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Invasion of Privacy
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"Stop playin' ya self. You'll never have her in the ways I got her. Shits crazy cause ion' even want her, but I got her in ways you could never. That's my bitch." - Benjiman Cartier Gotti
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Friday | January 11
A whole week had now passed and let's just say, BG came into the game head first and took the streets by storm. Within only a couple days of working, he had slowly become the real nigga, that all the real niggas fucked with and Rick hated it. Over the past week, he had successfully snatched up nearly half Rick's usual clients, plus a good bit of his own too. He'd learned a lot about the game from Rick and did the opposite. It had Rick angry at the fact that Benji was better at his own game then he was. It shouldn't have even been a surprise for Rick, it wasn't the first time that BG had beat him at his own game and wouldn't be the last.
Rick was so angry because it was just every thing he did. Growing up, it was Benji who'd always been the best at every thing in life and Rick wanted to be just like him for it. That's what aggravated Rick the most, the fact that Benji beat him so effortlessly and it had him working twice as hard to keep up. It honestly got him to despise BG and do anything to take him down for it too. The thing was, Benji didn't even try, it was a natural thing for him. He was a young king and his angel, Brenda, had reminded him constantly of it.
Benjiman was a big dog now. He was flipping weight like it was going out of style. Now that he had gotten his own weight, it was even easier. He still shared his block with Rick though. They each had three days. It was Benji's block Thursday through Saturday, while Rick claimed Monday through Wednesday. It pissed him off even more to now have to split his days with another nigga that he despised deep down inside.
On what was a windy Friday afternoon, Benji found himself out working hard on the blocks. He'd gotten work just yesterday and had nearly ran through it in the two days. He was preparing to close up shop for the day once he'd met his goal. He had planned that he'd go and grab himself something to eat, but some bum ass nigga seemed to have other plans for him. It was an angry Rick approaching. At this point he was fed up and couldn't take Benji outselling him, so he'd gone to "take" his blocks back from BG.
"Nigga, get the fuck off my block." Rick yelled loudly to Benji as he got closer. His tone was mean and way too loud for BG's liking. The disrespect was clear and it only pissed him off that Rick would even try him in public. Benji now wore a mean mug on his, angrily.
"Nigga, who the fuck you talkin' too? Right idea, but you got the wrong nigga." Benji said as he continued to stay leaned up against the corner store. There was no fear in his bones, he knew he could take Rick easy by himself. He wasn't a killer, hadn't killed anyone in his twenty one years of living but that didn't mean he wouldn't and Rick was begging to be number one.
"You heard what the fuck I said BG. Get ya shit and get the fuck outta hea. This here is my shit, I run the blocks around here and you think you can come into the game and take my shit from me? You gotta be on some or either just fuckin' stupid." Rick yelled as he was now standing right in front of Benji. "Now I ain't gone say that shit again bitch ass nigga!" He finished and pulled a gun out from his waistband and pointed it towards Benji's face like he was ready to use it.
This very moment brought memories back for Benji, ones that he'd tried so hard to bury. He'd only had a gun pointed in his face once and that was the day he lost his mother when he felt it should've been him. It angered him to even be standing in this position, but he wasn't scared. Death wasn't scary for him, he was just here and didn't quite know his purpose yet, so it wouldn't phase him to meet his maker. If it was that time though, he damn sure wouldn't go out easy.
"Rick, you got that gun up in my face like bout to do some wit' it. I ain't scared to die, shoot me since you think you a killer nigga." Benji said to him calmly as he stood up straight from his post. It was as clear as day that Rick wasn't cut out for the image he tried so hard to portray. He hesitated as he held the gun over Benji while staring at him hard. It was a dog eat dog world out here and cold too. Hesitation was all that it took to get yo shit rocked for wasting time.
Benji quickly back handed the gun out of Rick's hand and it went flying down the pavement. Those actions had caught Rick off guard, giving BG the opportunity to snatch Rick up and have him up against the bricks as he no longer gave a fuck. If Rick thought he could just come out here and try to bitch BG out in public, he was certainly mistaken. It was one thing Benji did not tolerate and that was disrespect. Anybody would get this shit behind disrespecting him and his name.
"Nigga, don't you ever come at me on some bullshit! You already know how I rock, hope yeen think since I caught a bid shit changed. I'll still rock yo shit." BG yelled as he sent a punch to Rick's face, then let him drop onto the ground. From there Benji rained more punches at him until he was pulled away.
A couple niggas pulled BG off of Rick before he was pushed towards an SUV opposite of Rick. He already knew it was people who worked for his boss, so there wasn't any room to trip how he wanted too. Rick had him hot and he knew he was about to be in some shit once he got where he was headed. It didn't take long for the both of them to be at the club sitting in chairs opposite of a boss who looked like he could kill.
"What the fuck is wrong with y'all?" The man shouts in their face as he paced the floor back and forth. He was angry, they were fucking with his money and if it was one thing he didn't play about, his money was it.
"Ask that bitch ass nigga. He came on my shit talkin' reckless, so I handled that ass. I hope you ain' expect any different. Ain't no nigga bout to just bitch me out and don't get dealt with, word to my mother."
"Nigga, fuck you and ya mother! Get this nigga off of my bloc-" Before Rick could even finish his sentence, BG had jumped from his chair and attacked. Brenda was a soft topic for Benji, everybody knew it. So for it to be Rick to say some shit like that to him about his mother, disrespect was at a whole new level. He saw red and threw blows at Rick's face, while he yelled.
For the low blow, the boss had allowed BG to get his anger out a bit before he had him pulled off again. It was karma for Rick, they all knew BG didn't take any shit when it came to his mother. Despite that, this is a business and it would continue to run as such. The two of them was causing him problems and he didn't give a damn about personal beef when it came to his work being pushed and his money being made.
"I don't give a fuck what y'all got going on. If y'all let that personal beef be brought to my block again, I'm gone be the one knocking both y'all asses out. That's my block and right now y'all fucking with my paper." He yelled at the two of them. Benji wasn't hearing it though, he sat staring at Rick with dark eyes. It was over with for him. He was out for blood.
"Now Rick, you better get yo shit together or else you won't be a problem for me anymore. You becoming a fucking liability and I ain't got no room to be carryin' yo ass with the bullshit you bring. You started all this shit, now I'm losing money because of you. So until I said any different, BG you'll take over full time. I will decide if it's a permanent move or not."
Rick jumped up from his chair before he was roughly pushed back down by security. "What the fuck man? You just gone bring this nigga in and give my shit to him that easy? You trippin' if you think this nigga is just bout to come in and take my shit." Rick smacked his lips. As reflex, boss slapped the fuck out of him.
"Rick, you must've forgot who you talking too? I kill niggas for less, so watch ya fucking mouth and tone. Now, yo ass unemployed. Consider it probation until you can get yo shit together. I better not catch you on my blocks. I still expect my reup money Thursday as scheduled, plus an extra 5G's for today's losses. Ion' give a fuck how you get the money, that's between yo ass and the Lord himself." Boss said sternly. BG was mad as fuck, but this made him smirk. The boss had to step out of the room, which gave them fair game.
"Nigga, you think this shit funny? You think you the big dog now since you got my blocks?" Rick spat at BG, who gloated at Rick's ultimate demise. "Don't forget, I'm the nigga that got you put on nigga."
"Fuck outta' here. You ain't get me put on shit. He's the one that put me on himself, so miss me with that bullshit. Just face it the facts Rick, I've always been a better everything than you. At basketball, girls, all of it. You always have and always will be second best." Benji said, getting under Rick's skin even more. He'd calmed down, but yet he was still fuming inside. Rick would eat those words, he put that on his own life.
"Whatever nigga, call it what you want. You don't get everything and you don't always win. Remember I'm the one that got Maleah. That's my bitch," he smiled.
Benji could only laugh at those words. "That's funny. Stop playin' ya self. You'll never have her in the ways I got her. Shits crazy cause ion' even want her, but I got her in ways you could never. That's my bitch," he said, his words eating away at Rick's pride. To top off his words, he added alcohol to the open wound. "My nigga always remember, she kiss you with the mouth she just sucked my dick wit. How my nut taste?" BG finished and that had Rick ready to come for him.
As the two men sat with BG gloating with pride while Rick sat with burning wounds, the boss came back in with a few more words. Once he was down, he let the both of them go times apart from one another. Benji was now back on the street with his bag slung on his back as he went on his way. He had decided to take a stop by the diner again, cause the food from last time was bussing. He'd planned to come by sooner for the good food, but hadn't had time with this drug life.
He went inside of the diner and headed straight for a table in the back corner. BG was always an observant and alert person so he wanted to see and be aware of all things in his surroundings. He slid into the booth and looked around for someone to serve him. Other than a few customers, he didn't see anyone that was an employee here and that aggravated him alone. If the food hadn't been so good, he wouldn't have even bother to come back here based on the service.
"Aye!" BG yelled out to the waitress once she'd come out from the kitchen of the diner. He'd caught her off guard as he did the last time, slightly startling her. It resulted in the formation of a mug on her face as she stared back at him with attitude written all over her face and body language. Benji just wanted food, she could hold the attitude that came with it though.
"Nigga, what?" She said, attitude lacing her words. It was clear that she was aggravated, as she was the last time Benji had come. He only added to her irritation, among all other things she had going on in her life.
"Yo, what's with yo fucking attitude everyday? Yo life that bad where you gotta' be like that? Don't nobody owe you shit, so stop actin' mad at the world." Benji said, dropping some jewels on her this evening. This encounter was already pushing his appetite away.
"Aw, that'd be cute if I cared for others opinions. My life is none of your damn business. Save your advice for somebody that wanna hear it, cause I don't. Now are you about to order anything or did you just come here to annoy me?" She spoke as she placed a menu down in front of him impatiently, ready to get away.
"Y'all females a trip," BG sucked his teeth and shook his head at the young waitress. "Main reason I don't fuck with bitches now. Yo, let me get a double bacon cheeseburger, plain. Double side of hashbrown, fried hard with a sprite. That's it." He said, dismissing her in so many words. Benji was tired of people acting as if the world owed them something. It was true he did not know the girl or or story, he didn't even care. It's just that people had to be grateful. She was alive and breathing, that was a reason to go hard. Life was full of tragedy. His life hadn't been crystals, but he knew how to not wear his past on his sleeve. People had to learn how to take the cards they were dealt and make it do what it do with them, that's what he was doing.
"Who you calling a bitch?" She questioned quickly.
"Whoever feel like they one," BG spoke nonchalantly without even sparring her another glance. She rolled her eyes, snatched the menu off the table and walked away from the table. There was nothing left to say. It was the truth. She knew what he said was true, but it still didn't change the way she felt or moved either.
Within the next fifteen minutes he'd gotten his food, ate, and was now headed back to his hotel. Benji had been staying in a hotel for the past week and it ate a hole in his pockets too. It wasn't a five star hotel, but it still ran him about 89 dollars a night. He'd spent a good 500 dollars on hotel expenses. Out of the bonus money he was given, he had about 3G's left, so still it was pretty good. He'd paid for a place to lay his head at night, food, clothes, and an iPhone 8 Plus. It was a start for him until he got his money up.
Once he'd gotten to the hotel, he hit the shower and then threw on some sweats. Since he was now off for the night to let the drama from earlier cool down, he wanted to chill tonight and actually see what this felt like to relax, lay up and watch some sports, to just be a man. He'd never been able to do anything like this, so it felt good to be able too at the young and tender age of twenty one years old. He had a lot in store for himself and he couldn't wait to make it big time.
In the middle of a basketball game, his phone started to ring loudly. This puzzled him because nobody had his cellphone number, so this really had him wilding. After he debated his head on answering it, the phone had stopped ringing. He was about to dismiss it, but it started up again from the same number. Benji was curious, so with a shrug he picked up the phone.
"Yo," Benji spoke loudly into the phone, awaiting a response in return. Instead, he got sniffles as if the person on the other end was crying in the speaker.
"Benji!" The woman said and right off the back, he'd known it was Maleah just by her voice. He sighed in frustration at the sound of there being a problem.
"What's good Maleah?" Benji asked in annoyance. It wasn't even the fact of her calling, it was the point of how the hell she'd gotten his number to begin with.
"BG, where are you?" Maleah cried into the phone, it only succeeded in aggravating BG even more than all the crying was already doing. That was one thing BG hated, crying. It wasn't that he hated the action itself but, he just hated being in the midst of the action. It was just one of the crazy things about Benjiman.
"What you on Maleah?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Rick came home drunk today, he said he knew I had been fucking you and started to call me names. Then he put his hands on my and forced me to do things. I don't know what to do BG, I'm scared." She said into the phone. Maleah was at a pay phone in the city in a pair of tights, a ripped shirt, and no shoes. Blood was leaking from her mouth and her eyes was bruised.
Benji held the phone up to his ear as he battled with himself on what he should do next. Guilt seemed to eat at him for his words earlier. It wasn't even in his nature or character to have a big mouth, he was just in the talking shit in the moment and at the time the words he said hadn't bother him. He hadn't been in his right mind, usually he thought before speaking. He felt responsible for Maleah's encounter tonight.
"I'm at the Holiday Inn on the west side. Take a cab, I'll be outside." He said to her before ending the call. Benji wanted to kick his own ass for what he just did, but it was too late. He just hope that he wasn't being stupid all because of the guilt that he felt. Despite the fact of him being a tough guy with a cold exterior, he was still human and guilt still was a thing for him.
He sighed and hopped up from the bed. He threw on a hoodie and headed downstairs to wait for her. He'd claimed a bench nearby and sat with his hand inside of his pocket on his burner, just in case he had to use it. Surprisingly, he hadn't ever used it yet. He wish it would've been used when Rick disrespected him and his mother, but he knew it would come in due time.
Within the next twenty minutes, a yellow cab pulled up to the hotel and stopped. At the sight of Benji on the bench, Maleah hopped out the car and ran over to him with bare feet. Benji stood up from the bench and she hugged him, despite there not being opened arms. Benjiman was still figuring shit out in his head and was too focused on that right now to do this.
"BG!" She cried as she held onto him tightly. He got her hands off of him and held each of her arms in his hand as he looked at her with an irritated look on his face. He regretted this already. Rick putting his hand on Maleah did make Benji feel a way, but not enough to be all sentimental about the situation either.
"Look Maleah, you know I ain't with the crying." He told her off the jump and she sighed and fell back. It was crazy that she'd hoped for him to be more gentle and caring towards her through this, but she was the one at fault for hoping or thinking he'd be that way.
"I'm sorry, it's just .. I don't know what I'm about to do BG," she said as she dried her eyes. Still, BG was in a head battle with himself. Inside, he wasn't only battling with himself but contemplating whether he wanted to bring a woman he didn't trust up where it was he laid his head. Maleah had crossed him once before and he didn't put it pass her that she could do it to him again. BG was good at reading people's vibe and energy. He knew she was genuine, but he'd been wrong about her before so he was hesitant.
"Come on," he finally stated. With his hands dug in his pockets, he led her up to his room. In his mind, he prayed that his decision didn't cost him.
The two of them went inside of his room. Benji gave her a few towels and one of his t-shirts and shorts to change into. Maleah went inside with the door open and cleaned herself up. In this time, BG hid the bag with all of his work and money. Maleah hadn't been that type of girl before, but you just never know. He kept his gun stuffed in his pocket, in case of anything was to pop off he'd be prepared to go at it too.
"Thank you," she mumbled to him. Maleah really did appreciate Benji for doing this for her, it brought the ounces of hope for them back into her mind again.
"Don't sweat it," he responded nonchalantly. He sat at the table with a blank expression as he stared at a final minute of the basketball game he'd watched. It was her who sat on the bed awkwardly, like she had something she wanted to say but couldn't get it out.
"You good?" He found himself asking. Something in him still cared about her. It wasn't even the same as how he did once before. He had love for her, but he'd never love her like he did. She was once the only girl he'd ever thought about loving other than his mom. He wasn't even sure that it was love he once felt. He knew for sure though that he could never see her as the same girl after what she did with Rick.
Maleah nodded her head as she continued to sit on the bed with her hands in her lap. He could tell that she was conflicted and wanted so bad to be accepted by him, but he wasn't going for anything more than what it was with her. He kept his distance, but still he helped her out and showed her he did care too.
"I'm sorry BG," she mumbled as she stood in front of the table. Maleah felt vulnerable in this moment, but she didn't know if Benji cared enough for her to vent to him. She stood playing with her fingers as she was battling with herself if she wanted to open up to him. Honestly, it was if he would even let her do so.
"What you sorry for?" Benji questioned, this caused her to look up at him. In her mind, this was his invite for her to vent and let him know how she felt so with the quickness and thoughts of it bring them closer, it was what she went for and took the opportunity too.
"Everything," she sighed. "I never meant to hurt you BG and I'm sorry that I did. If I coul-" Maleah stated, but Benji held his hand up to stop her from saying it all over again. Honestly, he didn't want to hear a sob story over again. She her been saying the same shit, but it still didn't make him feel the how he once did.
"It's cool Maleah. I don't wanna talk about it. What's yo plans? No offense, but you can't stay here like this with me. I'm giving you tonight, but I need you to get yo shit figured out by the morning." Benji's comment had shut down all her plans and made her back away from him. It honestly crushed her, but she should've seen it coming from Benji. He was cold now and she knew it was somewhat because of her actions too.
"I know," she sighed and at on the bed. "I guess I will call my sister in the morning. I haven't talked to Morgan in months, but hopefully she'll let me come since she is the only person I have left. I said some hurtful shit to her in the past, so I got a lot of apologizing to do. I guess you weren't the only person I hurt while being with Rick," she sighed and slid under the covers.
"Sounds like a plan," he nodded.
"Thank you again BG," she smiled as she got herself comfortable in the bed. After the beating Rick put on her, she was truly exhausted. Maleah really did love Benjiman for things like this and he didn't know it, but when he helped her it only made her fall harder. He was always saving her and it's what made it clear to her that she needed BG in her life in every way.
Benji sat at the table in silence as he watched the TV. Maleah had drifted to sleep by now, but he couldn't bring himself to even try it. He was super tired, but it wasn't in his plans for tonight. He sat there for hours of the night, looking and waiting for anything. It had finally rolled around to twelve and Benji couldn't go another minute without something to snack on.
After staring at Maleah long and hard to make sure she was asleep, he left the room quietly and headed to get some snacks. Benji was a picky eater, so there wasn't much that he liked to eat. That could've been because of the little things they had to eat when he'd been growing up, or the repetitive meal. Either way, if it wasn't some shit he liked he wasn't eating it. He hated trying new things, it was hard to get him too.
He stood in front of the snack machine and finally he came across a bag of plain Lays chips. He bought two bags of them and even brought a bag of M&M candy for Maleah because she loved them growing up as a kid. Once he was satisfied with his choice, he headed back around the corner to his room but he had a bad feeling arising in his gut. He went to turn the corner onto the floor his room was on, but caught himself once he took note of his room door being kicked in.
At the sight, Benji dropped the snacks in the middle of the floor as he went for his gun and rushed to the room. The dude wearing all black went inside and a gunshot went off. So many thoughts rushed through his mind as he made his way into the room to find a man with his gun pointed directly at Maleah.
"Where the fuck he at Maleah?" The guy spoke in a loud and baritone voice. Benjiman instantly got all angry, now knowing that the person had come for him specifically. His mind was bugging, he'd never been in a situation like this before but there had to be a first time for everything and he'd handle his.
"I don't know!" She cried loudly until BG came into the room. He had a finger over his mouth for her to shut the fuck up with all the loud screaming. That was the wrong move because the guy noticed. Before he could turn completely around, Benji had him in a chokehold. The gun went off again causing Maleah to scream as she fell back into the bed.
It's crazy that Benjiman didn't shoot first being that he had a gun, but it just wasn't his first instinct yet. He was a fighter, not a killer. He'd been taught by a bunch of old gangsters how to fight with his hands, he was a beast at it too especially from jail. It was in his nature to fight. He'd never killed anybody, so it wasn't his first instinct to think with his gun.
"You bout to die today boy," the dude shouted as he backed Benji into a wall hard, elbowing him right in his stomach winding him. Benji stood up and gained his breath before BG smacked the gun from his hand sending it flying across the room. It was hit time now and he went at the dude's head. He was on the leaner side, but he definitely knew how to hold his own.
Benji shoved the masked man against the wall again and ripped his mask off his face. He wasn't even the least bit shocked to see that it was Rick's brother Q. That made Benji even angrier as he punched him in his face, leaving his shit leaking. Q got a few shots at Benji too, but it didn't phase him one bit either. His childhood days of fighting made him be able to eat a punch easily and bounce back even harder.
In the midst of the two men tussling with both of the guns scattered around the floor, Maleah hopped up. Just as Q had punched Benji out, Maleah went for a gun and Q lunged at her, knocking her over the glass table. She fell through the glass and it shattered over the floor, cutting her legs up in the process which got a series of screaming out of her mouth. Tears leaked from her eyes as she tried to bare with the pain.
Just as Q went for his gun, Benji was already a step ahead of him. Quincy didn't even get the opportunity to stand up straight before the gun was dug unto the back of his head. Angry was an understatement as to how Benji felt in this moment. He had so much shit running through his mind, but he wouldn't make the same mistake Rick had made. BG pulled the trigger, loading Quincy's head with a hollow tip and letting his body hit the carpet. Instantly, blood leaked from his head, staining the tan carpet in crimson red.
Benji didn't know what to do next or how to feel. He had caught his first body and it was his ex homeboy's big brother. He didn't know if he was suppose to feel good about it or not, but he didn't waste any time to sit and figure it out. As he gripped the gun tightly, he looked over at Maleah. In this moment he could not seem to shake the feeling that he'd been played. It's like she knew exactly what he was thinking too.
"BG, don't look at me like that. You know I wouldn't ever do something like that to you." She cried as she slowly pulled herself from the glass, moaning in pain from all the cuts she now wore. She turned her head and Benji raised the gun and pointed it towards her.
"That's funny. Cause' it's a big coincidence that I let yo cross ass come here and this shit happen." Benji said in a blunt voice as he gripped the gun tightly. It would be one less problem he had to deal with if she wasn't breathing anymore, but he wasn't sure either.
"BG, please!" She cried loudly as she held her hands up defense. Maleah's body started to shake from how afraid she was in this moment. She didn't know what to do or what to say, afraid that he would do what he had just done to Quincy. Maleah knew it looked like she had set him up and she knew it's exactly what he was thinking too and she hated to be in the hot seat.
As Benji stood there with the gun pointed at her for a couple minutes, his mind raced. He didn't know if he could trust Maleah after what she'd done to him. She had seemed genuine to him, but one could never be so sure of another person's character. After he'd had a moment of thought with her bawling in his face, he finally lowered the gun from her face giving her that sense of relief she needed. Maleah was happy that it wasn't her last day living, but still she wasn't so sure.
"Maleah, did you set me up?" Benji asked her with a tone that told her not to fuck with him. This wasn't a side of Benji that she was accustomed too, so it really scared her to death to see him this way. This was all new to her and she was shocked. With tears staining her face, she shook her head no quickly.
"Do you really think I'd do something like that to you of all people? I would never. I love you too much. All of the things you've done for me, including tonight. I was fool for betraying you once, but I'd never do the things I did again." She spoke to him between tears.
"We gotta go." He said as he grabbed his backpack as well as his duffel bag full of his belongings out of the closet. He made sure he had everything that was his, not leaving anything behind to tie him to the scene. The two of them moved quickly and before long they were out walking the streets in search of a new place to lay until this shit was all sorted out properly.
Benji had so many things racing through his mind. It was shocking to him that he'd killed someone and he didn't feel any different than before. He expected the feeling of guilt or remorse to come over him, but that feeling never came. It was then that he knew he was a natural born hustler with a killer instinct and there was no denying it to himself. One thing was for sure and two for certain, Rick was gone feel him for this invasion of privacy and that was on Brenda.
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Hope you all enjoyed.
Excuse any minor errors.
Tell a friend to tell a friend.
Questions. Comments. Concerns.
I have a few questions of my own.
- Despite the invasion, do you think Benji should've allowed Maleah to come where he laid his head in the first place or should he have not helped her?
- So, a lot of y'all said that you hadn't seen Benjiman in any situations to reveal how he'd handle himself. So tell me, how well do you think he handled himself with both Rick early on and in the end?
- Do you think that Maleah really set Benji up or do you think that she's a genuine person towards him? Should he have killed her when he had the chance or did she deserve the second chance at life he gave?
- So, a lot of y'all are digging the waitress just from the one encounter. How do y'all feel about her? Does she have a reason to be the way she is because of her past or is Benji right and you have to leave the past and focus on what you have left?
- Love Vanessa 🖤