Chapter Three
_______________
"She must love it when you lie to her." -Mama Joyse
~
Elliot flipped through the pages of the magazine she was reading as she waited for her turn in the hot seat of the salon. Sevyn was the best stylist to touch a strand of hair in Illinois. Everyone knew her and everyone knew she was expensive of hell but she was worth it and if you couldn't front the cash, she wouldn't even look at you. At least this all from word of mouth to Elliot's ears. She just had to see what all the noise was about.
She found her mind wandering to Johan a lot. His dimples, his straight line of teeth, few small tattoos he had, his smooth skin, just everything about him. He was so attractive and most definitely the panty dropper she figured him to be. Those eyes paired with his stance were enough to drive a woman's panties to the floor without him even opening his mouth to say so. On top of that he was successful. Elliot wasn't dumb though, in her mind a man with all of that wasn't single to say the least.
He either had a baby or three, a wife, a girlfriend, some hoes, or all of the above.
And that's exactly all of the things that Elliot was running from in Chicago.
"Hey, you next?"
Elliot looked up to see a golden skinned woman; jet black hair, a curvy figure where her gut stuck out just like her butt did. She was wide and what most would call "chubby" and others would just call downright "fat". Her eyes were chinky and her cheeks were kind of big but overall she was very pretty.
"Um, I think so? Are you Sevyn?" Elliot asked.
Sevyn nodded. "I sure am. Welcome." She said before turning and making her way to her chair. The beauty salon was big and full of chatter.
It was one of those very elegant places that only big timers and celebrities went. "Curl Up & Dye" was what it was called.
"How are you today?" Elliot asked causing Sevyn to smile brightly.
"I'm great, honey. What about you? Sit right here." Sevyn said, patting her seat.
"Sevyn, giiiiiirl. Let me tell you about Mister B today." A girl with bright green, curly hair said, switching as she made her way to the shampoo section.
Sevyn rolled her eyes before dropping to Elliot's ear to whisper. "That's Alexis crazy ass. Don't pay her no mind at all." She whispered before getting up and looking over at her. "What happened now?"
"I found out he has baby by this chick named Alison, right? Biiiiiiitch. Let me tell you she so fucking ugly, bitch." Alexis said as she looked through the labels. "So, this hoe call my phone today. I answered. I'm like hello? Because I'm sleep so I woke up like who is this. She's like you the bitch fucking with Brian? I said bitch who is this? She said this is his baby mama and I'm also his wife. So... basically talking about I need to stop fucking with him. I looked at the phone like-"
She held her hand up with her thumb and pinky extended to make a phone and she looked at it like it was seven fingers on her hand.
A few people in the shop laughed. "Bitch I said um are you going to eat my fucking pussy bitch? Are you gonna bring me food on my lunch breaks? Hell fucking no bitch. So I'm gonna ride your baby daddy into the sunset until he's our baby daddy, y'all feel me?" She stuck her tongue out as she began to laugh.
"What she doing calling you anyway?" Another girl in the shop asked. It was Brianna, another loud one but not as wild as Alexis. "I would've been like okay bitch you said he's your baby daddy? Well I'm ya step baby mama."
Everyone, including Elliot and Sevyn, erupted in laughter. "Yooo, not the step baby mama." Sevyn said with a laugh.
Brianna walked over to where Elliot and Sevyn were. "Sev, speaking of cheating ass no good niggas. How's Paris? Because she didn't hit me back this morning when I asked about the thing with the club." She said.
Sevyn shrugged. "You know how Paris be when they start going at it. Just give it time. I'll call her on my lunch break." She said, combing Elliot's hair out.
Alexis started bawling out laughing. "Y'all seen that video with the-"
"Please don't start. Nobody wants to see that shit." Brianna said, cutting her off before walking back to her station.
Alexis smacked her lips before giving her a turned up frown. "Always fucking my mood up, bitch. Get on my nerves." Alexis said.
"Anyway, girl. What you want done to this head?" Sevyn asked, looking at all of her hair.
Elliot showed her a picture in the magazine she was reading. "Can you do something like this?"
"Yeah no problem."
===
"Paris, get your ass off my couch." She heard as a hard smack whacked against her face.
Paris grumbled before sitting up, looking at her mother. The kids were probably in their room at her mother's house where they ran to as soon as they got here. She yawned as she rubbed her eyes.
"I told you to only use that key for emergencies." Joyse said, throwing her keys and purse on the table.
"Mama... it is an emergency. I need you to watch the kids for me." Paris said, getting up slowly. Joyse rolled her eyes before pulling a cigarette to her lips.
"Girl." She pulled a lighter out her pocket and lit the cigarette. Inhaling, exhaling, then looking to Paris, she shook her head. "What his ass do now?"
Paris frowned. Everyone always knew all too well what was going on between them, no matter how private she had to keep it. They always knew when he didn't come home or when they were fighting. Paris hated it.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Nothing." She lied even though she wanted to vent her heart out. But she didn't know where the kids were and she didn't want them running around looking at her a certain way.
For seven year olds, they were smart and their vocabulary and understanding of words were out of this worlds. So though it appears that they were kids, grown ass people were in their brains.
Joyse shook her head again, blowing out another cloud of smoke. "Whatever." She snorted.
Joyse was an asshole. She never liked Johan even back in the day and though Paris was her baby girl, she didn't really care much about the relationship. He had given her gifts all the way up to the house she lived in and she still hated him. She smoked heavily on cigarettes to get relieve stress but those or the wild children would probably be the death of her.
Paris turned away and put her shoes back on. She wear a sweatsuit so even though she lied her mother knew the truth. Paris doesn't just tie her hair up and wear Tims with a sweatsuit for nothing.
"I'll pick them up at like 7." Paris said once her shoes were all the way.
"Mhmm. You better give him or her a stomp for me too in those shoes." Joyse said as she gestured towards her shoes.
Paris did a little laugh before shaking her head and heading out. Once inside her car, she took a breather and texted Sevyn.
Where you at?
It took Sevyn a while to reply and by then Paris was driving in route of her attorney's office.
Sevyn 🌸: what's wrong sis?
Paris looked at the message as she made a left, quickly diving into the streets of the neighborhood. She pulled into the parking lot and finally texted back.
I'm done with this. I'm gonna take your advice but when I'm done we finding his ass.
Sevyn 🌸: you won't have to look far
Paris looked at the phone confused before texting back. Wym? She texted, abbreviations for "what you mean".
Sevyn 🌸: Image Attachment
Paris opened the attachment to see a picture of Johan standing outside the hair salon with some woman. Her hands began to shake, she was so pissed off almost immediately.
She started the car back up and started backing up and heading towards to shop which wasn't too far. She pressed a little too hard on the gas, she was almost breaking 65 in a 25 speed zone. She took a deep breath before lowering her speed. She let trying to tell herself to calm down and approach this like a grown woman.
But she. Was. So. Fed. Up. With this shit.
Skrrrrt could be heard coming up the block until it sounded again even louder, the making a hard stop.
Sevyn and all the other woman and the shop started to crowd at the window as Paris hopped out the still running car. This was the fourth time she had caught this man doing some stupid shit.
"His dick must be bomb as hell for her to still be with him." Alexis said, her face basically plastered against the window.
"I mean just look at his fine ass. He could cheat on me all he wanted." Brianna added.
Sevyn rolled her eyes before pushing pass everyone and going outside. By the time she got out there Paris was all in Johan's face.
"This is what we do?" She yelled. "You don't come home, you don't take your kids to school or pick them the fuck like you're suppose to-"
"Paris..."
"You're not shit. I'm so sick of this shit. All you fucking do is-"
"Paris..."
Paris was so busy yelling she couldn't hear him calling her name as she continued to go off. Eventually he got fed up.
"Yo, shut the fuck up causing a scene, man!" He yelled, shutting her up as he grabbed her shoulders and shook her a little. "You tired of this shit? I'm fucking tired too!"
He reached under his crew neck and grabbed the necklace she had gave him years ago. He snatched it off and threw it at her.
She watched it drop to the ground with her heart as he turned away and got in his car.
"So that's it?" She yelled, running up to his car window. "That's fucking it!?"
He ignored her, unlocking the door. Elliot didn't know what was going on and she didn't want to be involved but he was her ride. She opened the door and got in. Paris watched from behind tears.
She held in her sobs before smacking her fist against his window. "You fucking asshole!"
He shook his head and pulled off, her heart going with him. Sevyn hurried to her best friend and wrapped her in her arms.
She snatched away before going to pick up the chain.
"Paris..." Sevyn called but Paris just ignored her as she hurried away from the embarrassing scene in her car.
Sevyn looked to the shop's window where everyone watched. This could only go downhill from here.