I sat on the landing at the top of the stairs waiting for the drama I knew for sure was about to unfold. It was one clock in the morning, I had school in the morning, but I couldn't miss this. The sound of Fannie angrily stomping down the stairs woke me up. David was working late again.
I had been living with my aunt and her husband for about a month now and was slowly adjusting. They did their best to make sure I was comfortable. I knew I was safe. The only thing I couldn't seem to shake was the nightmares. It was hard to sleep because I was so used to Brian sneaking in. I kept getting this dreaded feeling that he would find me.
But since I've been here, I can't help but notice that my aunt and uncle were going through a rough patch in their marriage. Lately, David's been so engrossed with his work that he's been neglecting Fannie in the process. David was a corporate attorney at some big law firm. He was usually gone in the morning and home by evening. But lately, he's been coming in past midnight.
The white silk nightgown and matching robe flowed behind Fannie as she paced back and forth. Her breasts jiggled at each stride. Her once-beat face now bare. A scarf sat on top of her head while body wave curls cascaded down her back. I felt bad for Fannie as I watched her get angrier by the minute. David had done it this time. They were supposed to go out tonight. She did her hair, makeup, nails, and everything. But David never showed up.
Fannie's manicure fingers dialed on her phone. Most likely trying to reach David again. "Dammit!" She cursed getting his voicemail. Throwing her phone onto the couch, she began pacing again.
I listened as the sound of David slowly unlocking the door can be heard. You can tell he was trying to discreet but little did he know me and Fannie both could hear him. Fannie immediately came to a halt. She stood with her hands on her wide hips as she watched him try to sneak in. The door slowly opened and David carefully tip toed in. Softly closing the door and locking it, David sighed in relief.
"Shit!" Turning around, David jumped when he finally saw Fannie. He chuckled nervously loosening his tie. "Fannie, baby, what are you doing up?"
Remaining quiet, Fannie refused to answer. I can tell her quietness was starting to make David anxious. Any other night, she'd be cursing up a storm and going off on him. Instead, she was mute. I was nervous for him my damn self, ain't no telling what she was about to do.
"I'm gone ask you this one time and one time only. Where the fuck was you at?" Fannie asked calmly. As calm as her voice was, it couldn't hide the anger behind it that showed how pissed she was.
Sighing, David put his briefcase down. "I'm sorry Fannie, I got caught up at work. I was going over paperwork and just lost the track of time."
"So not only did you missed our reservations tonight, you gone stand there and lie in my fucking face! I called the office and they said you left hours ago. I waited all night and you never showed. Couldn't even call me or bother to answer your damn phone! What the fuck was you doing that you couldn't talk to me!"
David's eyes opened widely. "Shit. I'm sorry baby I forgot about our reservations. After work, I had to meet with a client to go over their finances. This is a big client that I just can't afford to lose right now. Not while I'm trying to make partner. I was so busy, I completely forgot about our plans. Can I make it up to you?" He started walking towards her.
Shaking her head, Fannie held her hand up. "Why couldn't you have called and told me that? I've been calling you non stop for hours and not once did you answer. Not even a simple text. You mean to tell me you were with a client for four fucking hours! What the fuck where you doing?"
David sighed exhaustedly, as if he was tired of arguing. "Fannie you know I can't talk about what goes on between me and my client. It's confidential. Just trust me, once I make partner, all of this hard work would pay off. I'll be able to provide for you and give you the life you deserve baby. Let's not do this tonight. I'm tired and I need to rest-"
"Well, you might as well get comfortable where you at cause the couch is where you sleeping tonight." Fannie interrupted him as she walked away.
"What! Honeybun let's talk about this." He insisted as he quickly followed behind her. I had to cover my mouth to stifle my laugh. I dashed to my room so I wouldn't get caught. I was gone use what little time I had left to sleep.
********
Tyler and I sat at the top of the bleachers in our PE uniform. PE was for sure my favorite period. After doing the bare minimum for the first fifteen minutes of class, it was a free period. Tyler and I just stuck to ourselves since there were two other PE classes along with ours.
"So how is it over at Fannie's?" Tyler asked as he looked around. "It's cool, I like it over there and they make sure I'm comfortable," I responded.
Getting no response, I turned my attention to Tyler who was paying me no mind. Instead, he was staring at something in particular. Or should I say, someone.
"Um hellooo. Lights on is anybody home." I snapped my fingers in front of his face. Snapping out of it, Tyler looked at me. "Huh?" He said, completely clueless. "Huh?" I mocked. "Who you staring at?"
Tyler blushed as he looked down. He leaned in before answering. "Latrell."
Latrell was the school's quarterback and he was a hell of a player. We were guaranteed a win of the championship with him. All the hoes wanted him because he had the potential to get drafted into the NFL. Plus, I had to admit he was cute.
Everything about him was big. He was tall, lean, but with some muscles. With dark brown skin, waves, and a pearly white smile that was paired with dimples. I could see why Tyler couldn't look away. Latrell was sitting at the bottom of the bleachers with a couple of boys from the football team.
"Wait! Oh my God. So you're telling me he's. . ." I trailed off as I put my hand down. Following my lead, Tyler put his hand down as well, causing us to burst into laughter. My eyes opened wide as I looked back at Latrell. You would've never known.
"When the fuck was this?" I asked completely dumbfounded while smacking Tyler on the arm. We told each other everything and he's just now telling me. "When yo ass left me high and dry by myself." He countered, shutting me up.
I narrowed my eyes, not having a comeback. "You didn't even have to go there, anyways continue."
Tyler looked around before continuing. "Okay, well you know me and him got the same fifth period and sometimes we be making eye contact by accident. We never talked though and I didn't think anything of it. It wasn't until one day in PE, it was time to change and we had bumped into each other in the locker room. He said he ain't know I had PE with him. But bitch his shirt was off and he was looking too good so I kept it short." He explained.
The story was getting good so I urged him to keep going. "Anyways, guess who gets a request on snapchat later on that day. And that shit said he added me by search of username. I don't even know how he found my damn username. So bitch you know me, I posted a cute ass video of myself and of course his ass swiped up.''
"He was like wassup and shit like that. Long story short we start doing streaks for a minute. Now here's where the story gets juicy. At night is when the streaks got real lit. He'd send a shirtless pic of him wearing grey sweatpants. When I tell you his chocolate ass looked scrumptious." Tyler trailed off stopping to drool over Latrell.
Smacking his arm again. "Whenever you wanna pull out of your wet dream and finish the story."
"So one day he sent a streak and was like am I tryna slide to his house and I was like why. You know tryna play dumb and shit. His ass gone reply come find out. He ain't had to tell me twice. Bitch I made sure to take a good ass shower before I went. I get there and thank God nobody was home. I was not in the mood to be meeting a nigga family, I was tryna get my guts rearranged. We went to his room and it was really clean. I sat on the edge of the bed all nervous and shit. He was like wassup and I was like wassup. So we going back and forth with each other. You know DL dudes love beating around the bush. They be wanting you to get straight to the point.
"So he asked me why I'm so far away before picking my little ass up and throwing me on the bed. I was so damn turned on, this nigga was strong. Long story short, we got to kissing and I gave his ass that double hand twist gawk gawk 3000. And to put it politely, let's just say he's a bottom feeder." He finished causing my eyes to widen.
I was so shocked, I had no words. It's always the guys you least expect. Looking back Latrell, I was even more dumbfounded to see he now had company. He was conversing with a girl before playfully pulling her on his lap. His face buried in the crook of her neck. The girl's face was as red as a tomato as she blushed. It was no secret he had his fair share of girls. And from Tyler's facial expression, I knew he saw as well.
"Aww, It's okay friend." I comforted Tyler, rubbing his back.
"It's cool. I mean, I expected this. It still doesn't make it hurt any less though." He muttered lowly causing me to feel bad. Just from the tone of his voice, I knew he was hurt. Crossing his arms over his knees, Tyler put his head down. I knew he would be in a somber mood for the rest of the day.
Understanding that he no longer wanted to talk, I just continued to rub his back in silence. Looking around the gymnasium at nothing in particular.
My eyes wandered over to two girls who were sitting a few feet away from us. They were conversing. Getting a good look, I realized one of them was the girl from the office who was holding Travis things. I didn't even know I had a class with her until now.
Suddenly, making eye contact with the girl, I watched as she whispered into the other girl's ear causing her to turn around and look at me. I instantly recognized her as one of Shaniya's friends.
Clearly they were talking about me. Not wanting to feed into the drama, I just looked away.
Shortly afterward, our coach blew his whistle indicating it was time for us to go change. "Come on." I patted Tyler on his back and began walking down the bleachers.
"Wait for me if you finish before me." Tyler reminded me before going into the boy's locker room.
Entering the girl's locker room, I washed my hands first before going to my locker to change. Looking out of the corner of my eye, I caught the two girls from earlier who were talking shit.
I paid them no mind, continuing to change but started eavesdropping on their conversation when I heard Trigga's name being mentioned.
"Come on Nakia, Trigga is single and Shaniya fucking with somebody. Hook me upppp." The girl from the office urged as she stood beside Shaniya's friend, whose name I now knew was Nakia.
"Aht Aht!" Nakia shook her head. "Girl I'm not getting into the middle of they shit. You want his ass so bad, talk to him yo damn self. Although I advise you not to. Shaniya and him always play this tit-for-tat game. He starts it and she finishes it. They always find themselves back together. No matter who tries to enter the picture. You saw what happened to the last bitch" She explained.
I couldn't help but feel like the last part was directed towards me on the sly. Looking up, she and I made eye contact, confirming she was.
Grabbing my bag, I mugged the shit out of her before leaving the locker room. I was pissed. I knew that bitch from the office had to tell her something for her to suddenly be shady towards me. Was I apart of Trigga's sick game to get back at Shaniya? Now my mood was ruined too.
********
"Let's go get some snacks from the corner store. I'm in the mood for some hot Funyuns." I suggested as we got off the bus stop. Tyler decided to chill with me after school at my aunt's house.
We walked into the store and began picking up random stuff. I got a big bag of hot Funyuns, skittles, Grandma Cookies, and a Sprite. Tyler grabbed a bag of hot fries, gummy Lifesavers, some Grandma Cookies as well, and a Pepsi.
We went to the register to pay where a guy was in front of us. He had a whole bunch of snacks too and was paying with an EBT card.
"Damn If I woulda known we was going to the store I woulda stole my momma card," Tyler mumbled. "Mhmm." I nodded. He really should have. His mom had four kids, all boys. I know her ass was getting close to a stack for four kids.
The Arab man swiped the card and the man typed in the passcode and the machine made a sound. "Declined." The man said looking up and trying to hand him back his card.
"Fuck you mean it declined! Try again."
I looked at Tyler who was avoiding my stare. Knowing if we both looked at each other we were going to bust out laughing.
He did again and it made the same sound. "Declined," The cashier said in an annoyed voice. "Nah man try again, it's something yo ass ain't doing right. I'm putting in the right code." The guy said shaking his head.
At this point, shit was no longer funny. A line was starting to form. My arms were starting to hurt from holding these damn snacks.
"Look buddy you're holding up the line. The card is declined," The cashier fussed in a heavy accent as he slid the card towards the guy. He snatched the card and left mumbling under his breath.
The cashier pushed his snacks to the side making room for us to pay. We walked out with our bags in our hands laughing about the situation.
"See this is why I always call to see how much is on the card before I use my momma shit." Tyler laughed.
"That cheered me up a little." I sighed as we neared my aunt's house.
"Fuck them hoes." Tyler spat as I unlocked the door. I had filled him in on what happened in the locker room and he was not too happy about it. One thing I can say is that Tyler never played about me and vice versa.
After locking the door behind us, we made our way to the living room. We sat on the plush couch and relaxed. Grabbing the remote, I turned on the TV and immediately went to Youtube. I was in the mood to listen to some Brent Faiyaz.
"Wowww," Tyler scoffed. "This motherfucka unfriended me!" He hissed. Showing me his phone, I looked at the screen and couldn't help but shake my head. Latrell's snaps were under Subscriptions.
Shaking his head, Tyler began swiping aggressively. "Lemme unfriend his stupid ass. In my subscriptions and shit like he a fucking celebrity. Got me fucked up" Tyler grumbled beside me.
"Hey y'all," Fannie greeted as she came down the stairs. "How was school?" She asked once she was in the living room.
"Heyy" We both greeted her unenthusiastically.
Raising her eyebrows, Fannie eyed us suspiciously. Brent Faiyaz was playing and we were sitting on the couch pouting. "Okay then. Y'all want some pizza? Cause I'm too tired to cook." She inquired while pulling out her phone. Nodding our heads, she stepped out of the living room to order the pizza.
Returning with a glass of wine, Fannie sat on the sectional adjacent to us. "The pizza should be here in 30 minutes. I got pepperoni and sausage with wings." Sitting back, Fannie observed us for a second. "What's with the long faces?"
"Nigga problems," Tyler muttered.
"Ahhh that's what this is about." Fannie nodded her head. "Talk to me." She said as she folded her legs.
"You know what, Fannie you cool. So I can talk to you." Tyler wagged his finger before sitting up. "Okay so there's this guy and he's really known out at the school. Come to find out he's dl and we start talking. But we messed around and suddenly he's acting funny." He explained sadly.
Fannie sighed in exasperation and took a sip of her wine. "Like how all dl boys do." She rolled her eyes. "With those type of boys, you gotta understand after y'all first mess around that guiltiness and that shame kick in. They feel like it's a chance they might get exposed and start acting funny."
"Exactlyyy! This is why I don't do em in the first place. I would never expose someone and he should know I wouldn't do him like that. I'm cutting all ties with him. " Tyler declared.
"Do what you feel is best for you." My aunt advised before looking my way. "Now don't think I ain't notice yo big behind pouting like a baby. What's wrong?" She questioned.
I sighed remaining quiet. I was a little hesitant about sharing. I didn't know if I wanted to tell anyone besides Tyler about Travis. Then again it would be nice to get advice on how to move on about the situation. Besides, as Tyler said before, she was cool and easy to talk to.
I explained the whole ordeal with Travis. How we met, our little encounters, and everything that led up to him dropping me off home. By the time I was done, Fannie had finished her wine.
She was speechless. "Damn." That was all she could say.
The doorbell rung signaling the pizza was here. "I'll be right back," Fannie said getting up to go pay.
Once she came back with the food and paper plates, we dug in.
"Laurel based on what you're telling me. You dealing with a nigga that's used to having his way. And clearly his fair share of girls." She shook her head. "This the type of nigga that's not used to hearing the word no. Baby girl Ima be honest and tell you right now, don't bother wasting your time. Trust me, just save yourself the heartache and drama cause that's all you gone get from a boy like that. There's is plenty of fish in the sea." She lectured.
I couldn't help but sigh. "But Fannie, I wanted that fish, " I mumbled.
Sighing, Fannie sat her plate down on the table before giving me her undivided attention. "Now I shouldn't even be telling you this, but let me put you up on game real quick. Matter of fact this applies to the both of y'all. One thing a nigga gone do is be a nigga. Ain't shit you can do to make em change, always remember that." She wagged her finger.
Nodding our heads, we urged her to continue.
"Now, with that being said, Lemme tell you how to make em go crazy." She smirked. "One thing a nigga can't stand is being ignored. That silent treatment get em every time."
"Ooh, I swear they hate that shit." Tyler clapped getting excited.
"Hate it. Laurel, this boy got bitches fighting over him. He's expecting you to react the same, like every other bitch. Don't feed into that drama. All you gotta do is simply ignore him, the best reaction is no reaction. " She finished
Chewing on my pizza, I thought about what she said. She was right. Travis was used to Shaniya fighting over him and arguing with hoes on Instagram. The girls he messed with always got sucked into the drama and were left looking dumb when he and Shaniya got back together.
Fannie's phone vibrated on the couch beside her once again. Now that I think about it, it's been buzzing this entire time and she was ignoring it. "See, this your uncle calling again. I've been ignoring his ass all day." She said as she wiped her fingers with a napkin. Picking up the phone, she answered before putting it on speaker.
"Honeybun plea-" David pleaded before Fannie hung up on him not even giving him a chance to finish his sentence. Not a second later and he was calling her again. Tyler and I burst into laughter.
"Honeybun?" Tyler was hysterical.
Fannie blushed at the nickname. "Get's his ass every time. But that's just a taste, his ass ain't seen nothing yet." She smirked.
I shook my head as I continued to pig out. I was glad we had this talk. Not only did I get things off my chest but it changed my whole perspective. Now I knew how I was going to go about things moving forward.
Author's note:
Thoughts on the characters so far.