• flashback - 14 years ago •
Decatur, Georgia.
"bro fuck all that, we just friends" zac said as he and his best friend, cameron chained their bikes up outside the yellow corner store.
"man bullshit. you like her weird ass" he nudged zac's shoulder.
"man fuck outta here. she cool as fuck and that's it" zac said, opening the door to the store.
"so you telling me, if tima threw all that ass at you, you wouldn't-"
"nigga, i ain't say all that" they laughed together..
after 15 minutes, they paid for their items at checkout and left, riding back towards Zac's childhood home.
the sight of a shiny black Cadillac with dealer plates parked in the drive way pissed Zac off instantly.
cameron watched Zac's face turn sour.
"aye bro, you want me to come in with you?" cam asked as the slowed down. zac didn't take his eyes off the car. "nah bro" he said, hoping off his bike and grabbing the bag from the handle bars. "i'll hit you later"
"you sure man?" zac just nodded before they did their handshake.
he stood outside, making sure cameron was gone before to put his bike of the front porch, taking his keys out to unlock the door. he grew even more pissed at the fact the door was already slightly open.
"i swear to God.." he gritted walking into the house. it was silent. "Ma!" he called out but got nothing. "Ma!" he called out again. he began to silently panic.
zac took a deep breath before pulling the gun from his waistband.
"zac...baby" he heard his mothers weak voice coming from the kitchen. he tucked the gun away before running over to her.
"mama.." he said kneeling at her side as she lay on the floor. he noticed her lip was baldy busted, both eyes bloody& swollen, and a huge purple knot, steadily growing on her forehead as he tried undoing the knots in the rope around her wrists.
"i gotta get you up" he said, fighting his tears. "no baby" she swallowed hard, "i'm okay zac, call your grandmother and leave right now"
"no mama! get up" he said, trying to lift her off the floor, "zachary, stop" she lowly ordered, lifting her head to look down at her feet. "he cut my ankles to the bone baby, i can't get up" she cried as they looked down the her bloody feet.
16 year old zac was silently losing his mind, she could see the panic and fear all of his face. "call your grandmother baby"
"what for? what can she do?" the slick, greasy voice came from behind zac making his stomach turned. he kissed his mother's forehead before standing to his feet. "zachary" she began to sob, "please baby" zac ignored her, turning to face his father.
"big man, huh?" rod asked, removing his hands from his pockets.
"fuck you bitch" zac spat at him, making him chuckle. "my little nigga got heart, i like that on your son"
"i'm not your fucking son. don't call me that shit. why are you here?"
rod scoffed a little as he pulled a cigar from
his pocket "what you mean? this is my house, that is my wife and you are my son"
suddenly zac balled up his fist, punching the counter top, the cracking sound echoed in the silent house.
"shut the fuck up! nothing in here is yours. this my mama shit, i'm my mama son. you a weak ass nigga, you left us, pussy mutherfuc-"
before zac could finish, rod had him lifted in the air with a hand gripped tightly around his throat.
"obviously your mama ain't been teaching you shit, disrespectful little nigga" he chuckled watching zac struggled in the air to breathe.
"rod please, put my baby down..please don't hurt my baby" diana sobbed on the floor. "if it's money you want-"
"i don't want your fucking money diana"
"yeah, anymore" zac choked out, his eyes peering down into his father's.
rod looked over at diana then back at zac, before dropping him, causing his body to make a load thud on the floor. zac tried to catch his breath as he rubbed his sore neck.
"pathetic" rod started as he looked down at them both, a dark chuckle leaving his throat. he lit his cigar, pulling his phone out to make a call.
"yeah, i'm here now but i'm leaving after i handle this bullshit mistake" he said turning towards the door. zac looked over at his mother on the floor, crying and praying into the palm of her hands "God, just watch over my baby..don't let him hurt my baby" she repeated over and over.
he knew his father had only come back after not being around since he was 5 years old to kill him and his mom in their home.
zac had heard horror stories about his father being a dangerous man from the kids at school. he never really believed it enough to ask his mom but he believed it now.
zac took a deep breath before reaching behind him to retrieve the gun from under his shirt. he looked back towards the door, seeing the back of his father's head.
zac closed his eyes, remembering there was only one in the camber.
before he could raise his weapon, the front door flew open. "Police! Hands up, get on the ground"! the yelled, busting into the livingroom. zac quickly slide his gun under the couch, laying flat on the ground with his hands in the air.
"my mama! she needs help" he hollered out as the officers made their way into the house....
~
not long after, zac sat on the porch as the medics rushed his mother into the back on the ambulance and placed his handcuffed father into the back of a police car.
"do you have anywhere you can stay?" a medic asked, kneeling beside zac as she wrapped his hand. he simply stood his head no.
"that's my friend! i can go see him!! i called muthafucka" the sound of a girl hollering at the police officers in the driveway made them both look.
"hey!" zac stood to his feet, "she is fine. she can come up here" he yelled as she put both hands on her hips, rolling her neck, saying something slick then running towards zac.
he ran in her direction, meeting each other with their arms out.
"i was in the car with my cousin and i seen his car...i remembered what you told me happened last time" she whispered into his chest, zac nodded and rested his chin on the top of her head.
"are you okay?" 15 year old fatima asked him as they pulled from their hug. he looked down at her, "i am now"
• end of flashback •
"Baby" Fatima said softly touching his shoulder. Rod lightly chuckled at the door as he stood there, "What the fuck are you doing here? How did you get this address?"
"Fatima" Zac said calmly, "Go out back"
"No. I'm not leaving you with this piece of-"
"Anne. Please." Zac's voice was strong yet polite, making Fatima bit her lip. She mugged Rod one last time before walking away and following her man's direction.
"So, you're not gonna let your old man in?" Rod asked, looking past Zac's shoulder.
"What the fuck are you doing here, Rodrick?" Zac answered simply.
Outside..
"Tiffany!" Fatima nearly yelled as she made it onto the back patio. Tiffany quickly got up the patio stairs to Fatima, concern all over her face. "What's wrong? You okay?"
Fatima smacked her lips, "Why does everybody keep asking me that? I'm fine" she said, making Tiffany roll her eyes and giggle. "There's bigger issues at the front door"
"Huh? what do you mean?" Fatima looked around, grabbing Tiffany's arm and pulling her over to the side, closer to the door.
"Rod is here" Tiffany's eyes grew wide and she covered her mouth. "You're fucking lying..why is he here? When did he get out?"
Fatima threw her hands into the air, "Sus, I do not know. I haven't heard anything about his slimy ass since I was 15"
"Damn, I forgot you and Zac go waaay back...just like me and CamCam" Tiffany grinned like a school girl.
"Yeah, just friends in middle school then I moved to Atlanta when my dad's job expanded in the middle of our sophomore year. I didn't see Zac again until my twenties" Fatima shook her head as a smile grew across her face, "I would have never thought"..
Just then the sound of yelling echoed from inside to house, outside. "Fuck" they both said together before rushing back into the house...with everybody behind them.
Inside in house..
"Zac!! LISTEN! I fucked up! I had so much shit going on that-" Rod's sentence was cut short.
"THAT IT WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR WIFE AND YOUR FUCKING SON!?" Zac shouted back at him as they stood in the livingroom.
"BUT NOT ENOUGH TO STOP YOU FROM PUTTING YOUR HANDS ON HER THOUGH? HUH!?"
Rod looked down, slightly shaking his head.
"What's going on in here?" Diana asked, rushing into the kitchen from outside. She let out a scream realizing who was standing into front of her son. She hasn't seen this man since he returned to her home to kill them.
"Rod??"
Zacs head snapped towards his mother's voice. "Get her out of here" he rumbled towards the kitchen.
"No" Rod jumped towards her direction "Please Di..stay"
"Not fucking happening" Mr Darryl said sternly, standing in front of her.
"Oh wait..so that's his actual father? cause Mama Di remarried when Zac was 18, right?"Danni whispered to Tiffany and she simply nodded. "Damn", she sipped her drink from the straw.
"Zac..please" Fatima said walking up to behind him. Zac held his hand out, signaling her to stop without taking his off from his father. "Ti please. I know you mean well..but not now baby" he said loud enough for her to hear without turning around.
Fatima took a breath and a few steps back, her eyes swelling with tears. Her mother came to her side, wrapping her arm around her daughters shoulders
"Mommy.." Fatima's voice cracked.
"I know baby but he needs this. Let him go through this" Carol whispered to her daughter.
"So what the fuck is it? Huh?" Zac said, stepping closer to his father. "Lost all your money at the casio again? or fucking on hoes at that club!? Or did you drink it all up like you used to do instead of coming to your sons games like your promised? How about when-"
"I'M DYING" Rod shouted over Zac's voice. He took a deep breath, looking at the floor then directly into Zac's eyes.
"I am dying, okay? I have stage 3 colon cancer.."
_________
By this time, the party guests were sitting at the dinner room table, still listening to the unfolding on the other side of the wall.
"Fuuuuck" Danni whispered, "This some lifetime shit" Preston just looked at her and shook his head, trying not to laugh. "Right babe" he said simply.
"Fucking wild" Cameron said, shaking his head as Tiffany sat on his lap, "he needs this though, Zac's been running from this pain since we were kids"
"True, but the man is dying. Like how does this help?" Jasmine asked, holding her Jamal's hand. "I hate seeing them have to go through shit like this"
"Right! Their good people, crazy as fuck but good people. This shit don't be fair" Tiffany pouted, folding her arms across her chest. Cameron smiled at her, kissing her cheek.
"You guys, this might be hard for Zac" Preston started, "We all know he's the tough guy but this is his dad..a man he hasn't seen since he was a teenager..then he's got Tima, the baby on the way..this could be a lot"
"Then we step up. We do our part as friends. As much as we can, I mean we're all wives, Jas in the only one with a baby so time could be limited for her and yes we have our own lives but these are our people. We've seen them go through shit time and time again. We have to be there when they need us. Shit, if I told you all the shit Fatima ass has saved me from, in..while doing...my husband would want his ring back" Danni said, before kissing his cheek "Love you babe" she said leaving Preston confused.
"Oh you don't have to worrying about The Downing's" Cam said, "We all in"
"Us too!" Jasmine said, rising her and her husband's hand in the air.
Knowing their friends, they understood how Zac and Fatima's hearts were basically one, at this point. They knew how both of their main priorities were to keep the other safe but at the same time knowing this wasn't a situation where one could save or protect the other and because of that, they knew they'd do anything to try.
____________
Jamal Lawson
not sure if i gave
Jasmine's husband, Jamal a pic..
if i did oh well, this him now lol
————————-
sooo..
how y'all feeling about Rodrick?
(🤤).