8. Chapter 7 #3
"Cute, but for real, I'm tryna see if you wanted to chill for a bit," Marcus added, hoping she'd say yes.
"I'm a little worn out to be honest, knocking bitches out wasn't exactly on my agenda for today," June stated.
Marcus smirked and then laughed. "I'm sure, but I promise it won't be long.
I just want to make sure you have a good night, that's all.
" He grabbed her hand and led her over to where his car was parked and he opened the passenger door for her.
June admired his sexy ass and knew she couldn't tell him no, even if she was tired as hell.
"Alright, but I really don't feel like being in people's faces tonight," she replied.
"Cool, I got just the place in mind," Marcus said with excitement.
"Oh lord, where you tryna whisk me away to this time?" June asked as she slid into the passenger seat.
Marcus didn’t answer right away. He started the car and eased out into the night. He fiddled with the stereo, skipping through songs until a slow, sultry beat hit.
June stuck her tongue out and started swaying her hips in the seat. “Yep. That one right there.”
He looked at her as a grin tugged at his lips. “Beyoncé again? You love her that much?”
She tilted her head, letting her silky black hair fall over her shoulder. “Yeah. She speaks for me.”
“Aight, you got it, boo. I ain't gon fuck up your vibe tonight.” Marcus responded back.
June’s lips curved into a teasing smile. “I like it when you protect the vibe.”
Marcus smiled, then redirected his eyes back to the road.
The ride was quiet for a while with neither of them rushing to break the silence.
She scooted into a comfortable position in the seat letting herself get comfy, but curiosity took over. “So, Marcus… what kind of plans you got for us tonight? Don’t leave me in suspense.”
He let out a low chuckle. “Relax. You ain’t gotta do nothin’ tonight but enjoy yourself.”
June glanced at him, smiling. “That’s it? That’s all you want?”
He winked at her. “Yeah, for now.”
She stared at him as she tried to figure out what he meant by that. “You real laid back for somebody who just seen me in action.”
Marcus smirked, flicking his eyes toward her. “I’ve seen worse.”
She let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head as she leaned back in her seat. “Mmm. I don’t know… you givin' me vibes like you got somethin’ up your sleeve.”
“Nah,” he said, voice low. “I just like you better when you ain’t on edge like that.”
That made her pause.
Her eyes slid back to him, slower this time. “You think you know me already?”
“I know enough,” he said. “Enough to know you don’t gotta be on go all the time.”
June laid her head back against the headrest as she watched him from the side. “You always this smooth, or you just layin’ it on thick tonight?”
Marcus let out a soft laugh. “I ain’t layin’ on nothin’. What I'm telling you is what it is.”
She narrowed her eyes slightly like she didn’t fully believe him, but she wasn't gonna read to deep into it.
“Mmm hmm,” she murmured. “We gon’ see.”
He glanced at her again with that same calm look on his face. “Yeah,” he said. “You will.”
Her pulse quickened, but she liked it. She still didn't know him that well, but she felt super comfortable around him. “You like teasing me, huh?” she said almost whispering.
Marcus smirked. “Nah, I’m just showing you how it feels to not have to fight every second to be seen. You earned your place in this world, June.”
June kept her eyes on him like she was trying to read him.
And as the ride went on, June realized she had no idea what the night would bring, but with Marcus behind the wheel she was damn sure bout to find out.
With Beyonce crooning in the background to her rendition of Wishing On A Star, Marcus' words came back to her.
They broke through the walls that she had built up like a shield.
Not having to fight every second just to be seen, her chest tightened as the memory came flooding back.
She was in her father's store on that cold night in November. Her father had been behind the counter wiping down the glass display when two men came in. The shots rang out so fast that she didn’t even have time to scream before he collapsed.
Then came the aftermath; the sirens, the chaos outside, and the emptiness that followed.
It had etched itself into her forever, completely destroying her.
She had run to him with tears in her eyes.
She remembered holding his hand as she struggled to breathe.
She saw so much blood and she prayed that her father would be okay.
But unfortunately for her, he wasn't. A few minutes later, police cars started pulling up one after another. By then, half the block was already outside being nosey. She was still crying and shaking. They wrapped her in a blanket holding her while neighbors gathered around whispering and pointing. She felt like she was stuck in a nightmare that didn’t end.
They had to call CPS. Her father had been her only family.
She was suddenly a ward of the state thrown into a system she didn’t understand with a system full of kids who already had scars of their own.
The first foster home only lasted six months.
Yoon-Ji spent most of that time hiding in her room with the door locked.
Her foster mother seemed nice enough during the day, but her boyfriend made Yoon-Ji nervous.
He had a wandering eye that always seemed to be stuck on her.
He always found reasons to be near her. He always wanted hugs.
He always sat too close to her. And he always wanted to play little games with her.
One night he broke into her room after everybody else had gone to bed.
Yoon-Ji never told anyone exactly what happened after that.
But whatever she said was enough for CPS to remove her from the home the following week.
The moves didn't stop there. It was always a new house, new rules, and new school.
Every time Yoon-Ji started getting comfortable, somebody packed her belongings into a trash bag and sent her somewhere else.
School wasn't much better. Girls laughed at her name, Yoon-Ji, turning it into jokes that had entire lunch tables cracking up.
They pushed her in the hallways, stole her lunch, and talked about her loud enough for her to hear every word.
Some days she ate in the bathroom just to avoid them.
Other days she pretended she wasn't hungry at all.
One girl her age named Tiana made it her mission to make Yoon-Ji’s life a living hell.
Tiana shoved her into lockers, mocked her accent, and tried to force her into corners like she had nowhere to go.
But Yoon-Ji wasn’t about to stay silent any longer.
The world had taught her from that moment that she had to fight for every ounce of attention, respect, and survival.
One afternoon in the cafeteria, Tiana cornered her again.
“What you crying for, Mulan?” she spat, smirking as the other girls laughed.
Yoon-Ji balled her hands up into tight fists.
She thought about her father. She thought about the foster homes.
She thought about all the nights she cried herself to sleep wondering why her life had fallen apart within the blink of an eye.
She looked Tiana in the eyes and made a choice.
“Nope,” she said, her voice low but sure. “Not today.”
Before Tiana could react, June punched her so hard that she fell into the lunch table.
Tiana tried covering her face, but Yoon-Ji kept coming with hits left and right.
Lunch trays fell on the floor and girls scattered out of the way, but Yoon-Ji barely noticed what was happening around her.
Somebody yelled for the staff to come, but Yoon-Ji didn't care.
She did what she had to do. She had learned early that she had to fight to make it another day, fight to be seen, and fight to claim a space that nobody wanted to give her.
When it was over, Tiana was crying and bleeding from a busted lip and a black eye, and the other girls finally understood something about Yoon-Ji.
She wasn’t a little girl that they could fuck with anymore.
She wasn’t the one nor was she the mothafucking two.
She had been hardened from pain, loss, and survival; and from that day forward, nobody ever underestimated her again.
That memory always lingered in the back of her mind somewhere.
It was a painful reminder of who she had been, and what it had taken to make it through.
Even her birth name carried too much hurt attached to it.
Yoon-Ji belonged to a little girl who lost everything in a single night.
And now June was the woman who was coming to get it back in blood.
And sometimes when she looked at her reflection now, she could still feel that eleven-year-old girl inside her ready to fight anyone who thought they could take what was hers.
June blinked rapidly, forcing herself to come back to the present. She stared out the window and focused on the passing traffic outside. Marcus looked over at her once, then let the silence be what it was. And something about the ride felt easier after that.