Blaze was switching hands on the wheel of his truck when Mecca called him. He wanted to ignore it, seeing as though he wasn't in the mood to talk but knew it could possibly be about business.
"What man?" Blaze said when he answered.
"Listen nigga the only reason I'm calling you is because I know your stupid ass would do the same for me. Baby moms is out here with some nigga. He look square as fuck too to be honest" Mecca laughed and said something to someone in the background.
"Where yall at?" Blaze was about to make a special appearance. He had a feeling it was that Taylor nigga and he was getting ready to do what he should have the first time.
"At Jay's man, I came to get me and Zy some food. I see homeboy with a good grip on that ass like it's his."
Blaze didn't even respond he hung up the phone and made an illegal ass u-turn and headed in the direction of the restaurant. He was just happy that he wasn't that far away.
He got there in about ten minutes and parked wherever he saw fit. Mecca approached him just as he had slammed the door to his Jeep close. "Ay nigga, don't come out here acting crazy" he tried to warn his brother but his words fell on deaf ears.
The only thing Blaze was concerned about was letting Denim and Taylor know he wasn't one to be fucked with. Denim and Blaze hadn't talked much since their argument after Kira's party. Blaze wasn't too much concerned with that though, after finding out that Denim had cut ties with her manager he was good. He just wanted to make sure she was going to listen.
Denim and Taylor were hugged up against her G-wagon when he walked up. They were so into each other that neither noticed him until he had clocked Taylor straight in the jaw. The punch was so hard Denim felt like she could hear his jaw breaking. Pulling the gun from his waist band Blaze hit him across the face with the butt of the gun.
"Blaze what the hell?" she pushed him before she tried to help Taylor who pushed her away.
"You told me you were done with this nigga?" Taylor asked Denim as he tried to ignore the pain.
"Take yo ass home nigga and be glad I don't end your shit" Blaze's words were hype but he wasn't.
"I am done with him Taylor, I wasn't lying."
"Like hell, bro I'm telling you to leave. Denim go get your ass in my car" she looked back at him with a facial expression even she couldn't read.
"Taylor I'm serious don't believe him" she tried to step closer to him only for Blaze to snatch her back. Pushing into her truck Blaze wrapped his hand around her neck. "You really gone try me?" he said squeezing hard enough to let her know that if he wanted to he could do some damage.
Grabbing his hand Denim looked at him before she closed her eyes for a brief second "Taylor I'm sorry just please leave" she began to regret even getting back involved with him, Blaze had spared him once and Denim was pretty sure he wouldn't do it again.
"See if I don't catch your ass" Taylor said finally letting his jaw go. Blaze laughed heartily thinking about the possibilities of that ever happening.
Denim caught eyes with Taylor and he looked at her in disgust. Denim knew there was no coming back with him so she left him alone and watched as he stumbled away. She turned to Blaze who had finally stepped out of her face. Ignoring the audience, they now had Denim forgot all about the order she had just placed and took her keys from her purse.
"You gone learn one day" was all Blaze said as he walked away.
*
"You've handled things better than a lot of people Denim, that's something to be very proud of."
Denim nodded and sniffed back her tears. It hadn't been as hard for as she thought to open up to the therapist. She was young black woman who Denim trusted for whatever reason even though it was only her second session. They hadn't even gotten to the bulk of Denim's problems but what they did talk about helped a lot.
"If you say so, I just think I'm good at hiding my feelings. Or at least I used to be ever since having her my life has turned upside down and everything is weighing on me. it's hard to act like I'm okay now."
"You should never have to act like you're okay Denim, living a life where you have to put on an act is not living at all."
Hugging Phoenix to her chest Denim finished the rest of her session before it was time to leave. She didn't have anywhere to be so she decided to take a different route and just cruise for a little while.
Denim came to a stop at a red light and leaned back into her leather seats. She had her windows rolled down so the strong breeze had her hair all over her face. Pushing it away Denim looked to her left only to be met by her mother's eyes staring right back at her.
Hurriedly Denim rolled her windows up and lucky for her the light turned green just in time. She glanced back and cringed when saw that her mother was following her. Denim made a few turns and Destiny was right behind her the entire time. Growing annoyed with the cat chase she pulled over on the side of the street and so did Destiny.
Denim turned around and made sure Phoenix was still asleep before opening her door. Denim stepped out and going around to the back of the truck. Destiny stepped out and Denim could feel the nausea rise in her stomach. Being near Destiny made her sick to her stomach.
"This you?" Destiny pointed at the truck.
"Why did you follow me?"
"Charlene told me she saw you in the mall. Where is the baby?" there was no way Denim was about to allow Destiny to even get close to her child. Her dark soul wouldn't get the chance to rub off on her innocent baby.
"My child is none of your business."
"But I'm her grandmother."
Denim laughed she wasn't even a mother, she had no right to be trying to be anybody's grandma. "How many times am I going to have to tell you how delusional you are? Next time you see me don't speak, don't look my way and don't even look my child's way. And tell Charlene to keep my name out her dirty ass mouth."
Denim turned around and got into her truck. She sat waiting for Destiny to leave so that she wouldn't follow her again but she didn't leave. Instead Denim watched her walk around to Phoenix's side of the truck. Before she could lock the door Destiny had the nerve to pull the door open. Denim nearly broke an ankle in her five inch heels, she hopped out the car as fast as she could and pulled Destiny away before she could get too close to Phoenix.
"Are you fucking serious?" Denim shoved her as hard as she could.
"I deserve to see her."
"You deserve an ass whooping! You even think about touching my child again and I swear I won't think twice about beating your ass."
"Fuck you! I hate that I ever had your ass."
"So now I ruined your life" Denim said sarcastically "don't be so damn cliché just admit you were never shit. You are an evil ass person and that's just it. You only hate that you had me because I showed you everything that you could have been. Instead of being a sour ass eight grade education having ass bitch, go do something useful with yourself stop trying to ruin me more than you already have!"
"Is everything okay out here?" A woman came out of a nearby shop and asked.
"She put her hands on me" Destiny began to cry on cue.
Denim's mouth fell open as she watched Destiny put on her act, she held her face as she limped over to the older lady. "I'll call the police" the lady rushed inside.
"Are you really about to do this?" Destiny turned around with a smirk.
"You fucked with the wrong bitch."
Denim could only chuckle as she thought about how horrible her luck was, she sat down next to Phoenix who started to cry for her bottle. Denim peeked outside to see her mother crying while the older lady consoled. She picked up Phoenix and took out one of the premade bottles from her baby bag. Seeing the flashing blue lights minutes later Denim stepped out of the car making sure to place a blanket over Phoenix.
"What happened here?" the officer approached them and asked.
Denim didn't even speak she allowed Destiny to do all the talking "I was just trying to see my grandchild and she hit me and pushed me."
"Do you want to press charges ma'am?"
"Yes" she said before they looked at Denim who was still holding her child.
"All I did was push her away from my car" was all she said.
"Any proof?" the second officer asked.
Denim pointed up at a camera from a store next to where the older lady had come out. It was pointing right at them and from the blinking red light she could tell it was working. "Brown stay here and write the report while I go see the cameras."
After collecting both of their licenses, he began to fill out the report and minutes later the first officer came back out. By the look on his Denim could tell he had seen everything that happened. "Ma'am you tried to enter her car am I right?"
Destiny's mouth opened but nothing came out. "You have two outstanding warrants for your arrests" the officer who was writing the report said.
Denim laughed and shook her head "can I go now, I want to get my baby out of this heat?"
"Sorry about the inconvenience" he passed her the license.
"No problem, have fun" she waved and went back to her car. After making sure Phoenix was in safely she headed home.
*
When she got home Denim did something that she hadn't done in a while. She cried a whole lot. She would shed a few tears during her sessions but nothing like she was now. and to be honest it felt damn good.
Having bottled her emotions for so long it felt amazing to finally let it go. Denim had long ago convinced herself that crying about shit didn't make it better, so she didn't cry. She would take the punches and move on hoping that she would be okay.
Lately, things weren't that easy though. Especially after seeing Destiny, just one look at her mother made Denim remember every single thing she had gone through as child. And as much as she didn't like to dwell on it, it was hard not to. Her childhood had made Denim the woman she was today and she couldn't help but think what life would be like had she not been prostituted by her own mother. But even more so she couldn't help the parts of her that wanted to understand why her mother was the way she was. From what she knew her grandmother hadn't been a bad person but passed when Destiny was just ten and she never knew her father.
Denim would think this would make Destiny want to love her kids more but obviously it didn't. As Denim lay on her back staring at the ceiling she realized that it was time to let the hate for her mother go. It would take time to get over the horrific experiences but it was step in the right direction. Holding so much hatred in her heart didn't help with the progress she was trying to make. Destiny at this point was only a figment of her imagination.