Chapter 8
It was Halloween night. The house smelled like weed and good food. The whole downstairs was decked out in Halloween decor.
There were purple and orange lights glowing dim behind cobwebbed mirrors, black plastic bats hanging from the chandelier, and a fog machine Rome ordered at the last minute that had the dining room smoky like a haunted trap house.
A life-sized skeleton leaned against the liquor cart, wearing a fitted hat and a pair of fake Cartiers. Hood spooky.
"Okay, bitch, this house lookin’ like some grown-ass Goosebumps,” Sheena said as she strutted in behind me, adjusting her leather cat ears. “If I get possessed tonight, I want my hair laid in the afterlife.”
I laughed, but it didn’t stick in my chest like it should’ve.
Rome was outside on the back patio with his niggas.
There were hella blunts lit, dice hitting the concrete, and a lot of yelling when money changed hands.
He had on all black with that ski mask rolled up on his head like a crown.
When his eyes found me through the sliding doors, he gave that little smirk.
The one that used to make me melt. Now it only made me nervous.
“Boo! Got your scary ass again,” Unique giggled, tossing glitter on my shoulders. “You good? You been off all night.”
“I’m good. Just tired and high. Too many edibles, probably,” I lied.
Those edibles wore off hours ago. But I couldn’t shake the way I kept hearing or seeing King’s name everywhere today while running errands.
On a song that played when I walked into the liquor store.
On a random post, someone tagged me in on social media.
I had to blink fast to convince myself I imagined it.
The music bumped louder. Megan, Moneybagg, Glorilla, Gunna.
Strippers in lace and latex danced around the living room while shots got poured in test tubes and fake syringes.
A few folks popped out to the garage for a smoke-and-strip-spades game.
Rome kept glancing at me from outside, chin lifting when he caught somebody talking too long in my ear.
I stayed near my girls, sipping slowly, laughing when I could.
“Y’all remember when King threw that wild ass Halloween party?” Justine asked out of nowhere. “That man had a stripper dressed like Chucky poppin’ it on a damn casket-shaped table!”
I froze. Goosebumps slid down my spine.
“Girl, I was that stripper,” Asia shouted, grabbing the liquor bottle. “He tipped me in twenties and told me not to tell nobody. RIP that man. He knew how to throw a damn party.”
I laughed, but tears threatened to fall. That was the year he gave me an onyx bracelet. Just then, the light flickered out of nowhere and the Bluetooth speaker glitched.
“The fuck?” Justine mumbled.
“Yo, this shit possessed,” one of Rome’s boys, Daron, joked as he walked into the kitchen. “Ain’t nobody tell the spirits it’s invite only?”
Laughter bounced through the room, but my heart was pounding. Then, the punch bowl started to vibrate on the counter and a framed photo of me and King from our first Halloween together was suddenly leaned against the window ledge. How? I kept it locked away inside a box of other shit.
I backed away slowly as Sheena brows furrowed. “You good, Sky? You pale, boo.”
“I’m… I just need a second.” I stumbled toward the hallway. In the mirror, behind my reflection, I swore I saw a figure in black that resembled King’s build. It was standing still, just watching me. My scream caught in my throat. I blinked, and he was gone. I gripped the wall.
“Sky!” I heard Rome holler. I ran to the bedroom, heart slamming against my ribs. He came in a few minutes later, closing the door behind him, jaw tight. “What the fuck was that?” he snapped. “Niggas is sayin’ you actin’ crazy and shit. What’s good with you?”
“Somethin’ is goin’ on!” I yelled, spinning to face him. “Shits been happenin’ for days. I just saw Kamari. Do not call me crazy!”
Rome walked toward me slowly. “Shorty, listen to yourself.”
“Don’t do that!” I snapped, voice cracking. “Don’t gaslight me! I feel like King’s tryna tell me somethin’!”
He ran a hand down his face. “You high and you emotional. And you need to stop bringin’ up a dead nigga in my crib.
I’m your fuckin’ man.” My stomach dropped.
He continued, tone darker. “You don’t know what it took to keep shit movin’ after he died.
You think that mahfucka was perfect? You think he ain’t keep shit from you? ”
“I don’t care what he kept! At least he didn’t make me feel like I was losin’ my mind!”
He stepped closer. “You better watch your tone.”
“Oh, now I’m supposed to be scared?” I backed up.
“Is that what this is now? You gonna put your hands on me next?” Rome’s eyes flashed, but before he could grab me…
BOOM. He was yanked backwards and slammed hard into the wall like something invisible snatched him by the throat. “AHHH!” I screamed, stumbling back.
Rome’s body hit the floor with a loud, heavy thud. I stood frozen, chest rising and falling fast, my breathing ragged. “What the fuck?” Rome growled, struggling to sit up. His voice cracked, full of confusion and rage. Footsteps came rushing down the hall.
“Yo!” Fleek, his right hand, called. “What happened?!”
My girls were right behind them. “What the hell goin’ on?!” Justine asked, eyes darting between me and Rome on the floor.
Asia shouted, “Sky, you okay?!”
Rome staggered to his feet, his eyes bloodshot, jaw tight. He didn’t say a word at first, just stormed toward the front door. “Everybody get the fuck out!” he barked.
“What? Rome, what happened?” Sheena asked.
“GET THE FUCK OUT! Now! Party’s over!”
His tone sent shockwaves through the crowd. Cups clattered. Shoes shuffled. People mumbled and moved quickly, grabbing jackets, phones and whatever else was close.
Unique squeezed my hand. “Text us when you can, aight? For real.”
I nodded silently, tears already welling in my eyes. The second the door slammed shut behind the last person, Rome whipped around.
“You really just gon’ embarrass me like that? Ruin our shit?! For what, Skylah?!”
“I didn’t do shit!” I cried, voice cracking as I wiped at my face. “Somethin’ slammed you, Rome! I didn’t touch you!”
“You been actin’ weird for all fuckin’ week, talkin’ to yourself, starin’ off like a damn zombie, jumpin’ at shadows. Now this? Lemme guess. You expect me to believe a ghost did that shit?!”
“Yes! I do expect you to believe me ‘cause it’s the truth!” I snapped, finally finding my voice. “You think I wanna be like this?! You think I like feelin’ like I’m goin’ crazy every fuckin’ day?!”
He started pacing, rubbing the back of his head. “Nah. Nah. You trippin’. You really losin’ it.”
“I been feelin’ like somethin’ was off for a while now!” I cried. “The way King died… it don’t sit right with me, Rome! None of this is right!”
His eyes sharpened. “Watch your fuckin’ mouth, Sky.”
“Why?” I stepped closer. “’Cause I’m gettin’ too close to the truth? ‘Cause you got somethin’ to do with my husband’s murder?!”
“Ex-husband!” he barked, jaw flexing hard. “And hell nah! That was my nigga too. You not finna put that shit on me!”
I shook my head, more tears falling. “Fake ass emotion at the funeral. You slid into my life so fast. Took over his spot… took me. And I let you ‘cause I was grievin’ and lonely and tryna survive. And now? I can’t sleep.
I can’t breathe. I feel him around me every day, and I know he’s tryna tell me somethin’. ”
Rome’s face turned dark. “You sound weird and ungrateful as fuck.”
“Enough with this ungrateful shit!” I screamed.
“Ungrateful? For what, bein’ loved by a liar?
A narcissist? A nigga who makes me question him all the time?
! I ain’t stupid, Rome! I know you fuckin’ around.
You been feedin’ me bullshit and watchin’ me drown in it.
” I turned and snatched my suitcase from the closet, tossing it on the bed and yanking open drawers.
“The fuck is you doin’?” he demanded.
“Leavin’. I can’t do this shit with you no more.”
He stormed over and snatched a handful of clothes from the suitcase, flinging them across the room. “You ain’t goin’ nowhere, Skylah.”
“I am!” I screamed, voice breaking. “I’m done livin’ like this. I’m done pretendin’ like everything’s okay when I feel like I’m bein’ haunted by truth, death, and guilt every fuckin’ second!”
Rome grabbed my wrist. “You really finna walk out on me over some ghost shit?!”
I yanked away. “I’m walkin’ out ‘cause the nigga I thought I could trust keeps showin’ me I can’t.” I grabbed my keys, my phone, and my purse. My suitcase wasn’t even zipped, but I didn’t care.
Rome followed me all the way downstairs to the front door, voice booming. “SKYLAH! Don’t walk out that fuckin’ door!” I didn’t stop. “Sky, I swear to God if you leave…”
The door slammed behind me. I ran down the steps and into my car, tears streaming, my heart thudding so hard it hurt. My hands shook as I shoved the key in the ignition. The moment the engine roared, I let out a sob.
“I know I’m not goin’ crazy,” I whispered to myself, gripping the wheel. “I know it. I fuckin’ know it.”
I backed out of the driveway, Rome’s voice still yelling in the background, fading into the night. As I sped through the dark streets, headlights slicing through the black, the car suddenly felt… colder.
“Buckle up, baby.”
I screamed, and the car swerved as King appeared in the passenger seat.
“Eyes on the road,” he said, low and calm. “We got some shit to talk about.”