Prologue #5
She sat back in the seat, and Najee shook his head.
He was joking, so he didn’t see how things had gotten misconstrued.
Either way, he didn’t see Orielle as that type of woman anyway.
Honestly, he didn’t know what type of scandalous shit she was down for or into, but he wouldn’t place her in that category based off history alone.
Treating her like one of the sluts he used to crack before he settled down with Renae was nowhere on his mind.
Orielle was glad they were almost at Cheyla’s crib. She ran down her plans for the next day in her mind while Zoey scrolled through her phone beside her. When she gasped lowly, Orielle glanced her way.
“I know you lying,” Zoey said, looking at a picture of Bobby, his baby mama, and their newborn.
Cheyla and Orielle looked at the screen, staring in disbelief.
“Bitch... I know that’s not Diamond’s page?” Cheyla asked, tapping on the profile picture of one of their old friends.
Sure enough, once they were on Diamond’s page, it was confirmed that she had posted a picture of her cousin in mommy mode, congratulating her and Bobby.
I’m so happy my precious baby cousin has graced us with her presence. She’s gorgeous! Congratulations to my big cousin, Mo, and Bobby! Now, when’s the wedding, ‘cause I know that’s next.
Orielle chuckled. “Wow. I... I don’t even know what to say.”
“She’s petty for posting this, knowing we’d see it. Bitches like her deserve to get beat up,” Cheyla spat.
“Exactly,” Zoey agreed.
Diamond used to be their friend until she started acting weird.
She’d throw subtle shots, not include them in trips, always had back-handed compliments to say, and moved like she had a problem with them all of a sudden.
Now, it all made sense. Her cousin’s baby daddy was the reason.
A nigga who proved his character was flaw just by how he moved with Orielle.
But what did she know? Niggas were gon’ be niggas and these women fell for it.
“It’s fine, y’all. Let her post. That’s not my man and hasn’t been for a while now. Now, we know why she was acting funny with us and cut us off. Oh well.”
“Eww. I just hate a weird ass broad. On my soul,” Cheyla groaned. “I should go comment and be messy.”
Orielle chuckled as Najee pulled onto the curb of Cheyla’s townhouse. “Please don’t. That man gon’ think I told you to do that.”
“Girl, fuck him, that baby mama, and the baby,” Cheyla said uncaringly.
Zoey snorted. “Now... what did the baby do?”
“Have a whack ass daddy. Thank you for the long ride, Kidnapper. Make it home safely,” Cheyla said, opening her door.
Najee chuckled. “No problem. Let me grab that door for y’all.”
“Um. Hold on. I know we’ve been drinking, but I know I’m not tripping. Is that... Bobby walking this way?” Zoey asked, staring at the figure walking down the street.
Orielle whipped her head between the seats so quickly, and her mouth dropped. There in the flesh, not even twenty-four hours into being a father, and here he was at Cheyla’s crib. Boldly, he walked up the driveway and stood there like he had every right to pop up.
“Oh. This nigga don’ lost his mind,” Cheyla said, pushing her door open.
Orielle and Zoey were right behind her. One thing a man was going to have if he had nothing in this world to offer was audacity.
Not money, not time, not loyalty, not respect, not hustle, not enough dick.
.. but mothafuckin’ audacity. Orielle was ready to spazz out.
Not because of the situation, but the principle.
“You don’t just pop up at somebody’s house with your weird ass!” Cheyla fussed.
Bobby raised his hands. “I ain’t come here to argue. I just wanted to talk.”
“We have absolutely nothing to discuss,” Orielle said, much calmer than she felt.
He’d get pleasure from seeing her spazz out, and she knew it.
“Please, Ori. Just give me five minutes,” he begged.
“I’m good. You had months...nine plus more months to talk,” Orielle said, heading up the driveway.
Bobby walked up on her too quickly, grabbing her wrist. “Man, just hear me out.”
“Don’t touch me!” Orielle hissed, trying to yank away from him.
He only held onto her tighter. “Come on, Ori, you know it ain’t like that. Just let me explain, baby.”
She smelled the liquor on his breath, and she cringed.
Drunkenly, he bearhugged her, trying to walk her toward his car.
Purses went upside his head, and punches landed against his arm.
Orielle struggled to break free from his embrace, all while hollering for him to let her go.
He pulled up to make a scene, but it wasn’t about to last much longer.
Bobby’s grip loosened once he heard Najee’s voice.
He was out of the truck, walking around the front of it with his jaw tight.
“Aye, cuz. You heard what she said. Let her go.”
Bobby scowled, sizing him up. “Nigga, who the hell are you?”
“Don’t matter who I am. Let her go or get yo’ ass beat. I’ma decide for you in a few seconds.”
Without thinking, Bobby shoved Orielle away from him, almost making her fall to the concrete. “You must be her new nigga, huh? Bet. You gon’ throw hands behind her ‘cause I will.”
“She’s not yours!” Zoey reminded him.
“And didn’t you just have an ugly ass baby! Ain’t no way you should be checking for my friend!” Cheyla added.
Ignoring them, Bobby stepped to Najee, who hiked his pants up.
His days of throwing hands were long gone, but he’d never back down from a fight.
He wasn’t the one to get in the middle of a dispute between a couple, either, but this wasn’t the case.
Orielle was single, Bobby was manhandling her, and now his ego was bruised all because she didn’t want to fuck with him anymore.
Had Najee thought for one second that this is what Orielle and he did on a regular basis, he wouldn’t have intervened.
The real man in him wasn’t about to sit by and let her be handled like this.
Najee hiked his jeans up and smirked. “You ain’t trying to take it there, cuz. Gon’ ‘bout your night.”
“Nah. Let’s take it there,” Bobby said, swinging.
He missed and that was his fuck up. Ducking it, Najee caught him with a nasty right hook that sent him stumbling.
Najee had only lost one fight in his life, and that was his first one, at the age of eight.
Since, he’d been putting niggas on their backs and in caskets, if there was a body to identify.
For Bobby’s sake, he hoped he didn’t have to take it there.
The blows he landed were so vicious, Orielle gagged when she heard bones crack.
Cheyla screamed for Najee to beat his ass, while Zoey pulled her phone out.
Orielle stood frozen as the two men scrapped in the driveway. Her breath hitched when Bobby reached for his waistband, but Najee was quicker and drew his piece first.
“Pull it, bitch ass nigga,” Najee taunted as sirens echoed in the background.
Bobby flexed his bruised jaw. “You ain’t worth it. Neither is this bitch.”
His nostrils flared as he looked at Orielle. The cop cars swooped onto the premises just as they lowered their guns. Najee tucked his and cursed under his breath.
“Fuck,” he mumbled.
He was on probation and wasn’t supposed to have a weapon on him or be around one at all. Orielle didn’t know that, but it didn’t stop her from trying to grab it from him and hide it in her purse.
“Give it here,” she insisted.
Without protest, Najee slid it to her just as the cops hopped out. Discreetly, she slid the gun inside her purse and stepped away from him.
“Everyone, hands up!” an officer shouted.
All hands went in the air. A neighbor had called them to the scene and had already let them know guns had been pulled out. Orielle watched in horror as they roughly searched Najee, pulling him away from the driveway.
“You got any weapons on you?” the officer asked.
“Nah,” he grumbled.
“Yeah, he does. He got a gun on him, but it’s in her purse,” Bobby snitched without remorse.
The officer stopped walking, pivoted, and glanced at Orielle, whom Bobby was pointing at. He looked back at Najee.
“Is that right?” the officer asked.
With his eyes and a head gesture, he told Orielle to just remove it.
Getting searched and manhandled wasn’t worth it.
Especially when he’d gotten himself into this predicament in the first place.
The officer took the gun and cuffed Najee right in front of her.
Emotional and pissed off, her heart felt like it cracked down the middle when he was walked to the back of the police car.
“You’re a hoe for that!” Cheyla shouted at Bobby.
His smug expression and shrug of his shoulders had Orielle sick to her stomach. Had Bobby not popped up, none of this drama would’ve occurred.
“Najee, I’m—!” she started to yell after, him but was cut off.
He looked over his shoulder, giving her a half-smile. “It’s all good, Pretty. Don’t apologize for me doing what your ex shoulda’ never made necessary.”
His words didn’t comfort her. She was extremely sorry, and the trajectory of Najee’s life was about to change because of her. That wounded heart of hers she’d been working hard on mending was shattered all over again.