A Street Doctor's Virgin: Standalone

12. Saige

12

Saige

“ S issy, I think I want to be Ironman for Halloween,” Ramel told Saige with a mouthful of cabbage.

“Ramel, finish chewing your food first before you speak,” Hailey chastised.

Moon rolled her eyes. “Watch how you speak to my lil’ brother, bro.”

“Moon!” Winston said through clenched teeth.

“I think you’ll be a great Ironman,” Saige winked at Ramel, hoping to ease the tension in the room.

Her father had asked her to come over for dinner. That was a rarity since Saige didn’t particularly get along with Hailey. For the sake of Ramel, everyone had been trying their best, but Moon wasn’t about to fake her disdain for shit. Saige, on the other hand, tried to be as cordial as her body would allow her. As long as Hailey said nothing to her, then Saige didn’t have anything to say either.

“Can you get me a custom costume made?” Ramel peeked at Saige with a smile.

She nodded and smiled back. “Of course I can. You’ll be the coolest Ironman out there!”

“Thank you, sissy,” he leaned over and hugged her.

“Anything for you,” she winked at him.

“Do you not think his parents are capable of getting him a costume?” Hailey chirped without looking up from her plate.

Saige cleared her throat and looked at her father, waiting for him to check Hailey the way he’d just checked Moon.

“Nothing to say?” She asked after Winston remained silent.

“Gahdammit!” Winston bellowed, throwing his fork against his plate. “I am sick of this back and forth between the three of you! Every fuckin’ time we get around each other, it’s some bullshit! Hailey, you are my wife and I love you, but I’ve had enough of the slick remarks to my daughters. They are my children, and I will always choose them above everyone else. Saige and Moon, I love you two more than life itself but please try to meet Hailey halfway. We’ve been a blended family for way too long for you all to not be getting along in the slightest. I’m not saying you have to kiss each other’s asses but at least be cordial!”

The only thing that could be heard from that moment forward was forks scraping against plates. Even Ramel ate his food in silence, and he always had something to say.

“Sorry, dad,” Saige broke the silence first. “It’s just…it always seems like Hailey is jealous of the relationship I have with my own brother. I’m not trying to step on her toes, but I’m never going to turn Ramel down when he asks me to do something.”

“Win, tell your daughter to stop talking about me like I’m not sitting right fuckin’ here!” Hailey huffed loudly.

“This bitch trippin’,” Moon snapped, dropping her fork on her plate.

Hailey stood up, pushing the chair so hard that it fell over. “Bitch? I got your bitch, Moon. I’ve been waiting for the day that you really tried me!”

“And what the fuck are you going to do about it?” Saige jumped up next, instantly going into protector mode. “Because that’s a fuckin’ minor you’re talking to!”

“Stop it!” Winston roared, also standing to his feet. “What the fuck is wrong with all of you?! I just said I’m sick of this shit and it fuckin’ continues! In front of your brother who is still recovering from having his skull drilled open!” He shouted with his chest heaving up and down. “You know what? Fuck it. You three hate each other so much? Fight it out. Me and my son won’t be around for it. Ramel, let’s go.”

Ramel looked over at Saige who gave him a nod, letting him know it was okay to leave.

“Did you see that!” Hailey yelled, pointing between Ramel and Saige. “Why does my child feel the need to look at his sister for approval to do any fuckin’ thing!”

“Because they are close!” Winston looked at her and yelled. “Saige is his safe spot! Maybe if you focused more on him and less on being this Instagram influencer then you’d be his safe spot too!”

“Oh, that’s just great! Now this is my fault?” Hailey folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes.

Shaking his head, Winston nodded at Ramel for them to leave. Saige and Moon both kissed his forehead before he left with their father. If looks could kill, Hailey would’ve been one dead ass bitch with the way the sisters were staring at her. Moon was ready to pounce any second, all Saige had to do was give her the word. As bad as Saige wanted to give Hailey the ass whooping she was so desperately seeking, she wasn’t in the mood to fight. She had just completely healed from the black eyes and bruises that Carmine had given her two weeks ago. The last thing she wanted was to get into another scuffle where she could possibly end up bruised again. The first time was painful enough.

“You heard my daddy. Make yo move, you weird ass hoe,” Moon spat with her fist balled.

“Y’all always acting like I don’t know how to raise my fuckin’ son!” Hailey shouted. There were a few crocodile tears sitting at her eyelids.

“You don’t!” Saige took a step closer, really hoping shit didn’t get ugly. “Like our dad said, you’re so worried about what’s going on with Instagram that you barely pay Ramel any attention. You’re sitting up here mad at me because I have a better bond with your son than you do but ask yourself why!”

Looking between the two sisters, Hailey rolled her eyes and stomped off like the spoiled brat she was.

“She’s a fuckin’ birdbrain,” Moon huffed, rolling her eyes as well. “Bitch always talking all that shit, but when it’s time to throw hands, she walk away. Scary ass.”

Saige let out a laugh then picked up her plate and finished eating the curry chicken her father had prepared. She might’ve been annoyed, but she wasn’t passing up her dad’s cooking for nothing.

“You’re so greedy man,” Moon laughed at Saige. “Sooo…wassup with you and Quadir?”

It was Saige’s turn to roll her eyes. Ignoring Moon, she turned her back and continued eating the food on her plate.

Moon stepped in front of her and waved her hand. “You know I hate being ignored.”

“Bruh,” Saige chuckled and finished her food then placed the plate on the table. “There’s nothing up , Moon. I told you, we’re friends, nothing more,” she grabbed her phone out of her pocket when she felt it vibrating. A small smile formed on her lips when she saw Quadir’s name scrolling across the screen. “Hey, wassup?”

“You good?” He asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

“I’m fine. I’m at my dad’s house. Why?” Her tone matched the worry in his voice.

“I think Carmine is here. Does he know where your pops lives?”

She swallowed hard, and her heart began to beat a little faster. “Um, n-n-no. Not that I know of. I mean, he’s never been here.”

“I’m sure it’s easy for him to find out. Go to the house. My homeboy gon’ meet you there until I can get off work, aight?”

She glanced at Moon who was boring a hole into her head. She stepped off into the living room to give herself a bit of privacy. “What about my family, Q? I don’t want to leave them here, but I don’t want them involved either,” she whispered into the phone.

“Send me the addy, and I’ll send someone over there to keep an eye out. They’ll be discreet so that your family won’t know anything.”

“Okay. I’m leaving now.”

“Aight. Call me when you get to the crib, so I can know you’re safe,” he commanded her.

She nodded like he could see her. “Okay.”

They hung up and as she went to walk out of the living room, she bumped right into Moon’s nosey ass.

“What are you hiding from us?” Moon looked her up and down.

Saige sucked her teeth because she hated how nosey Moon was sometimes. “Moon, I promise I’m going to tell you everything one day, but I can’t right now,” she kissed her cheek. “I love you, I have to go.”

“Can I go with you?” She followed Saige back to the dining room.

“Not today,” she slipped into her leather jacket. “But soon, I swear.”

“Why do I get the feeling that there’s something big going on? I hate not knowing what’s going on in your life. It feels like you’re shutting me out, and I’m not a baby. I can handle shit, Saige.”

She spun around to face her as they reached the front door. “I know you can, Moon, I know. I promise to you, I will tell you as soon as I can.”

Staring at her sister, Moon nodded then hugged Saige. Saige walked out the door and rushed to her car. Suddenly, she was feeling on edge. Even hearing Carmine’s name brought back the feeling of the pain he inflicted on her.

When he attacked her, Saige truly thought her life was over. The look in Carmine’s eyes was one that she wasn’t familiar with, and it scared her shitless. He didn’t even seem like the type to raise his hand to women because he was always so sweet and gentle with her. That was a side of him that she’d never seen, and she never wanted to see it again.

Quadir made her block Carmine’s number, but that didn’t stop him from calling and texting from fake numbers. She knew that he’d been at her house because of the Ring security system she had set up. The last time he popped up, he shouted all types of threats at her through the Ring camera. When Saige showed Quadir, he seemed to become even more determined to end Carmine’s life.

Saige had no idea what she’d stumbled into with Q or Carmine, but it seemed as if neither of them were who they appeared to be. She was starting to piece together from some of the conversations her and Qua had been having that him and Carmine were involved in the streets somehow. She wasn’t sure how that was possible, but her gut was usually never wrong.

Pulling up to the gated community twenty minutes later, Saige waved at the guard, Frank, and he opened the gate. Since she’d been staying with Q, he’d been allowing her to drive his cars. Saige thought she lived in a bourgeois neighborhood, but Q had her blown out of the water with the security gate. Driving for another ten minutes, she finally reached Q’s palace in the back of the community. There was a fire red Camaro parked that she hadn’t seen before with a guy sitting on the hood smoking.

“Saige?” He acknowledged her after she parked and got out.

She looked him up and down and took note of how attractive he was. He definitely had some street swag to him. His brown skin was smooth and blemish free, and the nose ring he sported complimented his face perfectly. His jaw and cheek bones were strongly defined but not too strong. She tried hard not to stare at him for too long, but it was clear that the saying ‘fine niggas run in packs’ was true.

She waved the smell of weed out of her face. Saige had never been high in her life, but she’d been around people who smoked before. She simply didn’t have the desire to ever indulge.

“Yes, and you are?”

“My bad, ma,” he chuckled, put the blunt out, and hopped off the hood. “I’m Levi, Q’s boy. He told me to come chill with you until he got home.”

“Oh, yes,” she extended her hand in his direction. “Nice to meet you.”

He chuckled again and shook her hand. “Cool to meet you too, lil’ mama. Why you so formal? Shaking a nigga’s hand and shit.”

“How else do you greet someone?” She asked, walking to the door and punching in her personal code that Q had created for her.

“A simple ‘wassup’ would be fine.”

Shrugging him off, she let them in then closed and locked the door. “How long have you known Quadir?”

“Since we were lil’ niggas running the streets,” he pulled his black hoodie over his head and Saige damn near fainted when his six-pack was revealed. His sweatpants sagged just enough to show the band on his Versace boxers.

She swallowed hard and quickly looked away because she was embarrassed that she was even checking him out in the first place. “O-oh um, that’s nice. I’ll be right back.”

She zoomed up the stairs and into the room that she’d made her own. Sitting on the bed, she took a few breaths to calm her racing heart then took her phone out of her pocket. She placed a call to Qua, but it went unanswered, so she sent him a text letting him know that she was safe and with Levi. She texted Moon as well even though she was sure her little sister was watching her location like a hawk.

Saige lied and told her family that her house was being fumigated due to termites, and that’s why she was staying with her newfound friend, Quadir. Her father was surprised but didn’t ask too many questions. Moon, on the other hand, had a million and one questions. She was insistent that there was something going on between Saige and Quadir. Saige had no idea what was happening between them, but she wasn’t about to admit shit to her sister.

Saige decided to get showered and changed into something more comfortable. In all honesty, she wanted to go to bed, but she didn’t feel safe going to sleep without Q being home. Over the last two weeks, he’d made her feel exceptionally safe and like she was his number one priority. Quad made it verbally clear to her that they were just friends, but the way he’d been handling her was starting to feel like something else. He was sweet and attentive to Saige, and she had to remind herself everyday that he was probably nice to all of his friends.

“I was starting to think you’d left me down here by myself,” Levi said when she walked into the living room, licking his lips.

She flopped down on the large wrap around couch and shook her head. “Nah, I was just taking a shower. Have you spoken to Quadir?”

“You’re so proper,” he grinned. “Quadir,” he jokingly mocked her. “Call that nigga Q, Qua, Quad, Grim. Don’t nobody call that nigga Quadir besides his family.”

“Grim?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. He hasn’t told you anything, huh?”

“Um,” she shrugged because she was lost. “No, I guess.”

“Mm,” he nodded. “Grim said you was fine, but he ain’t say you was fine as fuck .”

Her eyes went wide then she started blushing. “Thank you.”

The sound of the front door opening caught both of their attention. Levi jumped up and pulled a gun from his waistband which scared Saige but turned her on at the same time.

“Damn nigga, you gon’ shoot me in my own shit?” Quadir laughed when he walked into the living room and Levi had his gun trained on him.

Laughing along with him, Levi tucked his weapon then dapped Q up. “Blow yo shit clean off! You told me to protect Saige, and that’s what I was gon’ do, my boy.”

Silently watching the interaction between them, Saige didn’t know what to make of it. Q had been slowly showing her the real him, so she was starting to see more of his ‘hood’ side. She found herself easily attracted to both versions of the doctor. Seeing him with Levi, his hood side was loud and proud, and she was getting turned on if she was being honest with herself.

“Wassup?” Q leaned down and kissed her forehead after he and Levi finished with their banter. “You good?”

She nodded and smiled at him. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“Awhhh shit! You a lying muthafucka!” Levi shouted with a laugh, wagging his index finger in Q’s direction.

“The fuck you talking about?”

Levi waved his finger between Saige and Q. “Y’all two do have something going on. I’m feeling the vibes.”

“No, we’re just friends,” Saige spoke up first.

“Saige, I gotta tell ya…I call bullshit. That forehead kiss said it all,” he playfully sucked his teeth. “Too bad cause if this nigga hadn’t snatched you up, I’d definitely be on yo ass.”

“Excuse him,” Q shook his head and nodded towards the hall.

Levi rolled his eyes, grabbed his hoodie from the back of the couch, and walked in the direction that Q had nodded in.

Q sat next to Saige. “I got confirmation that Carmine is indeed in town. I have two guys sitting on your dad’s house, and they’re going to stay there until Carmine is gone. I need you to stay in the house, no matter what, until I say otherwise.”

“Are you leaving or something?”

“I’ll be in and out. Here is the safest place for you because no one can get to you here. Plus, no one knows I live here. Trust me, aight?”

She nodded and pulled her knees to her chest. “I do.”

“Good. Let me go holla at Levi, and I’ll be back,” his eyes trailed her body then went back up to her eyes. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

She blushed harder than she had earlier when Levi complimented her. “Thank you.”

“I’ll be back,” he squeezed her thigh then stood up and disappeared.

Feeling sleepy, Saige yawned and stretched out on the couch. Within a few minutes, she dozed off.