Pieces of Forever

37 - MELISSA

"You told me a lot of shit. You told me that he wasn't cheating." I shake my head, getting aggravated by this whole conversation. I came up here to save my man from doing something stupid, and instead I'm arguing with my best friend. "Let's not do this right now."

Kerri presses her lips together and looks away from me. She turns back to me and gives a little nod. "Regardless of what you think about me and everything . . . I'm all for you AND Jason." She emphasizes the word and. "I don't pick sides. I love you both equally. This is the truth. I think you two need to sit down and communicate. He loves you . . . He's just a dumb ass. You love him . . . And you are too."

Usually when someone wants you to listen to them, they do not call you a dumb ass. Only Kerri. "I'm with Cameron."

"If you were happy, I could respect that. Boo, you're not happy. You miss him also. I told you last year there's nothing wrong with taking a man back that's done you wrong. Seriously."

I look down at my feet, remembering the very first time that I felt betrayed by Jason. It was when I caught him kissing Leslie weeks after I gave him my virginity. I slowly bring my gaze back to Kerri's and give a small head shake.

"He hurt me."

"You hurt him. This relationship isn't easy, but you and him are married. You guys are expecting a child."

"It might be his." I whisper, looking down at my stomach. "It could be Cameron's." Tears come to my eyes. "And if we do get back together, and it's not his . . . Then what? He's going to be like this?"

"You turned him into this."

I hate how she is defending him. This can't be true. I turned him into the person that he is right now? I guess it does make sense, because Jason has never been the type to be so disrespectful and vile. He's never been the type to see my tears and keep a smirk on his face that shows victory. He's mean and doesn't care about his actions or words.

I lean against Terrance's car, thinking about the conversation that Kerri and I are having. Kerri backs up from the car with her arm still behind her back.

She looks pass me and then quickly turns her attention back to me. "Boo, we all make mistakes. I just don't want you guys to be like this. This is horrible for all of us. Terrance, Me . . . I feel like I have to make a choice. I know you and him never said it, but it's how I feel at times. I love you both, and I will never choose. When he fucks up, you know I let him know it. When you fuck up . . . I let you know it. I have no favorites."

I wipe a tear, slipping from the corner of my eyes, nodding. "I know. I do love him, but - - - " I stop talking the moment that I hear the gun shots. My heart drops as I turn around to look at the beach. I turn back to look at Kerri, but she is already running towards the beach.

I take off following behind her and that's when I notice that she has a gun on her also. What the fuck is going on? My mind races as I hurry onto the beach with her to see what's going on. I swear my mind feels blank as I try to keep up with Kerri, who is whipping through the crowd as she heads toward the water. People are running in all directions and screaming.

Cameron mentioned that he might needed to be bailed out, but did he bring a gun? I mean, most people say that they need to be bailed out, because they are really pissed. How many times do you actually take the person serious? Yeah, I brought a duffle bag full of cash, but never did I think that I would have to actually bail him out.

Kerri's blood curdling scream makes me stop dead in my tracks. Everyone is still running in different directions, but just as clear as day, I see Jason's body laying in the sand with a pool of blood surrounding him.