You'll realize soon that I never lied and you're all going to regret how you treated me."

"Then tell me what happened, Jordan." I tease him.

He turns around. "Alexia and I used to fuck but she wanted to be exclusive so we stopped using condoms and we weren't ready for a baby so she had to get rid of it- she had to listen to me. Second time it happened she wasn't willing to get rid of it regardless of what I said so I had to deal with it myself."

I gasp.

"Initially, I was going to pill her drink but because she wanted to be a young mom so badly she decided she wasn't drinking suh mi jus haffi give her some tea." He laughs.

I slap him in his face by reflex.

"Realistically, it was the best thing to do Jade." He says, unphased by my strike.

"You made her think God was punishing her because of the first time when you forced her to do it." I scream in his face.

He just laughs. "I said that? Maybe I did but point is that she played a bigger role in it than you think."

He doesn't wait for a response from me before he turns again and makes his way to the party.