Recap:
"You can afford this big house but never sent us no money." Linda said, Aaleyah's mother.
Aaleyah glared at the woman sitting on her couch, "you never sent me money, I earned everything I had. How you think I fed Jordan?"
"Spreading your legs just like you used to do for Tony." Linda said it like it was nothing.
Aaleyah covered her mouth before running to the bathroom, and emptying her stomach.
She closed her eyes as she felt her hair being pulled to the side and a hand rubbing her back.
"It's okay." Quay whispered as she cried. Wiping her mouth and flushing the toilet before throwing herself into Quay's arms.
Her mother expected her to help her find their father. The one who beat on her, drugged her, and raped her right in front of her eyes.
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9 • I Just Can't Do This
"Know I love you And I care about you. But you keep hurting me and I keep forgiving you. I just can't do this, Boy I just can't do this. You say you love me but we don't make love. You say nothings changed yet I pull and you shove. I call your phone several times, you don't pick up. And I'm not just gon keep on blowing you up (Had enough of this). I'm always pleasing you (Boy did you forget) That I got needs too. But I'm so afraid to walk away from you. I don't know what you want me to do. Know I love you And I care about you. But you keep hurting me and I keep forgiving you. I just can't do this. Boy I just can't do this. Don't wanna lose you, Need you in my life. But your not giving back, Why the sacrifice. I just can't do this, Boy I just can't do this."
WARNING: THIS IS DISTURBING. I even had a hard time writing it.
"Tony, watch her while I go talk to Marvin." Jimmy said, not even throwing a glance to his thirteen-year-old daughter who looked terrified as she glanced at Tony who had a grin on his face.
"Alright, J." Tony replied before watching Jimmy walk out. Tony sat back against the couch, watching Aaleyah pull her church skirt down and cross her legs on the other couch.
"Come here, baby girl." Tony said, smiling when Aaleyah nodded her head.
Aaleyah heard about what Tony did to little girls, as much rumors were out, she was surprised the police hadn't caught him already. She had constantly told her father about what she heard about Tony, only to get a whooping for "lying" to him.
"I said come here, beautiful." Tony watched as Aaleyah's brown eyes followed his hand. The hand that was grabbing onto his box cutter that he kept on his belt.
He smirked when he saw Aaleyah's next moved as the swallowed. His smirked stretched even wider as she stood up, her feet moving to where he was on the couch.
He patted his lap and watched as she slowly set herself on his lap.
Aaleyah flinched as Tony began to run his fingers through her hair. Tony stopped when he felt her flinch, his smile turning into a frown.
She screamed as his once gentle stroke tuned into a hard grip and pull.
She screamed to the top of her longs as she felt her hair being yanked til Tony was breathing on her cheek.
"Shut the fuck up." He breathed.
"Tony, what the fuck you doing?" Jimmy's voice shouted.
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Aaleyah yelled as Tony's grip grew tighter.
"What, Jim? I'm just having fun." Tony grinned against Aaleyah's cheek, giving it a soft bite causing her to yelp.
"Not with my daughter." Jim moved closer til he was standing beside the couch but still in no hurry to help his daughter.
"Remember when we were in college?" Tony chuckled, "Remember lil Lucy? Remember how tight she was? She was pure, man. Barely a day over fourteen. Remember when we caught her spying on the high school football team. Remember how she used to scream out in pleasure when we used to scratch her up, draw a lil blood, and fuck her til she was unconscious. They seem so innocent but they just like the rest of the lil sluts running round here."
Jim glanced at his daughter who had her eyes closed tightly, then back to Tony, "but Leyah's not like that."
"She's not?" Tony looked down at Aaleyah, "remember when I found you in the bathroom? With your fingers in yo-"
"Stop!" Jim shouted, grabbing a crying Aaleyah from Tony's arms.
--
Aaleyah twist and turned as images of Tony trying to hurt her flashed every second. It was already enough to know Tony and her father had sex with a girl around her age. It was disgusting.
She couldn't even look her father in his eyes.
Her eyes flew open as a dark figure put it's hand over her mouth. She tried to scream only for it to be muffled and quiet, she knew Jim nor her mother could hear from their bedroom.
Her heart began to beat out of control as another set of hands propped her legs up and opened.
She couldn't see in the darkness but she knew two men were in her room. She couldn't kick or move her hands that were being tied to the bed post. Her head moved left and right as she tried to see something so she could describe them.
She closed her eyes tightly as her shorts were yanked down and the sound of a belt buckle coming loose broke threw the silence.
The hand on her mouth was moved before a tongue was pushed down her throat and hands kept her mouth wide opened.
She screamed as something was pushed into her, in her secret place where no man was to be until she was married.
Tears fell down her eyes in pain and helplessness as she bit the tongue in her mouth.
"Bitch!" the voice shrieked and she knew it was Tony.
Suddenly the lights were turned on and she look around to see Tony wiping blood from his mouth, her father between her legs and her mother in a corner, her hands over her mouth.
She sobbed even harder as she began to lose consciousness.
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"Where are we going, Leyah?" Ten-year-old Jordan asked, "my feet hurt."
"We just have to find the next bus stop, Jordan then we can go to a hotel. Ok?" Aaleyah asked.
"Ok." Jordan sighed, "what about Mommy?"
Aaleyah wasn't about to go back to that house, especially not for her mother.
"She'll be okay." Aaleyah sighed as she finally found a bus bench and sat.
"Ok." Jordan sat, "we'll come back for her right?"
"Yeah," Aaleyah lied, "how's it feel finally being ten?"
Jordan had just turned ten a day ago, though their parents didn't get him anything, Aaleyah used her paycheck to buy Jordan a cupcake with a toy.
"It feels good!" Jordan grinned, "now, I can get all the girls!"
Aaleyah chuckled. She was happy, she had made her way across town. She was eighteen, and now she could leave and she wouldn't be back.
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"Happy Birthday to you!"
Aaleyah grinned and blew out all twenty-six candles.
She shivered as she smelt the cologne of Quay. He planted a soft kiss against her neck before something landed against her neck. Her hands felt the silver and turned to look at Quay who was grinning as she then stared in awe at the necklace around her neck.
"Happy birthday, baby." He told.
"Are you serious?" Aaleyah asked. Quay never let his emotions out, not did her ever buy her anything more than food. It was surprising.
"Yeah, I'm serious. You want me to take it back?"
"Oh hell no!" Champy's voice answered, "girl you better keep that!"
Aaleyah shook her head as she looked over at Champagne who was dancing against Zane.
Right now, she wasn't worried about anything. Not even her mother who was currently staying at a friends house.
"Happy birthday, Ley."
Aaleyah turned around and smiled at Julian before getting up to give him a short hug. Quay stood up, coming behind Aaleyah and wrapping his arms around her waist, watching as Julian looked up at Quay before stepping back.
"Guess, we can link up some other time. I really appreciate you letting me have my party in your club." Aaleyah said, making Quay actually start listen to their conversation.
There would be no linking up as long as he was around.
"You're welcome, I mean Champy didn't give me a option. Happy birthday again, Ley." Julian chuckled before walking away after throwing Aaleyah one more glance.
"Ley?" Quay asked as he watched Aaleyah turn back to the table and cut two pieces of cake before passing him a plate.
"We went to high school together, he used to call me that." Aaleyah responded as she brung a fork with cake on it to Quay's mouth, watching as he licked the icing from his lips.
"Well, he still do." Quay said, pulling her on his lap as she ate a piece of cake. He leaned forward, sucking the icing from her bottom lip before kissing her.
"Damn, Quay, you on another bitch already?" Rejina voice chuckled.
Quay pulled back slowly before turning his head to where a drunk Rejina stood with her girls.
"The fuck you talking bout?" Quay asked.
"I told you to come back when you wanna do something. You gave up my offer this hoe?" Rejina asked as she stumbled closer.
"Hoe?" Aaleyah asked as she stood from Quay's lap.
"Hold this." Champy said as she noticed Aaleyah standing up while looking at some chick. She handed Zane her purse before handing him her hoop earrings and walking to Aaleyah along with the rest of the girls.
"What's going on?" Pleasure asked.
"Nothing." Quay said, before turning to Rejina, "why you can't just let me be?"
"Cause I miss you, baby." Rejina said, "remember them tricks you used to do with your tongue after we got high off them pills you bought from round the corner."
"Oh hell no." Champy piped up.
"I don't know who think you think you is but this right here-" Aaleyah stepped in front of Quay, "is mine, lil mama."
Quay grinned, wrapping his arms around Aaleyah before bringing her to his chest.
"He yours? but not even a week ago he was in my home, telling me not to tell our lil secret. I was here before you, I know how he work, boo."
"What lil "secret"?" Aaleyah asked, glancing at Quay then Rejina.
"The one where we he was begging me to fùck him."
Aaleyah gagged.
She knew what Quay did but she didn't want to hear the details.
"You remember that Quay? When you were begging me and Dime to make a sex tape with you and fùck you," she turned to Aaleyah, "I'm sorry, baby girl, but I never heard your name come up."
"Chill, Rejina," Quay said, trying to turn Aaleyah to face him.
"Don't fúcking touch me." Aaleyah said, unwrapping Quay's arms from around her before walking away.
Rejina closed her eyes before she fell to the ground, luckily, Quay was quick enough to catch her.
"I got her, y'all go home." Quay said to Rejina's crew.
"Are you serious?" Milan questioned, shaking her head and walking away.
"Control yo damn hoes. Don't let me see her hurt again." Champy said before popping Quay in the back of his head. She wasn't too upset, she knew what Quay had planned.
Quay rubbed his hand before throwing Rejina over his shoulder and exiting the club.
He'd deal with Leyah later, right now he had to get something straight.
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I already knew, Aaleyah texted back to Pleasure.
She sat her phone down before walking across the hall to Jordan's room.
She was about to knock, he didn't know she was home yet. Instead, she just opened the door.
"Oh shit." Jordan mumbled before dropping the bag of coke in his hand.
"Damn." Jordan's friend mumbled as he continued to sniff the cocaine on the desk.
"Are you fúcking kidding me!" Aaleyah shouted as she ran towards Jordan, ready to beat his ass.
Worst birthday ever.
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"Get yo ass up!" Suan shouted to Charles.
They had been keeping Charles and Ahmere locked up in a abandoned factory for the past months.
Rod passed the blunt to Zane and watched the scene in front of him.
"I'm up!" Charles shouted, standing up.
"Here." Zane said passing Ahmere and Charles a bowl of oatmeal that was most likely cold.
"I don't like oatmeal." Ahmere mumbled.
"I didn't say you had to eat it, you can starve, nigga." Zane said, smoking out the bud.
"Y'all ready to make our money?" Terrence said after the bowls were empty.
They both nodded before grabbing the duffel bags from the table and walking out the door that Keshuan unlocked. They walked to the corner while the men sat in the car and watched as they put the duffel bags in a alley before standing back in there places.
Ready to sell drugs til both bags were empty.
They weren't going home til they made every single dollar they owed them.