3. Stoney Brooks
CHAPTER THREE
STONEY brOOKS
THE FOLLOWING DAY
“ D oll, are you gon’ open the door?” I begged from outside of my guest bedroom. She had been locked away in the room ever since I brought her home the day before. I tried calling her phone and talking to her through the door, but she wouldn’t answer me. I really wished she would have taken into consideration why I was keeping the secret from her in the first place.
Despite her and Rell being separated when she shot him, she still had feelings for the no-good nigga when she was locked up for attempting to murder his stupid ass. Had I told her all ’bout her sister sucking and fucking him behind closed doors, she would have gone ballistic in there. I took it upon myself to withhold that from her ’til it was time for her to come home. I should have said something to her before I pulled into the driveway to soften the blow to her heart, but my mind was elsewhere.
I knocked softly on the door in hopes she’d finally answer me. “I’m sorry, Doll. I promise it’s nothing like that. I was just trying to look out for your best interest.” The lock clicked, but the door didn’t open. I waited a few seconds and pushed the door in, finding her sitting Indian style in the center of the queen-sized bed.
“You were supposed to be my bitch.” Her eyes darted in my direction.
“I am. I know how bad that shit was gon’ hurt you if I told you that. It was just gon’ make yo’ stay behind bars a lot worse.”
“I had that bitch picture on my fucking wall…”
“It’s fucked up. I know, but don’t let ’em steal yo’ joy. You’re finally free and you can go out there and live yo’ best life. You don’t need that nothing-ass nigga or her.”
“Ma wouldn’t even come see me ’cause of Jill. I know that’s why she stayed away.”
“She knew she was fucking him the entire time.” Doll shook her head. It hurt me just ’bout as much as it hurt her when I found that shit out and I wasn’t even the one who had been in a relationship with the nigga.
“I can’t stand they ass, man. Ain’t none of ’em worth shit.”
“I know,” I lowly replied and eased over toward the bed in hopes she wouldn’t hit me in the throat or something.
“You’re more than welcome to stay here for as long as you need to. I know you don’t want to go over there and be ’round that toxic bullshit. When we get back from the trip, we can—”
“I’m not going,” Doll interrupted me.
“And why the fuck not?” I asked and took a seat on the edge of the bed. I had been waiting for her to get out so that we could enjoy this trip together. Since I had been busting my ass at work, I needed the vacation. Hell, we didn’t even have to show up at the fucking wedding if she didn’t want to. The trip was free. F.R.E.E. Free. She was crazy if she thought we weren’t taking advantage of that.
“I just don’t feel like being ’round their fake asses like that.”
“That’s understandable, but your suite is my suite. You don’t have to go anywhere near them or the wedding party if you don’t want to. Please don’t make me go on this trip alone. You already know how I am ’round people.” Doll looked at me and burst out in laughter. “I don’t see nothing funny.”
While Doll has always been the life of the party, my ass was the outcast. The introvert. The shy person sitting in the back corner, praying the attention doesn’t fall on me. It was crazy how we were total opposites but best friends. Damn near sisters at this point.
Doll and I had been rocking ever since we first learned how to walk. Our mamas were best friends and lived ’cross the hallway from each other. Hell, mine was the one who gave her the nickname Doll in the first place. She said when she first laid eyes on Kennedy, she looked like a doll and the name just stuck. Our mamas would have still been best friends to this day had Janet not up and fucked my daddy out the blue. Ever since then, Ma hated her fucking guts and wanted nothing else to do with her. I thought the shit was foul as hell when I found out. Doll assumed that I wouldn’t want anything else to do with her off her mama’s actions, but that was a lie. We had a bond that couldn’t break and I wasn’t ’bout to disown her ’cause her mama was shiesty as hell.
Janet had been a ho damn near her entire life. I never could fully understand how Ma was even friends with someone like her in the first place. I never agreed with her tactics when it came to relationships. The advice she gave would have yo’ ass locked up in prison or walking ’round here with a STD.
“The only reason why I’m agreeing to go to this shit is ’cause I know that you’ll probably die without me.”
“Thank yoooooou.” I tossed my arms ’round her neck and squeezed her.
My phone chimed and I glanced down at it.
Bae: Can you meet me at Gold Rosé in a couple hours?
“What the hell you over there smiling at?” Doll questioned me. I had told her all ’bout my boyfriend Wade when I first started talking to him. I didn’t think things would get this serious with him, but it snuck up on me and did. We had been together for the last two years and I was loving it here so far. The only thing ’bout it was that he worked entirely too much.
“Wade just asked me out to dinner.”
“Go. I’ll be alright.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
“’Kay.”
I bolted from the bed and went into my bedroom to get ready. Though Wade was a workaholic, he still managed to take me out once a week and I always looked forward to going out with him. It was the highlight of my week.
Since the date was last minute, I didn’t have much time to go and search for something to wear. I went to old reliable—my strapless black dress—and tossed it on the bed. It wasn’t gon’ take me long to get dressed since all I really had to do was shower and do a lil light beat on my face. The day before I got a silk press and I was good hair wise for at least a couple more days.
After my shower, I got dressed and stopped in Doll’s doorway to get her approval. “What you think?”
She looked up from her phone and frowned. “You couldn’t put a lil more effort into that outfit?”
“I was pressed for time. I did the best I could.” I glanced down at my dress and asked, “You think I need to go change?”
“I guess you’ll be fine.”
“Doll…” I whined.
“You’re good, girl. Gone on yo’ lil date and I’ll see you when you get back.”
I pranced out the doorway and grabbed my purse and keys. The drive to the restaurant wasn’t long at all. I stayed ’bout twenty minutes from downtown. Gold Rosé Bistro was one of the hottest restaurants in Montgomery. They were a lil on the pricey side, but they damn sure was worth it.
I parked my car in the parking lot and climbed out. When I entered the building, the hostess stopped me at the door. “How many?”
“I’m actually here to meet my boyfriend.” My lips spread from ear to ear. “Do you mind if I take a look around and see if he’s made it here already?”
“Sure.”
I took a step further into the restaurant and my eyes danced ’round the building in search of Wade. They finally landed on him and I saw that he wasn’t sitting at the table alone. There was this light-skinned chick sitting directly beside him. I’d never seen her before and they were a lil too close for comfort.
She was gorgeous as hell. Her hair was in its natural curly state, stopping at her shoulders. She had freckles that lined the bridge of her nose. The closer I got to the table, the more of a threat she became to me. I was never an insecure chick, but the way she was leaning on my man and laughing, it made me nauseous. I wanted to turn ’round and run to the bathroom and vomit out my entire insides.
“W-Wade,” I barely managed to get out when I stopped at the table. My eyes peered down at the plates sitting in front of ’em. They had already ordered food and had been eating it. He didn’t even wait for me to get here.
The chick’s eyes darted toward me, and she frowned. “This her?” she questioned him and pointed her long thumbnail in my direction.
“Asia…” he called out her name, and she relaxed back in her seat, folding her arms over her chest.
“You mind telling me what’s going on?” I asked him, not wanting to jump to any conclusions, but something definitely wasn’t right here.
“Are you gon’ tell her or do I need to?” Asia blurted.
I swallowed hard the lump that formed in my throat. Suddenly, I wished I had stayed my black ass at home with Doll.
Wade’s eyes lowered. This nigga was really tucking his tail for this ho. “Fine, I’ll tell her. You’ve been dating my man.”
“Y-your man?” My brows snapped together. “This my man,” was the only thing I could muster up to say, sounding like a dummy.
“No, sweetie. Wade and I have been together for the last ten years. Instead of letting you know what it really was when he met you, he lied to you and led you the fuck on. I just found out ’bout you the other day when you called his phone and I saw your name.”
My mouth dropped to the floor. If Gold Rosé wasn’t such a fine restaurant, I’d be worried ’bout a roach crawling in it at this point.
“Wade?” I rotated my attention back to him with blurred vision. “Is-is this true? You’ve been playing me this whole time? So all those times you told me you were working, you was with her?”
Tears streaked my cheeks, dripping off my chin onto my chest like raindrops.
“Stoney…” He lifted to his feet and reached for me. I stumbled back away from him and Asia whacked his hand down.
“This shit is pathetic,” she said, and my ears burned.
I wanted to whup her ass in this restaurant, but I’d never been in a fight a day in my life and was bound to get my ass whupped. It was crazy that I was twenty-nine years old and had never fought another soul. Doll always fought my battles for me when it came to laying hands. I really wished I hadn’t left her at home so that she could drag the shit out of Asia’s ass in here.
“Wade…” I choked on his name. My throat felt as if it was closing in on me. Somebody had to wake me from this nightmare.
“Just leave. Why the hell you still standing here?” Asia questioned me. I picked up a cup off the table and tossed it right into her face. She gasped and bolted to her feet. Wade quickly stepped in between us, probably knowing I was ’bout to get my ass dragged.
“I fucking hate you!” I screamed at him and marched out of the restaurant.