Chapter 10
Pernelle
The next day
After spending all those nights at Crew’s spot and then staying at Ciara and Hov’s new renovated house, being back in Castle Hill felt like a prison.
Maybe I am being dramatic, but I don’t remember it feeling like this before or smelling so fucking horrid.
That's why I am on a cleaning spree now to at least get my apartment straight.
I am almost done with the hard part and now I just have to take out the many bags of trash piled up.
My apartment was trashed when I first got back yesterday because Crew told me to leave it after that baby shower and never look back.
But unfortunately, I’m back here, and I spent the time I could over the past two days picking up and throwing shit away to try and at least make it a home for my daughter and me.
I know people thought I should be scared to stay here by myself, but I wasn't. I wish a motherfucker would come up in my place with the way I’ve been angry lately.
Plus, maybe being away from Crew and his problems will make me a lot safer in the long run. However, I did miss my best friend and the help that she was giving me. I hadn’t had a moment to myself and was even peeing with my daughter in my arms.
When Crew didn’t come back the other night, I realized that he’s just going to be a deadbeat father.
I would rather keep Amira away from him than have him disappoint her to the point of her not believing in fathers like I did.
I remember when I would hear a girl say something about her dad, and I would roll my eyes out of envy and jealousy and automatically look at her as spoiled.
It used to sound like bragging to me when a girl talked good about her dad.
That was envy and jealousy I did not want for my baby.
Princeton had come over and helped me clean up a little until he sat down on the couch, eating a bowl of noodles that he found in my pantry.
“Brother, can you watch her while I take the trash out, please?”
“Watch her? I don’t know how to be a dad Chicken head.”
“Stop it goofy. You are just watching her for five minutes. She’s not going to do anything. She’s just lying there and being a baby.”
“I know she is just lying down, but what if she chokes or something?”
“She’s not going to choke. She’s not eating anything. Look, I could use the fresh air. I really need you, bro.”
“Alright, chicken head. But hurry up, I have somewhere to go, and I've got shit to do.”
“Playing video games is not something to do, little boy?”
I joked with Princeton before I walked out the door, swinging the trash all merrily because this little time away from Amira felt like a break.
When I got down the steps, I headed over to the pile of trash stacked tighter than the fence to throw my contribution on it. That’s when I heard some bitches behind me smacking their lips and talking shit.
“I can’t believe she’s back over here.”
I turned around and immediately noticed it was Emoney’s sister and her cousins, sitting on the steps of a nearby building. Of course, they would be down here the moment I decided to walk outside.
“Her ugly ass. Crew must’ve thrown her ass out like trash. That baby probably wasn’t his either.”
They tried to talk shit about me, and I ignored them because it was three of them and one of me.
As much as I wanted to slap a bitch right now, I knew I couldn’t beat three bitches up with no weapon.
I threw the trash on the pile and turned to walk back to my building, but those bitches got up to follow me while talking even more shit.
“Yeah, bitch. You don’t have your big bad baby daddy with you today, huh?”
“I should slap you for the way you hurt my mama with your bullshit. You fucking embarrassed her and yourself, dumb bitch. My mama was excited about that baby, and you just flat-out lied. Why the fuck did you do that, huh?”
They followed me with irrelevant questions, but I wasn’t responding. I think that is what made them even madder.
“I know you hear us, bitch! Talk shit like you usually do. Talk to us how you used to talk to my sister.”
One of them then hit me upside the head with their fist, and my body flew forward. I’ve been hit on and beaten so badly weeks ago that their little lick didn’t hurt me physically, but mentally, it made me want to snap almost instantly, and I turned around, squaring up with them bitches.
“Y’all better get the fuck back and keep your fucking hands off of me! I’m not fuckin playing with y’all. Go head.” I turned and started to walk faster away from them.
“Nah, bitch, don’t run away. Talk your shit. Be confident like you were when your baby daddy was around. Or should we say the nigga you lied to about being your baby father? We all knew that Crew wouldn’t get no bum ass bitch like you pregnant anyway. I guess you pulled a joke on him, too.”
“Crew took a DNA test, okay? And trust me, no matter where I grew up, this pussy is still good as fuck and fat as your mama. I bet you wish you could ask your sister about it, huh?”
I couldn’t help but talk shit even though I knew I was outnumbered.
One of them swung at me again, but she missed, and I took off running.
I ran into the building and slammed the door shut and it jammed, thank God, and they had a hard time getting in.
While they struggled, I ran up the steps, running until I reached my apartment. I rushed inside and closed the door.
“Yo, what the fuck is going on with you?” Princeton asked.
“Emoney’s bitch ass sisters are chasing me, trying to fuckin fight.”
“Oh, they want some? They can come get some.”
Princeton stood up and took a hunting knife out of his pants.
“No, you’re not about to stab them and get in trouble, Princeton.”
“Fuck them bitches. How am I going to get in trouble for defending my sister?”
“Because you will, and I don’t have time for that shit. They’re not coming up in here, so we’re good,”
I replied, but knocks and kicking started at the door.
“Those bitches better leave Pernelle, I’m telling you. I’m ready to die about some shit anyway.”
“Princeton, shut up. Why would you say that? Why are you ready to die?”
“I’m just saying, they’re not about to keep fucking with you.”
I was actually happy my brother was ready to defend me, but I hated to think of him getting in trouble for some shit that ultimately involved me. This would be the second time that shit happened to him.
“Bitch, open up! Open up! We just want to talk to your trifling ass.”
“If y’all don’t fucking leave right now, I swear to God!” I yelled back through the door.
“You swear to God what? You’re not going to do shit. We’re not leaving until you come out and get your one, your two, and your three, bitch!”
“I’m not coming out there to fight y’all. Are y’all fucking stupid?”
“Now we’re angry as fuck, and we want to know what the fuck you want to do!”
They started kicking the door again and it was so loud it made my baby start crying from the banging, and that really pissed me off.
“You know what? I got something for y’all asses! Watch this!”
I went over to my phone to dial the last person that I wanted to talk to right now, but I knew his ass would get them away from my door.
Crew almost answered on the first ring.
“Crew.”
“What up? You need me?” He sounded so eager over the phone.
“Yes! These bitches, Emoney’s sisters, are trying to break into my spot and fight me. The baby is crying and everything.”
“Oh, I hear her. What apartment are you at?”
“I’m at mine.”
“Alright. I’m on my way. I was about 10 minutes away, around the corner, handling some shit anyway. Stay on the phone with me until I get there.”
I held the phone to my ear as I listened to them banging and kicking at the door.
Crew kept asking what they were doing, and I just told him to listen to their loud and ignorant remarks coming through the door.
They continued to harass me, letting me know they weren’t leaving, and I swaddled my baby up and put a cap over her ears to try to drown out the noise they were making.
“Where are you at now, Crew?”
I asked after about seven minutes had gone by.
“I’m hitting the fucking corner now. You can hang up. Here I come and don’t tell them I’m on my way up.”
“Okay.”
When I hung up, I heard loud ass tires screeching outside and I ran to the window and looked out.
I’ll be damned if this fool didn’t hit the corner on two wheels, zooming down the sidewalk, making people jump out of the way of his crazy ass.
Crew drove up to the building in a spot where cars weren’t even supposed to be, jumped out with a gun in his hand, and disappeared into the building.
Ten seconds or so went by before I heard them all start screaming, and then shots started firing.
Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.
I panicked immediately because I didn’t think he would really come over here and do that.
“Yo, he busting their ass!” Princeton yelled, excited, jumping up and down.
“Oh my God. Oh my God. I didn’t think he would,” I said, panicking, because Crew had really come over here and shot these girls.
Once the shooting stopped, he knocked on the door and yelled,
“Open up. You good?”
I ran to the door with my hand covering my mouth.
“I can’t believe you fucking shot them.”
I looked out into the hallway, expecting to see bodies laid out across the floor, but there weren’t any. They must’ve been able to get away and make it down the steps, bullet wounds and all, because I was sure he didn’t miss.
“Why would you come over here and shoot them, Crew? You are about to go to prison.”
“No, the fuck I’m not. Look out your window. They should be hitting the courtyard in about five seconds.”
I ran over, and sure enough, all of them were running out of the building, holding different parts of their bodies that I guess Crew had hit.
“Why are they still able to run if you shot them?”
“Those were buck shots, but next time it’s going to be the real thing if they come back over here fucking with you.”