Page 74 of Color Me Broken
Juelz exhaled hard, the tension in his shoulders letting go just a little.
“But,” Kenji added, “If she doesn’t? If she decides she's done with all that pain, and wanna build something new with me? You gotta respect that too.”
Juelz nodded, patting his chest even though the man couldn’t see him. “Fair enough. But she comin’ back to DaDa.”
“Look! I’m not your enemy, Juelz,” Kenji said. “We are both just two niggas who see the same light in the same woman. The difference is, I woulda never let that light dim.”
The line went quiet.
Then Juelz took the phone from his ear and, placing it in front of his mouth, ending the call with: “Well, good luck nigga!”
Click.
Juelz stood still, phone in hand, heart pounding. Now all he had to do?
Find Tasha… and show her what love looked like when a manfinallygot his shit right.
Saturday had finally come,and the sun was casting a warm summer glow over the backyard as Tasha’s surprise party got into full swing. The laughter and music filled the air, along with the scent of barbecue traveling from the grill where Mar and Sintonio were working their magic. Kane sat back, sipping on a cold beer, controlling the playlist, while Niyah placed the deck of cards on the back table and screamed at them.“Don’t start trying to make up new damn rules for UNO today, with y’all cheating asses.”
Tasha was laughing, with her hand on her forehead, watching it all, with so much gratitude in her heart. She was so thankful for the outpouring love and support, but she couldn’t help but miss the one part of her that made her whole.Juelz.Hersister, Tiffany, bustled around, gathering the kids and making sure everyone had something to eat or drink. Tasha caught her sister’s eye and mouthed a ‘thank you,’ earning a big smile in return.
As the party went on, Tasha felt a sudden chill, like someone had walked over her grave. She turned to see the last two people she wished she’d never seen again.Shyann and Nurse Kenya.They were approaching, smiles plastered on their faces, one holding a balloon reading "Happy 29th birthday" and the other holding a gift bag. Tasha’s blood ran cold. Today was not the day she planned to see their trifling asses. The memory of Shyann’s betrayal still stung.
“Tasha, happy birthday,” Shyann said, her voice calm and apologetic. “And congratulations on your remission. That’s amaze?—”
POP
Tasha cut Shyann's speech off by popping the fake ass balloon she walked up with. They weren’t even sure where the hell Tasha got the knife from that fast. “What y’all bitches doin’ here?”
Kenya's mouth hung open as she dropped the now-deflated balloon. “I wanted to stop by to wish you well and to apologize. I know I shouldn’t have let Shy talk me into that, but I am sorry.”
Tasha twirled the knife in her hand, licking her lips. “Fuck your sorry! Y’all got two seconds to get the fuck outta my yard before I drive this muthafuckin’ knife through both you bitches heartless ass hearts.”
Shyann’s smile turned upside down. She still secretly wanted the life Tasha had, even though Juelz was out of the picture. Hell, Shyann was so pathetic that she’d take the cancer too, just to gain the sympathy of others. The girl needed help, seriously.
Niyah stepped between them, removing the knife from Tasha's hand as she bucked her eyes at her. “Shyann, y’all hadno right coming here. You both need to leave before I give Tasha this knife back.” She pointed to the black fence. “Go on out of here, Shy. Fuck!”
“But…but?—”
Shyann stuttered, trying to say another word, but Tasha grabbed her by the arm and dragged her towards the fence. “Bababa, hell. Getcha ass the fuck outta here.”
Shyann struggled, trying to break free, but Tasha’s grip was like a baby’s grip that snatched your food out of your plate. Once outside the fence, Tasha tossed her out as if she were yesterday’s garbage. Kenya's eyes were flashing with anger and embarrassment, and so were Shyann’s. Tasha had just punked her in front of everybody once again. And she was over it.
“Fuck around and find out if y’all want to, bitch,” said Tasha, slamming the fence shut. She took a deep breath in, then blew it out, trying to calm down. She turned to see the faces of her friends and family because they had never seen her that upset. But they understood her frustration.
She turned away from the fence and joined her guests to continue celebrating her birthday and her remission. She was not going to let those two sour her mood. Five minutes later, Juelz stepped through the fence with a puzzled look on his face. He searched the crowd, spotting Sintonio and Mar. “Whaddup, nigga?” Juelz asked as he approached them.
Mar dapped him up first. “What’s up withchu, boy?”
“Shit! Look like I picked the wrong fuckin’ time to fall through,” he said, rubbing the waves in his head. “I saw Shyann ass getting’ Jazzy Jeffed out the back yard by Tasha ass.”
Sintonio laughed as he took a pull from his blunt. “Hell yeah! Got both them bitches the fuck outta here.”
Mar agreed, laughing. “Tasha strong as hell too, nigga.” He started play boxing the air. “You better watch out. She might Muhammad Ali your ass.”
Juelz shook his head as he now locked eyes with Tasha across the lawn. “Man, lemme go holla at this crazy ass girl real quick. I’ll be back.”
“Ight, nigga. Poke ya chest out on your way,” said Mar as he headed for the stairs to vibe with Kane.
