"They're saying it was a suicide." Lisa informed Jersey.
"Suicide?" Jersey reiterated as tears continued to cascade down her cheeks. Her heart was broken, and she felt like her life was slowly but surely falling apart.
"Yeah." Lisa replied while looking at her niece. Vivienne meant a lot to Jersey. She was the one who had raised her after Terrie was murdered.
"I don't believe it." Jersey objected while shaking her head.
"Why not?"
"I know my grandma; she wouldn't kill herself. I just visited her Auntie. She was happy and-"
"Probably just covering up for you." Lisa interrupted. "Mama wasn't happy, Jay. She was miserable inside that prison."
"So, what's next?"
"I'm waiting for them to transfer her body, so I can identify it properly."
Jersey palmed the side of her face and asked, "Where are they transferring her to?"
"The morgue, why?" Lisa replied as she gave her niece a suspicious look.
"I want an autopsy done."
"Jersey..." Lisa started while closing her eyes for a brief moment. "Why do we need an autopsy? Her death was ruled as a suicide. They found her hanging in her cell."
"I don't believe it. Somebody-anybody could've killed her in there." Jersey repeated.
"No." Lisa objected while clearing her throat. "Mama has been through enough. I'm going to claim her body and then she's getting cremated and that's it."
"But by law you're supposed to have one done. Not even if it's an internal autopsy." Jersey tried to reason with her aunt.
"Not if I don't want one. I'm not signing the paper for her to get an autopsy Jersey, so you can stop it. Mama hung herself-we don't need a medical examiner to tell us that."
"Listen to yourself." Jersey pointed out; her eyebrows snapped together in anger. "You act like you don't care."
"I do care about my mama. Hell, I shed a lot of tears about her. But the fact still stands, she killed herself because she was sick of being in prison. Mama knew she was going to rot if she didn't."
Jersey thought about the remaining years her grandmother had while inside. She shut her eyes tight which made more tears fall.
"I just can't believe that." Jersey bleated while grabbing a bunch of tissues.
"You're making a mountain out of a molehill." Lisa commented while pulling out a Newport.
Jersey opened her eyes and looked right at Auntie who was now puffing on a cigarette. She sat there wearing her hair in some box braids. Her sun-kissed skin looked smooth but the bags under her eyes told a different story.
"Why are you cremating her?"
"I can't afford a casket." Lisa answered.
"Okay, okay..." Jersey repeated over and over, trying to get herself to process that. She didn't want her grandmother cremated at all. "So-so what about the funeral?"
"I'm not doing a funeral. She told me if she ever died, not to have one."
Jersey scoffed while wiping her eyes. She stood up to leave because she didn't want to be around her Auntie at all. Jersey felt like Lisa was just throwing Vivienne away.
Lisa sat there watching her niece closely. "Where are you going?"
"I need to go. Just let me know when you're going to identify her body."
_____________________________
"Hello? Dock? Yeah this is Jersey. Can you let Malcolm know that I won't be coming in today? Yeah, I have death in the family." Jersey spoke into the phone as she laid in her bed. After hanging up the phone, she pulled her blankets over her head and wept some more.
"I'm alone now, why did you leave me hereee?" Jersey bawled out as she let her tears flow. Kelli wasn't at the apartment, so she was free to let herself cry out.
Jersey's childhood wasn't marvelous while living with Vivienne. She had witnessed so much at her grandmother's brothel. She remembered the house being crowded at nighttime, especially during the weekend. Men were coming in and out, buying sex and drugs. Crackheads tried to hang around, but Vee would run them off to prevent suspicion.
Jersey laid there as she recalled the day her grandmother slapped one of her prostitutes for hiding money. She also remembered the day her grandmother shot and killed some man who had tried to run out on one of her prostitutes. Vivienne took her pistol and fired a shot right in his head. She made a few phone calls and the body was gone.
Other than that, Vivienne taught her granddaughter how to cook all kinds of food-homemade chicken and dumplings were one. Jersey also learned how to clean. At the brothel, Vivienne put her in charge of cleaning the rooms and sweeping the floors.
Jersey wiped her face and started sniffling. Her grandmother wasn't perfect, but she still loved her. Vivienne kept her safe and she hustled in order to provide for her granddaughter. She made sure her baby went to bed with a full stomach. All Jersey ever wanted was for her grandma to get release from prison.
Unfortunately, that wasn't happening.
_____________________________
Jersey felt a tug at her leg. She shifted on air mattress and tried to get back comfortable. There was another tug that was even harder than the first. She opened her eyes and started shaking.
Terrie stood at the end of her air mattress. She looked all corpse-y with her grey skin. She had gaping holes from being riddled with bullets. Maggots dug in and out of her skin as she stood there.
"Ahh!" Jersey screamed out as she tried to pull away from her dead mother.
"Jersey! Jersey wake up!" Kelli yelled while watching her friend move around in the bed.
She woke Jersey up but that didn't stop her from freaking out. Jersey hopped off the air mattress and ran into the corner. She slid down the wall and brought her knees up to her chest.
Vena walked inside and noticed Jersey in the corner looking scared. Her eyes were bugged as her lips shivered.
"What happened?"
"She probably just had another nightmare." Kelli answered while slowly making her way towards Jersey. She kneeled down and ran her hand over her friend's sweaty forehead.
"Are you okay?"
"She's still bothering me." Jersey cried.
"Who?" Vena questioned her.
"My mom-Terrie. She's bothering me again."
Kelli studied Jersey cautiously and asked, "Did you take your medicine today?"
Jersey narrowed her eyes and said, "No... I don't want to. My grandma just died-I don't want to take any medicine."
"Jay's medication is over there. Can you pass it to me, Vee?" Kelli asked Vena.
"Sure."
Vena stood up and grabbed the bottle of medicine that sat on Jersey's windowsill. She read the bottle carefully. The doctor had Jersey on Hydroxyzine. It was prescribed to help her with anxiety and insomnia. She looked at the other medication that was prescribed as well. Ziprasidone was to help treat Jersey's hallucination. According to the bottles, her doctor had diagnosed her with anxiety, insomnia, and schizophrenia.
"You have to take your medicine." Kelli instructed Jersey while grabbing the bottles from Vena. "It's the only way you can sleep good."
Jersey watched as Kelli took one pill from each bottle. She had no choice but to take them with some water.
"You're going to be okay." Kelli stated as she touched Jersey's knee
.
"No, I'm not..." Jersey blubbered while palming her face. "I lost my grandma and now Lisa wants to cremate her."
Kelli furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait, she's getting cremated?"
"Yeah..." Jersey replied while looking up to Kelli. "She can't afford to bury her."
"Damn, I'm so sorry Jay. If I could help mamita, you know I would." Vena voiced as she sat on the carpet.
Jersey nodded her head and sat there for a while. "I don't even know if I can bounce back from this. To be honest, I just want to give up on everything."
"I've known Vivienne for years, Jersey. I don't think she would want you to do that. You should make her proud by pushing forward." Kelli stated.
"I don't know..." Jersey trailed off.
"Fight for your life. You have a whole lot to live for Jay." Vena encouraged her.
"Right, you're twenty-two. You're young and beautiful. Take this time to make your grandma proud. Go to back to school. Get married. Have some babies. Do something that would make her proud." Kelli co-signed.
Jersey thought what her friends had said. Her mind took her back on every recent prison visit she had with her grandmother. Vivienne had been buggin' Jersey about having babies.
Flashback starts
"Girl, how old are you again?" Vivienne questioned her granddaughter.
"I'm twenty-one, you know that." Jersey smirked.
Vivienne furrowed her eyebrows and starting chuckling. "I remember your birthday-February 9th, but I can never remember your age."
"Because you don't want to remember it." Jersey teased her.
"You need to give me a great grand-baby before your time runs out." Vivienne stated bluntly.
Jersey blew a raspberry and said, "Grandma I don't want kids. I can barely take care of myself."
"Well if you get yourself together and get with the right guy, you won't have to worry about all of that."
"I still don't want any kids."
"Please-that's going to change once you meet the man you love. Look, all I'm saying is that you should get your babies out of the way now. Once you hit your thirties, that's when your eggs will dry out."
Jersey couldn't help but to laugh at her grandma. Vivienne. She was blunt, funny, and cool.
Flash back Ends.
"What am I supposed to do about my mama? She keeps haunting me." Jersey asked meekly. "What should I do about it?"
Kelli and Vena looked at each other for an answer, but they couldn't think of one.
After a moment of silence, Vena cleared her throat and asked, "Do you see her when you take your medicine?"
Jersey shook her head and said, "No."
"I know medication isn't always the key, but you need to take yours. Let your doctor know you're still having nightmares about your mom too." Kelli suggested.
"I can't drink if I take my medicine." Jersey claimed while looking at her friends.
"You don't need to drink." Vena commented.
_____________________________
Lisa identified her mom's body with Jersey. Immediately, they had her body cremated. Lisa purchased a nice urn for her mother and decided to keep her ashes at her place.
Over the next few days, Jersey continued to take her medication. She had been dealing with her grandmother's death well. Slowly but surely, she was getting better.
"Well, you know you can't go over there right now." Jersey told Rudy as she sat on the bus with her phone glued to her ear. "He's still looking for them."
"I'm just tired of hiding. I thought your boyfriend was good with this kind of shit?"
Jersey rolled her eyes. Rudy swore up and down that Malcolm was Jersey's boyfriend.
"For the last time, he is not my boyfriend. But look, you need to stay put. Auntie wants to see you too. I'll arrange something, okay?"
"Yeah..." Rudy replied dryly.
Jersey ended the call and pulled the signal cord. When the door opened, she got off and went straight to the bar. Because of her grandmother's death, Malcolm allowed her to take the rest of the week off. Dean noticed her but he didn't smile. She furrowed her eyebrows and walked towards him.
In Jersey's opinion, he reeked bad energy. Lately, he had been acting funny with her. She would call him, and he would send her to voicemail. He didn't even answer her texts. What hurt her the most is that he ignored her when she needed him.
"Can't speak?" She asked him.
"I don't know, you tell me."
Jersey eyed him carefully. "What did I do to you? You haven't returned my calls or texts. My grandmother just died, and you bailed out on me."
Dean shot her a nonchalant stare and said, "I didn't want to get in the way."
"What are you even talking about?" Jersey questioned him with her eyes narrowed.
"I know you and Malcolm like each other, so I don't want to get in the way."
Jersey couldn't believe him. Dean was way too insecure for her. He was always worried about Jersey and Malcolm liking each other and hooking up. She wanted no parts of it since she had gone through the same shit with Quintin. Her ex-boyfriend swore up and down that she was sleeping with one of his family members.
"My grandmother just died, and you want to talk about me and Malcolm? Like I told you the last time, we don't have anything going on. He's my boss and I'm only here to pay off my cousin's debt. That's it-I don't want him. Unfortunately, you can't seem to get that through your thick skull. And if this is how it's going to be with us, then I'm done with you." Jersey snapped as her nose flared.
This was Dean's first-time hearing Jersey talk with anger. He couldn't believe a woman like her who was so humble and meek would go off like that.
"I'm sorry." He apologized. "It's just that I like you so much."
"That's the problem, you like me too much. So much that you can't even see yourself with me."
Dean looked at her awkwardly after she said that. He knew that she was telling the truth, so he decided not to address it. Dean leaned on the counter and said, "I'm sorry about your grandmother's death."
She only nodded her head.
"How you holding up?"
Jersey shrugged her shoulders and said, "I'm not over it yet, but I'm managing."
"At least you're getting better." Dean replied.
She stood trying to form her word in the nicest way. Jersey did like Dean, but he had some issues that he needed to fix. She was trying to be extra cautious about the men she dated now. She didn't want to end up with another Quintin. That shit was dead.
"I think we should just be friends."
Dean eyed her before frowning. He wanted her to say it was a joke, but she didn't.
"Why? Jersey I just apologized for-"
"You're going to continue to throw Malcolm up in my face, I can see that now. When I needed you the most you weren't there. I tried to call you to come over Kelli's house and be with me, but you let this petty shit get to you."
"Can I just get one more chance?"
Jersey looked at him and noticed the hurt expression she held. She fidgeted with her fingers while contemplating on the rough decision. Fortunately, she could see past his lying ass expression. Quintin used to look at her the same way when he promised not to hit her anymore.
Jersey shook her head no.
"Friends..." She stated while giving him a stern look. "And nothing more."
_____________________________
Closing time approached the employees at Malcolm's Bar. Jersey was busying cleaning up the tables. Her day had gone well but she was slightly bothered by Dean. He was upset with her for calling it off, so he decided to snub her for the rest of the day. Whenever she needed help with a customer, he would act like he didn't see or hear her.
Jersey didn't regret her decision at all. Dean had some issues he needed to fix before they could ever be together. He was too insecure and worried about his cousin.
"Girl what did you do to Dean?" Sarai whispered to Jersey as she leaned over the table.
Jersey gave the girl a once-over. Sarai was the first-person Jersey had ever met at the bar. She was really short, and she always wore her hair in a curly, bronze afro. They didn't say too much to each other since Sarai was team Morgan.
"What?" Jersey replied as she continued to clean up.
"I'm just saying. I asked him a question and he snapped on me. I know he's probably mad over a little argument he had with you."
Jersey pushed her towel to the side and leaned over. "Why are you in my business? You never talk to me. What-did Morgan tell you to fish me for answers?"
Sarai just rolled her eyes which gave Jersey her answer. She stood up straight and grabbed her towel.
"Girl, I just wanted a simple answer. Morgan isn't even here."
"Do me a favor and stay out of my business. I'm not dating Dean." Jersey snapped. "I wish you all would stop being so nosy."
She moseyed on to the next table with Sarai's eyes burning straight through her. The door opened and in walked Malcolm and his friend, Micah.
Jersey rolled her eyes and silently cursed for not hurrying. She didn't want to be around Micah simply because he was disrespectful and nosy. He was always watching her, and she didn't like that.
"It's time to go." Malcolm announced. "Y'all should be finished by now." He furrowed his eyebrows while looking around his bar for any problems.
Jersey looked over at Malcolm just in time for her to notice him checking her out. He gave her a subtle head nod and she replied with a meekly smirk. It was awkward and she silently cursed herself for even doing it.
Thankfully, Micah paid her no mind. He was too busy flirting with Sarai. Micah was smooth with his words since he was able to get a date with the girl in less than ten minutes.
"Sarai, clock out." Malcolm ordered while touching the watch on his wrist. "It's time to go." She nodded her head stiffly and walked towards the back.
"Damn man." Micah cursed while wrinkling his nose at Malcolm. "You always hating with your difficult ass. I'm tryna' work up something up with her."
Malcolm shot him a glare and walked towards the back. Micah looked around and noticed Jersey fixing the chairs. He furrowed his eyebrows while eyeing her.
"I think I know who you are." He spoke while eyeing her from head to toe. His eyes were narrowed as he studied her.
Jersey looked over at him and frowned. "What?"
"Don't play stupid with me..." He trailed off. "You better not cause no problems here."
"You don't know me." She replied smartly before walking off. She didn't know what Micah was talking about. So instead of arguing with him, she just went and clocked out.
"But I do!" He replied.
Jersey caught the bus and got off at her stop. She was busy going through her phone when she felt the wind being snatched from her. All of a sudden, she found herself tussling with another person.
"Stop moving bitch." The unknown man whispered in a hurried tone. Judging by the deep voice, Jersey assumed it was a man. He pushed her toward the brick wall, and she started to freak out. Another guy who was wearing a blue hoodie, showed up and made it worse.
"Don't hurt me! Please!" Jersey begged.
Wham!
The man in the blue hoodie punched Jersey right in the eye.
"Didn't he tell you to shut up?"
Jersey staggered as she stood there in a daze. She managed to keep conscious and shake away the daze. The painful hit made her groan out. She looked over at the guy who hit her and realized it was Marcus.
"Where is Rudy?" Marcus asked in an authoritative tone.
Jersey stood there heavy breathing as she tried to keep herself from falling out. "I-I don't know."
"Stop lying." The unknown guy pressured her as he gripped her shirt tighter. "Bitch you know where he's at. You better give him up."
"I swear I don't know!" She yelled back. "I-I haven't heard from him in weeks."
The two men stood there and judged her. Marcus signaled for his boy to let Jersey go. He pointed his finger in her face and said, "When you see him, tell him that I'm looking for him. He owes me some money. If he doesn't want his mama or you hurt, I suggest he see me soon."
Jersey started panicking once Marcus brought up Lisa in the situation. She didn't want her Auntie to end up dead over Rudy's mess. She watched as Marcus backed away lightly and turned around to leave with his friend.
She touched her head and leaned on the wall since she felt a little lightheaded. When Jersey got herself together, she pulled her phone out and tried her best to find Malcolm's contact. When she landed on it, she called him quickly.
He answered on the third ring, but he never said anything, which was weird. Jersey went ahead and informed him about everything that happened. It took him a minute to understand her since she was blubbering. Malcolm got her to calm down and he eventually asked for the street name she was on. He instructed her to go home and she did just that.
Jersey traveled home quickly and was stopped by Mrs. Moreno who was outside her apartment.
"You okay sweetie?" She questioned Jersey in her thick, Spanish accent. She noticed how weary the young girl looked. "You have a swollen eye."
Jersey tried to catch her breath as she nodded her head. "I'm alright, I just had an accident."
"You work at that bar, huh?" Mrs. Moreno questioned her. She stood there with her large handbag. The elder was short and thin. She had her hair pinned up-her usual style.
"Yes ma'am, I do."
"Yeah..." Mrs. Moreno trailed off. "Bars can get crazy sometimes, so you have to be careful."
Jersey only nodded her head as she tried to hurry the conversation up. Mrs. Moreno noticed that Jersey was wearing a shirt that had the name of Malcolm's Bar.
"Maybe I can come and get a drink on you." Mrs. Moreno then started to run off while speaking in Spanish. Jersey took the opportunity to knock on Kelli's door. It took her a minute, but she did answer it.
"You need a key." Kelli stated groggily. From the looks of it, she was asleep until Jersey interrupted her.
"I know..." Jersey trailed off. "I need one asap."
Kelli locked the door and quickly glanced at her friend. "What's the matter with you? What happened to your fucking eye?"
"Kelli..." Jersey trailed off. She didn't know how to put her situation in her words. She didn't even know how to tell Kelli. Jersey knew that she would probably be upset with her for keeping Rudy's situation a secret.
"So much shit is going on." She told her friend while flopping down on the couch. "If I tell you this, promise me you won't get upset?"
Kelli walked forward and said, "I'm not promising you shit until you tell me what's going on. Your eye is swollen shut-what happened?"
Jersey explained everything to Kelli. From Rudy telling her about the plan to rob Malcolm to him being placed in a safe house. She even told Kelli about her run in with Marcus and his friend who she assumed was Jamar. Surprisingly, Kelli wasn't upset with her, but she was still mad about her eye.
"Are you okay though?" Kelli asked her while examining her friend's face.
"Just a little shaken up and lightheaded but I'm fine."
"Lightheaded?" Kelli reiterated.
"I'll be okay."
"Are you sure?"
Jersey closed her eyes and said, "Positive."
Kelli nodded her head and said, "What's the next move? Malcolm should be on this shit. Marcus is out there right now looking for Rudy."
"I called him already. He asked about the street name I was on and I gave it to him. Then he told me to go home. Now, I'm just here..."
"Well, good." Kelli commented while eyeing her.
Jersey noticed her friend staring and wrinkled her nose. "What?"
"What's going on between you and Malcolm?"
Jersey sighed and reclined her head. "Nothing."
"Nothing." Kelli mimicked.
"I'm serious Kel. You know he's not into me and I'm definitely not into him."
Kelli blew out a raspberry and said, "Girl please. Didn't you try to sleep with him a few weeks ago?"
"I was drunk. You know how it is when I'm drunk. I get horny as hell." Jersey spoke bluntly. She was super comfortable around Kelli, so talking to her was easy.
Kelli gave her a sinister smirk.
"No, seriously. He just looks out for me and that's it." Jersey explained.
"He's been doing that a lot lately. You know what I think?"
"Oh God." Jersey drawled while rolling her eyes up to the ceiling. "What?"
Kelli smirked and continued her speech. "I think he secretly likes you. He probably just doesn't know how to approach you in that way."
"I doubt it." Jersey disagreed. "But why would a handsome guy like him have a difficult time approaching my basic ass?"
"First of all, you're not basic. You're a bad bitch-remember that." Kelli reminded her and Jersey just nodded her head. "Second of all, I'm sure some fine men have a hard time approaching women they like. Does he have a woman?"
Jersey narrowed her eyes and thought about Malcolm for a moment. To be honest, she had never seen him with a woman before.
"I've never seen him with a woman. I don't think I've ever seen him flirt with one." Jersey eyed Kelli for a moment and asked, "Do you think he's gay?"
"I doubt it, but I could be wrong." Kelli chuckled.
"I need to go and shower." Jersey announced as she peeled herself from the couch.
"But for real, are you okay? I'm just trying to cheer you up."
Jersey nodded her head yes. "I haven't seen my eye yet..."
"I'll have an ice pack waiting on you." Kelli informed her.
"Thanks."
Jersey trotted to her room and rummaged through her clothes to find something suitable to wear for bed. After grabbing her old graduation shirt, some leggings, and a pair of panties, she moseyed into the bathroom.
"Shit!" Jersey hissed when she noticed how swollen her right eye was. Marcus made sure to hit her real good. She touched it and let out a soft yelp. The bruise was purple, swollen, and very ugly to her. There was no way she was going out in the public.
She dwelled over her eye for a couple of minutes and then she showered.
The sound of knocking distracted her. She was in the middle of brushing her teeth. That was something she did every night before going to bed. Jersey stopped in mid-brush, trying her best to hear everything.
"Yeah, she's here." Kelli replied to somebody and called out for Jersey. She walked towards the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Jay, Malcolm is here."
Jersey wasn't surprised about his visit. She knew that there would be a slight chance of him coming over. Then again-she wasn't too sure about it. Malcolm was Malcolm, set in his own ways. She could barely read him since he was unreadable.
After brushing her teeth, Jersey made her way to the front. She noticed Malcolm sitting there with his large hands clasped together. He looked damn good and Jersey couldn't front about it. The fresh haircut, nice clothing, and his posture was everything.
Malcolm noticed Jersey and immediately frowned when he saw her eye. He stood up and walked toward her. Kelli smirked when she noticed him tilting Jersey's head, getting a good view of her bruised eye.
"What happened?" He questioned her with concern.
"It's okay..." Jersey trailed off while trying to move away from his touch. Malcolm kept the grip he had on her chin.
"Nah, tell me what happened." Malcolm demanded.
"Marcus punched me."
Malcolm blinked his eyes a couple time. He stood there trying to be stale, but Jersey could tell he was pissed about her eye. She didn't know why, but he was.
"Don't even worry about that nigga. We caught him and his friend as soon as we turned on this street."
Kelli wanted to know if Ryder was with him during their little abduction. Instead, she just excused herself to the back. She was going to call him up and see if he wanted to swing by.
"Well that's good to hear, they're off the streets." Jersey nodded her head as she looked up at Malcolm. He had nice looking eyes, they were honey brown and glossy looking. She moved down to his thick, brown lips and noticed how good they looked as well. His chocolate brown skin looked smooth enough to lick but she didn't dare do it.
"I hate he did this shit to you. I'mma make him pay for it."
Jersey looked at him meekly and cleared her throat. "...You don't have to."
"But I am. A man shouldn't be putting his hands on a woman." Malcolm stated with a hint of anger in his voice. "That's some punk ass shit."
Jersey just stood there listening to him. She didn't even bother to say anything.
"I'm about to leave." He told her while giving her a once-over. "You should stay home tomorrow. You don't need to be at work with a black eye."
Jersey just nodded her head. She watched as Malcolm made his way out. When he closed the door, Jersey made sure it was locked. She pressed her back towards the door and couldn't help but to pull her lips into a smile.
_____________________________
"Man, this not even about you." Marcus started as he looked over at Malcolm. "I'm looking for Rudy."
Both Marcus and Jamar sat side by side. They were cuffed together so they couldn't escape. Malcolm had them in a small room that was only occupied by two chairs and a table.
He glanced over at Marcus who sat there with an irritable expression on his face. He could tell that the young nigga had a lot of heart. He knew his fate and he had yet to shed a tear. All he could do was try to fight them off-which led to him getting knocked out. When he woke up, he had a swollen knot on the side of his forehead.
"Can I at least get some water?" Marcus continued.
Micah leaned over and eyed him viciously. He scoffed before speaking. "You ain't getting shit. Sit there and swallow yo spit, nigga."
Malcolm checked his phone and noticed the time. He had to leave soon since he planned on meeting up with Ryder.
"What you gone do with them?" Micah questioned his friend as he leaned in the wall.
"I don't know yet."
"Say the word..." Micah trailed off while pulling his gun from his waistband. "I'll end both of them-all it takes is a bullet to the head."
Malcolm gave his friend a stern look. He knew that Micah was very, very hardheaded and trigger happy. He didn't like to listen to people at all.
"Don't touch them yet."
"Yet?" Micah reiterated.
Malcolm looked him over and said, "That's what I said. I want you to keep an eye on them, don't let them out of your sight. I'm about to leave."
Micah scoffed before speaking. "You going to lay between Tilly's legs or something?"
Malcolm glanced over at Marcus and Jamar before placing his eyes on Micah. He didn't want his business all out in the air. He hadn't been fucking with Tilly lately, simply because she called herself needing time away from him.
"Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open." He instructed his outlaw friend. "And keep them alive, I'm not done with them yet."
_____________________________
"What are we eating? I got enough money to buy us some chicken. We can make some baked chicken." Jersey suggested.
"Ryder is coming over tonight and he's bringing some food." Kelli spilled while darting her eyes over at Jersey. She was busy looking through the fridge.
Jersey closed the fridge and turned around. She held a frown on her face. "Ryder...so you two been talking?"
Kelli couldn't help but to smile. She always smiled whenever she thought about Ryder. It was something about him that made her grow butterflies.
"Yeah, like every day now." She answered honestly.
Jersey didn't have a smile on her face at all. She just gave her friend a cautious look. "But what about Travis?"
Kelli's smile slowly decreased as her boyfriend's face clouded her mind. She did love him, but the thrill just wasn't there anymore. They argued more than anything and they barely went out together.
"I mean..." Kelli trailed off. "We're still together."
Jersey shook her head. "I know that look. Travis lost you. You're gone."
Kelli nodded her head and said, "I really like Ryder."
"After a few weeks." Jersey taunted her.
"That's all it took for me to fall for him. He's fine as hell, has money, owns his own car, knows how to fuck, and he's affectionate. That's all it took for me."
Jersey shook her head while playfully pushing her. "You're pathetic, you know that?"
"I'm not. I'm just doing what I want."
Before Jersey could heckle her, knocks at the door occurred. They looked at each other for a minute with bugged eyes. Kelli finally shook away from the trance and went to open the door.
Ryder walked inside with bags in his hands. Jersey held a sly grin on her face as she watched her friend exchange words with him. They hugged and he closed the door behind him. Kelli relieved him by taking the bags.
Instead of being a third wheel, Jersey just decided to go in her room.
"Where you going? Ryder bought enough for you too."
"Yeah..." Ryder co-signed. He liked Jersey. In his opinion, shorty was cool. She was a little quiet but that didn't matter. He didn't like loud girls anyway. "I got something for you Hershey."
Jersey smirked when he called her that. Since she was similar to the color of a Hershey bar, he called her that corny ass name. She just leaned on the couch and asked, "Like what?"
Ryder looked over at her and put on a playful frown. "You being picky?"
"I'm not, I just want to know what kind of food you picked out. I'm allergic to certain types of foods." Jersey replied.
"What you allergic to?"
"Nuts and cinnamon." Kelli answered for her. "She can't have anything with that."
Ryder touched chin and said, "Damn. That's fucked up."
Kelli concurred with a head nod. "Yeah, that's why she's so skinny."
Jersey playfully rolled her eyes at her friend.
"I mean, I wasn't going to bring anything with nuts and cinnamon in it." Ryder commented. "But I got you some wings."
Jersey just flopped down on the couch and watched as Ryder sat a Styrofoam plate in front of her. She narrowed her eyes and eventually opened it. Ryder had hooked her up with some plain wings and French fries.
Kelli specifically told Ryder to get plain wings for Jersey. She knew that her friend was a picky eater. Jersey didn't care for flavored wings.
"Thank you." Jersey thanked him.
"No problem shorty." He replied while looking at her eye. "I see your eye went down a little."
"Yeah, the soreness is gone too."
Ryder nodded his head and said, "You don't have to worry about Marcus. We got him and his friend."
Jersey was glad to hear that for the second time. Now Rudy could finally be free. He didn't have to hide from his brother anymore.
_____________________________
"I've been missing you so much." Tilly told Malcolm in a breathy tone. Roughly, she struggled to pull down his pants. She stood before him with her blouse unbuttoned. He could see her naked body very well.
Tilly was a cop, so she had to stay in shape. Her golden complexion was smooth. She had large breasts with light brown areolas. She also made sure her stomach was flat and toned. Tilly went and got Brazilian waxes on the regular, so she was smooth and hairless.
After Malcolm pointed out his name on the file, they had a little argument. Tilly kept telling him that it was nothing, but he didn't want to hear it. They argued for an hour until he left.
Fortunately, their little scuffle didn't last too long. Tilly called him, of course to makeup. Malcolm wasn't the type of guy who liked running after women. He didn't kiss up to women at all. That wasn't his thing.
He grabbed Tilly by her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. This was Malcolm. He was known for being rough while showing his affection. He didn't mean to do it; he just didn't know how to take his time. He was always being rough, but Tilly didn't seem to mind it. To be honest, she liked it rough.
"Mmm..." She moaned as she tongued him down. Her eyes fluttered with love as she felt herself melting up against him.
Malcolm wasn't much of a kisser. He had started doing it only because of Tilly. He liked the way their tongues intertwined and danced together.
He pulled away and dropped his pants. Tilly took in the sight of lower half. Malcolm had long, muscled legs that told people he didn't skip leg day. Her eyes roamed towards his most intimate part. It was a beautiful piece of flesh that Tilly had become well-accustomed too.
Malcolm was blessed with a nice penis. No excess skin. Thick girth. Lengthy. A nice head size. A slight curve that drove women crazy.
She grabbed it with two hands and eyed him seductively. Tilly licked her pink lips before getting on her knees. She wasted no time going to work. Malcolm grabbed ahold of her brown hair and wrapped it around his hand. He watched as she tried her best to take all of him.
Rrring. Rrring. Rrring.
Malcolm grew aggravated from Tilly's ringing phone. He sighed while releasing her hair from his hand.
"Oh, I have to get that. It might be the office." Tilly wiped her lips while running towards her purse. She retrieved her phone and wasted no time answering it.
"Yes, hello?"
Malcolm gave her a look that she could read clearly. He was pissed about her stopping to answer her phone. He scoffed while pulling his boxers up.
She watched as he gathered his stuff together. It fucked with her since Detective Newton was on the phone running his mouth. She wanted to stop Malcolm so badly, but her partner was taking too long.
"Okay." Tilly glanced over at Malcolm and said, "Yes, I'll be right in." She ended the call and tossed her phone in her purse.
Malcolm watched as she grabbed her pants off the floor. Tilly gave him a pitiful look and said, "That was Newton. He wants me to come in and take a look at some paperwork."
Malcolm only glared at her.
"What?" She questioned him. "Malcolm I cannot do this with you right now. You know that I have to work with him."
"Is the case about me?" He questioned her in a calm voice.
She stopped what she was doing and looked over at him.
"I'm just saying..." Malcolm trailed off while scoffing. "Not too long ago you had a fucking file on your table with my information on it."
"This has nothing to do with you." Tilly claimed. "Your files were removed weeks ago by Stanley."
Malcolm just gave her a nonchalant expression. He knew that the chief was going to handle his business. He wouldn't dare jeopardize his money.
Tilly neared him and grabbed his hand. He never grasped hers back, he just let her hold it.
"I would never let Newton fuck with you. I was just going through the file-that's all. You know that I would tell you if some shit was happening."
"You better keep it like that." He commented with warning eyes.
Tilly gave him a small smile and kissed him on the jaw. "We need to finish what we started later on. I'll call you."
_____________________________
"So, I was thinking...maybe we should just take a trip together. Just the three of us." Vena suggested.
Vena, Kelli, and Jersey all sat in the living room with a pitcher of Moscato sangria. Since Jersey was taking medication, she had to settle for some sparkling juice.
"Where would we go?" Kelli questioned her.
"Miami." Vena replied. "We'll make reservations to rent out a house and a car. Then we can fly out there."
Kelli furrowed her eyebrows at Vena and scoffed. "Bitch, who's gonna pay for all of that?"
Vena acted as if she was throwing a real tantrum. She stomped her feet and pouted. "Why can't I be rich?"
"Shit, why couldn't we all be rich?" Kelli stated.
"Because we're all poor." Jersey commented dryly with a nonchalant express on her face. "And we come from poor people."
"We need to save some money up for a trip for real because I don't plan on spending my summer at home. I want to get away from New York and get some real sun. Fuck the cold and fuck the snow! I'm so over it." Vena ranted.
"Period." Kelli concurred.
"You should let me have some of that, Vee." Jersey blurted out as she stared at the pitcher of goodness. "Moscato won't hurt me at all and plus I've been having a terrible week. I deserve some kind of winery treat."
Vena eyes Jersey and sighed, "Alright...I'll pour you some but are you sure that it won't interfere with your medication."
Jersey held out her glass and said, "I'm sure."
"I've got something to tell you Kelli." Vena singsong as she poured Jersey a glassful of Moscato sangria.
"What?"
"I heard Ryder been coming through here for you." Vena smirked. "Bitch you didn't tell me y'all was messing around. It must've happened when we went to his club-what? He slipped you his number?"
"Wait a minute, how do you know about this?" Kelli asked, she managed to nudge Jersey.
"I didn't tell her shit." Jersey replied.
"Oh, you two are trifling." Vena remarked as she pointed at them with a serious expression.
"Y'all didn't even tell me. I'm your friend too, I just don't live here."
"I mean-I wasn't expecting for it to get out." Kelli retorted back. Clearly, she was aggravated by the news. She didn't want anybody to know about her fling with Ryder. "Ryder and I aren't that serious."
"Right now." Jersey added. She looked over at Vena and mouthed, they're in love.
Kelli rolled her eyes at Jersey and asked, "Anyway, how did you find out about it?"
"You got an eye in this building." Vena answered. "They're watching everything."
"You mean Mrs. Moreno is watching everything. That old bitch talks too much." Kelli vented bluntly.
She could remember two nights ago vividly. Ryder was leaving out when Mrs. Moreno caught him. She held him in the hallway for three minutes. She was basically running her fat mouth and trying to flirt with him. Fortunately, Kelli was there to get him out of that situation.
Vena nodded her head yes. "Girl, you know she talks to everybody who comes through here. Whoever she was talking to went back and told Hope about it."
"Oh, I don't care." Kelli replied. "I'm good over here, she just better not try to come at me about him."
"Hope?" Jersey reiterated. "Who is that?"
Kelli only looked at her friend.
"Ryder's girlfriend." Vena answered proudly.
Jersey gave her a Kelli a look of disgust. She didn't know that Ryder had a girlfriend. But judging from Kelli's snappy comment, she did.
"You knew he had a girlfriend this whole time?" Jersey questioned her.
Kelli shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, he told me about her. I told Ryder about Travis too."
"Oh, you got it like that, mami?" Vena playfully taunted her as she held her drink in her hand.
"Well, I don't think you should mess around like that." Jersey proclaimed and gulped down her drink.
Kelli blew a raspberry and said, "I'm grown Jersey. I can do whatever I want."
_____________________________
The bar was busy and filled with all kinds of people, mostly men. They filled the counter and tables that neared the televisions.
Jersey stood there dressed in her work attire. Her eye had gone down, but a faint mark was visible. Her hair was growing rapidly, so it looked more like a small, curly afro. She definitely planned on cutting it soon.
"Table two wants four bottles of Budweiser." Jersey informed Morgan as she laid the sheet of paper on the counter.
Morgan looked at Jersey and glanced down at the paper. She wrinkled her nose at her as if she was disgusted. "You get it."
Jersey leaned her head a little. She didn't feel like going at it with Morgan at all. She already had enough shit going on in her life.
"Morgan, I have to get the other orders. I can't do it all by myself."
"Not my problem." Morgan replied back. "You should ask Dean to help you. He's your boyfriend, right?"
Sarai, who was nearby, started to laugh. "Leave that girl alone."
"I'm just saying. She's asking the wrong person for help because I definitely don't like her." Morgan continued. "Got me fucked up."
Jersey darted her eyes over at Morgan. Anger ran through her body as she thought about her options: A. Play it safe. B. Fuck it.
"Who the fuck are you looking at like that?" Morgan questioned her as she leaned over.
B. Fuck it.
All of a sudden, Jersey just blanked out. She took the serving tray that sat on the counter and bashed Morgan over the head with it. Morgan stood there in the daze but quickly shook it off. She swung on Jersey, catching her in the jaw.
"Oh, shit. They fighting!" One of the customers instigated.
The customers in the bar pushed aside to prevent from getting hurt. Jersey took the hit like a woman and grabbed Morgan by her weave. As expected, she jerked her head down and used her empty hand to punch her in the face repeatedly. Morgan moved from Jersey's grip and pulled on her apron. She tried to choke her, but Jersey put a stop to it. Jersey kicked her in the stomach, making Morgan hit the counter. She continued to kick her until she was pulled away By Dean.
"What the fuck is going on?!" Malcolm yelled as he stormed over with Dock in tow. He noticed his cousin trying to get up from the floor.
Jersey snapped back to reality and noticed the little mess that was made. People were standing to the side looking with no phones out, which was a big surprise. A couple of glasses were broken, and liquid occupied the floors.
Jersey's eyes went on Malcolm. He had a tight frown on his face as he inspected the mess in his bar.
"That bitch put her hands on me! Fire her!" Morgan bellowed. She stood there with a huge, forming knot on her forehead and a bloody mouth.
Morgan wasn't able to get the reaction she wanted from her cousin and that pissed her off. "Why are you just standing there? Fire her baldheaded ass!"
"Just calm down, everybody calm down." Dock instructed as he looked at his customers. "Let's drink, there's nothing to worry about."
Jersey started walking near Morgan again and Dean pulled her back. He neared her close to his chiseled chest.
"Don't do it, just chill out." Dean whispered in her ear.
"I'll handle it." Malcolm told his Morgan. "Just go home and get yourself cleaned up. Dean, take Morgan home."
Dean looked over at Jersey and then he placed his eyes on Morgan for a minute. Instead of arguing with him, he just did as instructed. Morgan made sure she eyed Jersey hard as she left out.
"You, in my office now." Malcolm ordered Jersey. He made sure to instruct the other workers to clean up the mess that was made.
Jersey looked over at Malcolm and became meek again. Suddenly, she felt the need to crawl up under a rock. The look he gave her made her scared as hell. Quietly, she made her way to the back and took a seat in his office.
She sat there and waited for him to come. It took Malcolm about a good fifteen minutes. He wanted to make sure his bar was well taken care of first.
Jersey jumped when she heard the door slam. Malcolm immediately started to chew her out. He wasn't upset about Jersey fighting Morgan because he knew how smart his cousin's mouth was. He was more upset about her doing it in his bar. Both girls managed to fuck up his register and some of his expensive glasses were broken as well.
"What the fuck is wrong with you? You had a fight in my bar, in front of my customers! Are you trying to make me lose my business?"
Jersey never replied back. She just sat there trying to process everything in.
"You don't hear me talking to you? What? Are you deaf again or something?"
Jersey continued to look at him with a nonchalant stare. Malcolm grew closer to her because he felt like she was trying him.
"You don't hear me talking to you?" He asked again with a raised voice. Malcolm gave her a menace stare that caused her to give up.
"She was talking shit, so I blanked out. I didn't mean for it to happen, but she taunted me."
"That doesn't give you an excuse to fight in my bar." Malcolm retorted back. "Ignore her."
"I'm always ignoring her!" Jersey yelled back. "It doesn't help so I did what I had to do. I whooped her ass and I don't mind doing it again." She stated as her chest started to heave.
Malcolm studied her for a minute. There was a little hint of nervousness in Jersey's voice, but he could tell she meant every word she said.