Chapter 38
Andre's Perspective
"Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what will be."-Unknown
•••••
A man's weakness will forever be a woman. Her touch, scent, attitude, body, soul, and pure existence. A woman held all the power. Power to change a man in the best and worst of ways possible. I have a lot of respect for women and they damn sure do make me weak. The problem was I couldn't just have one woman when a huge variety of them are everywhere. Why have one when I could have countless? Pussy is something truly special and each one had its own feel and tightness. The point is women drive me crazy, and I like having my cake and eating it too. I will forever be unapologetic about that.
I stood in a concession line watching a caramel toned girl a few feet up fixing popcorn. She had velvet red hair tied in a ponytail hanging along her nice slim body with a few strains falling out in front of her face. I licked my lips waiting in line patiently to place my order. Ally and Cierra were already inside the movie theater looking at a bunch of pointless previews. I had told them I would get snacks, but hopefully, that wouldn't be the only thing I would pick up tonight. A few couples moved out of the way before I got to the front of the line getting ready to throw my charm on her. She moved over to the cash register looking up to me. Her hazel eyes increased in size as she put on a smile biting her cherry red bottom lip.
"Hi sir what can I get for you today?" She had a cockney accent, English maybe?
I looked at her up and down shamelessly, "let me get a medium-size bucket of popcorn and two large blueberry slushies."
She logged the menu items into the computer glancing back up at me every now and then.
"Alright, will that be all?"
"Nah its not."
She looked confused, the smile leaving her pretty face.
"Can I get yo phone number too?"
Her smile resurfaced as she shifted all of her weight onto one leg.
"Sure but I can't do that while I'm on duty we have a strict no fraternizing with customers policy." She said with a toothy grin.
"Damn that's too bad." I shrugged.
"I get off in an hour."
"Aight I'll be back out here."
She giggled nodding her head.
"Could yall hurry the hell up its other people in this damn line." A dude behind me yelled out as other customers agreed with him.
"Man calm yo ass down we wasn't even takin that long," I said as the cashier rushed to fix my popcorn.
"Nah you need to calm yo ass down and get numbers on yo free time we gotta movie to catch."
I turned around facing the dude, he stood with his arm wrapped around a girl observing me. We sized each other up as the cashier came back to the register.
"Alright, that will be fourteen twenty-six." She said placing the slushies in a cup holder.
I shook my head turning back around pulling a twenty-dollar bill from my wallet.
"You lucky I got somethin' to lose." She gave me my change before I grabbed the snacks leaving the line.
"See you in an hour." The redhead said smiling at me.
"Hell yeah"
When I entered the theatre the first part of the movie had already begun. I quietly walked up the steps to Cierra and Ally's row. Ally spotted me pointing to a seat next to her before returning her gaze back to the movie. I sat down handing them the slushies and popcorn.
"Thanks Dre," Cierra said eating some of the popcorn.
"No problem"
"Took you long a damn enough, I thought I was gonna have to come and find you." Ally sipped from her slushie.
"I was buyin' yall snacks be grateful."
She shook her head.
The movie was long as hell and boring. Cierra and Ally kept holding onto one another anytime some shit popped out, but if you asked me it was predictable. I had fallen asleep through the second half of the movie after checking my phone for notifications several times. When I awoke the credits were rolling and Ally was nudging me.
"Get yo ass up the movie is over."
I registered what was going on standing up to exit the row as Ally and Cierra followed. I had completely forgotten about the cashier she was probably gone by now anyway. We left out of the theatre as Cierra and Ally threw the empty box of popcorn and slushy cups in a nearby trash bin.
"How could you go to sleep during a scary movie?" Cierra asked.
"That shit was lame." I stretched feeling tired.
"Hold up yall let me pee right quick," Ally said rushing over to the bathroom.
"Hurry up I'm ready to hit the sheets."
"Alright"
"Are you and Ally coming to the lake picnic next week?" Cierra asked trying to start a conversation.
"Yeah everybody supposed to be comin'."
"Oh...even Owen?"
"Yeah," I shrugged my shoulders not understanding why that was relevant.
Ally appeared from the bathroom.
"Alright let's go."
We headed for the lobby door exiting it walking out into the cold air. It was now pitch dark as we all walked over to my car. As we were walking through the parking lot some random nigga walked past Ally and whistled.
"Damn thick thighs, I need to see what that's bout." He dapped up some other nigga as they continued walking past.
This nigga really was bold enough to catcall my sister in front of me. Ally chuckled shaking her head. My blood boiled at his disrespectful actions.
"Aye nigga you need to watch yo mouth when you addressin' my sister," I called out stopping in my tracks.
He turned around face growing of seriousness, "Nigga what did you just say?"
"Nigga you heard me, now take yo clown ass on before I fuck up yo line of vision." I clenched my fists.
Ally grabbed my arm as Cierra looked around shocked. People in the parking lot stopped to see what was going on.
"Andre come on let's go it's not that big of a deal." Ally said tugging on my arm.
"Nah what he said don't sit right with me."
"I don't care what don't sit right with you punk ass nigga, you ain't gon do shit."
He carried on as his homeboy hyped him up.
"Andre they're just trying to fuck with you now come on." Ally continued pulling me in the opposite direction.
Her words were going in one ear and out the other.
"Are you really about to risk losing your job over this?"
I gave in turning around to walk with her and Cierra finally taking in what she had to say.
"Yeah nigga listen to yo sister." The dude continued talking like he didn't know what was best for him.
I ignored him wanting nothing more but to have his ass leaking blood.
"You better shut the fuck up before I come over there and knock yo ass out myself." Ally turned around defending me then we continued walking to the car.
"Shawty got a lil attitude too, I like that. I wonder what her throat feels like?"
When those words left his mouth I saw nothing but red. All sense of reality was thrown to the wind and it felt as if time had stopped. The only thing I remembered was putting his ass in a full Nelson and throwing several blows to his ugly ass Nestle Crunch face. I remember Ally and Cierra pulling me up off of him when sirens were heard in the distance, and I remember Ally and Cierra pushing me in the car as I continued talking my shit. My memory didn't restore until after we were on the highway. I sat in the backseat as Ally drove with an angry expression on her face and Cierra sat in the passenger seat witnessing it all. It seemed as if we were driving forever as I observed my sore bloody knuckles feeling not an ounce of regret. We pulled up into Cierra's driveway as she grabbed her purse getting ready to get out the car.
"Well we can't say tonight was boring." Cierra said laughing.
Ally shook her head, "bye girl I'll see you later."
They both shared a hug.
"Good luck with your knuckles Andre."
I ignored her comment staring out the window as she exited the car. Ally watched her go inside safely waving.
"I'm not yo damn chauffeur so you can get up here in the front seat." Ally said obviously having an attitude with me.
I got out the backseat slamming the door before getting in on the passenger's side. Ally drove off heading towards the direction of my apartment confusing me. When we arrived she parked in a parking spot turning off the car engine.
"Why you turning off the car?" I asked.
She said nothing unfastening her seatbelt.
"We need to talk." Her voice was serious as she threw me my keys almost hitting me in the face with them stepping out of the car. She walked towards my front door as I followed. Her arms were crossed as I unlocked the front door with my good hand walking inside. Ally locked the front door turning on my lights before heading over to the bathroom down the hall.
I sighed walking over to the living room couch falling back on it. I threw my head back closing my eyes. Ally came back into the living room sitting down beside me with my first aid kit grabbing my bloody sore hand with force.
"Ouch shit." I flinched as she cleaned up the blood with cotton balls and wet wipes.
She didn't prepare me for the burn as she applied alcohol to the torn skin.
"Damn Ally that shit hurts."
She ignored me continuing to clean up the sores before wrapping my hand up in a bandage and applying an ice pack lightly. She then got up to put the kit back up. I knew she wanted me to feel guilty and apologize, but I wouldn't, that nigga got what he deserved. Certain things you just shouldn't do unless you want your ass beat. Why talk shit if you can't back it up? She came back into the living room pacing back and forth recollecting her thoughts.
"Ally sit down."
"Andre let me explain somethin' to you." She cut me off pointing a finger in my direction.
"This will be my last and final time explaining this." She closed her eyes as I looked around with nothing to say.
"I am a grown woman okay, if I feel that a man is disrespecting me I can handle it. I don't need you throwing punches and cursing folks out, we're not kids anymore." Her voice was laced with anger as she continued talking with a booming voice all over the apartment.
"All of that wasn't even called for. You think I care about some wack ass nigga sayin' stupid shit about me?"
"I mean at the end of the day ain't nobody gon talk to you any kind of way in my presence so you can get upset all you want," I said shrugging my shoulders in a nonchalant manner.
She put her head down before looking up at me again, "Andre I can't deal with you anymore. You've always been like this, some things get old. You're too controlling."
"I'm just trying to look out for you Ally damn," I yelled. I was becoming irritated.
"You can't wear this, you can't go there, you can't date him goddammit Andre you are not my father you are my brother act like it!" She screamed shocking me.
"I am not a little girl anymore!"
I was sick of this shit, her acting as if this was all my fault. At this point, I had to let some steam off and she was going to hear all of it regardless of her feelings.
"No you don't know what you're doing and you never have! When you got cheated on for the first time I was there to knock some sense into that nigga and when you got pregnant junior year I supported you along the way when momma threatened to kick you out on the damn streets. When you had an abortion I was there. When you were labeled a hoe in these streets it was me out there fuckin up niggas for talking down on you. It was always me so excuse me for looking out for yo thick-headed ass because you never know what the fuck you're doing Ally!"
Her eyes started to water as she cut her gaze towards the floor. I acted off of impulse wanting to get my point across and as a result, I ended up hurting her more.
"Ally I didn't mean it like that."
"I'm going home." She said in a soft voice still looking down at the floor.
"Ally," she walked off opening up the front door to walk out.
I said nothing grabbing my key standing up. Suddenly my heart hurt more than the pain of my damaged knuckles. She walked to her car at a fast pace as I followed her outside. Ally fastened her seatbelt quickly trying to exit the parking spot the fastest way possible.
"Ally I'm sorry I wasn't trying to hurt you I was only trying to protect you."
She rolled down the car door window, "I don't need protection or a bodyguard, I need a brother I hope you can understand that one day."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I'm done. Until you can start acting like my brother you're cut off. Don't call me, don't text me, and when you see me don't utter a word Andre."
"Ally you serious right now?"
She ignored me.
"Ally"
She rolled the window back up turning on the car backing out of the parking lot. I couldn't believe she was actually trying to stop talking to me over some bullshit like this.
I understood where Ally was coming from, but she had to understand my viewpoint as well. We never grew up with a man in the house and my momma was always busy so that left me to take care of things. I had to grow up fast as hell. When momma needed somebody to watch Ally while she worked late nights it was me playing babysitter washing clothes and fixing meals. When we were tight on money and needed a few bills paid it was me who had to hit the streets at a young age to gather up some money every now and then. It was always me not my coward ass father. As much as Ally wanted me to back off I couldn't, it was grained in me.
38
KelisAjanee
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