Page 139 of Just Listen
I’d felt bad about falling in love with somebody else. Would always say that Paisley didn’t deserve the way that I’d hurt her. So, my intentions were to make sure that she was straight, regardless. I knew that it would be hard for her to accept that we were done, but I just knew that a girl like Paisley would eventually get it through her head and find somebody else. Then we could’ve become something like distant friends. Where we occasionally checked in to make sure that the other was still breathing, while going on to live our separate lives.
You couldn’t have paid me to believe that she’d put her people in our business, because she’d never done so in the past. I also never would’ve imagined having to lay her daddy down. They’d forced my hand, and we couldn’t take none of it back, but I’d naively assumed that everything was finally over.
Even with Paisley starting most of the shit, she’d never been a target. Even if her daddy was targeting my woman, I wasn’t focusing on her. Because in my mind, Paisley had just beenletting her emotions get the best of her, and that could just be considered a scorned woman thing. She hadn’t forced her family to take any of the actions they had, so I would just deal with them. And them only.
As far as I was concerned, Paisley was a civilian, but that all changed when she decided to put money on people’s head and shit. I was mad at myself, because I could’ve been eliminated her, but I didn’t think that I had to. Then I couldn’t bring myself to tell Jaylah this shit, and run the risk of stressing her out. So, I’d just been keeping her closer than close, and thankfully, she just assumed that I was being my overbearing self.
“You know, Ion even do shit like this in person,” I admitted. “Usually, it’s over, before you can see it coming. But with you, it’s different. I didn’t want it to ever come to this. And I’m still asking why. Why the fuck couldn’t you just walk away? Why did you get your daddy involved? And what the fuck would posses you to put money on Jaylah’s head?”
She tried to respond, but PJ still had his hand over her mouth.
I sighed. “P, let her talk.”
“You’re right,” Paisley immediately blurted, as her breasts heaved up and down, and beads of sweat dripped down her face. “I should’ve never involved my daddy. But…but this is all Jaylah’s fault! She should’ve never laid down with you, while we were going through our shit! Then she pulled that gun on my daddy. That’s what pushed everything forward. It was all her!”
Grimacing, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, and right then, I knew that Paisley was too far gone to reason with. “So, I take your daddy, and you focus on her? How does that even make sense?”
“Because with her dead, we would both be even. A loss for a loss.”
PJ lightly chuckled. “Say, Ion know how you missed it, my nigga, but this bitch is nuts. Listening to her, I really believe that she put money on Jaylah’s head and not yours, because she was hoping that y’all could still be together.”
Paisley’s nostrils flared. “We would’ve been even. Then I told my daddy that he was going too far. So, so, I get why you did what you did.”
“And she still would’ve fucked with you,” PJ added. “Ion think I want a bitch to love me that much.”
“So, you thought that putting money on Jaylah’s head, while she’s pregnant with my fucking baby was gonna end well for you?” I fumed.
“She didn’t have no business being pregnant in the first fucking place!” She stomped, throwing a full tantrum. “That was supposed to be me! That bitch don’t deserve youuuuuu!”
I shook my head in extreme disappointment. “You mental, man. And I can’t fucking save you.” I turned to leave out the way I’d come in. “PJ, handle that.”
“No, Khamere—"
Even with the silencer, I heard when he pulled the trigger, before her body hit the floor with a thud, causing me to briefly pause.
Angrily, I curled my lips. “Fuck.”
~~~The Epilogue~~~
A year later…
Malice
Pulling back up to Jaylah’s parents’ house, I knew that Jaylah was probably cussing me out by now. I’d told her that I’d forgotten something at home, and had to go get it. I’d been gone for over a hour now, and she’d called me a few times.
She told me that it was my fault that our baby boy, Khamere III, my carbon copy, was spoiled rotten. Ms. Shelia was still around to help, but my son was extra attached to his daddy, and would often cut up, if I wasn’t around. So, when Jaylah got to calling, I knew that she was getting overwhelmed. That’s why I was speedwalking back to the house.
It was Sunday, so the house was packed, as usual. Then as soon as I stepped through the door, I shoulder bumped that running back nigga, Tito.
“Aye, what’s up, Malice, man?” He cheerfully greeted, like I hadn’t just bumped him intentionally.
I hooded my eyes. “When you leaving?”
“Umm?” He uncomfortably scratched the side of his face. “I—”
“I see you back,” Jeremy Junior, Jhyrah’s husband, approached us.
“Yeah, I am.”
