The next day, I came from work and went to the basketball court where most of the neighborhood hung out.
"You done being difficult?" Asia asked with a bored look on her face as she came up to me.
"Yeah, I guess, why?"
"Tisha's over there," she pointed to where she sat on the bleachers with her face glued to her phone, not looking up.
I sighed and fought the urge to roll my eyes as both of us made our way to over to her.
Tisha still didn't look up.
I wonder if she was trying to hide her black eye from me. I don't know, I guess I'll see.
She finally glanced up at us. Her eyes landed on me and she didn't say a word. She rolled her eyes and went back to texting on her phone.
Her black eye faded from the last time I saw it.
"I thought you said you weren't going to try to be Iyanla and fix our lives," Tisha said as she looking at her phone.
"There's a time and a place for that and this was that time. Either y'all are going to be cool or not. You two fight too much to be close friends. The shit is aggravating and as much as it barely involves me, it's irritating not having you two be cool with one another."
"Asia, you acting like this is the first time her and I fought," Tisha said.
She sighed, "Are you two going to talk or not?"
"I really want to go over there and knock her ass out," she sneered.
"Make sure you can actually whoop me though."
Asia sighed and said nothing.
"Bitch, I'll go over this bench.
"You tried it the last time and I still threw your ass on the damn floor. You ran up and got fucked up."
"Both of y'all hoes need to shut up and actually try to get somewhere. We all know what happened with that damn fight. Tisha, you lost and Ny, you were talking shit. Some foul shit at that."
"Ok, fine. I'm sorry for charging at you," Tisha said stubbornly.
It took me a while, but I finally said it.
"I'm sorry for talking about your engagement and how you used to be back then. I was foul as hell for that."
She nodded, "....I accept your apology."
"So do I."
"Good," Asia said.
"I mean, I already know why you came at me like that."
"How do you know?" I glanced at Tisha skeptically.
"Nev told me. I saw her at the store, she pulled me aside and told me about her abortion and how you felt about it and I know that was some fucked up shit and I was wrong for sleeping with her boyfriend. She told me she never blamed me because she knew that I didn't know and I apologized. You were just trying to stick up for your sister and I understand. Even though I'm an only child, if I had siblings, I would do the same."
I nodded, "I appreciate that."
"Aye, Cairo give me the ball!" Dom yelled.
Dom was Asia's ex boyfriend who cheated on her two and a half years ago.
Cairo paid him no mind and he continued dribbling the ball.
A few girls were watching the guys with flirty looks on their faces. One of them was licking a lollipop seductively as her eyes were glued to Cairo.
One of her friend's eyes were on Dom and another guy.
"What the hell are you looking at?" Asia's voice snapped me out my thoughts.
Before I could answer she followed my gaze and said, "Well, there's nothing you can do about females looking at him, he's not your man."
"I know."
Tisha didn't say anything as she still typed away on her phone. I thought she was texting Terrance until her face changed into a look of irritation, "Who the hell is this girl?? She's starting some shit with me under my damn picture."
"What did she say?" I asked.
"How I'm a hoe and that she had Terrance first. Like bitch, don't you know I will smack the fuck out of you? You know what? Let me go on her page," she typed and clicked away.
"Her location is on too....this bitch is here," she said.
"Here here? At this here park?" Asia asked.
"Yeah, but I'm not going to fight her though. She can say what she wants," she put her phone down.
My eyes wandered until they landed on a familiar someone, "Tisha, isn't that your cousin over there?"
She looked at where I was looking at and she said, "Yeah, Fabrenisha is in town and she's staying with my parents because she sure isn't staying with Terrance and I."
"Oh goodness," Asia sighed in annoyance.
"Yeah."
Asia rolled her eyes, "Her? I can't stand that bitch. I've been wanting to smack the hell out of her again since she didn't know how to act. She always got some shit to say."
"I remember when Asia punched her in her face," I laughed.
"Yeah and then she dragged her by her leg," Tisha said as she giggled, "Shit, I don't like Fabrenisha either, but hey. My parents are having a cookout tomorrow and the whole family is coming."
I forgot that her family had those every year. Since her and I weren't on the same page for a while, it didn't really cross my mind.
"Speaking of the damn devil, there she goes right now," she jutted her chin in the other direction.
We turned around and saw Fabrenisha making her way towards us. Her hair was in a thick bun and her clothes looked like she shopped in baby gap since they were a size too small for her.
Her eyes landed on Asia and she scoffed, "Hey Tish, hey Nyree....oh, hi Asia," she said her name with a bored tone.
"Hi Fabric Softener," Asia said with a fake smile.
Fabrenisha glared at her and rolled her eyes and said to Tisha, "Anyway, am I staying with you or your parents?"
"You damn sure ain't staying with me because I don't want you there and I know you don't want to be there either. So, you staying with my parents."
"You know what? As a matter of fact, I got somewhere to stay already and it's not with your parents."
"Who you staying with? Jesus?" she asked as she clasped her hands together and looked up at her since Fabrenisha was still standing.
"No, Tisha you know I got people here. I'm staying with Lena. I don't need y'all," she said and her eyes landed on Asia with a stank look on her face.
For a twenty three year old, Fabrenisha sure acted like a child. She always knew what to say and do to get under anyone's skin.
Asia was texting and I could tell that she was trying to keep her composure and not smack her.
"Ok, see you at the cookout then," Tisha dismissed her by the wave of her hand.
Fabrenisha folded her arms across her chest, "Really, T? You gonna act like you high and mighty for whatever reason? T, don't try to dismiss me like I'm some little girl."
"I did, so you can scoot along now and we'll talk at the cookout."
The next day, I got a text from Cairo.
Cairo: I haven't seen you in a minute. Can we talk?
Me: Sure. Where?
Cairo: At my house.
Me: Ok.
I got dressed in a simple t shirt and jeans. I put on my sandals and grabbed my purse and keys.
When I got to his house, I knocked on his door, waiting for him to answer. When he finally did, he greeted me with a smile and hug. He moved to the side, letting me in.
"How's everything?"
"It's cool, and you?" I asked.
"Fine."
There was awkward silence between us until he finally spoke up, "How's the weather outside?"
"It's hot as hell, typical Miami weather."
"Cool......cool. So, why do I feel like you're pissed at me or something because you've had this look on your face like I stole your rent money."
"Nothing."
"That's your problem right there, it's 'nothing' to you when it's something. Is it because I fucked that girl from the party? Be honest."
"Yes."
"That's all you had to say. I mean I wasn't happy when you and Isiah were fucking, but hey. You have him the time of day and not me. What am I supposed to do? Mope around and be celibate because you can't make up your mind? You fuck with everybody else except me and you want to be standoffish when I go and do my own thing. You know how I feel about you Ny and you keep doing other shit and expect me to be here for you."
"I-"
"I'm not done. So what am I? Your second option?"
"No-"
"Then why do you keep doing this to me? Now, you want to act hurt because I went and had sex with someone else. You do your own thing, so I can do mine too. You can't even say that we talk because we don't, this is just some friend type shit, I want to go further with you and you want to retract and fuck around with niggas that do nothing but break your heart. Then, you come crying to me and I have to listen to that shit. Next nigga that fucks around on you, I ain't listening to that shit because you got Asia and Tisha to listen to you."
"Wait, how you gonna flip this on me when you were grinding up on that girl?"
"So you gonna tell me that I can't have fun since you were wilding at the party? Fuck that shit. You crazy as fuck, Ny. You were backing your ass up on everybody else at the party and you expect me to sitting there on the couch, not doing anything? You wild."
"Cairo, you know how I feel about you."
"How do you even feel about me? Since I'm the only one showing my feelings? How do you exactly feel about me, Ny?"
"I really really like you and I don't want to lose you. You've been there with me through everything and I admit I was wrong for playing with your feelings."
"You apologized for the same shit the last time and you still did the same thing. I'm done trying to be in a relationship with you, Ny. You put my ass in the friend zone and you stay fucking other niggas. This has been your problem for a good minute."
I felt myself started to get heated and I didn't want my temper to fly off the wall, but he was making it very difficult. My leg bounced as my arms were folded on my chest.
"You were with Tyler and had him fuck you over a bunch of times, yet you still gave him a bunch of chances. You foul as fuck."
Now I was about to go off. I stood up from where I was standing and I got in his face.
"Hold the fuck up, remember in the beginning you were the one playing around and fucking other females so don't act like I was the one who was playing the entire time! You were the one who almost got a bitch pregnant since you and her were so drunk! I had to drive your ass home. When you and your mom were at odds, you came to my place. Then, you were fucking around too. I admit, for the last couple of years, you got it together. So don't act like you were a hundred percent about me for the last six years because you weren't!"
"You know why? You were in a relationship for half of that time and I decided to respect that whack ass shit! That's why I was messing around."
"Yeah, you were messing around with bitches in the city, and in the next city. Don't fucking play with me!"
"Don't act brand new."
I quickly grabbed the closest thing next to me which was a glue stick and threw it at him, hitting him in the shoulder. I threw a notebook that was on the table at him, nearly missing him by an inch.
"Chill the fuck out!" he shouted as he took hold of my arms, restraining me from grabbing anything else.
His hold was strong on me as I tried to get out of his arms. I tried to kick him, but it didn't work.
He pushed me away from him and I almost fell. I wasn't in the right state of mind.
"You know what, Cairo?.......I'm done," I grabbed my things and made my way towards the door.
"I've been done. You going to see Isiah? Tell him and his baby momma I said hi."
I turned around, "Baby momma??"
"Oh, you ain't know? He got one kid and another one on the way, so say hi to him and his baby momma for me. Shit, you might be stuck babysitting."
I nodded, running my tongue over my teeth, "Say hi to that girl you were fucking."
"I might."
I threw a cup full of water at him, splashing his shirt and wetting the floor.
He shook his head and took off his shirt, dropping it down the floor where the puddle of water was. He moved the shirt with his foot, trying to get rid of the puddle.
He chuckled and shook his head, "Unstable ass."
I slammed the door behind me. I heard him yell, "Don't be slamming my fucking door!"
Fuck him and his door.
I jogged down the porch steps and got in my car, slamming the door shut. I sighed and ran my hands down my face as I gritted my teeth.
He was putting the blame on me when he was just as worse. I started the car and sped home.
I mumbled a 'hi' to my parents and went upstairs to my room. I didn't want to talk to anyone.
I plopped on my bed and my leg was bouncing as I tried to keep myself from breaking something in my room.
I got up and started pacing back and forth.
Both of us were wrong, but he was on some other shit.
We've had arguments before, but this one was worse.