Chapter 7: White.
"Whew." I say, sitting on the first chair I see as I walk into the locker room.
"You were on fire tonight." Barbie says, sitting beside me as we stare at the vanity mirror.
"I am so tired." I tell her.
"You should be. You gave those people a show. I think you might be giving me a run for my money." She says and I laugh.
"Never." I say, smiling at her.
"Girl, I gotta get back to my kid. I'll see you on Thursday." She tells me and I nod. Barbie is a single mother of one. She's also a twenty-year-old college student and the nicest girl in this club.
Barbie hugs me before she gets up and heads to her locker. My phone buzzes on the white table. Picking it up, I see that I have a message from Aaron.
"We need to talk." His message reads.
I roll my eyes at his text before I shove my phone into my bag. The bag of money in my hand almost breaks my wrist as I try to pick it up. I try again and succeed. Walking over to my locker, I take out my empty backpack and stuff the bag filled with cash inside, zipping my backpack. I get dressed in my Juicy tracksuit before I sling my backpack over my shoulder. I say goodbye to the girls before I leave the locker room.
"Leaving already?" Christopher asks me before I pass the bar area.
"Yeah. I have an early day tommorow." I tell him.
"How are you getting home?" He asks me.
"I'm gonna walk a few blocks and then order an Uber." I say, looking up at him.
He's really tall. And I'm not short. I'm a solid 5'8.
"You're gonna walk? It's 2 am." He says, looking at me with wild eyes.
"And?" I say, rolling my eyes. "Look, if you're worried that someone's going to kill me, don't bother. I have a taser in my left pocket." I inform him.
"Can I give you a ride home?" Christopher asks, sounding nervous.
"You don't have to do that." I tell him, turning to go.
"Please." He says, grabbing my arm.
I stare at him and ultimately give in. His car is warm when I get in.
"I've never been in a Rolls Royce before." I confess.
"Well, I'm glad I could make that happen." He says, smiling. "Where do you live?" He asks.
"Downtown." I tell him.
"Where downtown?" He asks me. I can feel him staring at me.
"Just off Skid Row. It's not the prettiest place in the city, but it's home." I tell him.
"Wow." He says, shocked.
"Yeah." I reply, shyly.
"Well, make yourself comfortable. It's gonna be a long ride." He tells me and I nod. I lean into my seat and I lay my head on the headrest. It doesn't take long for me to fall asleep.
I feel a hand on my thigh and I open my eyes.
"Hmm." I hum.
"What street do you live on?" He asks me. I sit up and scan the environment. We are in my neighborhood. I didn't know I was knocked out for that long.
"Two streets down." I tell him.
I pick up my backpack from the car and place it on my lap.
"Take a left here." I tell him.
Christopher enters my street and I direct him to my house. He's the first person I've shown my real house apart from Aaliyah.
"Thank you." I tell him, touching his forearm.
He unlocks the door and I open my door.
"You should probably leave quickly before you get robbed. The people here are not used to seeing nice cars like this." I tell him, before I step out of the car, closing the door behind me.
Christopher gets out immediately and comes to my side and pulls me into a warm hug.
He smells sooooo good.
"Good night." He says before he pulls away and gets into his car. I watch him drive off before I get into my house.
"Where are you coming from?" My mother asks me, turning the lights on. She is sitting on the sofa in the living room with a mug in her hand.
I gulp as I stare at her trying to think of a quick lie.
"I had study group." I tell her.
"Till 3 am?" She questions.
"You didn't let me finish, ma. I had study group and that ended by 10 pm. Then I had to work my shift at the diner which ended at 2 am." I say, trying my hardest not to yell.
"Okay. Who was that man that dropped you off?" She asks me.
"He's a friend." I mutter.
"What was that?" She asks, standing up from the sofa, and walking towards me.
"He's a friend, Mom." I scream.
"He's white." She points out.
"And?" I ask her, rolling my eyes.
"Don't roll your eyes at me, young lady. You know white men are not allowed on this property. They are the reason we're in this mess." She says, yelling in my face.
"Mom, every white guy isn't Dad." I tell her, walking to my room.
"Oh really?" She says following me. "Are you fucking him?" She asks me and I scoff.
"I'm not you, Mom. I don't throw my cat at the first white man that pays attention to me." I quip.
My mother doesn't say anything she just walks to where I'm standing and slaps me across the face. She leaves the room immediately after. Massaging my cheek, I place my backpack on the floor and get into bed.
I can't wait to move out of here.
***
"Aggh." Aaron groans, finishing on my bare back. He gets off the bed and heads for the shower.
He was rougher than usual today. He seems upset.
I grab the toilet paper roll and cut some, using it to wipe my soiled back. Walking to the bathroom, I sit on the toilet and pee. When I'm done, I get in the shower with Aaron.
The shower was relaxing and now Aaron and I are just laying on his bed. His hands make small circles around the small of my back and I snuggle into him.
"Someone sent me a picture of you and some nerd. Who is that guy?" He says and I freeze.
Huh?
"What are you talking about?" I ask him and he pulls out his phone and shows me a picture.
"I don't know him. He just started talking to me out of nowhere." I lie.
"Bullshit." Aaron says, pulling away from me as he sits up.
"I swear. Why would I lie?" I ask him. "I have no reason to." I add.
"Because you're fucking him." He accuses and I laugh.
"You're fucking ridiculous." I tell him. "You think I'm sleeping with some dude I barely know?" I ask and he doesn't reply. I get off the bed and I start grabbing my things.
"Where do you think you're going?" He asks me.
"Home." I tell him.
"Which one? The one you showed me or the abandoned shack on Skid Row." He says and my blood runs cold.
He knows where I live.
Shit.
"Yeah, Aaliyah showed me your real house." He tells me. "I can't believe you would lie to me." He says, getting up from the bed.
"The same Aaliyah you've been screwing behind my back." I say, letting him know that I was aware of his affair.
"What the fuck did you just say?" He says, yelling in my face.
"I know you're fucking Aaliyah, Aaron." I say with a smile on my face. He looks confused at first but fixes his face quickly.
"Don't ever say that again." He warns, coming close to me.
"Oh, so you can accuse me of infidelity and I can't?" I ask him. He doesn't reply instead he starts choking me.
"After everything I've done for you." He says, through gritted teeth as he squeezes my neck. I struggle to breathe as I claw at his buff arm.
"S-top." I manage to say, looking into his eyes that are clouded with rage. He lets go of my neck and I try my best to catch my breath. His left arm connects with my face the next second and I fall to the floor. I let out a loud scream as I touch my face. My nose is bleeding and my lip feels swollen. I start crying before I close my eyes and become unconscious.