Two feet off the ground
Why am I living here?
Up and down, up and down
I think i'ma drown in my tears
I cry cause my fate is sold
Too many tears
I'm thinking bout ending here
Wanna forget, Russian roulette with the pistol
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India
"So when do I get my phone call?" I cut my eyes at the officer as I sat in the cold chair at the metal table.
"You can when we're done," I slumped back in my chair knowing that would be a while. "So tell me, what were you doing on Sunday afternoon on April 17?"
"Shit, I don't know to be honest. Either I was getting beat the fuck up or having sex against my will. I don't think we should go too deep into that though." I chuckled slightly while shrugging. The officer looked at me perplexed and wrote something down.
"Your boyfriend, Chris. Is he the one that.." He motioned for me to answer his question.
"Is this about the '09 shit? Let it the fuck go. No, he didn't hit me." I rolled my eyes and scoffed at his attempts to accuse history of repeating itself.
"Well, you said somebody was beating and raping you. I can turn the odds in your favor. Unless it was premeditated." He took a pause before darkening his tone:
"It wasn't." I shook my head.
"Then why did you do it?" He leaned in and hit his hand on the table.
"I have the right to remain silent. Anything I say can or will be used against me when testifying in the court of law." I put emphasis on the last few words.
"Okay. I'm guessing you want a lawyer?"
"Wow. You don't say." I said sarcastically. The officer rolled his eyes before jotting a few more notes.
"Make your damn phone call." He motioned to the phone in the corner before leaving the room. I stood up and picked the telephone up, dialing the first number that came to mind.
"Hello?" A feminine voice rang in my ear.
"Karin, I need your help."
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Chris
"Arrested her? Fuck you mean they arrested her? Them niggas didn't even know she was alive!" August huffed and leaned back on the couch of Blessing's house.
"They came in on some bullshit saying that she murdered somebody."
"Who did she supposedly murder?" Blessing asked, bringing me another glass of water. I took it from her and took a sip before continuing.
"They said it was her exes. Terrell Clay and Jaiden Johnson. That's kind of impossible thought considering the fact that both of them stay out here in New York and India was locked away in LA for a year." I scratched my stubbled jaw and tugged slightly on the beard that I had growing in. I need to shave, I ain't cute no more.
"Well, how do we know she was out in LA?" Trey suggested.
"You're telling me she was in NY the entire time? If that was the case we would've seen her at least once."
"Yeah, because a kidnapper finna let her just crip walk through the streets of Queens." August scoffed and shook his head. Crip? Do I look-
"Anyways, Chris. What did she look like when she showed up at your doorstep?" Liv asked me. I recounted on the stains on her shirt and hands. The way the blood ran down the drain as I cleansed my hands of her mess. The way the water turned red as she soaked in the bathtub.
"Red. Blood. Lots of it. She didn't drown in it, but it was definitely something to see."
"My question is how did nobody notice? There's always that one person on standby, now all of a sudden they don't wanna be the bystander?" Blessing shook her head. As I was preparing to say something, my phone rung. The number wasn't saved, but I figured it would be India.
"Hello?" I put the phone on speaker.
"Christopher, it's Karin. I just talked to India at the station. They're holding her until this shit is sorted. It might get taken to court. There's something else I got to tell you though. You home?" Karin's voice blasted through the phone of the speaker. She was speaking at a fast pace and it was hard to keep up with what she was saying.
"No. You can slide here though, I'm with our family. I'll text you the address." I went to messages and typed the number she called me from in the box. I shared my location with her.
"Ight. Be over in a few." She said quickly before hanging up.
"Who was that?" Olivia asked while biting her thumb.
"A friend of India's. She can help us."
"She ain't like that whack ass bitch Teaira, right? Cause I swear to god-" I cut her off before she could say anything disrespectful.
"No. She used to work with Teaira, but she's on to her ass too. I eavesdropped a little bit the last time she came over." I said shamelessly. At that moment, I heard a knock on the door.
"Your company. You go answer it." Blessing motioned to the door. I exhaled deeply before I stood up and swung open the door.
"Alright, it's a long story so let's get started." Karin got straight to the jump as she patted my shoulder before walking in. Immediately her eyes landed on my friends.
Karin
"That was rude of me. Hi, my name is Karin. I worked in LA with India before Teaira set her up like the sneaky hoe she is."
"Oh, this bitch is bold. I like you, sit next to me. August go sit by Chris or some." The girl waved off the boy who sat next to her.
He was light skinned, with a very sharp jawline and broad chin. His lips were full and pink, almost reddish. He had a not too lengthy beard that made his head seem longer than it really was. For some odd reason he was wearing sunglasses inside, although last time I checked the sun is outside. Maybe he got beat the fuck up and don't wanna show it.
The next person I brought my attention to was a female sitting next to the other girl. She was also yellow, with a heart shaped face and heightened cheekbones. Her eyes were big and doll like and she had a wide mouth with not too full lips. I'm guessing the boy she was boo'd up with was her boyfriend, until I noticed that it was Trey Songz. Well, look what we have here.
The boy, August, kissed his teeth before standing up and migrating over to the other couch. I wasted no time filling in his previous seat.
"Before we do anything else, Karin, that's India's sister Blessing, her best friend Olivia, and my nigga Trey," Chris pointed everybody out. India was telling me she had a sister. "Oh, August is here too." He waved him off causing me to chuckle.
"Alright, now that everybody is formally introduced let's get down to business. It all starts with this sneaky hoe named Teaira."
Once I was done telling them about the entire experience at the restaurant, I knew I would have to tell Chris what his girl has been keeping from him since she returned.
"I don't want to trigger y'all, but it gets a little upsetting from here and we don't have enough time to share tears and tissues. If you need to step out, I won't stop you." I gave them a little precaution before starting.
"I won't go into too much detail, I figure that's India's story to tell. The night India was kidnapped, she told me she woke up in a car. Her body was tied up and she was thrown into somebody's dusty trunk. Turns out that somebody was nobody other than Jaiden Johnson. Once she was let out of the trunk and untied, shorty got to swinging. It didn't last long though because somebody in here can't control his hoes." I stole a quick glance at Chris along with everybody else. I heard a little snickering, causing Chris to slump further into his seat and mutter something inaudible.
"So, Kiara, Keyshia, Coochie, whatever her name is pull out a strap thinking she on big shit. India whooped her ass too. Everything was cool and India's like 'well shit, I can get out of here easily if I just put both of them in a lil' coma or some.' Until Terrell Clay crazy ass walk in and put her in fucking check. That's how it all started. Any questions, comments, or concerns before I continue?" I allowed my eyes to scan the room, waiting for a response. Everybody kept their lips in a locked state, indicating that I could go on.
"Fast forward a year and a half. India done been through fucking hell and is just ready to come back. A few months before her crime was committed, India had came up with a plan. Yes, this was a premeditated murder. She would earn everybody's trust overtime, then strike when least expected. Which is exactly what she did. While convincing Terrell that she was actually enjoying being a sex slave, she beat him with a pipe. She stole the gun off of him and shot Jay, who was blocking her way out."
"Now what about Kianna?" Chris spoke up.
"She dipped long before the murder. Her pussy ass couldn't even hang." I scoffed while chuckling.
"So how did the police find out that they were murdered? You telling me that they could find two people, but couldn't tell there was something peculiar about all the screaming going on in that house when she got taken there in the first place?" Olivia was leaned it with her elbows rested on her knees, giving me her undivided attention.
"They were in a secluded area I'm guessing. The way they found out? There's only one possible way. Somebody snitched. Something tells me it was Teaira."
"Why Teaira? Why not Kianna?" Blessing scrunched up her face. I can tell she most definitely can't stand that bitch.
"Kianna made her intentions clear when she left the situation in the first place. India told me that once she was gone, she never came back. Not to 'visit', not to ask for a favor, nothing. So it would have to be very coincidental for Kianna to be the one to find the bodies." I shook my head and chewed on lip, crossing my left leg over the right while bouncing my not so timid leg.
"Now that you mention it, I did notice something off the day of India's return." Chris chimes in.
"When Teaira left my house after trying to be a home wrecking hoe, she took a left turn instead of a right, which I'm guessing is the way to her home since she always goes that way every time she leaves."
"That's a very random detail, but it might work." I wagged my finger while nodding.
"Now what?" August spoke up.
"Now if the odds are in our favor, the case will be taken to court. The first thing we'll need is a lawyer." Everybody's attention turned towards Chris. I'm guessing we all had the same thought process.
"What?" He furrowed his brows and widened his eyes.
"I don't wanna say it. You know why we're looking at you." Trey chuckled nervously.
"I don't know, why-"
"You done beat the case a few times, Chris. Your lawyer must know what he's doing." I quit sugarcoating and just told him what we were all thinking. I stood up and wiped lint off of my pants before slinging a purse over my shoulders.
"What are you about to get into?" Blessing asked me as I approached the front door.
"Well first, I'm gonna go talk to my boss. Then, Teaira's gonna get paid a nice little visit."