The Girl Next Door

~42~

She put Robert up to it.

That's the only thing that could've happened.

She was there when that happened. I never told anyone what happened. And she knew.

Then she got with Robyn.

And Robert is gone.

"Nicki!" Someone yells and that's the only thing I hear before I jump over the seat that's guarding her and start swinging at her face. She raises her hands to try and stop me, but I continue throwing punches at her while straddling her hips.

"Nicki! Stop!" People yell and try to get me off of her, but I'm determined to end her life. The bus screeches to a stop but I stay balanced on her.

She bucks her hips, trying to get me off. I press my hand against the window for a second and then pull her hair with my other hand while striking her face with the other.

"Nika!" Kehlani says, pulling me by wrapping her arm around my stomach. I keep a hold of her hair as I'm getting pulled away, kicking at her face.

"Let my hair go!" She squeals out but I don't listen. I deliver another wild kick to her head and this one connects, pulling her head back and some hair is left in my hand.

Kehlani throws me into a seat and stands over me.

"That's not the way to solve things, Tanya!" She yells, calling me by my middle name.

"She is the reason I'm going through all this shit right now!" I scream back at her," she is the reason I'm pregnant and I had to get surgery and I was beaten half to death!"

"Cry me a fucking river," Beyoncé pipes in.

I start to raise up but Kehlani holds me down," listen!"

"No! She's still fucking talkin'!"

"Nicki. You can't get kicked off this team. It ain't worth it," Kehlani says.

The coach pipes in," it's not worth it at all. Beyoncé. You're suspended from the team-"

"What?!" Beyoncé squeals.

"And Nicki... you're missing the next three games."

"B-"

"But nothing. I don't tolerate fighting. You know that. God damn it, we haven't even made it out of the city yet and y'all are acting like this. I don't know what exactly happened... and I don't care. But Beyoncé, from what I heard, what you did is a crime. And no criminals are accepted on this team. Therefore you are suspended from the team. And Nicki... three games for fighting. And that includes this one. After the game, I need to talk to you."

I nod," yes ma'am..."

She nods," if I hear anything else, I'm turning this bus back around and everyone's going home. Is that understood?"

Everyone nods quietly. Kehlani goes to the seat where I was at and gets my stuff. She puts them in the seat where I am at and sits in her previous seat. Coach Union turns around and sits at the front of the bus, which is a couple of seats in front of me.

"Are you okay?" A freshman asks me.

I nod as my eyes burn once more," yea..."

"You're bleeding..." she says, motioning to my right hand. I look at it and see my knuckles are split open and blood is gathering in the cuts.

"I'm okay," I say, wiping them on my sweats.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I can see a text from Kehlani.