Page 138 of Just Listen
I narrowed my gaze. “You do remember that I rode here with my sister, right? So, I’m not holding you up. You can literally head home.”
“Nah, I’m straight. I’ma just pull up and wait outside.”
I had to laugh at his foolishness. “You know damn well that Khari aint gone peacefully sit outside.”
“Okay, then, we’ll come in.”
“Malice.” My lips curled. “You know—”
“I’ll let you sit on my face,” he interjected.
I scooted to the edge of the couch. “Key, can you fix me some to-go plates? I’m ‘bout to go home.”
Riah shook her head, and laughed. “See, I told you, Jhyrah. You picking her up didn’t change nothing. That clingy nigga wasn’t letting her hang for too long.”
I rolled my eyes, after climbing to my feet. “See how you got them talking about me?” I pouted, as I spoke into the phone.
Not giving a damn, Malice sucked his teeth. “Man, I aint trying to hear that. I’m outside. You want your ass ate or not?”
I slid my tongue across my teeth. “Here I come.”
Three weeks later…
Paisley
I couldn’t stop rapping my nails on my steering wheel, as I listened to the phone just ring. I’d called Tee at least five times, and had gotten no response. I guess at this point, I shouldn’t’ve even been surprised.
The way everybody had switched up on me since my daddy had been killed should’ve been studied. All the dick riders were gone. My fucking daddy had been shot six times like he was nothing. Like he didn’t have a family and hadn’t given back to so many in the hood.
Niggas talked all that shit, but hadn’t done a thing to avenge his death. Meanwhile, I was tired of muthafuckas walking around like shit was sweet, so I’d taken matters into my own hands. My money was good, and I didn’t have a problem with paying, so I didn’t understand why Tee had been avoiding me.
He was supposed to be a real shooter, so I figured that he would leap at a hundred thousand payout. However, the nigga had been dragging his feet, making me become a bit anxious. All wasn’t right in my world, and wouldn’t be, until this shit was handled.
“Fuck it,” I grumbled, as I ended the call, before easing out my car.
Taking my time, I traveled up the driveway, then onto my porch, before using my key to unlock the door. Merely having to do that much grinded my gears, because the house simply wasn’t up to my standards.
Since Khamere had kicked me out of the home we shared, life had been humbling as fuck. The money I made with my daddy depended solely upon the market, and I would spend recklessly. So, I relied too much of the money that Malice had set up in those accounts. I had also grossly miscalculated his love for me.
Initially, I knew that we were going through something. I also understood that Jaylah was a real problem. However, I figured that we were the two ladies in his life, and he’d alwaystake care of me. Whether we were on or off, he would always step for me. Even if I would cut up, or clown, because he loved me.
So, although I’d shown up on Jaylah’s doorstep, I never would’ve imagined that would result in him cutting me completely off. At the time, I was too deep into the bullshit to see everything clearly. In hindsight, I should’ve never involved my family. I had always known who Malice was in the streets. My daddy did too. But I thought that his love for me and my family would prevent things from going too far.
I honestly believe that everything could’ve cooled down and leveled out eventually, if that dumb bitch Jaylah hadn’t pulled that gun on my daddy. That changed everything, and escalated the situation, for sure. I couldn’t let that go unanswered, and didn’t give a fuck about who she was kin to.
Jaylah had basically ruined my life. I had been in financial ruins, and my daddy had made a few bad investments, which had him primarily operating on credit. So, I was left with no choice but to move back in with my parents. Hell, I’d still be living with my mama, right now, if my daddy hadn’t been killed. It was his three-million-dollar insurance policies that each of us had that put us back on our feet, unfortunately.
I ended up in this house, because my mama felt that it wasn’t safe to live in ours, right then, and this house was all that I could afford, until I could get the insurance money. With my daddy being murdered, the payout took a while, and I’d finally gotten my money less than a month ago. Therefore, I hadn’t gotten around to moving yet.
Now knowing what it was like to have hard times, I promised myself that I would be wise with this money and stop living beyond my means. So, the only thing I was splurging on was that hundred-thousand-dollar ticket to get rid of my headache.
As I stepped into my house, I flicked on the light, and nearly shitted on myself as somebody placed a gloved hand over my mouth, and pressed a gun against my temple.
Malice
I stood in the middle of the living room, watching Paisley struggle against PJ. She was trying her hardest to scream, but his glove was obviously muffling the sound.
I would be lying if I said that the tears that was now streaming down her face didn’t make me feel a way. We was together for six years. Had seen a lot of shit together. Thought that we’d grow old with one another. Unfortunately for her, Jaylah happened and everything went downhill from there.
