Chapter 26 – Hood Brat
Chapter
Twenty-Six
HOOD brAT
Iwas thankful that War had his homie Dumpa come by to help us get rid of this bitch Seraphina’s body because I was tired of looking at the annoying bitch.
Lil Rude followed me around like a puppy for weeks, begging me to take him back, but honestly, I was done with his ass.
He felt like I owed his ass something just because he saved my life by killing that hoe, but I wouldn’t have been in that situation if it wasn’t for his lying ass.
I couldn’t believe that for the years we were together he had me looking like a complete fool because he had been married during our entire relationship.
Here I was riding around the hood like I was special for being his fiancé, and the whole time I was really the side bitch, I hated that nigga for what he did to me.
There was no reason for dragging me into his bullshit.
If he knew he was married, he should’ve left me the fuck alone and stayed away from me.
It didn’t matter what the circumstances of his marriage were or that they were having problems.
“Damn, I look good as fuck!” I said, checking myself out.
I looked in the mirror, doing a double take.
The red mini dress that I was wearing gave me a sex appeal that was out of this world, and I felt like it was perfect for a first date.
I decided to rock a pair of all-black Christian Louboutins with a black-and-red snakeskin Gucci purse and a pair of all-black Gucci shades.
My hair was up in a sleek ponytail with a bang; needless to say, I was killing it.
I sprayed on my Chanel Perfume just as my doorbell rang.
It felt weird being back home again and not in the house that I shared with Lil Rude.
I applied my Fenty lip gloss before answering the door.
As soon as I opened it, I was met with a dozen red roses that were covered in 100 dollar bills all around them, causing me to blush.
“Aw, these are so cute, thank you.” I smiled while taking the roses from Dumpa.
“Nah, thank you for giving me the honor of taking you out.” He replied.
“Let me grab my keys.”
When I stepped outside and saw his money green 2026 Lamborghini Temerario, I knew I had to be dreaming.
He had real money. He was the type of man that I needed to be sitting pretty next to.
He was everything that I needed in life, a far cry from Lil Rude.
Granted, it was hard to turn off my feelings for Lil Rude; I went from hating him to missing him, but I knew that I deserved better.
The last thing I needed was to be with any man who was going to play me like a fool but expected to be respected like a king, nah, I was good.
Dumpa was fine as fuck, 6’2, dark skin with long two-strand twists that were neatly done and stopped at his shoulders.
His hair smelled good, as if he had just washed and shampooed it.
I could smell it over the Gucci cologne he was wearing, which happened to be my favorite.
He was rocking all black Louis Vuitton with the matching sneakers.
I could see his bulletproof vest under his shirt, letting me know he was always ready for whatever.
My motto was stay ready so you ain’t gotta get ready, and he was definitely ready.
Who would’ve thought that Lil Rude saving my life actually would end up being the reason I met Dumpa's fine ass.
On top of him looking like he was straight out of a GQ magazine, he had heart, and one thing I loved was a gangsta.
He told me he wanted me right in front of Lil Rude, and all that nigga could do was sit there seething.
“You look amazing.” He said, opening the door for me. He took me by the hand, helping me inside his Lambo. I smiled.
“Thank you.”
On the drive to the restaurant, we got to know a lot about each other. I was impressed that he had an eight-year-old daughter, which was different from what I was used to. I had never dated a man with kids before, but everything about him was different.
“So who helps you with your daughter?” I wanted to know if he had a girlfriend, wife, or was with his baby's mother.
“My sister, Mya, helps me. She has a set of twin daughters, which is perfect because my daughter always has someone to play with. Even when she’s not with them, she’s begging to go over there, so it works out perfectly.”
“What’s your daughter's name? That’s if you don’t mind me asking.”
“Her name is Mirror.”
“Aw, that’s a beautiful name.”
“You’re beautiful.” He complimented me, causing me to blush.
“Have you ever dated a man with children?” He asked.
“No, you’ll be my first.” I smiled.
“How do you feel about me having a daughter?”
“I don’t feel any particular way, particularly. I think that it’s different. A little out of my comfort zone, but in a good way. I’ve only been in one serious relationship outside of short flings and dating, so I think it’ll be interesting.”
“Well, I’ve never dated a woman as beautiful as you. So this is completely out of my comfort zone, too.” He smirked.
He was a charm, and I liked that.
I was surprised to see that he had reserved a table at The Capital Grille in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
It was so hard getting a table at the Capitol.
I couldn’t wait to order. We started with a bottle of their wine called The Prisoner; it was my first time having it, and the taste was very elegant.
I chose the Oysters Rockefeller Style with Champagne Brie Fondue; it was broiled with spinach and a Grana Padano panko crust. The taste was chef's kiss, amazing. For my entrée, I had the dry-aged Porterhouse, lobster Mac and cheese, and cream spinach. The food was top-tier, simply delicious. I was in love with the fact that Dumpa could hold a conversation; we never ran out of things to talk about. We got to know each other during the entire dinner. I was really impressed by the fact that he had placed his phone on silent, even though I made him take it off silent on the strength of his daughter, which I believed earned me some cool points. I was excited to get to know him more. By the end of the night, his daughter, Mirror, was video calling him, telling him that she wanted him to come and watch scary movies with her, which I thought was so cute. He didn’t want to leave my side, but I knew that it was for the best because of the way the night had made me feel; I was ready to give it up on the first date.
We ended the night with plans to link for lunch the next day, and that was a date that I wasn’t trying to miss.
He dropped me off, and I waved goodbye as I walked into the house.
I was caught off guard by Lil Rude sitting on my couch, pointing his gun at me.
I froze in my tracks, unable to speak. My body instantly went into survival mode as I looked around for something, anything to protect myself with.
Lil Rude was silent as he looked at me with menacing eyes.
I could tell that whatever was going on, he was very upset.
The tension in the room was thick. I wanted to say something, but didn’t want to do anything to trigger his emotions.
“Was that the nigga Dumpa that just dropped you off?” Lil Rude asked. I put my purse and keys down, never taking my eyes off of him. I slowly removed my Christian Louboutin heels.
“Brianna, answer my question!” He called me by my government, which is something he rarely did.
“What do you want me to say?” I asked.
“I want you to tell me why. After everything that I’ve done for you and our relationship, why shit on me like this!” He raised his voice, causing me to jump.
“Can you put the gun down so that we can have a transparent conversation? I don’t know what you expect me to say or feel when you have a gun pointed at me.” I reasoned.
“You think it’s ok to disrespect me like I’m some sucker ass nigga!” Lil Rude seethed. I stood there staring at him with pleading eyes as he clenched his jaw.
He jumped from the couch and began pacing back and forth while talking in his thick, heavy accent.
I kept my eyes glued to him in fear, my entire body trembling.
All of this when all he had to do was keep it real with me from day one, and I never would’ve looked Dumpa's way. I would’ve remained loyal and true to him as I have always been.
He was only making things worse, thinking about himself as if he were the only one affected.
His actions had cut me deeply. I was the only one who had the right to be angry.
“I sacrificed so much for you.” He said, looking at me with anger-filled eyes.
“Is this about Seraphina?” I asked. “If so, you should’ve just let her kill me if all you were gonna do was act as if I owed you for saving my life.”
It was funny that he felt like I owed him something for killing someone to save my life, but just weeks ago, I had done the same for him and hadn’t once thrown it in his face.
“That’s the type of shit that you do for the people that you love.” I reminded him.
“And you think you just gonna move on with another nigga and leave me with no one?” He asked.
That let me know that he didn’t have any intentions of divorcing Seraphina sooner; he only wanted to have his cake and eat mine too, which just wasn’t going to fly in my book.
I have given all of myself to Lil Rude. I rode for him, cherished him, and was loyal and faithful throughout our entire relationship.
I didn’t deserve to be the other woman; I was worth more than that and deserved so much more.
“You need some help. You’re not thinking clearly right now. I’m not sure if it’s the drugs those doctors got you on, but you’re being very irrational. You’re smarter than this. None of this shit is worth throwing your life away.” I tried reasoning with Lil Rude.
“I don’t know what’s worth it anymore. I just know I can’t allow you to be with another nigga.
I love you too much to sit back and watch you be everything that I need with someone else.
If it ain’t gonna be with me, then it won’t be with anyone.
” There was something about the way that he was talking that let me know he wasn’t bluffing.
I didn’t know what to say because I didn’t want to say the wrong thing.
I knew I needed to be careful with what came out of my mouth.
The way that Lil Rude was talking and acting was in ways that I was unfamiliar with.
I didn’t want to do anything to further set him off.
When he set his gun down to pull out his blunt, I wasted no time making a run for it.
I knew that Lil Rude was just in his feelings and wouldn’t do anything stupid to risk his freedom.
I ran out the door and down the street as fast as I could, screaming for help.
I took a quick glance over my shoulder and saw that Lil Rude was right behind me, chasing me down.
I ran for my life barefoot. My heart was beating out of my chest, and I was scared out of my mind, but I needed to keep going.
I made it around the corner and was feet away from the corner store.
The corner store door opened as someone was walking out.
“Help me, please! He’s trying to kill-