16. Chapter 15 #2
“See?” she muttered under her breath. “This is exactly why I left.”
Marcus looked confused as hell while Loretta kept yelling.
“This bitch stole from me and disappeared like a thief in the night!”
June pulled her wallet out before handing her ID toward Marcus.
“Remember when you first hired me at the club?"
Marcus frowned slightly. “Yeah.”
“You checked my ID yourself to make sure I was old enough to work there.”
Marcus looked at her silently.
“And my ID showed June Park as my name.”
He looked back up at Miss Loretta.
Miss Loretta blinked hard. “That don’t mean shit! She changed her damn name!”
June folded her arms. “Marcus… this lady was my foster mother.” Her voice stayed controlled but annoyed. “She drank all day, treated everybody like shit, and been harassing me ever since I moved out.”
“That’s a fuckin lie!” Miss Loretta screamed.
Marcus stepped in front of June in a protective stance.
“Aight,” he snapped. “Miss you need to calm the fuck down.”
Miss Loretta looked around the apartment breathing hard as the realization started sinking in.
June was playing him.
And she was doing it good.
“You dumb mothafucka,” Miss Loretta muttered while looking at Marcus. “You really don’t know who you got standing in your face.”
Marcus jaw tightened. “Ayo lady, watch your fuckin' mouth.”
June stepped closer behind him with one hand resting lightly against his back.
“Marcus just let her go,” she said. “She do this every couple years whenever she need money.”
Miss Loretta stared at June like she wanted to kill her.
And June stared right the fuck back like she was ready for whatever came next.
That same little girl Miss Loretta used to scream at in Kensington was gone.
The woman standing there now?
She was a mothafuckin beast. A fuckin' force to be reckoned with.
Marcus looked toward June and saw her wipe her lip with a napkin. He got swole in the chest looking at the blood.
“Did she fuckin' hit you?”
June looked at him like he was stupid.
Marcus' eyes burned with a sudden rage.
He turned back toward Miss Loretta furious. He grabbed her by the arm squeezing it tightly as he led her toward the door “Nah, lady. You gotta get the fuck out.”
Miss Loretta laughed as if his grip caused her no pain. She pulled herself from his grasp. “Yeah aight,” she muttered. “Keep protecting that bitch.”
Then her eyes locked on June one last time. “Imma get my money back one way or another.”
The door slammed behind her seconds later. Silence filled the apartment after that.
Marcus looked down at June’s lip again before shaking his head. “You not staying here tonight.”
June looked up at him. “Marcus—”
“I’m serious.” His voice softened slightly. “She know where you live already and she just threatened you, yeah that shit dead.”
“I don’t need nobody babysitting me,” she muttered.
Marcus grabbed her overnight bag from beside the counter anyway. “Good thing that ain’t what the fuck I’m doing then.”
Marcus began leading her toward the door.
June kept her eyes forward, but she couldn't get over the way Marcus showed up right when everything almost went too far. Had he come just a few minutes later, he would've saw the love of his life standing over a fuckin' dead body.
Mercedes knew something was off the second Ohaji came through the apartment door.
He was too fucking friendly and he always spoke to her in that fake ass voice whenever he was tryna hide some shit.
He thought he was slick, but she knew exactly who the fuck she was dealing with.
It didn't take a fucking rocket scientist to see that he was full of shit.
Mercedes sat on the chaise in her living room while Mya's newest album Retrospect blasted through the Bluetooth speaker on the kitchen counter.
Ohaji walked in carrying a liquor bag from the corner store while nodding to the music. “Damn. You cleaning now?”
Mercedes didn’t even look up. “Obviously.”
“Here we go again.” He laughed tossing his keys on the counter. “It must be that time of the month.”
Mercedes ignored him and kept folding clothes.
Ohaji walked over behind her trying to wrap his arms around her waist, but she stepped away before he could touch her.
His face changed. “What’s your fuckin' problem?”
“Nothing.” Mercedes answered.
“Don’t start that weird shit, yo.” Ohaji said.
Mercedes grabbed another pile of clothes while trying to keep her mood together. Then his phone vibrated against the counter indicating he had a text message.
She glanced over and saw that a message lit up across the screen from some bitch named Zeenah.
Don't try to act funny now after what happened last night
Mercedes noticed a kissy face emoji after the message. Mercedes got upset and Ohaji caught the expression on her face.
“Man give me my fuckin' phone,” he muttered reaching for it.
Mercedes snatched it first. “Who the fuck is Zeenah?”
“Oh my fucking God.” He rubbed his face irritated. “Mercedes, give me the phone.”
“You fucking that bitch?”
“No!”
“Then why she texting you kissy faces and shit?”
“She just somebody I know.”
Mercedes laughed bitterly while scrolling. “Somebody you know huh?”
More messages loaded. It was a bunch of pictures, videos, and late night freaky texts.
The anger ignited the more she kept scrolling.
“It’s always some fuckin' drama with you yo.” he muttered angrily while trying to snatch his phone out of Mercedes' hand.
Mercedes laughed in disbelief. “Drama? Nigga YOU the one cheating on me!”
“I ain’t cheat on you!”
“Then who the fuck texting your phone?”
Ohaji’s whole attitude changed after that. “You know what? I’m getting tired of this shit.”
Mercedes blinked. “Excuse me?”
“I can’t even breathe around you without getting interrogated.”
“That’s because yo ass is a liar and a cheater!”
Ohaji stepped closer. “Nah. You just insecure as fuck.”
Mercedes looked at him for a second like she ain't know who the fuck was standing in front of her right now.
Mercedes stood there trying so hard not to spazz out. “You really gon sit here and play me in my face? You a fuckin' dirty ass nigga.”
“Oh here we go with that shit again.” Ohaji snatched for the phone again. “You always startin' shit yo.”
Mercedes jerked away from him. “I'm startin' shit?!”
“Yeah! Every time my phone ring you act like a detective.”
“BECAUSE LOOK AT WHAT THE FUCK YOU'RE DOING!!!!” Mercedes screamed.
“I ain’t do a mothafuckin' thing!” Ohaji replied nonchalantly.
Mercedes stared at him like he was delusional. “Nigga she talking about something that happened LAST NIGHT.”
Ohaji sucked his teeth hard. “Aight so what?”
Mercedes didn't even recognize the man she once loved anymore. “Wow.”
“Oh don’t do the fake hurt shit now.”
“Fake?” Her voice cracked. “You really think this fake?”
Ohaji stepped closer already irritated. “You sitting here acting like I killed somebody.”
“You keep embarrassing me!” Mercedes yelled. “You keep making me look stupid!”
“Oh my God.” He laughed coldly. “Here come the victim shit.”
Mercedes shoved the clothes off the counter so hard they hit the floor. “Cause I’m tired!”
“Tired of what?” Ohaji asked.
“Tired of begging a grown ass man to love me right!” Mercedes screamed at the top of her lungs.
Ohaji looked at her with annoyance instead of guilt.
“You know what?” Mercedes grabbed her purse off the couch. “Fuck you, fuck this relationship. I’m done.”
“Oh please.” He laughed. “You say that every other week.”
“No. I mean it this time.” Tears rolled down her face now. “I can’t keep waking up every day feeling like I’m never enough for you.”
Ohaji rolled his eyes. “Mercedes stop with the dramatic shit.”
Mercedes grabbed the glass ashtray off the table and hurled it at him. He moved out the way just in time before it scattered across the floor the second it hit the wall behind him. "How's that for dramatic, nigga?" She asked with sarcasm in her voice.
“Oh you done lost your fuckin mind tryna throw shit at me. I got something for yo ass!!!!” Ohaji barked while storming toward her.
“Don’t you fuckin' touch me Ohaji!” Mercedes said with fear in her eyes. She took off running down the hall.
“You throwing shit now?” Ohaji asked as he chased after her.
“You cheating on me!” Mercedes screamed out as she ran into her bedroom. She closed the door and locked it, but Ohaji busted through and came running toward her.
Ohaji grabbed her by the arms hard enough to hurt. “Cause you drive niggas crazy!”
Mercedes shoved against him trying to break free. “GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!”
“Oh now you tough?” He shook her roughly. “You ain’t tough when yo bitch ass is crying every damn night!”
Feeling completely fed up with the disrespect, Mercedes smacked the dog shit out of him.
"You fucking bitch!" Ohaji raised his fist preparing to throw a right hook.
Mercedes phone rang loudly stopping him just in time. It was Marcus calling her.
Mercedes wiped angrily at her face before answering. “What?”
Marcus paused. “Damn. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I’m busy.” Mercedes responded.
“Well unbusy yourself and get down here.” Marcus demanded.
Mercedes shut her eyes frustrated already. “Marcus not tonight, I'm not in the mood right now.”
“I don’t give a fuck about what kind of mood you in,” he snapped. “I got liquor inventory missing and half my staff is moving sloppy. I need somebody I trust counting bottles.”
Mercedes laughed bitterly. “You trust me?”
“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” Marcus asked genuinely confused.
“Nothing.” She grabbed her keys off the counter. “I’m on my way.”
The second she hung up, Ohaji laughed at her. “Look at you. Running every time that nigga call.”