ELEVEN | BLAINE
“Answer your phone.” I mushed Kyrie’s heavy head off my bare breasts.
He moved away from me briefly, grabbed his phone and answered it.
“Yea.” He paused and his breathing changed. “Who the fuck is this?” he barked turning over and sitting up in the bed.
“Aye B, who the fuck is Allen?”
“What?” I frowned as I sat up.
Kyrie didn’t repeat himself as he glared at me menacingly. I opened my mouth to speak, but he stopped me with one hand raised.
“You fucking right it’s yo got damn bad, homie.” He spat before he threw my phone at my chest.
“Ouch, jackass.” I held the spot where the phone met my flesh. “Allen is the brother of my ex.”
“What the fuck he calling you for?”
“He moved down from my hometown and he probably just wants someone to show him around.”
“Show him around? You a tour guide now?” he frowned.
“Kyrie get over yourself. I was in love with his brother?—”
“The nigga that broke yo heart? That’s who got yo head fucked up and scared to let me in? Hell no.” he shook his head.
“Hell no what?” I sat up.
“Cause I ain’t feeling it.”
“He’s my?—”
“You loved that nigga, you said you gave him everything. Why would you want to be around his people just to remind yourself about that shit? You still love that nigga?”
“Get yo selfish ass out my bed.” I snapped as I jumped up.
I grabbed his shirt from the floor and threw it on the bed opting not to hit him with it.
“He died right in front of me, I watched the man I loved take his last fucking breath. You think that shit was easy? You think I just got over it...I killed for him.”
Silence filled the space between us as I cried into my hands.
I hated that Kyrie was here to witness my tears, but it felt good to finally tell somebody the truth.
I’d kept that detail to myself, opting not even to tell Fallen or Tremaine’s family.
It wasn’t anybody’s business that I’d taken Tremaine’s murder’s life.
I didn’t want to do it, but he pulled a gun leaving me no choice, but to take his life.
“B, come here.” Kyrie nodded as he pressed his back into the headboard.
“Fuck you.”
“Later, but now I need to talk to you. B, come here and stop being stubborn.”
I slowly made my way over to him, standing in front of him on the side of the bed. Kyrie’s hands rested on my hips and he dropped his head in the middle of my chest brushing his hair against my face.
“I’m sorry, okay? I know you loved the nigga and I know it hurt you when he died. I wish you didn’t have to experience that shit.”
“Liar.” I pushed him.
“Straight up, I know how it feels to lose someone close to you, I ain’t never had nobody I was in love with die, but I know the feeling.” He stared into my eyes.
Kyrie told me about his biological family dying when he was young and then Jamar’s parents dying too. He never spoke details, but I could tell all those deaths affected him.
“I know.” I pushed his hair back a little as I looked down into his face.
“You know I got you, right? I know this shit with us is new, but I fuck with you and I ain’t mean to be insensitive.” He kissed one of my hands and then the other.
“You fuck with me?” I grinned.
“B, you got me. You know that shit.” He pulled me back into the bed with him.
***
“Did you cancel the massage appointments we had for Kourtney’s birthday?” Fallen asked when she got off work.
I continued scooping my favorite banana pudding ice cream out of the half-gallon container on the counter. I didn’t give a fuck about Kourtney, them damn appointments or her damn birthday. All I wanted was a nap before I went to work, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t sleep.
“No, I forgot.” I shrugged.
“Well, can I use the gift cards since you’re not using them?”
“What?” I laughed as she rounded the corner of the counter. “What you need two massages for?”
“I want to do something nice for Jamar and I think couple massages would be fun.” She shrugged.
“You can have mine, but I’ma give Kourtney hers, I don’t want to be the bigger person, but if I don’t it’s gon’ bother me forever.” I rolled my eyes.
“Look at you, being mature.”
I watched her as she opened a bottle of wine and poured a glass. When Fallen was in a relationship with Sabrina she was uptight and completely focused on school and work.
Now, she was getting off work, drinking wine and having sex with Jamar more and more, she was even wearing her hair natural opting to relax it instead of weave and wigs like me.
“What?” She frowned.
“Nothing, it’s just your drinking wine now. I like the new you.”
“The new me? What? I’m the same person I’ve always been, nothing has changed.”
“Nothing has changed, except now you’re getting a heavy dose of beef for the first time in your life.” I raised an eyebrow as I licked the ice cream off the spoon.
“Oh, my god!” She covered her face. “Blaine!”
“What, it’s true! You’re different, but I like it, tell Jamar to keep doing whatever he’s doing.” I dropped the spoon in the skin, put the ice cream away and kissed my sister’s cheek before I left the kitchen to go get ready for work.
***
“Hey, wow, I wasn’t expecting you.” Kourtney tightened the robe around her waist.
“Look, I don’t want to be here, but I bought this gift card for your birthday when we were still friends.”
“Aye, I’ma hit you later.” Mase walked up behind Kourtney, kissed the side of her face and stepped passed where I stood in the doorway. “What up Blaine.” He nodded.
“Hey.” I smiled but focused my attention on Kourtney.
“Does he know?”
“Not that it’s any of your business. You don’t owe me a birthday gift, it’s fine. You decided you didn’t want to be my friend no more?—”
“No, you made it impossible for me to be your friend—you know what? I ain’t come here to argue with you.
Here, happy birthday, I hope it’s everything you want and more.
Not that you deserve a heads up, but Kyrie knows about your transition so, if you haven’t told yo little friend about yourself, you probably should. ”
“I can’t believe you! It wasn’t enough that you got the man, you just had to tell him too.” Kourtney frowned.
“Whatever.” I shrugged pushing the gift card towards her, but she wouldn’t take it. I dropped it on the floor between us and left her standing there without saying anything else.
***
Now that Allen was reaching out to me I decided I would split the diamonds with him.
He was Tremaine’s brother so, if I wasn’t willing to benefit from them, then why shouldn’t he?
I moved the diamonds from my storage unit to one of the drawers in my room and called Allen back to set a time and place to meet so I could feel him out.
I heard what Kyrie said and I respected his opinion, but this was a situation I had to handle.
“Thank you for meeting me.” Allen said after sitting down across from me.
“No problem, thanks for treating me to lunch.”
“I’m proud of you, out here working not one, but two jobs. I know my brother would be too.” He smiled.
“I’m sure Tremaine is proud of you too.”
“I don’t know why; I haven’t done anything to be proud of. A nigga can’t even find a decent job out here.” He shrugged.
“I’m sure something will open up for you.”
“I hope so, I hate living with my moms and her boyfriend. I’m a grown ass man, I gotta make some shit pop on my own, feel me?” Allen leaned over the table towards me.
When Allen reached out to me this morning asking to take me to lunch, I went over in my head how to lead him into the conversation about the diamonds and how to get rid of them.
I figured he might be strapped for cash, but now that he was pushing the topic I felt like I needed to keep my mouth shut.
“Yea, I get it. I’ve been living with my sister for about a year now.” “How is your fine ass sister?”
“Fallen? She’s fine.” I smiled. “She has a boyfriend, Allen.”
“So, I ain’t trying to be her boyfriend.”
“Anyway, if you don’t mind doing security, I might be able to get you a shift or two with one of the clubs, I bartend at.”
“That’s cool, but that ain’t the type of work I was looking for, feel me?” he leaned towards me again.
“Come on, Allen that’s the same shit that ended up getting Tremaine murdered.”
“Nah, greed got my brother killed, he told me about some diamonds he was getting. I told him to leave that shit alone, but he wouldn’t listen, he said he had plans to show you the world. His ended up getting killed before he could do it.” Allen’s eyes drifted off as he thought about it.
“Your mama would shit a brick if she found out you were trying to get involved in the same shit that Tremaine was into.” I reminded him.
“I need to apologize about my mama, I should have been stepping up when It comes to you. I let her think whatever she wanted because it was convenient for me, but that wasn’t cool. I know you didn’t have anything to do with Tank getting shot.” He nodded.
“I appreciate you telling me that, but how do you know?—”
“I have my ways.” He winked and I opened my drink menu.
After barely getting through dinner, Allen walked me to the door of my apartment.
“Thank you, Allen.” I nodded as I put my key in the door just as it opened, and my stomach dropped to my toes. “Kyrie?—”
“Who the fuck is this nigga?” I watched as he held his gun at his side.
“Nigga, who the fuck is you?” Allen barked stepping forward.
Kyrie pushed the gun into Allen’s temple as he drove him backwards into the wall behind us.
“Kyrie!” I yelled grabbing his arm attempting to stop him.
“Why you playing with me, B?” he growled.
I couldn’t see the front of his face, but from what I could see from his side profile I knew he was pissed.
“Baby, please?—”
“I know you.” Kyrie nodded slowly still eyes locked on Allen.
My eyes briefly glanced at Allen and my breath was caught in my throat for a second or two.
I knew he wasn’t Tremaine I knew it was no way he was Tremaine, but I could read the expression on his face as if he was.
He was pissed and ready for war, but I knew Allen wasn’t built the same way Kyrie and Tremaine were.
“Blaine you fucking with theivin’ ass niggas now?” Kyrie barked finally focusing on me.
“Nah, she fucking with a killer, a fucking murderer.” Allen spat making Kyrie laugh.
“You getting ready to find out what kind of nigga she fucking with.” Kyrie cocked his gun.
“Please, Kyrie, please.” I tugged at his shirt.
“You begging for this nigga’s life? Fuck this nigga, B. He a thief just like his bitch ass brother?—”
“FUCK YOU!!” Allen screamed. “Yo bitch ass brother and yo sorry ass daddy.”
Kyrie laughed under his breath and in one quick swoop he was beating the shit out of Allen with the gun in his hand.
With one hand on the base of Allen’s neck he hit him repeatedly until Allen was on the ground attempting to cover his face with his hands.
I stood in shock at what just unfolded in front of me.
Allen thought Kyrie killed Tremaine and Kyrie thought Tremaine killed his dad; they were both wrong.
“Baby!” I whispered.
The small storage area was dimly lit and musty, but I knew the basic outline because Tremaine snuck me in a time or two before. I crept along the cold hallway until I was standing just on the other side of the warehouse door.
“YOU STEAL FROM ME? AFTER EVERYTHING I DID FOR YOU?” I listened to the yelling through the door, but I didn’t hear Tremaine responding. I waited a second or two before I attempted to open the door quietly, but it made a loud cracking sound drawing
footsteps near me. I held my breath for a second as I waited for the door to open and when it did I was surprised to see a stranger staring back at me.
“WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?” he huffed.
Blood splatter covered the side of his neck and shirt.
“Where’s Tremaine?” My voice trembled as I spoke.
When the man turned to look behind him I was able to get a glimpse of Tremaine on the tiled floor with a puddle of blood surrounding him.
“TREMAINE!” I screamed racing towards him.
My body was stopped just before I made it to him, and my feet were lifted off the ground.
“YOU KILLED HIM!” I screamed as I struggled to get out of his arms.
“That mothafucka was stealing from me!” he barked raising his gun towards me. “Raise your hands bitch!”
“Blaine.” Tremaine mumbled and before I could stop myself my legs carried me over to him.
“Baby, are you okay?” I looked down at him just as he lifted the gun and fired a shot just above my head.
A scream tore from the bottom of my stomach as the body behind me dropped to the floor.
“Take care of yourself.” Tremaine’s fidgety hands pushed the gun towards me.
“No, no, no, come on get up we gotta go.” I hit his chest, but he didn’t flinch, his eyes were set on me, frozen and unmoving; he was gone.
My hands shook but steadied quickly when I reached for the gun still in Tremaine’s hands.
With tears drenched down my face, I stood over the man and watched his chest rise and fall before I emptied the clip in his face, wiped the gun and put it back in Tremaine’s hand.
The small sack of diamonds were hanging out of the bag of cash he had still clinging to his shoulder.
I grabbed the diamonds and wasted no time getting as far away from there as I could.
“I DID IT!” I closed my eyes and yelled. “He didn’t kill your father...I did.” I whispered.