New Title 1 (25 page)

“
Now both of you mothafuckas stay the fuck out of my life!” She stormed towards the door on her stiletto heels and snatched it open, and before she walked out she turned to Noelle who was still crying profusely. However, Jordin held no sympathy for her.

“
By the way, your
husband
is coming home today. But I guess being the good wife that you are, you probably already knew that.”

And with that said, she walked out, slamming the door so hard behind her that it rattled the house.

***

“
Who is it?”

There was a pause lasting the duration of about five seconds before the knocking repeated.

“
I said who is it?” Freddie barked, sitting up off of the couch, remote in hand. When he still didn't receive a response, he rose up and crept over to the tiny window next to his front door, peering out of his dingy blinds with his forefinger and trying to be as quiet as possible.

“
What the fuck?” He mumbled to himself.

Freddie was surprised to see a thick, light-skinned chick with a long weave and bright red lipstick standing on his porch like she belonged there. He didn't recognize the girl and figured maybe she had the wrong door. Curiosity and his dick got the best of him, causing him to eagerly crack the door open figuring it just may be his lucky night.

His goofy grin greeted her before his words did as he looked her up and down once the door was ajar.

“
And how can I help you, sexy?” He asked, laying down the best of his mack game. Pussy delivered right to his doorstep would be nothing less than a blessing to Freckles.

The girl popped her blue gum before speaking in a childlike, soft tone.

“
Kashawn here?”

Freddie smiled wider and rubbed on his goatee, eying her thighs in her short denim skirt.

“
Yeah...”

The girl looked at him in disbelief.

“
Well... where he at?”

“
You staring right at him,” Freddie answered playfully.

She rolled her eyes and rested her acrylic decorated hand on her hip, licking her thick lips before responding.

“
Boy please, you are not Kashawn. For real, I'm looking for him. Is he here?” She was whining, but it was turning Freckles on. He loved a true hoodrat.

“
What you looking for him for? Anything you need I got it right here shorty, just step inside.”

“
Really, is that right?” She asked humoring him with a smirk. “And you got what I need, huh? What you got for me, why don't you show me?”

Freddie couldn't believe how easy this was. Almost too easy.

“
Why don't you step inside and show me that beautiful body up under those clothes, sweetheart?” He flirted, figuring this girl was too simple for him not to get straight to the point. Before she could answer him, Freddie had the barrel of a gun staring him in the face as Julez pushed him roughly inside of his crib.

“
Why don't I step inside and show you these pretty ass bullets from my Beretta bitch,” Julez spat, ambushing Freckles and completely throwing him off guard. Once inside he used his foot to slam the door shut, keeping the loaded gun pointed in his face. The high yellow hood rat had instantly disappeared, leaving Freckles to believe that it was all a set up, and he had fell for the okey doke, one of the oldest scams in the book.

“
Yo Julez, what the fuck yo?” Freddie was terrified. His body trembled and he held his hands up in the air not wanting to make a move.

“
You know what the fuck it is Freddie. You shoulda killed me when you had the chance, pussy.”

Freckles tried to talk but was literally scared to death. He could see in Julez's eyes that he was ready to murder him, no questions asked. This was not the new Julez that Freckles had assumed had gone soft. No, this was the old Julez whose reputation had preceded him.

Freckles fought between the decision of hanging onto his pride, and going out like a man with his chin up, or begging for his life. He chose the latter.

“
Julez, please!”

Pop!

Freckles' body jolted and then relaxed, as the bullet hit him dead in the chest.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Julez emptied the clip and laced Freckles' body with bullets that tore his weak flesh to pieces, splattering the wall and the floor. Let him finish his plea...? Say some final words to his victim before pulling the trigger...? No, Julez didn't believe in either. He figured what was the point, once you decide to do something, you should do it. Final words are unnecessary; they won’t remember them when they're gone anyway.

He stared down at the body for a few minutes to make sure Freckles had taken his final breaths and then he took out his cell phone and dialed up his old street sweepers to come and make the body officially disappear. With the house wiped down, and the body disposed of, it would simply look like Freckles had taken a vacation. He was gone, vanished, another unsolved hood mystery. And in all actuality, he was missed by no one. Now Julez could finally get a good night's rest.

***

“
How'd you know where I was?”

“
Can I come in?”

“
No.”

Slim was standing on the other side of Jordin's hotel room door trying to talk his way into a chance of a face to face apology. No matter how much love he had for Noelle, he still loved Jordin as well, and he couldn't rest until he let her know how sorry he was for breaking her heart.

“
Please Jordin...please. Look, I know...I know there's questions you have for me. I know this a fucked up situation, but I just want to talk about this like adults. You'll regret it if you don't let yourself hear this.”

There was a silence. A long, drawn out silence and he knew that she was contemplating his words. She was a woman, and all women wanted the details, no matter how gruesome they may be or how worse they may make them feel. She finally responded.

“
So you wanna be honest now, huh?”

Slim dropped his head and pressed it against the door not knowing what to say to that. She was right. But he had to let her know.

“
I guess I owe you that much, right?”

Silence filled the air again as Slim waited in heavy anticipation for another reply. She could very well be calling the cops on him for coming to her hotel room like this and harassing her; he was hoping that she hadn't. Finally he heard a lock unlatching and Jordin snatched the door open, standing in the cracked space with venom in her eyes.

“
How did you know where I was?”

She looked good. In spite of the circumstances, tight leggings and a fitted t-shirt didn't look half bad on her, and Slim wondered if he had not noticed how attractive she really was. He had to chuckle at her question.

“
J, you've been coming to the same hotel for years. Every time we fight, every time you need to get away to write, whenever you need to “think”, you come to this same Ramada. Shit, may even be the same room.”

She wouldn't allow herself to fall into his humor, her eyes were puffy from crying, her legs hurt from pacing, her head was in pain from thinking until her brain almost exploded, and her body was weak, just because.

“
What do you
want
from me Slim? You took it all...everything. What else could you possibly want from me?” She sounded exasperated, like she just wanted to give up, and it hurt Slim to the core.

“
I just...I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am, Jordin. I never meant to hurt you.”

Jordin laughed and turned around, heading inside the room with Slim behind her. She just couldn't even look in his face, she had to turn her back to him.

“
Of course Slim! Of course you didn't mean to hurt me! You just had an affair, with my best friend, got her
pregnant
, but that...that wasn't supposed to hurt, right? ...No, you didn't hurt me. You feel better now?” She turned around and stared at him unblinkingly. “Now you can leave. Your soul is purged, you can sleep well at night.”

“
It's not about that,” he spoke weakly.

“
Then what is it about!” Jordin was raging, her light skin beet red, tears forming in her eyes from a well that she was sure was all cried out. “What the fuck is it about? Please, somebody tell me. 'Cause I need to know!”

“
It was bigger than us,” he admitted pitifully, walking up on her. His attractive, smooth and dark skin, his cologne, his deep and raspy voice, all of the things that Jordin used to love, were suddenly making her sick because she figured Noelle had loved those things as well. “Somewhere along the line, me and Noe...I don't know. Feelings got involved...I just...I couldn't help it. That's why I left, I couldn't do that to you anymore. You understand?”

“
You want credit?” She asked in total shock. “You want credit for finally getting tired of being a snake, and then just being a coward and walking away from your situation? You still weren't honest! You don't get no credit.”

He shook his head in despair.

“
Jordin, I can imagine how hurt-”

“
No you can't. Don't even try it, Slim! You cannot imagine how hurt I am because then you wouldn't have done this shit!” Jordin walked up close to him and stood tall, her head barely reaching his chin on his lean frame. “But let's see if I can make you relate. You know all that bullshit you claim you was feeling for Noelle? Well, I felt that too.” Slim looked down at her in confusion and Jordin felt a surge of power. The person who had caused her so much pain was now on the end of confusion, she ceased the moment.

“
That's right. I've been feeling things for someone that I shouldn't have been for a
long
time. But I never, ever, acted on it because I
knew
it was wrong. I
knew
it was beyond fucked up. But shit, now that I see how much of a snake you are, I should've just fucked Julez when I had the chance!”

Time stood still for Slim. He stared down at Jordin and he could literally feel his blood boiling like it was in a saucepan over hot fire, with the lid just on the brink of blowing off. Visions of Julez touching Jordin the way that he had touched Noelle sent him over the edge, his hatred for Julez from being Noelle's husband now intensified with him being the object of Jordin's desire. He didn't think twice, or once for that matter when he drew his hand back and smacked blood into Jordin's mouth. In fact, even as she held her face and looked at him wide eyed in shock, his hand still trembled with anticipation to smack more fire into her ass.

“
Mothafucka! Get the fuck out! Get out you bitch ass nigga!” Jordin screamed like a mad woman, blood falling around her lips and her left cheek on swoll. You could actually see his hand print on her pretty face and a gash by her eye obviously caused by his ring.

“
I said get out! Get out before I call the cops on you, you bastard!” Jordin was screaming and crying profusely. The thought of him taking his betrayal to the brutal edge by laying hands on her. She was in a state of disbelief and total hysteria. “Get the fuck out!”

The mention of the police, just like with any other black man, caused Slim to move his heavy steps toward her door. He couldn't apologize, he knew sorry wouldn't cut it, and in fact he wasn't even sure if he was. Now, he was hurt, and he had to say some final words.

“
You know what, I'm out! Fuck you, Jordin. You fat fucking bitch! Julez don't want you...he wifed Noelle, cause that's the kinda bitch a nigga want on his arm. Why you think I never put a ring on your finger, huh? You begging a nigga to walk you down the aisle and shit, meanwhile, I'm fucking your friend, you dumb ass! Eating her pussy and coming home and kissing you. So yeah, you shoulda fucked Julez if you had a chance, 'cause that's all you would've got from him. Believe that.”

His words crushed her, but she refused to let him know it. She knew he was speaking from pain and insecurity and it thrilled her that the shoe was now on the other foot. Now that she was positive that all feelings for him were now gone, she no longer wanted him in her sight.

“
Get. The fuck. Out.”