In my baggy ripped jeans I sat in the middle of my now empty room. Various tear drops fell from my eyes and down my cheeks, drip dropping off of my chin. I palmed the chain on my neck that had a blue binky hanging from it.
"I'm so ready for love. The love I deserved" I thought to myself as I pursed my lips. But I knew that my thoughts were only desires, they would become nothing. Not even a pinch of something that mattered. I would come up short looking for this thing called love. Looking to my right, I peered at the now fractured picture frame that nursed a picture of August and Sylvester. I'm glad I've destroyed the picture that seemed so faultless. The shattered glass resembled my crossed attitude. I crawled over to it as if I was a wild animal closing in on its prey. Once I came close enough to it, I smashed my blood stained fist into the glass once more, letting my mocha skin sink through the glass shards from time to time. I was vex. Very, very vex.
August didn't love me like I loved him. He didn't deserve me. He wasn't shit. He threw me away like a week old pizza slice into the garbage of broken souls. He had no remorse, as if he was a sociopath when it comes to compassion. There was no special spot in his heart that was identical to the spot in my heart that was designated for him.
He savagely ripped my core to shreds with his long fingernails of pure abhorrence. Hatred. Nothing less than disgust.
What did she have on me? Huh?! What did Paloma have on me? What was it? Her ashen peel? Her mane that was unimpeded and clear of any form of the coils and waves of wool? Her bland structure? Well excuse the discourtesy of my deceived mind. Unfortunately, God didn't love me enough to shield me from the overdosage of melanin droplets that he mixed into my potion of existence. He didn't care enough about whether I'd get ridiculed or not, or whether my "first" would leave me for someone who was nothing but the great granddaughter of a corrupt Jew hater.
I wasn't made holy like her.
August Anthony Alsina didn't treat me like he treated his mistress. I loathed her for the way he showered her with an ear full of his whispers. Whispers of sweet nothings.
The beauty in me that his mother seen was not noticeable to him nor I.
He abandoned me. Just like the rest of my retched herd. He could never care like I did. He could never feel deeply for me as I felt deeply for him. He could never spend sleepless nights writing pages and pages of poems and songs all about his accursed being. He wasn't programmed like that. Over, and over, and over again I have tried to open his hooded eyes of illegal materials to see that I am , perhaps, a "rider". Whatever that means.
I tried to make him think that I was pretty. I tried to force his swirly fingerprints to touch me like they used to. Oh how he could never keep his hands off of me before Sylvester.
I was his Princess Tiana and he was my Prince Naveen.
But that was all horrifyingly flushed down the toilet. He wasn't fit for the gift that was weaved and sewed into the depths of my hysteria without a fair warning. Without a fair clue. Without any thing such as an ant hill or the look of a full stomach on thanksgiving evening. I was the one that took the responsibility.
Using the back of my hand I wiped my tears. This would be the last cry that I would squeeze out of my chest for this young fellow. I can't mourn over him. No, scratch that, I can't mourn over them. I was going to try my hardest to up my net worth, after all that was the best revenge.
As I lifted myself up off of the ground, different coats slid off of me. The coat of insecurity slipped off. The coat of hurt slipped off. The coat of depression and mania slipped off. And last but not least, the coat of the ruins of my heart slipped off. I was a new woman now, I convinced myself of this.
I traveled across the room to the closet, grabbing my luggage and headed for the chipped and splintered door. Once I grabbed the handle of the door that stood in defense of my secrets that hadn't found the light as yet, I never looked back.
I was headed to a place that was nothing close to here. A place where I can be free and start a new. I could formulate a new reputation for myself.
I was no longer Grey, the fast daughter of the late great Celester that was pursued by August Alsina the dope boy. I was now Grey, the indisputably brilliant woman of utter confidence and finesse.
This was the start of a new life. Although the residue of August's pain will always be there, this wouldn't hinder me from my sudden boost of ambition.
"Why are we here? What do you want with me" I barked.
"Lower ya' fuckin' voice Grey. And quit the proper talk" his voice deepened. I could see that he was slowly but surely turning into the August that he would show outsiders.
The August that was rude, tough, and obnoxious.
I smacked my lips. "Mane, fuck you August, fuck you. What ya' need ta' do is tell ya lil friends to let us go" I said.
"You ain't goin' no fuckin' where until I get some answers" he grumbled.
I pushed my tied hands between my chocolate thighs, waiting for him to continue. As I waited, I watched August closely. He had tattoos now, those weren't there when we were 'kids'. I could see them because he had on no shirt. I hadn't noticed them before. I mentally palmed my forehead at the fact that I was slow enough to not analyze his appearance before now.
"Ya just up and left me, like yeen care bout a nigga. Like I ain't matta'" he mumbled as he was now leaning on the window sill of Daley's den. His voice was now uneasy. I kept my straight face, and I didn't care about the way he was feeling. That is if he was feeling some type of way.
"Really nigga? Ya' choose now to wanna have this conversation, huh? If ya' really cared, you woulda chased afta' me. Not that I was lookin' forward to you doing so" I flipped my weave over my shoulder without lifting my hands. He pursed his upper lip and flipped his bottom lip inside out sarcastically, as if he was saying okay, I see how it is.
"You damn right, we won't be having ' this conversation" he said just as his phone began to ring. I smirked as I felt something slick to say boiling within me.
"Tha's Paloma, ain't it" I asked, faking my curiosity. August flipped me a bird. I chuckled at this. Getting under his skin was my specialty.
He pressed his phone to his ear tightly. "What ya' want Shed, we in da' same house and ya' callin' me"
Omniscient
"Nigga, you might wanna come see this" Shed said into the phone. Moments later Yung showed up with a miserable Grey slung over his right shoulder. He carried her with ease as if God created him to be able to carry her weight.
Yung was caught in the crossfire of dishes being thrown across the room, nearly hitting Dikoita once surpassing August and his ex beloved. Yung's eyes became wide and his jaw dropped at the war zone in front of him. China glass covered the tile floor like a thick slab of cement. He looked around to see a crouching Dikoita and an enraged Daley, pitching the plates across the room in his direction.
"Who da fuck let ha' go" he looked at Shed and Psycho. Psycho pointed to Shed while Shed pointed to Psycho. Shed suddenly slapped Psycho's hand down. "Lying bastard" he muttered.
Daley roared as she stood on her wide counter with her plate cabinet open. "How dare you, after all we've been through. After the trouble I've gone through just looking for you, looking for your love. This watchu gon do to me? RAWR" her voice boomed like thunder. She resembled the devil himself.
The plate throwing came to a halt and Dikoita placed his hands on his hips, catching his breath. "She crazy" he yelled out.
For the millionth time a roar escaped from deep down within Daley's chest. She stared at him with a tilted head and bug eyes. Her roaring turned into a piercing scream as she looked up at the roof. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
"See I told you, that girl crazy, she crazy" he stomped his feet and pointed his index finger.
Grey only yawned while August ducked for cover with a pounding chest. She knew Daley was crazy, she wasn't the least bit of surprised. Ana was scared though. E-block cradled her in his arms, as if she was a baby. Psycho was latched to E-block's leg. His girl-like scream was inaudible as Daley screamed.
"Aw hell nah" said a now reddened Shed. Snatching off his necklace of a cross, he held his hand out to Daley. He let the cross dangle as he began speaking in tongues. "HEY! Shalabassimata! Ah! Keke-fem-batatata! Shoto-moso- save us from this crazy bitch- oto" he screamed to his savior and did a dance as if he was stomping on a roach all across the kitchen.
This only aroused Daley even more. She jumped off of the costly counters. As she landed, Dikoita wasn't sure if he was hallucinating but he felt the floors grumble.
As soon as Daley took one step towards him, he made a run for the den. He was stopped by her sudden presence in front of him.
"Well, Dikoita. It was nice knowing ya'" Shed called out as him and the rest of them scrambled out of the front door.
"Y'all niggas gon leave me?! Afta' all we done been through" Dikoita fussed. His forehead was blanketed with sweat. Shed stood there with his lips pursed.
".... Gotta blast" was all he said before slamming the door behind himself.
Everyone packed up in Grey's car. August sat in the passenger seat while Grey revved the engine. Ana looked at E-block strangely as he made her sit on his lap so that there would be enough room for Psycho and Chris.
"I'm E-block" he grinned once he held his rough, peeling hand out for a friendly shake. She furrowed her eyebrows. "Hello E-block. Who are you" she scrunched her nose.
He put his hand down but kept his grin. Ana examined his mouth full of pure gold, that was something she hadn't really seen much of before. She grew up sheltered and in the suburbs, so she never seen someone so... prone to the slums.
"Ya' muddafuckin' future husband baybeh, believe that" E-block said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Grey unlocked Daley's gate with her own personal buzzer and sped down the road.
Simultaneously, Dikoita was being backed up into a corner of the kitchen. The corner where the knives sat showcasing their sharpness, may I mention. He glanced at them, an idea popping up in his head. He grabbed one and held it out towards Daley with a trembling hand.
She grabbed it without a care in the world , and bent it back turning the knife into a "U".
Dikoita watched in horror.
Daley then reverted her attention back to Dikoita , but stopped once the ringer on her house phone rang off. She dashed for it and answered it in a hurry.
"Hello, may I ask who's calling" she said, her voice now turning sweet as can be.
Dikoita fainted right there on the spot.
"Hey baby, Teetee Nona speakin'" said her Aunt Nona. Daley batted her lashes. "How are you teetee" she replied, taking a seat on her counter top. Her hand reached out and grabbed a green apple from her fruit bowl, throwing it up to her mouth afterwards.
"I am livin'. But that ain't what I called ya' for."
Daley listened on, swinging her bare feet back and forth, over and over. She took a quick glance at a sprawled out Dikoita . She hopped off of the counter to check his pulse, then when she felt the thumps against her fingers she took her seat again.
"I wanna know if you've spoken to Abeyomi lately" she questioned curiously. Daley's heart dropped at the sound of his name. She hated that blasted name. "No," her voice rumbled. "That bastard and I have nothing to discuss" she tooted her nose in the air.
"You stop that right nah, Daley Blessing" Nona raised her voice. "No lady should speak in that matter ya hea' me?"
Daley cleared her throat and dropped her head. "No, teetee Nona. I have not spoken to him" she corrected her mistake. Nona sighed on the line.
"Ya' gotta stop holdin' grudges all ya' life, Daley Blessing. It ain't healthy. If it wasn't for that man, ya wouldn't exist. So, you need to show your gratitude" Nona explained.
"Why am I showing someone who abused me gratitude" Daley snarled.
"Doing drugs ain't abusin' you Daley. Calling you names, beating you badly, or doing inappropriate things to you is."
"Damn near" Daley murmured.
Nona smacked her lips. "I ain't gon' keep on takin' much of these cussin' words. Imma come ova' thea' and pop ya' in the mouth, I know that" she warned.
Even though Nona created Daley to be faultless, she still knew that Daley had one flaw that would eat her up alive. She doesn't know how to let go of things and she makes certain situations bigger than what they need to be. Daley was overly dramatic.
Daley glanced at a still knocked out Dikoita, hoping that Nona wouldn't come over because of his presence.
She stayed silent on the line.
"Daley he ain't doin' too well, he's really sick. I want ya to rekindle a relationship with him" sincerity laced her voice.
"That's not likely" Daley said subtly still eating her Apple.
"It is very much likely and you're going to visit him, as a matter of fact" Nona said.
"Says who" Daley yawned. "Says I" said Nona.
Daley kept quiet so Nona chose to speak. "By tonight I wanna see a copy of a plane ticket to Alabama, ya' hea me? And I want a picture of ya' bags packed" Nona demanded.
Daley punched the air because she couldn't say what she wanted to Nona.
"Yes ma'am?" Nona questioned.
"Yes ma'am" Daley said with whine.
Short chapter, I know. Excuse mistakes.