"Mommy, can I stay with you?"
"No, Jersey...I told you that I have to handle some business. Now, I'll be back to pick up you and Preach."
Jersey sat in the back of the car with her arms folded as her mom drove casually to their destination. Preach sat beside her with his thumb in his mouth. That was his usual thing, he stayed sucking on his little thumb.
"Preach." Terrie started as she glanced at the rear-view mirror. "You better not be sucking yo' damn thumb."
Preach was small but he could understand what his mom was saying. She was always lecturing him about his thumb-sucking. Quickly, he pulled his thumb out of his mouth.
"I'm not going to spend all of my money on your teeth. If I see you sucking yo' thumb again, I'm going to put some hot sauce on it!"
Suddenly, the sky began to darken as the clouds hid the sun. The trees and grass outside had turned black. Jersey's heart drummed as she looked around and noticed the mess before her. She turned to her brother who was looking straight ahead with his eyes bugged.
"Preach what are you looking at?" She asked her brother as her mom slowed down her car.
"What the hell is that?" Terrie questioned herself as she stared at the figure.
A tall, slender woman stumbled in front of the car with a gun in her hand. Jersey screamed when she noticed that the woman in the road was her mom. She had the same outfit on that her mom was wearing to drop her off to her aunt's house, but it was bloody, and she was dead. Her corpse was grey with many gaping, bullet holes.
"Jersey! Jersey!" Kelli yelled as she grabbed ahold of Jersey's shoulders. She shook her roughly to wake the bellowing girl up. Jersey laid on the bed moving her head from side to side. She opened her eyes wide while trying to catch her breath.
Kelli stared at her and waited for her friend to come to her senses. Jersey laid there in her shirt and panties. Sweat outlined the bedsheets since she was sweating profusely. Not only was it on the bed, but it was also all over her face and neck.
"Are you okay?"
Jersey touched her forehead and started breathing heavy. Afterwards, her harsh breathing turned into wails.
"Jay, what's wrong?"
Jersey never replied back, she only continued to cry. Kelli didn't want to badger her, so she decided to comfort her instead. She placed her arms around Jersey and they rocked back and forth. Jersey's vocals were finally coming to a cease, and Kelli was relieved from that. Her friend was slowly coming back to reality.
"Are you okay?" Kelli questioned her.
"T-Terrie..." Jersey trailed off as she managed to say her mom's names.
"Terrie?" Kelli reiterated.
Before Jersey could say anything else, she jumped up and ran straight into the bathroom. Kelli followed her into the bathroom and watched as her friend puked up everything from her stomach to the toilet. Kelli walked up close to her and rubbed her back. Jersey hugged the toilet and cried loudly.
"I saw my mom, again." Jersey cried as tears streamed down her face.
"Oh, Jersey..." Was all Kelli could manage to say. She knew that Jersey had lost her mom years ago at a young age. Recently, she had started seeing her mother in her dreams and that was causing her to wake up screaming and sweating.
"I don't want to go back to sleep." Jersey cried as she sniffled. "She's hunting me because of my past."
"No, she's not." Kelli objected, "You're just having a nightmare, that's all."
"I k-keep seeing her dead and-and grey..."
The repetitive nightmares had Jersey scared to sleep. That was preventing her from relaxing, so her body was craving for something to calm her down.
"Look, how about I fix you some warm tea. You can drink that and sleep in my room, if that makes you feel any better."
Jersey looked her best friend in the eyes and couldn't help but to give her a small, shaky smirk. Kelli was really a good person. Although, she could get real mean at times.
Jersey ambled into Kelli's decorative room and climbed right in her large, comfy bed. She laid there and watched television until her friend brought her a warm cup of tea with a side dish.
"Thanks for being here for me." Jersey stated while nervously pulling the lone string that hung off of Kelli's blanket. "I haven't been the same since I tried to confront about Malcolm about Rudy-My life has been in shambles ever since then. I know, my life was already fucked up but now It's even worse."
Jersey was trying to protect her cousin from Marcus, so she decided to keep the situation to herself. Nobody knew about her plan yet. She wanted to talk to Malcolm first.
_____________________________
Knock, knock
Ryder stood there and waited for the door to open. After he knocked for the third time, the door finally opened.
June stood there with her book in her hand. Ryder gave her a sinister smirk as he walked in and closed the door.
"What are you doing here?" He asked her.
"I decided to move in with my brother." She replied while walking over to the couch. She flopped down and flipped her book to a different page.
"I see you decided to stay in school. Good for you. I guess you going back home to Frida."
June shook her head no. "I'm not. This quarter is almost over. I'm just trying to maintain my A's."
Ryder scoffed and noticed that Malcolm was making his way to the living room. Still, he was going to give it to June. He knew that Malcolm wouldn't care since he was like family.
"You need to stay your ass in school. You got one more year and that's it. You're off to medical school. Get it together June. That Instagram shit will be there when you finish-matter of fact, you can still do Instagram while in school."
June pursed her lips and said, "Well, that's not my plan. And if you love me, you'll support me and not ridicule me."
"I do love you, you're my little sister..." Ryder trailed off. "But you need to get your shit together."
"What you doing here?" Malcolm questioned Ryder, breaking the conversation. June silently thanked her brother as she went back to her studies.
"I got a call from Micah..." Ryder trailed off. "Man, he got arrested."
June nosily looked up when Ryder mentioned Micah. He was just one of Malcolm and Ryder's closest friends. Just like Malcolm-Micah was ill-tempered and bold. He was a true outlaw.
Malcolm shook his head and said, "For what?"
"You know how that nigga temper is. He didn't tell me too much, but he had a fight with some man." Ryder informed his friend.
"Shit, I guess he wants me to bail him out then."
Ryder shook his head. "I did that early this morning."
"I need to call his ass and see what's up with him. He just can't be getting arrested and shit, that'll draw too much attention. I need to see if he talked to that punk ass detective yet."
"But Micah is not why I'm here." Ryder stated while taking a seat on the couch. He grabbed the big bag of Cheetos that June had and started to eat them.
Malcolm never replied, he just took a seat beside his sister. He sat beside her wearing a white tee with some black sweats. A du-rag was tied around his head to keep his waves, wavy.
"You know that girl that was at my club the other day?" Ryder asked.
"It was a lot of bitches there..." Malcolm trailed off bluntly. He didn't know how to talk to women, which is why he called them bitches in front of his sister. June didn't seem bothered by it though.
"Damn..." Ryder cursed, trying to get his friend to remember. "You know the girl that works at your bar, with the short hair?"
Malcolm nodded his head yes and that caused June to look back up. She didn't like Jersey at all because she had tried to blurt out her brother's business in front of his customers.
"Don't tell me you like that scrawny, baldheaded bitch?" June cursed as she eyed Ryder. "What's her name-Jersey."
"Nah, I'm tryna get with her friend though. Her friend is fine as hell." Ryder explained. "Malcolm, I got a plan and I need you to be a part of it."
Malcolm raised his eyebrows and said, "The fuck are you talking about?"
"I'mma get Jersey's friend through her. She probably won't give me the girl's number, so I'mma throw out another plan and you got to be down for it."
Malcolm leaned over and said, "And what plan is that?"
"If she won't give me the girl's number, I'mma invite both of them out on date. The thing is-you got to take Jersey out."
Malcolm pulled back and leaned on his couch. He shook his head no and said, "I'm not doing that shit. The fuck I look like?"
"Come on man...It'll be just this one time." Ryder coaxed. "You don't even have to talk to her. Just go so I can meet her friend."
"That's a bad idea." June commented. "And why do you want to see her friend so bad? You like mutant-looking bitches?"
"Nah, these girls are not ugly." Ryder corrected June. "Stop being like that. You'll see soon...so Malcolm-you in or out?"
June rolled her eyes hard and darted her attention on her brother.
"I'm out."
"Why man, it's just a simple ass date. You take Jersey out so I can be with her friend. You might even get lucky and get some pussy from her."
"I don't want shit from her. I can easily get pussy from any other bitch. I'm not going along with your stupid ass plan. If you want the bitch so bad, just ask the girl for her friend's number while she's working at the bar."
June pursed her lips and that eventually turned into a grin.
_____________________________
"What are you doing?" Kelli asked Jersey.
"I'm off to hell, what does it looks like?" Jersey replied while fixing her hair. She sprayed her short, curly hair with some moisturizer and combed through it. Immediately, her curls formed into medium-sized spirals.
"I don't think you're capable of working today."
"I'm fine." Jersey stated seriously. All of a sudden, she started laughing. Weirdly, she had tears running down her face. "I'm so fucking stupid."
"You're not." Kelli objected.
"But I am." Jersey cried. "A twenty-two-year-old crackhead ends up working for a notorious businessman-indefinitely."
"You're not a crackhead."
"I ammm!" Jersey bellowed. "And that's why my mom is fucking with me. She knows what I did, and she hates me for giving her a bad name." She slid down the door and pulled her knees together. Kelli wasted no time kneeling by her friend.
"You're not a crackhead and you're not stupid. You just made a mistake and you're better now. You're beautiful and I'm sure your mom is proud of you for overcoming that shit."
Jersey had tears running down her face and mucus drooping from her nose. "F-for what though? I haven't accomplished anything."
"You still can accomplish anything. I think you did accomplish something-you no longer are addicted to drugs. Not everyone can recover from doing cocaine and all of those other hard drugs."
Jersey stayed quiet for a minute, but she eventually started back ranting.
"I don't know how to do anything! I can't even stand up for myself. I try to be nice to people and help them, but they take advantage of me." She cried. "I just hope Preach is doing better than me. I pray to God he's in college."
Kelli took in everything her friend said. She could tell that Jersey was having a breakdown. Everything she had in her chest was finally pouring out and she couldn't stop it at all. Jersey had a habit of being nice to people, forgiving people easily, and helping them. Unfortunately, she had been fucked over so many times by the people she did all of that for. Except Kelli.
"Jay, I think you should see a therapist. You know, about your problems."
"I don't have any money to go to one of those bougie ass counselors." Jersey replied with a head shake.
"Good thing you have Medicaid..." Kelli trailed off. "I'll call up to Malcolm's Bar and let him know that you're in no shape to work today."
"No, Kelli."
"Yes." Kelli objected as she eyed her friend sternly. "You cannot go today, so stop it. I'm going to make you an appointment to see a therapist by the way."
_____________________________
"What do you want?" Tilly questioned Malcolm as she stood by her door. She stood there with regular clothes on. Her long, brownish hair was parted and straighten to perfection.
She had beautiful features. A narrowed-thin nose, medium cupid-shaped lips, and big brown eyes. Tilly was born in Mexico, but she moved to New York at age one. Her parents wanted a better life for her, so Tilly made it a goal to finish school and become a police officer.
"I'm tryna' see why you're not answering your phone." Malcolm replied as he leaned on the archway.
Tilly sighed before asking, "Who were those girls at the club?"
Malcolm leaned his back a little and glanced over at Tilly. "Is that why you're upset? Over some bitches?"
Tilly just eyed him as she stood in her doorway. Her pink lips were doubled in anger.
"Let me in so we can talk."
Tilly didn't want him in her house, but she needed an explanation on why he had a group of women following him.
She pulled the chain from the lock and opened the door. Malcolm swaggered in and noticed how neat Tilly apartment was. What weirded him out was the arts and statues she kept in her crib. She was Mexican, so she made sure to rep her country and culture.
He noticed a bunch of files laying around Tully's coffee table. She wasted no time grouping them up and throwing them in her arms. She stood up straight and looked over at Malcolm who was busy eyeing her suspiciously.
"So, uh..." she trailed off while clearing her throat. "Talk."
"I don't even know who you're talking about." Malcolm replied while taking a seat on Tilly's Lawson-styled sofa.
"So, now you're playing dumb? Malcolm I'm talking about those two girls you had with you when I was walking up."
He scoffed while rubbing his large hand over his beard. "I don't even know those girls. Some shit popped off and they needed me to help."
Tilly just stood there with a nonchalant expression. She didn't believe Malcolm because she knew how the man was. He was a disrespectful womanizer. For some reason, she couldn't stop fucking with him.
He loved pussy and that was a big reason for him not wanting to be in a committed relationship. He didn't want to be stuck with the same ole' pussy forever. He had to try new ones every now and then.
"Should I believe you?" She questioned him while blinking her eyes. The lash extensions only added to her beauty. She stood there in her simple attire-a white blouse with some denim jeans.
"I don't care if you don't..." Malcolm spoke honestly. "We're not in a committed relationship. I told you that in the beginning and yet you keep on doing this shit."
Tilly's heart felt like it ripped in a million pieces. She had been doing everything in her power to get Malcolm on her side. She wanted him to change his ways and love her, be with her, and marry her.
Malcolm noticed her silence, disoriented face expression, and watery eyes. She didn't dare let a tear drop. She didn't like crying in front of a men because it was a sign of weakness to them.
"I just thought you would change for me. We talked, Malcolm. We talked about everything and you act like you don't remember. What about...us trying? You said that we would at least try to build a relationship together."
Malcolm wasn't ready for a relationship.
"You want to build a relationship with me?" He questioned her.
"Well as of right now, I'm not sure if I want to." Tilly replied. "You can't seem to keep your dick in your pants, how am I supposed to trust you?"
Malcolm scoffed while brushing the bridge of his nose with his thumb. "Trust? Speaking of trust, how come you didn't tell me about the investigation?"
Tilly threw him a surprised look. "What?"
"Don't fuck with me, T. You had the folder on the fucking table. My name and picture was on the top."
_____________________________
Kelli managed to do exactly what she said. She called up to the bar and told them that Jersey wasn't feeling well and wouldn't make it. Afterwards, she set Jersey an appointment with a therapist.
She felt like Jersey wasn't able to work since she was having a mental fit. Kelli also noticed something about her that didn't seem right. Her friend was doing off the wall shit that had Kelli thinking that Jersey was definitely having a drug relapse.
Jersey was showing all the signs of relapsing. She was emotional, she could barely sleep, guilt taunted with her, and she was barely eating.
Kelli didn't want her friend to relapse, so she decided to stay with her at the apartment and chill. She sat on the couch adjacent to Jersey.
"Jay..." Kelli called out. "Are you okay?"
Jersey only breathed out and said, "Fine."
"Are you sure? I'm so worried about you. Lately, you've showing signs of relapsing and I-"
"Damn you're good." Jersey called out, interrupting Kelli. "You don't know how bad I just want to...smoke and forget about this shit. If I'm high, my mom won't bother me, and I'll be able to work at the bar."
"No..." Kelli rejected. "You are not smoking anything. You're going to sit here and work your problems out. You have an appointment tomorrow, so your therapist be able to help you."
"I'm not going to get addicted again, if that's what you're worried about. Hey, maybe if Malcolm sees me smoking crack, he'll just fire me." Jersey suggested.
"And put a hole right in your head, too. Stop thinking like that. You shouldn't let the devil win, Jay. You're strong and better than that."
Jersey started sniffing and said, "What am I supposed to do?"
"Pray." Kelli blurted out.
"And it'll work, just like that?" Jersey asked while sniffling.
"It'll work when God wants it too. But just know, he always come right on time."
Jersey only nodded her head.
"Just promise me one thing. You won't do any drugs. You've been clean for so long and I don't want you to mess up."
Jersey nodded her head and said, "I'm going to stay clean."
"Please." Kelli begged. "Because, I need you."
Later that day, Jersey had just got out the shower when she noticed her phone ringing. Dean was calling, so she managed to hit the green the button.
"Hello?" Dean greeted.
"...Hi." Jersey managed to speak. She had been acting insane all day and now, since she'd heard Dean's voice, she was calm as ever.
"I missed you today. Your friend called up here and said you weren't feeling too good."
"Yeah." Jersey trailed off. "I uh, have some issues that needs to be resolve before I can come back and work. So, tell Malcolm I won't be able to make it in tomorrow either."
Dean stayed quiet before speaking. "Is there something going on that you want to talk to me about?"
Jersey's lips quivered but nothing could come out. She wanted to tell him about her situation, but she didn't want to run him off.
"I'm fine..." she stated sternly.
"Well, alright. Call me if you need me."
_____________________________
The next day rolled in which meant another business day for Malcolm's Bar. The employees were busy trying to fill as many orders as possible. Dean worked the bar of course while Sarai waited the tables and Morgan was busy taking the orders.
"Shouldn't Jersey be here helping us out?" Sarai asked while grabbing two beer mugs. Clearly, she was upset about the lack of staff. "She would take off knowing we're busy on Wednesday's."
"I think she flaked on us." Morgan suggested.
Dean looked at the two of them and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "If the two of you must know, she's not feeling too well. Therefore, she's not able to make it."
Morgan smirked a little while eyeing her cousin. "You sure do keep up with your little girlfriend. You better not let Malcolm find out. You know he doesn't want you fucking with her."
Dean just stood there with a nonchalant look on his face. "How about you stop kissing Malcom's ass and get you some business. He's your cousin-not your man."
Sarai smirked a little as she walked off and Morgan couldn't help but to roll her eyes.
_____________________________
Jersey survived her psychiatrist appointment, but her doctor could clearly see that she was dealing with a lot of shit in her life. She sent a referral for Jersey to get on some prescribed medication. She knew that Jersey used to do drugs, so she suggested something that she couldn't get addicted to.
Of course, Kelli asked Jersey if everything went alright. Jersey claimed it was but that was a complete lie. Opening up to a therapist was difficult and she had a hard time explaining herself.
Jersey sat on the couch flipping through the channels. The door swung open and that's when Kelli and Vena trotted inside.
"Hola cariño, tenemos algo que comer para ti." Vena stated cheerily as she held a brown paper bag.
"Girl, you know I don't speak Spanish." Jersey replied.
"But you should." Vena retorted. "Anyways, I got you some food from my aunt's restaurant."
"You got some mail today." Kelli announced with raised eyebrows.
"Finally. I got my mail forward."
"From...Laurence Johnson."
Jersey felt like her breath had left her body. Slowly, she turned to look at Kelli who held the envelope in her hand. Her heart drummed nervously as she covered her mouth. Laurence Johnson-she'd remember that name.
"My baby brother. H-how did he find me?" She asked while snatching the letter from Kelli.
"I'm not sure."
"Wait, Preach sent you a letter?" Vena asked nosily.
"Yes." Jersey replied while standing up. "And if you two don't mind, I would like to read it in private."
"Go ahead." Kelli encouraged her.
Jersey wasted no time going into her room. She dropped her shoes and laid on her air mattress. Anxiously, she peeled the letter open and noticed that her brother had sent her a lengthy note. He had a bundle of papers folded together. Slowly, she unfolded them and started to read the beginning of the letter.
Her brother's penmanship was beautiful, and his words went well with each other. Jersey assumed he had a good education since he knew how to spell and punctuate.
Jersey, It's been so many years since I've seen you. Twelve years to be exact. You probably don't even remember me. I remember you, in fact, I think about you a lot. You were about ten when I last saw you. I was five going on six. But yeah, I've been living with my dad. Life here has been great. I spent my whole life right in Buford, Georgia. Surrounded by my dad's side of the family and my three siblings-one girl and two boys. I can't believe I survived twelve years without seeing you.
I just graduated from high school and I plan on going to college out in New York. My dad isn't too thrilled about it. For some reason, he doesn't want me going to New York at all. I figured I could at least let you know so we can see each other. I want to catch up with you and see my other family.
Preach.
P.S. It took a lot to find you, but I was able to.
Jersey gasped as she looked at the other letters. They had different dates on them which made her think that Preach had been writing to her. He just didn't have the balls to mail them to her or he just didn't know how to reach her at the time.
Tears cascaded down her face as she thought about her baby brother. She couldn't believe that he had wrote her a letter. Jersey assumed he had forgotten all about her, but that wasn't the case. She was excited about him coming to New York.
_____________________________
When Jersey walked inside the bar, she felt at peace. It was funny to her because she always dreaded to catch the bus over to the place. Now, after reading all of her brother's letters he sent her, she felt so calm and happy.
Unfortunately, once she read all of the notes, that's when her little fantasy stopped. She had to get right back on track. Rudy had been texting her nonstop and she was growing weary of it. He wanted to know if she was still doing that favor for him. Jersey had yet to text back. She wanted to talk to Malcolm first and then she would give her cousin an answer.
"Look who decided to show up to work today." Sarai stated while wiping down the tables.
Jersey didn't even bother to respond. She continued to walk until she got close to the back room. She felt funny since she didn't see Dean anywhere. Usually, he would be in the front waiting on the bar to open, but he wasn't.
Jersey knocked on Malcolm's door, but he didn't even bother to say anything.
"He's not inside."
Jersey jumped from the sudden response. She turned around and noticed Dock. She closed her eyes for a brief moment as her hand laid on her chest.
"You startled me." She claimed while getting herself together.
"Figured that." Dock trailed off.
"Do you have any idea when he'll be back?"
Dock gave her a funny look and said, "I don't keep up with him. I'm surprised he comes here every day now."
Jersey let out an "oh" and started to walk until Dock stopped her.
"Is anything going on between you two?"
"God no." Jersey blurted out. She would never in her life date or sleep with Malcolm. He was obnoxious, vague, and rude. She knew that he would never date her-because he didn't date girls like her. But if she ever had a choice, she would never date him.
"I just wanted to talk to him about some business."
"Well..." Dock trailed off while giving her a funny look. He didn't believe her at all. "He's not here."
He walked right past her and didn't say anything else. Jersey just stood there lost for words.
_____________________________
Later that day, Jersey was busying tending the bar. Dean stood on the other side making conversation and drinks.
Some guy swaggered to the bar and adjusted the tie he was wearing. He looked to be Asian-Indian. He had olive-colored skin and big, droopy brown eyes. He had a bald head and a clean-shaven face as well.
"Scotch-on the rocks." He demanded to Jersey who was busy cleaning the glasses.
"Coming right up." Jersey replied as she put his order in. She didn't want to cause too much irritation since it looked as if the guy had a long day at work.
"Criss Radcliffe..." The guy trailed off.
Jersey looked over at him and said, "Excuse me?"
"I couldn't help but notice that antique watch you're wearing. That watch was created by Criss Radcliffe in 1939. It's worth a fortune."
Jersey looked at the watch and shrugged her shoulders. "It was given to me by my grandmother when I was young. I just started wearing it out."
Jersey had kept the watch through difficult times. She had no idea it was an antique and worth a lot of money. Her grandmother had given it to her, so she decided to hold on to it for memories.
"Well that's a beautiful, ancient watch. If I were you, I would never sell it."
Jersey furrowed her eyebrows and said, "It never came to my mind to sell a watch my grandmother gave to me at twelve."
"Oh, I didn't mean anything by it. I just-"
"Yeah..." Jersey trailed off as she went to serve another customer.
"Please fix the guy in a suit a glass of scotch with ice." Jersey instructed Dean.
"What? He's fucking with you or something?"
"He's being annoying...just serve him so he can leave."
After a while, customers started to leave while the employees cleaned up the tables. Suddenly, Malcolm walked in with his friend, Ryder.
"Damn, y'all closing already?" Ryder asked.
"It's so obvious." Sarai replied sarcastically.
"Nice to see you too, Sarai."
Jersey walked from the back and that's when Ryder started clapping. She looked up with bugged eyes as if she was startled.
"Just the person I need to see." Ryder stated and that caused Malcolm to lean his head in annoyance.
Ryder neared Jersey and took a seat at the bar. "Jersey, Hershey."
Jersey cringed at the name and gave him the side eye. She looked at Malcolm who walked past her to get behind the bar. He grabbed a bottle of vodka and two glasses. She watched as he poured the liquid and slid one of the glasses to Ryder.
"So, Jersey...what's up with your friend?" Ryder asked.
"Friend?" Jersey reiterated while knitting her brows.
"The one you were with that night...at the club."
"Vena?"
"No, not her crazy ass. I was talking about the broad with the colorful hair."
"Oh, Kelli."
"Yeah, Kelli...that's her name."
"Well, she's seeing someone if you want to know what's up with her."
"That ain't got shit to do with me though. I want to know what's up with her, not her relationship."
Jersey rolled her eyes.
"I'm tryna' get to know her myself. Let me get her number." Ryder suggested boldly. He wasn't about to sugarcoat shit.
"I can't do that." Jersey shook her head. "I'm not giving her number out to you; she doesn't know you. I don't even know you."
Malcolm couldn't help but to smirk a little. Jersey was finally using her strong mind. He knew that she was hiding it. He placed one hand on the counter while gulping down the vodka.
"I like your friend and I want to get to know her. How about this-as a trio, we can all go out together. Let's get to know each other."
Jersey looked at Ryder as if he had two heads.
"As a trio, I don't want to be a third wheel at all."
"Malcolm can join you."
Malcolm furrowed his eyebrows at his friend, but he didn't object to it.
"Wait, what?" Jersey asked with a surprised voice.
"There's this Jazz club not too far from the bar. We can all meet up there and hang out. You bring your friend with you. That way, I can get to know her from there."
Jersey just shook her head. She wasn't about to lead her friend in the blind. Also, she didn't want to go anywhere with Malcolm.
"No, I'm sorry."
"I just said that Malcolm here will join you." Ryder reiterated.
"Yeah..." Malcolm stated for the first time. "But if you don't want to go, you don't have to."
"I don't want to." Jersey stated stubbornly. She did not want to be anywhere with Malcolm, and she meant it.
"Come on." Ryder coaxed. "I know that Malcolm is a piece of work, but he'll be cool. Just help me out."
Jersey looked over at Malcolm and darted her eyes towards Dean who was just walking in. Suddenly, an idea popped in Jersey's brain. She nodded her head and looked over at Ryder.
"Alright, what's the name of the place and what time should we be there?"
_____________________________
Jersey was waiting for the bus when a nice car pulled up on her. It blinded her for a second, but the lights eventually dimmed. The window rolled down and there was Malcolm. He sat on the driver's side of his Jag with his normal look. He wasn't smiling and he definitely didn't look happy.
"Get in." He demanded.
Jersey looked at him for a minute before getting up. She walked towards the car and hesitantly opened the door.
She climbed inside and couldn't help but to notice how fresh the car smelled. It smelled new, fresh, and crisp. Malcolm's car was always clean with no sign of crumbs, tobacco, nor papers.
She buckled up and waited for Malcolm to pull off, but he never did. He just looked over at her. Taking her appearance in.
Jersey grew uncomfortable in her seat. She just sat there shifting around.
"Why did you miss work for two days straight?" Malcolm questioned her.
Jersey darted her eyes over at him.
"I wasn't feeling good."
"You weren't feeling good." Malcolm reiterated.
"That's what I said. why am I in your car? So, you can just heckle me. I would rather catch the bus."
"No, you're staying in this car." Malcolm stated while locking the doors to his ride. He noticed the bus arriving, so he pulled off. Leaving Jersey, no choice but to ride with him.
"You took off to see a therapist, right?" He asked her.
Jersey gaped her mouth as she tried to gather what Malcolm had said. She wasn't surprise about his knowledge of her whereabouts. Malcolm was Malcolm. A powerful and notorious businessman who made meaningful moves.
"Are you stalking me?"
"I wouldn't call it stalking. You walked into my place of business without giving me an excuse, so I had to do my research."
Jersey just rolled her eyes.
"Don't worry, I didn't see the files. I don't know your business."
She was thankful for that. Although, she didn't say too much to her therapist, she still didn't want Malcolm in her business.
"I have something important to talk to you about." Jersey announced. She was going to wait until the next day, but she figured she would tell him now.
Malcolm glanced over at her and gave her the go.
"Rudy's in trouble with his brother and he needs your help."
Malcolm raised his eyebrows and scoffed. "Why does he need my help?"
"Because, you're the only who can help him."
"Hell no." Malcolm shook his head. "You think I'm going to help that motherfucka after he robbed my worker? He took twenty thousand dollars from me!"
"That I'm paying off!" Jersey bellowed before she could think. She waited on a slap or a yell from Malcolm, but he did neither.
She breathed out and said, "Look, Rudy is young. He was just manipulated by his brother. Marcus was the cause of him robbing you. He's the whole mastermind behind this. He forced Rudy to do all of these ill things. Malcolm he really needs your help."
Malcolm never replied, he just continued to drive. Jersey could sense his stubbornness from her seat. It was something the both of them had in common.
"Okay, well I'm not going to help your friend out if you won't help my cousin."
Malcolm shrugged his shoulders. He didn't care about that.
"Marcus is planning to rob you. He's forcing Rudy to get all kinds of information so that he and his friend, Jamar, can do their thing. They know you have safe Malcolm."
Malcolm just sat there taking everything in.
"Marcus found out that I work at the bar and now he's forcing me to help him. If I don't, I'll end up dead with Rudy and I cannot let that happen. Just please say you'll help him. He needs you."
"How I know you're not setting me up?" Malcolm questioned her.
"Because I've been honest with you from the start." Jersey stated boldly. "I always let you know when someone is plotting against you. I told you about the detective when I could've kept my mouth close. You're making me work for you indefinitely and I still make sure you're alert to what's going on around you. So how am I setting you up?"
Malcolm just sighed while stopping at the red light. He felt the pain in Jersey's voice. He touched his beard and didn't bother to speak right on.
"I'm not helping him. No matter what you say." Malcolm stated. "I'm not helping your cousin because he was manipulated-as you say. I don't trust his ass."
"You don't trust him, but you have a snake right under your nose."
Malcolm halted the car which caused Jersey to almost hit her head. Thank God she had her seatbelt on.
"Who's the snake?"
Jersey looked over at him and said, "Aaron."
_____________________________
"Malcolm is giving you a chance." Jersey informed her cousin, Rudy. "He's going to let you crash at one of his safe houses. You go there and you don't leave for anything. I'll bring you food and... everything you need."
Rudy just stood there looking surprised. He rubbed his hands together and said, "I owe you."
"You definitely do." Jersey concurred while folding her arms. "We just need to wait here until he comes to pick us up."
Rudy nodded his head and quickly wiped the tear from his face. He couldn't believe his cousin was even helping him. He figured she would disown him and let him die after the shit he put her through, but she showed him differently. She really came through with the help.
"Don't cry, you know that I'll be here for you. No matter what." Jersey wrapped her arms around Rudy and pulled him in for a big hug.
Malcolm made his way over after dealing with his personal business. When they made it to Malcolm's hideout, he broke down the rules to Rudy.
"I don't like you, at all. I'm only helping you because of your cousin." Malcolm informed him honestly.
Rudy didn't say anything disrespectful. He knew not to.
"This is my hideout. I know exactly what goes on in here. If I find out that you're lying, I promise you...I'll kill you. So, if you're smart...you'll stay here and do nothing. You just wait until the coast is clear. No iPhone-use the burner I gave you, no talking to anybody except me or Jersey. Read a book, take yourself a shower and shave that head of yours."
Rudy took heed to Malcolm's rules. Part of him felt bad for his brother because he knew that life was over for him. Malcolm wasted no time putting a hunt on Marcus and his friend, Jamar. Aaron was already caught, so he didn't have to worry about him.
_____________________________
"Fancy champagne.... now what did I do to deserve this?" Kelli questioned her best friend as she held the bottle of champagne in her hand.
"For helping me with my shit. I really appreciate you, girl."
Kelli smiled and said, "I'll do anything for you. You're my sister."
Jersey gave her a smile said, "Pop it open, I need a drink."
Kelli wasted no time popping the bottle. She poured the wine in the glasses and wasted no time grabbing hers.
"Let's make toast."
Jersey grabbed her glass and held it up.
"To us surviving as being friends."
"To us...surviving." Jersey reiterated while clanging her glass against Kelli's. She wasted no time gulping down the liquid.
"How's everything going with you?" Jersey asked Kelli.
"I'm living..." Kelli trailed off. "I'm still working at Nachelle's salon and I'm thinking about leaving."
"Leaving, why?"
Kelli sighed before speaking, "Because I'm thinking about opening my own shop. I just want to build a bigger brand for myself."
"Why?"
"Nachelle is very, very old-fashioned. I know what it takes to bring more customers in and she doesn't. We had a disagreement and I already had the idea of getting my own salon. Her objection just led me to making my dream possible."
"That all sounds great, Kel...it really does. But, just how are you going to get the money to open a shop?"
"I have money saved up-you know that. I'm just looking around for a building that has space for me to lease or at least buy."
"Well, you know I support no matter what."
"And I thank you for that." Kelli replied while sipping her champagne. "So how are you really doing?"
"As of right now, I'm managing. Not saying I'm happy but...I'm living Kelli and I'm trying not to have those nightmares. I just want to be clean and away from drugs."
Kelli nodded her head and smiled. "You're doing way better than the last time we actually sat down and talked."
"Thanks to you and my therapist." Jersey commented. "I'm still not where I need to be, but I'm managing to live on."
"Good...at least you're striving." Kelli stated while pouring some more champagne in her glass.
"So, how about we get out of the house and go someplace?"
Kelli raised her eyebrows and said, "Like where?"
"To this Jazz club-on fifth street. I heard it has great poetry, food, and drinks."
"You know I'm in. I'm always down for a good time."
"That's good to hear." Jersey replied with a sinister smirk. "Because there's this guy who's interested in you and he wants me to bring you to the club. He'll be there, of course."
Kelli narrowed her eyes at her friend before speaking. "Jay, you know I'm-"
"With Travis, I know." Jersey interrupted. "I told the guy that you're in a relationship, he doesn't care. He just wants to get to know you."
"Who is this guy you're talking about?"
Jersey darted her eyes over at her, but she didn't say anything.