Aaron Turner
"You don't seem in the mood. You know how many men in here would be dying for me to throw my ass back at them like this?" Peyton questioned as she twerked on me to 'New Freezer' practically grinding into my dick.
"You doing a lot right now, I'm a need you to bring it down a notch" I demanded before finishing off the rest of the drink in my hand. Peyton stopped twerking and turned around to look at me while folding her arms.
"Why do you have a stick up your ass? You know it's just dancing, Moses is not gonna care" Peyton said with an ounce of annoyance in her voice like she was trying to refrain from saying anything else.
I glanced over my shoulder at Moses who stood next to Carlos and talked to a few women that had flocked around him. Deejay stood behind them with a few women as well and I folded my arms growing irritated.
"Malik said that Moses wasn't stupid but his actions keep proving otherwise. Deejay set up Amaru to frame Moses, he had some nigga beat me up in an alley and sent a video of me sucking dick around to people. But he comes around with a few apologies and Moses forgets about all of that!" I snapped.
Peyton glanced over towards Moses and his 'friends' before she chuckled to herself and flipped her hair over her shoulder.
"How do you know he's not playing them? Maybe there's a reason, but besides that you don't think Moses remembers any of that stuff happened either?" Peyton questioned as I looked back over at them.
Some chick pushed her way through the crowed of women before she slapped Moses in the chest and his eyes widened once he saw her.
"So you stopped retuning my calls like we don't have unfinished business?!" She shouted causing a few people standing around to look at them. Moses handed his drink to Carlos before grabbing the woman by her hand and practically yanking her through the crowed.
I stood completely still for awhile growing tense as much as I tried to roll the situation off my shoulders telling myself it was nothing serious. But I knew Moses better than anyone and I was almost certain she was either an ex or some chick he fucked and led to believe he was interested when he wasn't.
"Some things really don't ever change, Deejay comes back around and old habits start to pop back up" I said to Peyton. She attempted to speak to me but I brushed her off and walked through the crowed towards the bar where I took an empty seat.
I ordered a drink and while I waited my eyes scanned around the club. It didn't take long before I felt a tap on my shoulder as I expected.
I glanced over my shoulder to find the culprit and came face to face with Deejay who had lipstick covering his neck from one of the women he had hanging around him earlier.
"Nobody is trying to steal your boyfriend. I don't get down like that" he assured and I rolled my eyes half believing him.
"Just because Moses is cool with you for now doesn't mean I wanna be bothered with you. If it was up to me we'd fight every time we see each other" I said with a shrug.
"Moses was the bro a long time ago, we still have beef but we decided to put that to the side for now. As soon as we take care of James we'll go back to hating each other and fighting for that top spot" Deejay assured in a low tone as he leaned closer to me.
"So what the fuck does that have to do with me? Moses will get it and you'll stay bitter" I said.
"Like I said, once James is dead it's every man for himself and Moses was the bro at one point. I don't want him to die as much as I may dislike the nigga, you could help me out and talk him into stepping to the side though. He becomes a kingpin and then what happens to you? He'll have pussy thrown in his face all of the time and you'll be home playing step daddy to each child he brings home and drawing your lil dumb ass comics" Deejay teased.
I clenched my jaw and opened my mouth to speak as Deejay smirked and nodded towards Moses and the woman from earlier leaving out of the club as he tried to fix his belt.
"You think they're going outside to talk about his love and dedication for you?" Deejay questioned as he reached around me and grabbed my drink that the bartender had placed on the counter.
I sat completely still zoning the music out as Deejay tossed me a track phone and walked through the crowd like he knew I'd change my mind.
My face grew warm as I began to rub the back of my neck. I had to calm down before I turned into reckless Ron and started overreacting to the situation.
I calmly got up from the bar and allowed someone else to slide into my seat before I casually walked out of the club.
Moses and the woman were outside leaning against a wall and talking. I folded my arms in front of myself and stood a few feet away until he looked up at me and did a double take.
He said something to the girl before he started walking towards me closing the gap between us.
"Why you look like you ready for war?" He questioned. I glanced down at his crotch to see if he was hard but he wasn't.
"Who is that?" I questioned avoiding his gaze but I could see him shift which caused me to look up at him.
"S-She's nobody" Moses stuttered and the chick placed her hand on her hip and walked towards us as Moses sighed.
"I'm nobody? Was I nobody when you was at my house having pillow talk with me about your wife? Was I nobody when we were fucking?" She asked catching the attention of people hanging around outside of the club.
"Oh that's what this is. I'm not surprised" I muttered as I attempted to walk away but Moses stopped me.
"She was a side chick but I'm not messing with her anymore. I'm trying to end things right now but she keeps trying to get at me" Moses attempted to explain.
"So giving me your number is your way of trying to end things? Interesting" the woman responded and I unfolded my arms and chuckled.
"See I knew I wasn't crazy when I peeped you talking to her in the club. I know how to take a hint, you get real secretive when you wanna go out and be a hoe" I said with a simple shrug and Moses frowned growing offended.
"And if I was you wasn't going nowhere so shut up!" Moses snapped and I stepped closer.
"Do it, I dare you and I promise I'll bust you in your shit and then fuck your enemy" I snapped back. Moses smirked and pushed me out of his face.
"Whatever, the situation isn't what you think. I'm getting her number because I need her to do something for me. She tried to hook up and I wasn't going for that so we came outside in the open to talk, rather than in a bathroom or a dark club. I stopped anything before it could happen" Moses admitted,
I continued to size him up before ultimately believing him after seeing the sincerity in his eyes.
Moses continued to watch me before he got the hint that I wasn't going to walk away, he instead pulled me over along with the chick who had grown an obvious attitude she wasn't getting any alone time with him.
"Audrey, James may be an old fuck but he goes blind when it comes to pussy, especially young pussy. It's always been his downfall and I need you to handle that for me and help me get close enough to him to take care of that" Moses said rubbing his hands together.
"And you think that he's going to allow a one night stand to even be alone with him without his crew around?" Audrey questioned growing skeptical.
"You won't be just a one night stand, like I said he loves pussy and I know that he won't mind adding another girlfriend to his harem. Just play the part and I'll make it up to you" Moses said as he smirked at her.
I watched his eyes slowly rake over her body until he cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head.
"And how are you going to make it up to her?" I questioned bluntly. Moses wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into him while Audrey stood with her hand on her hip.
"He's right, I don't feel like sucking and fucking on no old nigga who probably can't even get it up. You're lucky you're cute or I wouldn't even be considering this shit" she said with an eye roll.
"I'll pay you, I'll make sure you never have to be a side chick again and it'll give your pussy some time to rest" Moses stated.
"I like being a side chick and I like to fuck. You could've ended the conversation after you agreed to pay me and I would've been cool" Audrey said growing an attitude.
"So you'll do this shit?" Moses questioned raising an eyebrow and she nodded and glanced down at her nails.
"Cool, so I'll call you from a burner phone and we'll talk more at another time" Moses said brushing the conversation off once more people came out the club.
"It was good seeing you bae" Audrey said with a smirk, I watched as she kissed his cheek before she walked passed us and bumped my shoulder.
I waited until she was out of ear shot before turning to look at Moses who had folded his arms and watched me like he was expecting for me to go off on him.
"You messed with a chick named Audrey? You have a sister named
Aubrey" I remind and he shrugged.
"Your point? I don't talk to that bitch anymore, I know you would never turn down dick or pussy because their name was a lil familiar to a sibling of yours" Moses said attempting to defend it.
"I absolutely would, it's a turn off. What the fuck I look like calling out Kaine or Malik while someone is piping me down or moaning Ajani's name? I'd throw up at the thought" I said with a laugh.
"Forget about it, is you and your girl ready to go or what?" Moses asked and I could sense a mix of anger and annoyance in his voice.
A few men came out of the club looking for Moses and once they spotted us they lingered in the background waiting for him to finish talking to me.
"Let me go see what's up with them. Go find Peyton so we can go" Moses demanded and I backed up from him before turning and walking back into the club.
It was crazy how you could get irritated or mad just because your significant other had the same energy. I was already in a bad mood and his secrecy was starting to piss me off, I was already in way to deep to be scared now.
I searched around the club for a little while before finding Peyton talking with some nigga I recognized as a professional basketball player who played for the Knicks. I wasn't going to be a cock block, the dude had money and Saint was playing games.
I lingered in the back waiting for her to wrap up the conversation. Once Peyton spotted me she pulled her dress up a little and smiled as she sashayed towards me being sure the man was watching her.
"Moses is ready to go and I don't feel like hearing him bitch" I complained wrapping my arm around Peyton. As I led her out of the club I noticed the exit was crowded and after we were able to push through I realized they were watching Moses' crew stomp out 2 bouncers.
"You can take a nigga out the hood but can't take the hood out a nigga" Peyton commented as she smiled to herself and watched Moses squat down and speak to one of the men on the ground.
I shifted growing uncomfortable when I saw the way she was eyeing him. Peyton was a like a sister to me, we were very close but sometimes I wondered if she'd ever thought about being with him but didn't act on it because of her love for me.
After Moses stood up and began walking towards us Peyton began pulling her dress down to make things less awkward. Moses watched her out of the corner of his eye but tried to play it off.
"So what was that all about" Peyton questioned him and Moses chuckled to himself and led us back towards his car.
"Just business, why?" He asked and Peyton shrugged. I walked behind them a little and just observed in silence feeling my heart beat pick up.
"I was just curious, I like when you act like a roughneck. You're turning cutthroat again, it's daddy as fuck" Peyton smiled.
"Oh foreal?" Moses questioned nudging her gently. I smirked to myself before nodding my head.
"So I guess I'm invisible since you and my best friend are flirting right in front of my face" I admit and Moses and Peyton both glanced over their shoulder at me.
"Ron, your insecurities are showing" Moses replied before turning back around and Peyton raised an eyebrow at me.
"Right keep that same energy when I flirt with your friend in your face!" I snapped out loud.
"What the fuck are you talking about? That weak shit isn't flirting, you have issues" Moses complained.
"Because of you" I responded with a shrug. Peyton stopped walking and looked at me, she tried to touch my shoulder but I brushed her hand off.
"I don't even wanna date Saint because he messed with Erin and you really think I'd even go there with Moses? Ron I know how you feel about him and I was just teasing him like how I tease you I swear" Peyton complained.
They both stared at me weirdly and Moses sighed and rubbed his chin as I stared at the ground.
"Ron just get in the car before you piss me off. You're being over dramatic as fuck right now" Moses said.
"To be honest" Peyton mumbled. I looked at the both of them before I slowly turned and walked away.
"Then I guess my over dramatic ass should take an uber and sleep at Saint's place. I don't wanna do this shit tonight" I stated.
"Take an uber then dumb ass, I'm not chasing behind you!" Moses yelled. I heard his start up signaling he'd pressed the button and when I glanced over my shoulder he and Peyton were climbing inside.
Fuck them, they could have each other.
-
"So you thought your boyfriend and female best friend were flirting and blew up at them? Jealousy is normal Ron, I haven't seen you in months and I feel like you've went back on a lot of the progress we'd made" My therapist said sounding disappointed,
I'd been seeing this therapist since I was in my sophomore year of high school. Her named was Simone and she allowed me to call her by her first name to make me feel comfortable enough to talk to her.
"That's not the worst part, I went to Saint's place and curled up in a ball on his couch and cried myself to sleep. It was so dramatic, I could've just went home and talked it out but the fact that Moses didn't call made me angry" I admit knowing it was stupid but I wanted to get to the root of these dumb ass feelings.
"Do you honestly think that Peyton wants him?" Simone questioned and I shrugged while staring down at my lap.
"She could, a lot of women want him. What if he gets bored with me? He gets bored of things quick, he is a Gemini and you know how they are" I mumbled and she busted out laughing.
"Okay I'm a Gemini, so offense taken. I've been married for fifteen years and I'm happy and not bored with my husband. I think you still don't trust Moses fully and you deep down feel like maybe he's falling back into his old patterns. But what you have to realize is, what he does is not your fault and no relationship is perfect. Remember to love yourself because I strongly believe he loves you and from what you've told me you both still having growing to do but only if you communicate with him will it work. He can't read your mind" Simone explained.
"Instead of lashing out I could've just said I didn't like the conversation they were having?" I questioned and she smiled and nodded as she wrote a few things down.
"A lot of this comes from your childhood, it's not really Moses. You have a fear of abandonment and in your head you feel threatened when you feel like someone is rivaling you for his affection. It's understandable yet unhealthy, because he does have a child and it's his job to take care of her. You don't want this to start spilling over into that because that'll ruin your relationship" Simone continued.
I was six years old when my mother dropped me off at my grandparents place and she promised she'd be back but she never came back. I didn't see her again until I was thirteen and had to go and live with her after my grandmother had gotten sick.
My mother wasn't a good person and she was never there, my father was never there either. I didn't become close with Malik until a few years ago and as much as Kaine tried to include me with his new family I just didn't feel like I fit so I backed off.
I felt like I'd been hit with a ton of bricks when my father started an entire new family without even telling me or coming to check up on me when I was a kid. He's everything to his other kids that he wasn't to me, they didn't see him on drugs or watch him beat their mother.
It wasn't until tears rolled off my chin and onto my shirt that I realized I'd begun to cry. I leaned forward and took tissues from out of the box and preceded to wipe my face off not wanting to look weak.
"Maybe I shouldn't even be with Moses, like you said he has a kid now and he can't baby me and cater to my feelings. I'd be a burden and nobody should have to live like that and be unhappy" I said beginning to doubt.
"That isn't true, you have to get out of the mindset where you think you aren't good enough to be loved. Your brothers love you, your friends love you, Moses loves you and hell I even love you. But you have to start speaking up, this wall you have up makes you weak and you've tricked yourself into thinking it makes you strong. All it makes you is a coward and we both know you aren't a coward" Simone said and I laughed through my tears and nodded.
She stood up and opened her arms for a hug and I got up and hugged her tightly resting my head on her shoulder.
"You're so smart and you've grown into a handsome young man. You deserve love and don't think any different okay?" She questioned and I nodded. " I wish we could talk longer but I have another appointment. I'll see you in a week, right?" Simone asked and I stayed silent until she squeezed me.
"I'll be here" I said hoarsely as she let go. She smiled and gathered up her notes as I cleaned my face off and eventually left out of her office.
As I was walking towards the elevator I bumped into someone and nearly fell over. I did a double take when I realized it was Gucci, the barber from my brothers shop.
"Are you stalking me?" Gucci questioned and I scrunched my face up before shaking my head and I started to walk away but he caught my arm.
"Don't touch me" I snapped. My emotions were all over the place and I'd really fight him in the hallway.
"What are you here for? Is it drugs or alcohol abuse?" He questioned folding his arms and I took a deep breath.
"None of that, just therapy. What about you? Anger management?" I questioned to be funny. I wasn't shocked when he looked down like he was ashamed and regretted stopping me.
"Yeah, this why I'm always late. I gotta complete this dumb shit before I can get my brother out the system" he admitted.
"Why? What does anger management have to do with that? You're mean as hell but you're harmless" I said and he sighed and looked around making sure we were alone.
"I beat my ex up real bad and she pressed charges. What I did was cowardly and terrible and there's no excuse for that, she didn't deserve what happened and I know I need to work on myself and get help to become a better person. I don't want to be like that" Gucci explained before I had a chance to judge him.
I stood in silence seeing he was avoiding eye contact with me. I was a bit taken back by his confession but I wasn't someone who could just anyone.
"Malik know?" I questioned and Gucci nodded. Once a few people started to filter out into the hallway he put his wall back up and took a step back.
"Whatever you're in therapy for I hope you work on it and conquer that shit too. I took accountability for my actions and I'm cool with it if you go back and tell everyone else what I did. I'm not a bad person" Gucci said as he reached into his bag and put on his glasses.
"But you still sell illegal fire arms?" I questioned raising an eyebrow and he chuckled to himself.
"That make me a bad person? It's a side hustle but I'm not out here killing anybody. Whatever they decide to do with the gun is on them" He responded smartly.
I pulled out my phone and unlocked it before extending it to Gucci. He seemed caught off guard by the gesture judging by the way he scowled but he took the phone from me and put his number in it.
"I'm saving your name as Preston. Nice haircut by the way" I teased and he rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, whatever son. I needed a change and you were right, that wasn't a good look" He admitted with a shrug.
I opened my mouth to speak but he turned around cutting me off before I could say anything to him.
"I'm not trying to hear what you gotta say punk" He muttered holding up the middle finger. I mugged him and he glanced over his shoulder smiling before going into an open door with a few other men and women.
After getting off the elevator I left out of the building and got into my car while contemplating on going home. Everything the night before had happened so fast and I didn't want to even think about it.
Peyton had tried to text me and call me but I didn't answer her calls or even click on the messages she'd sent explaining over and over again how she didn't want Moses and nothing had happened the night before after he dropped her off.
I sat in the car for awhile before reaching over and opening my glove compartment causing a pill bottle containing Percocet's to fall out. I frowned while picking them up and looked at the label that had a name I didn't recognize and figured Amaru had stashed it into my car.
After staring at the pill bottle for awhile I reached into the backseat and unzipped my backpack and placed the bottle inside before zipping it up.
I eventually pulled myself together and started the car up before taking the hour drive home with all of the traffic trying to talk myself up the whole way there.
I had a natural mean face and when I didn't smile Moses automatically assumed I had an attitude or thought I was upset with him which complicated shit because then his irritating ass would get an attitude.
After parking in the parking garage I grabbed my backpack from out of the car before getting out. My steps slowed down when I noticed Deejay and Carlos' cars parked next to Moses'.
Clutching the strap to my backpack I eventually made my way up to my floor and paced the hallway for a bit before sticking my key into the lock. Once the door opened, Moses' dog London came barking at me viscously.
It wasn't until she realized who I was that she relaxed. I shut the door behind me and dropped my bag onto the ground before locking the door
After taking my shoes off I walked down the hallway and into the living room where Moses crawled after his daughter making monster noises to excite the baby.
Deejay laid back on the couch sipping on something in a red cup while Carlos sat on the arm of my couch and watched ESPN with a phone pressed to his ear.
Moses sighed once he saw me and hopped up off the ground. He picked Sienna up and placed her into her playpen that had a few toys inside.
"I thought you would've called, but you didn't" I said attempting to laugh it off but Moses kept a straight face as he scratched his ear.
"That shit goes both ways, yeah? I didn't feel like I did anything wrong and I figured you could take care of yourself" He said as he walked towards the bedroom and I followed him ignoring Deejays indiscreet laughter.
"I know, it was my fault, but I went to therapy today and I'm trying to get help. I want to talk now" I admit and Moses grabbed his phone from off the charger and preceded to scroll through it.
"You think I care or wanna hear that shit right now?" Moses questioned. I was caught off guard by his response as I looked anywhere but at his eyes and I gave a simple shrug.
Moses was silent for a moment before he moved from his spot and left out of the room. I took a seat on the bed and took a deep breath before removing my shirt from my body and tossing it onto the ground.
I leaned forward feeling the tears coming as I tried told it all in while wiping at my eyes with the back of my hand.
After sitting like that for awhile wiping at my tears I looked up and nearly had a heart attack when I noticed Moses leaning in the doorway watching me with this strange look on his face.
"I didn't mean it" he admitted as he walked back into the room and plopped down next to me on the bed.
I watched him out of the corner of my eye and he seemed to tense up while he leaned forward. I reached out to touch him but decided against it as I put my hand down and back onto my lap.
"I feel like I'm fifteen again, when I had to ask was it okay to touch you" I muttered and Moses looked at me.
"You never had to ask, you were just so damn scary" he replied with a simple shrug. I bit the inside of my cheek and Moses scooted closer to me before he extended his hand for me to take, which I did without hesitating.
"I know I overreacted last night and I'm sorry. I don't even like when Peyton playfully flirts with me, so when she does it to you it made me feel some kinda way. What if you get bored of me or you start to feel how you feel about me now with someone else? Like Skye or Deejay, maybe even Carlos? What if I'm not enough? I wasn't even enough for my parents" I said mumbling the last part.
"You were enough, they just weren't enough for you. We been rocking for how long now? I'm not bored and as much as you piss me off I'm not going anywhere. I appreciate you for seeing a problem and going to see a therapist instead of doing some dumb shit. I should apologize too for my wandering eye, it was disrespectful and it won't happen anymore. I'm not interested in Peyton like that" Moses said before he leaned in and kissed me.
He slowly pushed me back onto the bed before hovering over me as he continued to kiss and suck on my lips. Moses' tongue eventually slid into my mouth as I pushed his shirt up and ran my fingers down his abs.
"I still wanna talk and the door is open" I said holding in my excitement as he began to undo my belt. He eventually stopped and allowed me to sit up on the bed.
"Let me kick those niggas out and we can talk. How you feel about going out to dinner with Sienna after?" Moses questioned and I smiled.
"Yeah, I'm cool with it" I admit and he smirked before he kissed my lips again and stood up leaving out the room.
I had no reason to be insecure about anything, all I could do was give my all and work on myself. If Moses said he could handle this drug shit than I had to step back and look out for myself or this shit would start to take a toll on me.
I wasn't trying to go back to that dark place.
Amaru Jones
"How was jail? I figured you might like it so I let you stay a few extra days" Angelo teased as he took a shot from out of a glass. I slowly stepped into his office brushing off his fucked up sense of humor and tried to avoid making eye contact with any of the men in the room.
"You wanted to see me?" I questioned and Angelo gestured for me to take a seat in the only empty chair across from him. I rubbed my swollen cheek and walked over to the chair taking a seat without a care in the world.
"Leaving me to rot in jail wasn't apart of the plan. You need me to rob your competition just like I need your protection, I fucked up one time and you leave me to fend for myself?" I questioned raising an eyebrow.
"I left you to think about what you'd done, not to fend for yourself. If I really didn't give a fuck you'd still be locked up on bullshit charges and would've had a terrible ass attorney. Nobody asked you to fuck up and send the police knocking on your door. I didn't get you into that" Angelo said.
I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out because he was right. I wanted to be captain save a hoe and had to go and try and rescue Zeke. Lots of mistakes were made that night but I blamed Moses, for shooting recklessly from the car like he had no home training.
We'd handled things sloppily and now Angelo was either going to kill me or cut ties with me and I honestly just wanted to go home and eat, maybe beat my dick after I got comfortable.
"I'm sorry I let you down and I'll pay you back, I'll start doing extra jobs" I said attempting to reason and Angelo shared a look with another man in the room.
"Nigga obviously you'll pay me back, because you didn't have another option. Now I like you and all, you seem cool and you're real tight with my cousin. I would've just let you walk away if you hadn't been arrested and the police hadn't came snooping around. Now you gotta catch this ass whooping, can't be giving out special treatment" Angelo said with a sigh like he was more disappointed in me than I was.
The men in the room preceded to smile and rub their hands together like they'd been waiting on this shit. I quickly stood up and looked around on guard before anyone could sneak me.
"It wasn't my fault" I complained only to be hit in the face by Angelo who was wearing brass knuckles. I nearly fell onto the ground as I looked at him in shock.
"Don't be a bitch, at least fight back so we can get this thing over with" He said in a bored tone. I held my head up as I got back on balance and preceded to fight back while I was being punched, kicked and stomped at all the while Angelo stood back and watched eating a bag of chips.
The beating didn't stop until the door to Angelo's office opened and Aaron's brother Kaine entered. He looked from me to Angelo as everyone backed off of me like they were scared of him.
"What's up Lo?" Kaine questioned as he stood in front of me. Blood dropped from my mouth and onto the expensive carpet as I moved to my knees and attempted to stand up.
"You tell me? I know you aren't upset at this, I could've killed him. This hurt me more than it hurt him" Angelo said sarcastically as he chuckled a bit.
"So I assume you'll do the same to Moses right? You want punishment to be fair I guess" Kaine questioned and Angelo looked away.
"You know that's different, that's the lil homie. He's like family, this isn't the same thing" Angelo said stepping forward.
"It is the same thing, either you handle that and dish out the same thing you did to Amaru or I'll-" Kaine began before pausing.
"You'll what? Leave your lame ass desk job?" Angelo questioned before he stopped himself and shook his head. "I didn't mean that shit. I already got something for Moses, you have my word" Angelo said before an argument could occur.
I eventually got up to my feet and rubbed at my stomach. Kaine glanced over his shoulder at me while I stood unsure on if I could go.
"You must want them to continue? Get the fuck out!" Kaine snapped at me. I looked at Angelo who was lighting a blunt and he gave me a shrug signaling he didn't care if I stayed or went.
I limped out of the room wanting to be mad but I couldn't. Anyone else would've murdered me and I didn't have time for all that because I liked living and breathing air an important shit like that.
Josh was waiting outside sitting on top of my car. When he saw me coming out of the warehouse he jogged over to me trying to hold back his laughter.
"Told you he was gonna beat your ass. Should've dodged his ass until we got the money to pay it back" Josh said but I brushed it off.
"I'm not a pussy, he was going to find me either way. Now that it's taken care of lets go, I'm already ashamed enough" I mumbled while leaning into Josh who rubbed up and down my back.
"On the bright side you look sexy as hell and your teeth are straight as fuck" Josh complimented and I smiled revealing my braces were gone. It'd been a couple days since I'd gotten them off and the shit felt weird, I'd had them for years to fix my fucked up teeth and I was finally done.
"Now I can suck dick without hurting you" I teased and Josh laughed out loud and pushed me off.
"That's all you think about. What even is this?" Josh questioned. I looked around the empty lot playing stupid.
"A drug warehouse, what you think?" I questioned and Josh elbowed me in the stomach causing me to grown.
"Alright nigga, don't act surprised or hurt when I pull a you on you" Josh threatened as he walked over and hopped into the driver seat of my car.
Before I could pay his attitude any attention my phone started to ring. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the caller ID half expecting it to be Zeke's scary ass who was following Moses around like a loss puppy like he'd throw him a bone and let him suck his dick.
"Saint? This is so sudden" I teased and I didn't even have to be looking at him right now to sense he was scowling.
"You know I don't have a problem with you bruh, we not friends but we cool" Saint explained.
"Yeah, I guess I can't be upset at you standing up for your best friend when I was on my petty shit. I would've reacted the same way" I admit squashing the small grudge I'd held against him.
I heard shooting in the background and Saint put me on hold as he moved further away from the noise.
"Moses told me to call you, he wanted to know if you were still coming through" He said as I climbed into the car and Josh pulled off.
"Yeah, give me an hour" I mumbled before hanging up. I had Josh stop by the motel Alex was staying at since he hadn't been returning my phone calls. I realized that maybe I took a harsher approach than needed the last time we'd talked, I really did feel bad for him.
"I didn't tell the police anything, I figured I should make that shit clear now" Josh said after a moment us us riding in silence.
"You weren't the one I was worried about, I was scared Zeke would crack under the pressure. You know how sensitive he is, but I heard he did good" I admit and Josh nodded.
He pulled up in front of Alex's door and parked before we both got out. I made it to the door first and knocked a few times and waited for him to come to the door, but he didn't.
"Try the knob" Josh suggested from behind me. We could both hear music playing from inside the motel room but his car wasn't parked out in the front.
I waited a lil while longer before I twisted the doorknob and pushed the door opened. The room was surprisingly spotless and Alex lay across the bed on his stomach naked.
"What the fuck died in here?" Josh questioned covering his nose. I laughed and picked up an empty can of soda before tossing it at Alex who didn't move.
My laughter stopped and my footsteps slowed as I stared at his body watching to see if his body was rising and lowering to signal if he was breathing.
"Alex?" I called before glancing at Josh who moved around me once he could sense I was avoiding going near him.
"Yo?" Josh questioned as he reached out and turned him over revealing Alex's lifeless body and all of the vomit that covered his bed signaling he'd probably choked to death on it.
My face grew warm as I placed my hands to the back of my head and turned away from the body.
"He's dead?" I questioned getting choked up as I moved my hands down to my side and leaned down to keep balance.
"Yeah, he's cold and stiff. We gotta call the police, he can't stay here like this" Josh said real low like he didn't want to say it out loud because it'd make it more true.
"Call the police then" I said through tears as I turned back around and spotted the cocaine on the dresser and a rolled up hundred dolled bill next to it.
There was a few crushed up pills and a syringe on the floor, so his stupid ass could've died from anything.
While Josh went outside to speak to the dispatcher I used the sleeve of my sweatshirt to wipe at my eyes before taking a blanket and covering Alex up.
"All I wanted was for you to get help before you ended up like this" I said as I leaned against the dresser. Even though he was the one who introduced me to the hardcore drugs, I did care about him a lot.
He saw how much pain I was in while coming to terms with my sexuality and he helped me cope the only way he knew how. It was wrong, but I would've eventually went further into my addiction with or without him.
I stepped out of the room not being able to stand in there any longer. I was caught off guard when I noticed Josh holding the phone to his side while he threw up in a trash can.
"Are they sending somebody?!" I stressed and he nodded his head keeping his eyes closed.
"I don't like shit like that" He said in between hacking and I pulled out my phone and called Aaron who knew Alex's family better than I did.
"Hello?" Aaron questioned sounding cheerful and I sniffled attempting to pull myself together.
"Alex is dead. We think he overdosed on drugs or something, you mind telling Ajani so she can relay it to his family?" I questioned.
"Y-yeah, but-" Aaron started but I hung up not in the mood for a million in one questions. After Josh finished hacking and coughing he stood up straight and took deep breaths.
"I noticed something weird about the room" Josh said as he looked at me. I wiped more at my tears and shook my head.
"You mean weirder than a dead body?" I questioned and Josh roughly pushed me causing me to nearly swing on his ass.
"No, I mean the fact that the room is clean and the money he had is gone along with his car and he was naked" Josh tried to remind.
"Maybe he met up with someone and fucked and died later that night. Alex liked to fuck and he was a drug addict!" I snapped growing angry.
"I just don't think it was an accident. Maybe someone brought him something and he died, maybe the nigga we stole drugs from got back at him. The room was clearly cleaned on purpose besides the drugs that were out and we know Alex wasn't cleaning shit" Josh said.
We heard sirens approaching and I quickly turned around and jogged back into the motel room. Alex's phone sat on the dresser and I snatched it off and pocketed it before looking down at his body again.
It wasn't until I heard Josh whistle that I knew I had to get out of the room. I walked out of the room and towards my car and Josh followed with his eyebrows furrowed.
"We not waiting for the police? Or the the people to take the body away?" Josh questioned.
"He's dead, we need to find out who he was with. Like you said some of this shit isn't adding up and the only justice he's going to get will be street justice. They'll only look at him as a junkie anyway" I said with a shrug as I got in the car.
Josh remained standing where he was allowing me to sit in my car alone and break down and cry.
-
I pulled up into an empty parking garage that had work being done on it. After parking Josh and I exited out of the car and walked towards the sound of gunshots were a few people were practicing their shooting.
Zeke stood off to the side with his coat hanging off his shoulders and his gun turned sideways. I watched him shoot crazily and miss the target but his scrawny ass really thought he was doing something.
"If it comes down to life or death, I know you're dying first" I whispered in his ear causing him to jump and pull the trigger of his gun.
"I'm trying to learn and get better. I don't need you mocking me anyway, go worry about Josh" Zeke said with an attitude. I did a double taken when I realized he wasn't wearing makeup.
"Alex is dead" I informed him. Zeke went to shoot again before he paused and looked at me. I watched him sit the gun down on the floor before he hugged me real tight.
"I'm sorry, I know how close you use to be with him. Did he- you know" Zeke said making a gesture with his hand.
"Take drugs? Yeah, that's what it looks like but I want to make sure that's what killed him and he wasn't set up and drugged" I explained as Zeke let go of me.
Zeke nodded and picked up his gun as Moses walked over to me. He had this unsure look on his face like he didn't know what to say to me and I found myself looking down waiting for him to say something comforting.
"Ron told me what happened and I'm sorry you had to be the one to find him like that. I use to self medicate too, with alcohol so I know when shit like this happens it's tempting to go back into old habits to feel better or to not feel anything at all. I'm here for you if that shit counts for anything" he said placing his hands into his pockets.
"I appreciate it, but how did you stop self medicating?" I questioned him and he got this smirk on his face.
"I still have a drink every now and then but I don't depend on it much. I realized I had to get better for myself and I wanted to get better for him and stay better for my daughter after she was born" Moses explained as he nodded at Aaron who was shooting at a target.
"I guess I should probably tell you that Angelo is coming at you soon" I warned and Moses smacked his teeth.
"Oh so that's what happened to your face? I thought you got into a fight and lost while you were in jail" He teased brushing off my concern as he reached down into a box and handed me a gun.
"We got this place for a few hours, get the practice in" Moses ordered before he turned and jogged off to speak with those snakes he called friends.
"You alright?" Josh questioned sneaking up on me and I shook my head no. I handed him the gun Moses had given me before fetching Alex's phone out of my pocket.
"We don't gotta do this shit today. We can go and chill somewhere and just talk until you feel better" Josh suggested.
I ignored him and tried a few passwords on Alex's phone before unlocking it after remembering his mother's birthday.
After walking away from Josh I looked at Alex's messages seeing most if not all were unsaved numbers. Most of them were probably dealers he bought drugs from or hookups he had every now and then.
After clicking on his second to most recent message I was caught off guard by a familiar looking nigga. I looked up from the phone and stared across the parking lot at Aaron who had his back to me as he clowned around with Saint and and few men I didn't know.
I walked across the parking lot and roughly grabbed Aaron's arm. He resisted until I grabbed and roughly shoved him into the hood of his car and grabbed him by his throat while he looked up at me with this blank look on his face.
"What is this?!" I questioned through gritted teeth as Saint roughly shoved me off of him allowing Aaron to sit up.
He looked down at Alex's phone and stared at it for awhile before he shrugged his shoulders.
"That's Hassan, what the fuck he got to do with me?" Aaron questioned as he began to fix his shirt. I looked down at the picture again before I took a step back.
"You go to school with that nigga and last time I checked you were friendly with him! How the fuck did he know Alex and why were they meeting up last night?" I snapped shoving him again.
"I don't know, I'm not even cool with him like that. He tried to get with Moses and it didn't work out so he's been bitter ever since. Now touch me again and I'm a really get mad" Aaron responded in a dull tone.
I shoved Aaron again nearly knocking him off balance and he got this crazy look on his face. Moses got between us and grabbed Aaron who started to tuck his chain into his shirt.
"You going through some shit and I told you I understand bruv, but don't put you hands on him. He didn't kill Alex and he's not responsible for what happened, keep your hands to yourself" Moses said as everyone looked at me.
"And if I don't?" I questioned as Zeke grabbed my shoulder but I shrugged him off and Moses looked down and chuckled.
"Then we both gon tag that ass. Just chill and go grieve, this doesn't need to go there" Moses explained as he kept his arms wrapped around Aaron and forcefully turned him away from me.
"Okay am I the only one that got turned on just now?" Zeke questioned and I made a face while everyone else scoffed.
"So you're telling me it's a coincidence that the same nigga in Aaron's class, tried to get at him and then Moses and was texting Alex's phone. Either it's a real small world or he was put there for a reason" Saint said and I placed my hand on my hip as Moses let go of Ron and looked at me.
"That night I got jumped in the alley and James rolled up on me, Hassan was there too. I was going back to his place to- never mind. But he was there" Moses pointed out.
"I told you I got bad vibes from that nigga the first time I met him on campus" I mumbled and Aaron looked at me before he shrugged and pulled out of Moses embrace.
"So who should you be taking your anger out on?" Aaron questioned. I looked down feeling bad for letting my emotions get the best of me.
"You're right, I'm sorry. My feelings are all over the place right now and you were the easy target, my bad" I mumbled.
We all stood in silence until Deejay cleared his throat and pushed his way to the center of everything.
"I mean personally I don't care about that crackhead being dead, he would've gotten in the way eventually. But I'm all for killing someone" Deejay said with a smirk.
I clenched my jaw and went to step forward until Josh grabbed me and I relaxed a little bit in his arms.
"He was sick and he did sketchy shit but he was a good person. Just because people do drugs doesn't mean we aren't good people" I responded.
"Doesn't mean we have to have sympathy for them either. You and him chose to indulge in drugs, it's not like you went through anything traumatic that made you do it" Deejay continued.
"Nigga shut up" Moses groaned growing irritated as he walked off. I picked up Alex's phone from the ground stared at the last message for a final time.
"Well if we're going to kill someone we should probably practice" Zeke said excitedly like that shit was normal.
"You all are pathetic" a deep voice said. I glanced over my shoulder and spotted a tall light skin man standing in front of a car. He wore a dress shirt and had his hands shoved into the pockets of his slacks as his eyes roamed to Aaron who looked shook as fuck.
"Moriah, what are you doing here?" Ron questioned the man as he slowly walked towards him like he was scared. The name sounded familiar to me but I couldn't match it with a face at the moment.
"Bring your friend and get in the car" the man demanded as he pointed from Aaron to me.
I raised an eyebrow and looked around wondering who the fuck he was to be demanding anything, it wasn't until I saw the absolute terror in Aaron's face that I decided to stay quiet.
"Please don't say anything. Just get in the car or he'll kill you" Aaron whispered as he plead with his eyes.
Josh and Zeke discreetly backed away from me as I followed Aaron towards the car and climbed into the backseat.
"You have two minutes to explain everything that's going on" Moriah demanded as he placed a cigar to his lips and lit it with a lighter.
Aaron cleared his throat and prepared to become the biggest snitch in the fucking world. How the fuck was this man suppose to help me, he was probably just like everyone else who would eventually disappoint me.
Where the fuck was the Xanax when I needed it?
-
Authors Note -
Comment & Vote!