Hell House (5 page)

“I'm not sure. You look so familiar, but I can't put my finger on it. Anyway, I'm Sylvia.”

“Jaylin,” he answered, then placed his cologne on a shelf. “Not sure where I know you from either, but considering that I know a whole lot of women, ain't no telling. Just glad I switched those nametags again.”

I didn't understand what he was saying about the nametags, so I didn't comment on that. “So, you've had that many women where you can't remember who you've met before, huh?”

I couldn't help but to laugh. This man was a knockout, and I was sure keeping up with his women was difficult. I knew he hadn't had me—not yet anyway.

“Women, knuckleheads, losers…whatever you want to call some of them. But as nice looking as you are, I would remember you.”

I blushed, definitely appreciating the compliment. The thirty pounds I lost must have helped and the long braids I had done last weekend made me look younger. If I didn't do anything else, I took care of myself. My whole attitude was much better, and I realized that hurting other people to get what I wanted wasn't the best way to go. Losing Jonathan and my best friend, Dana, was a wake-up call.

“I appreciate the compliment, Jaylin, and I don't have to tell you how much I think you got it going on, do I?”

I swear his smile was to die for. He teased me and it was good
to see that he had a great sense of humor. “Go ahead and tell me,” he said, folding his arms across his chest. “Let me hear it, baby, and give it all you got.”

I playfully pushed his shoulder, refusing to comment and let his head swell anymore. “Later,” I said, walking giddily to the other side of the closet in my tight red pants and stilettos. I figured he was checking me out, and when I turned around he was.

“You ain't no fun, Miss Sylvia. And don't tell me you're too chicken to speak.”

Disagreeing with what he'd said, I folded my arms and took a few steps forward. “I'm a lot of fun, just wait and see. But in the meantime, I need to hang up my clothes and think hard about where it is that I know you from.”

“Let me know when you come up with something. I'm about to get out of here and go make some noise with the other people out there. See you when I see you.”

Jaylin left the closet and all I could do was sigh from relief. He definitely made me feel some kind of way, and my thoughts hadn't turned this naughty in a very long time. I was even more hyped about being here now, thanks to him.

After I finished hanging my clothes and getting my accessories in order, I left the room to go join the others. Everyone was sitting in the living room area watching the football game. I sat next to Jaylin, since he was on the far side of the couch away from the others. He didn't take his eyes off the television, and neither did Roc who sat with his legs propped on the table. Jada was dipping her hands into some of the peanuts on the table and popping them into her mouth. And Chase kept eyeing Jada from the corner of her eye. I could tell they wouldn't get along in the house, and I didn't know if I would be able to cope with them either. Jada had already proven herself to be a nuisance and Chase was too catty.

“No offense,” Chase said to Jada. “But I hope your hands are clean. Someone else may want some of those peanuts, so would it be asking too much if you went and got something from the kitchen to put your peanuts in?”

Jada stared at Chase with her jaw dropped. “While you're hopin' that my hands are clean, I'm hopin' that your ass is, since you got it all tooted in the air for others to see it. If you want me to find somethin' to put my peanuts in, why don't you get up yourself and go get it? If not, then shut the hell up and keep on watchin' TV. Thank you.”

“Look, you don't have to get all snippy about it. I was merely making a suggestion, and with all of us being in this house, cleanliness is very important.”

“You got that right,” Jaylin said, adding his two cents. “I get what she's saying and nobody wants to dig their hands into a bowl of peanuts that you've, basically, washed your hands in.”

Jada jumped up from the couch and snatched the bowl of peanuts from the table. “I see we got ourselves a set of house Negros in here. They want things sparklin' clean and they gots to make sure ain't no germs bein' spread 'cause Massa gon' come up in here and whip all our butts.” She rolled her eyes and bolted out of the living room in a rant. “Give me a damn break. It couldn't be that serious.”

In disbelief, all of our eyes shifted around the room. Jada took her ghetto self to the kitchen and dumped the bowl of peanuts in the trash. She opened the pantry, and a few seconds later, she pulled out a packet of Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popcorn and put it into the microwave. The sound distracted the men from watching the game and they both appeared very irritated. Jada, however, didn't care. Once she was done with the popcorn, she came back into the room, doing the Cha-Cha dance while throwing popcorn into her mouth. She plopped down on the couch and reached the bag out to Chase.

“I don't mind sharin',” Jada said. “Do you want some or do you think the kernels may do more damage to your rotten teeth? I thought I saw a little corruption goin' on in your mouth when you had it open.”

This Jada chick was out of control and none of us could believe how bold her comments were. You would have thought that Chase cussed her out or something, but what Chase had asked for was simple, as well as necessary. I was staying out of this. By the looks of things, Chase could handle herself.

Chase opened her mouth wide. She pulled on the sides of it with her finger, so Jada could get a good view of what was inside.

“There's nothing rotten in there, sweetie. Don't know what you were looking at, but maybe you need to pull back on the popcorn and—”

Roc let out a deep sigh and silenced everybody—for at least a minute. “And maybe both of y'all need to chill the hell out so we can watch the game. Damn. Is it that serious?”

“Hey, that's what I want to know,” Jada said, shaking her head from side to side. “All of this over some salty peanuts that tasted off brand. And this popcorn ain't hittin' on much either, but I'm still willin' to share.”

She reached the bag out to Jaylin. He ignored Jada and that caused her to snicker.

At that moment, I felt very skeptical about this. Jada seemed a little off—kind of mentally challenged. Either that or she was a true attention seeker. That quickly became the case because she did not shut her mouth until a slender white man with blond hair entered the room and introduced himself as Jeff, the producer of
Hell House.
He apologized for interrupting the football game, but said that he was there to discuss a few things.

“I also want to give everyone a tour of the house and we do need to go over the rules.”

We all listened in, as he stood in front of us dressed in khaki pants, a plain, button-down blue shirt that was neatly tucked into his pants and shiny loafers. His ocean-blue eyes were breathtaking, and his overall appearance showed that he was there to discuss business.

“First, let me say that I'm glad to see that most of you made it here. I thank you all for your willingness to do this challenge, but there are a few things that we need to go over before we get started. The rules are the most important and they must be followed. Not abiding by them can get you immediately kicked out of the house and no one wants that to happen. So for starters…no cell phones, no leaving the premises for three months, no outsiders allowed inside, no life-threatening violent behavior and no exceptions will be made for anyone. There will be a weekly schedule placed on the refrigerator for the person who has to cook and clean for the day. There are plenty of snacks, but if the person on the schedule doesn't cook, you don't eat. If you don't like what they cook, don't eat it. If they don't clean, the house stays messy. If you want to clean of your own free will, do it. No one is allowed to sleep in the living area or outside and you must sleep in the bedroom. There is one TV and one computer. Take votes on what to watch and minimize your time to one hour on the computer so others can use it. We've already installed cameras in each room, with the exception of the bathroom. If an emergency happens, you will have to stand in front of any camera to signal us or you can email me. We can be here in less than five minutes, but email may take longer. The cameras will roll twenty-four-seven and everything will be recorded.”

Chase raised her hand. “Excuse me, Jeff, but I changed clothes in the bedroom earlier. Are you saying those cameras were recording me?”

“I'm not sure if the cameras were on then, but they are on now.”

“What if I had a hole in my underwear that I didn't want anyone to see? There needs to be some kind of privacy in that room, don't you think?”

Jaylin responded before Jeff did. “You still have on the same skirt and lugging the same panty-less ass that you told me to kiss when you came through that door. Stop with the what-if questions and let the man get finished.”

“Oops.” Jada giggled and laughed out loudly. “That shit was direct and funny as hell, but he still needs to be put in his place.”

Jada cut her eyes at Jaylin, and Chase shot Jada and Jaylin dirty looks. Chase knew darn well that she didn't have any holes in her underwear. All she was doing was trying to get some attention, like Jada. I could already tell that living here with these kinds of women wouldn't be good.

“You need to change clothes in the bathroom,” Jeff said. “Are there anymore questions about what I said?”

This time Jada spoke up. “I got a couple of questions. One question is, are we allowed to knock the livin' daylights out of people who offend us? Two, are there any washin' machines around here? I didn't see any. And what about alcoholic beverages? Every now and then, I need a little somethin' strong to get my adreline goin'.”

Didn't she mean adrenaline?
I thought. I guess so when I saw Jaylin shake his head and Chase open her big mouth. She was rubbing me the wrong way already. I didn't like her.

“That's adrenaline, sweetie,” Chase said with a little snap in her voice. “You really need to get it together.”

Jada pointed to herself. “Are you talkin' to me, little girl? I'm goin' to pretend that you're not. That way I won't have to mop this floor with that damn wig you wearin'. I can already tell that it's not gon' work with me and some people in here. And if these
so-called educated people know a little somethin', they best to leave me the hell alone. Okay, sweetie? Ugh, so damn irritatin' and what kind of woman calls another woman sweetie?”

“A woman who has no problem showing you some respect, but she will beat your ass if she has to. Now, cool out and watch who you're talking to. Please.”

“Forget all the nonsense,” Roc said, standing up and stretching. “Where did you say we can find the vodka and yack?”

“The what?” Jeff said with a confused look on his face.

“Cognac,” Jaylin responded. “Top of the line, if you got it.”

Him and Roc bumped fists and then Roc sat back down.

Jeff pointed toward the kitchen area. “Behind those double doors over there are a compact washer and dryer. Feel free to use them. Alcoholic beverages can be found behind the second set of cabinets over there, and outside at the bar in the game room. Have at it. As for physical confrontations, we are all adults here, and I recommend that everyone figure out a way to control themselves and get along with others. That's what this challenge is really about, so think about your actions before you do anything stupid. Now, are there anymore questions before we begin the tour?”

“Don't put shade on shit,” a young man said as he stepped into the living room. “Tell me what the hell is in this for me?”

His hair was braided to the back and jeans were sagging so low that he had to hold them up. The oversized shirt was too big on him and a diamond necklace with the initials SS on it hung from his neck. I moved my purse closer to me and noticed that Chase and Jada had done the same. If he was going to be living inside of Hell House with us, God help us all.

I said it before and I'll say it again…I loved putting fear in the eyes of people who didn't know shit about me. They always judged a book by the cover and were never willing to look inside of a person to see what was really up. Yeah, I was catching some heat across town. That was why I chose to come to this place. Plus, there was a note that said money might be given to the winner who played by the rules. I needed some dollars, so I was down with the program. I was late, but I was here. Had to clear up some shit with the li'l mama in my life, Poetry Wright, just to make sure everything would be good between us if I was absent for three months. She said it would be, and I was happy about my girl being down for whatever.

All eyes were on me, but I was waiting for homeboy to answer my question. If money wasn't involved, I wasn't going to waste my time. Bills had to be paid, my Laundromat business was suffering and the only thing that was going strong was my liquor store. I was counting on that to pull me out of my personal recession, but if things didn't go well, I needed a backup plan. This was it.