Page 10 of Still Yours

“What’s up, Ms. Barber? It’s finally nice to meet you in person. I been seeing you outside for years, and this nigga always talkin’ about Pretti this, Pretti that. For you not to be his girl, he buys you a lot of food and shoes!” Burner Man laughed as he drove off into the night.

“He’s my best friend. That’s what he’s supposed to do,” she shot back at him.

“Nah, that’s what ya’ man supposed to do. Nigga do more shit for you than his girlfriend. Why you don’t do nothin’ for Kayla, man? She a hoe, but she loves you.” He continued to laugh.

Burner Man’s mouth was running like water. Dexz had never told her about his girlfriend. She thought he was single or just slept around. She didn’t know he had something official. He was still with Kayla, and their relationship had gotten deep. She had gone from just fucking him and feeding him to letting him stash dope in her house and having her bag it up for him. He would never put her in situations he had his girl in, but he knew Pretti wouldn’t understand, so he never spoke about his relationship to her. She was innocent when it came to street business and the type of relationships she had with certain people.

“Yo, bro, you need to chill,” Dexz said to Burner Man, slightly agitated.

“Nah, he don’t need to chill. I didn’t know you had a girl… I thought I was your best friend. Why don’t I know about her?” Pretti crossed her arms.

“Because it’s not important.”

“Yeah, whatever. Must not be too much of a girlfriend…”

“Well, all I know is I’m coming by to get a cut by you tomorrow. This nigga be out here NY fly, tryna outdo me, and he only seventeen!” Burner Man was twenty-three, but he had love for Dexz. He always cracked on him about how fly he was. He had been in California for a while, but his NY swag was embedded in him. Burner thought it was dope and even started dressing a little like him.

“I got you. Just come by wherever we’ll be staying…”

After hearing he was hiding a girlfriend, she had all her questions answered. Although he was looking out for her, she had nothing else to say to him for the night. When they were checked into their hotel, she showered and got ready for bed.

$$$$

The next morning, Pretti woke up to the smell of McDonald’s breakfast and weed. When she opened her eyes and looked over at Dexz’s bed, she saw him smoking a blunt with his eyes pierced on her.

“‘Bout time you woke up. I got breakfast and our morning blunt,” he said as he handed it to her. No matter what, they smoked a blunt together in the morning and ate breakfast at McDonald’s.

When she sat up to hit the blunt, she felt her head pounding, and between her legs were soaked. She knew she had slept too long and had bled through her sweats. She was embarrassed, so she continued to lie in her red spot while she hit the blunt.

“Damn, girl. Rhonda fucked you up. Your eye is black.” He looked at her swollen left eye.

“Oh my God, for real?” She reached for her phone and turned on the camera. She couldn’t believe how purple her eye was, and she was so angry. “No wonder my head is hurting. I’m going to need some ice and some sunglasses. I can’t miss school tomorrow.”

“Well, you’re going to have to. I talked to Rhonda this morning. She don’t want us back, but she still wants money from the state. She agreed to not report us missing if we don’t tell anyone what happened, and she keeps getting her checks.”

“And you agreed to that?” She raised her eyebrow.

“Yeah, I’m not trying to go to no fucking group home when we out this shit in three months. Fuck them checks; that bitch will get what she deserves one day. Right now, we gotta focus on us, so you can’t go to school until your eye is healed. If the school sees that, they will be asking questions.”

“I remember the first time Rhonda laid hands on me. I had just moved in and asked her what she was going to do around the house. She slapped me, and from that day, I did everything I could to keep her from putting her hands on me again. I had never had anyone lay hands on me before. I’ve been from a group home to an orphanage, and I’ve never had a fight. Everyone wanted to be my play mother or sister as my protector. Yesterday showed me I have to start standing up for myself before I become a weak bitch,” she admitted.

“I can teach you how to fight.” He smirked.

“Yeah, I want to learn how to fight and use a gun before I’m eighteen, so I’m definitely going to need your help.”

“I got you… But I want to apologize for not telling you I had a girlfriend. I didn’t think you wanted to hear that.”

“Why? Because you know I wanted to be with you? Because now I don’t. You like what you like, Dexten. I can’t be mad if I’m not your type, so I’m moving on. I wish you the best of luck with your girl.”

“That’s the thing, you are my type. So much, I can’t be with you while I’m struggling. I want to give you the world, but I can’t do that right now. The girl I’m with, there are reasons why I’m with her. I’d never do you like I do her. So just be glad I don’t want to be with you right now, love.”

“Yeah, I hear you…” She handed him the blunt, wrapped the cover around her, and walked to the bathroom. She didn’t want to hear anything he had to say about him not wanting to be with her, so she showered to get her mind together.

When she came out, Dexz was sitting at the table eating his food. She sat across from him, not saying a word. She wondered what his girlfriend did for him that she couldn’t do. Then she remembered she was a virgin. She probably was satisfying his needs in ways Pretti knew she couldn’t…

Chapter 5

OUR DAY