Page 6 of Session 25

My jaw tightened as my fist balled up. Part of me wanted to cause a scene, but I could tell her aunt was ready to pop off if need be. She spotted me first, tapping Koi on her arm. Koi turned around dramatically, lip twisted up, and eyes squinted as she lifted her frames before placing them back over her eyes. Her flustered face told me all I needed to know. Koi was lit. Ice cup in her hand; I already knew what type of time she was on today.

“Sup,” I spoke to her family. Koi ignored me, giving me her back, leaning back over the gate, shaking what little drink she had left in her cup. “Let me holla at you.” I tugged on her arm. Koi pulled away forcibly, almost losing her footing.

“Nigga bye, go on back to the bitch you crawled from under this morning. Shit, I said I’m gone, and that’s what I meant.” Her tone was laced with malice. Tonight was going to be a long night, and the sun was still out. When Koi got in her feelings, there was no telling how she would react. I just stayed for the ride. She was usually the quiet type, but on liquor she was unpredictable.

“Exactly, move around Marcel. She ain’t fuckin’ with you,” Belinda spoke up. Outnumbered by her family, I stood there, scowl plastered on my face.

“Nah. This my woman and when I say it’s time to wrap this hood shit up, that’s what it is.” We had moved over ten years ago, yet I already knew Koi returned to the hood when she was on bullshit. I came here often, but she knew she was better than this, and with her career choice, she had an image to upkeep.

“Nigga please. Leave me alone before I call Duke’s crazy ass over here.” She paused, waiting for a reaction. “I said leave me alone.” She took a sip from her drink, smiling. I hit the cup, knocking it to the ground, spilling the drink. Koi jumped back to keep from getting the contents on her. “Asshole!” She shouted. The sunglasses hid her eyes, but her mouth puffed out in annoyance. “I hate you.” She turned on her heels.

“Bro, just leave her. We will get her home. She’s good.” Her cousin spoke up. I didn’t care who said something. I wasn’t leaving this block without Koi. Her sister stood off to the side typing away on her phone.

“Nah.” Koi staggered away in the opposite direction. I ran after her, grabbing her arm softly. “What the fuck, ma? You out here drinking in the fucking hood, talk to me.” When I turned her to face me, I could see the tears on her face from under her glasses.

“C’mon, Koi.”

I fucked up a lot, but I hated to see my woman cry. That’s when I realized I had pushed her to her limits. Koi wasn’t the soft, emotional female. She tucked her feelings in the back and moved with strategy instead of emotions.

“Fuck you, Marcel! You are just determined to break me, right?” She cried, pointing her index finger in my direction. “You win! You fucking win!” She shouted. Her sister jogged in our direction.

“Koi not here. Don’t let these nosey muthafuckas in your business. C’mon.” She brushed past me, hitting me harder than I expected. “Stupid ass.” Sicily rolled her eyes, pulling on Koi’s arm. I expected her not to budge, but she turned her back, sobbing.

“Fuck! I’m going to kill that bitch.” I fumbled with my phone. “Where are you taking her, Sicily?” I prayed it wasn’t to their parents’ house. Koi’s parents and I had a love-hate relationship. They were good with me as long as I didn’t bring any harm to Koi. The allegations she was spewing would for sure have them cursing me out. That was the last thing I needed today.

“Why? Go be with whatever bitch you fucking with this time.”

“You don’t even know what is going on.” I needed to save face.

“Nigga I ain’t stupid, and we ain’t fucking, so I am not blinded by whatever power you have over Koi,” she spat. “You deserve so much better.” She spoke to Koi, who had her back turned to me. “My sister is not your punching bag. She has feelings and limits, and you just keep pushing them.”

“Yo Marcel, let her go, man.” Taj called out to me. My business being in the hood wasn’t something I was cool with, so as much as I wanted to run after my woman, I had to be smart.

“Shit is crazy. This may be the last straw.” I let out an aspirated breath. “I fucked up and some bitch claiming I’m her kid’s father.”

“Nigga always thinking with his dick, that’s the fucking problem. Ain’t none of them bitches better than Koi. They don’t even hold a candle. But nah, you can’t see that.” Taj was going off. He had been around for all of me and Koi’s relationship. He was my childhood friend. Koi was the chick that all the dudes wanted, so when she dropped her guards with me, I was deemed the lucky muthafucka. And every chance I got to fuck up, I did just that.

He was right. Koi was better than every bitch I had fucked with on the side. Her only flaw was the fact she couldn’t bear a child, and that has never made me love her any less. It just wasn’t in the plan, and I was okay with that after the last pregnancy. Koi was so torn that I didn’t think she would ever heal mentally. But here we were a year later, and I now had a prospect kid.

With every bitch I fucked, none of them got pregnant. That was something I prided myself on. I was careful. So how the fuck did I slip up with her messy ass cousin?

“I don’t even know how. Shit, I don’t remember the full story, but I did give the bitch money for a Plan B.” I shook my head for dramatic effect.

“And, obviously, she didn’t get it. She knew what she was doing. You paid, take care of home, and you got a woman like Koi on ya hands. These bitches don’t want you my nigga, they want to make Koi ass mad,” he laughed as if something was funny. “And as ya boy, hold my hand while I say this. You ain’t the prize nor are you what they want. They want what you provide for Koi.”

Taj was three years older than me. Most times I came to him for advice. Out of our crew, he was the sanest muthafucka, but right about now I should have been talking to Bear instead of him. At least Bear wouldn’t talk down on a nigga when he was hurting.

“Aight now, shit. You don’t think I know that?”

“With the way you move? Nah.” He took a pull from his blunt. “But you bout to learn.” Taj and his woman had been married for two years. He had hung up his playa card and now was on the straight and narrow. I applauded him, but he had forgotten I knew about all the nights he fucked around on Dee-Dee. So, while his advice was cool. He, himself, was no saint.

“This shit wack. I’m gonna give her a night to chill but I ain’t letting up.” I took the blunt from Taj’s hand, puffing on it. “We love each other, and she knows that.” Taj didn’t speak; he just nodded.

“Nigga, what the fuck I hear you out here making a fool of my sister?” Duke spoke up from behind me. I knew it wasn’t Koi who told. Sicily hated me, and any chance she got to get Duke on someone, she would. The nigga was crazy, and as long as I was with Koi, we had only had one incident. And without going into many details, he was someone I didn’t want fucking with me.

“She’s grown, man. We had a disagreement, nothing for you to be worried about.” I told him unapologetically. There was no way I was about to let Duke try to punk me outside in front of everyone.

“It’s for me to worry about when my sister out here looking like a fucking stupid bitch for a nigga!” He puffed out his chest. “So, what’s the problem?”