22. Scar
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
SCAR
I stood there and watched Doll as she rode off into the mufuckin’ sunset with another nigga. It took everything in me not to buss my strap at the back of that bitch. My blood boiled when I saw her giggling and shit all in that nigga’s face. Yeah, she didn’t belong to me, but I had gone up in that shit raw. Shouldn’t no other nigga be touching her but me. That was the code. Everybody knew that shit. I didn’t know for certain if she was fucking him or not, but if he was in there willing to blow ends on her ass, she either fucked him already or was ’bout to. No nigga in his right mind was gon’ spend his bread ’less he knew for a fact he was getting some out of it.
“Are you fucking serious!” Chante stepped in front of me and barked soon as Doll’s vehicle was no longer in view.
“Can you chill the fuck out?”
“Chill! Chill!” Her eyes bucked at me. “I just watched you run behind another bitch and you want me to fucking chill! You ain’t never ran behind me like that!”
My jaw muscles tighten. I gripped Chante by the forearm and opened the back door of the Tahoe.
“Really, nigga! You actually think I’m ’bout to get back in this truck after you just tried to put another bitch in there!”
“Aye, watch ya fucking mouth.”
Her brows snapped together, and she gazed at me with water-filled eyes. “What’s really going on, Scar?”
“I’on know,” was the only answer I could provide.
“The fuck you mean you don’t know! You in love with that bitch or something!” My hand wrapped ’round Chante’s throat and I had her hemmed against the truck before I knew it. Her eyes expanded. Tears streaked her cheeks. I released her and brushed my hand down my face. Without uttering another word, she climbed into the truck.
“Take us back to the resort,” I told the driver. Chante sat there with her elbows resting on her thighs, her hands clasped together, pressed against her lips. Her right leg bounced. Tears still flooded her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to put my hands on you. I’m sorry.”
She sat there ignoring me for the remainder of the ride back to the resort. Chante didn’t even wait for the driver to open the door for her before she jumped out the truck. I started to go behind her but figured she needed space. Instead, I found myself getting off the elevator on my parents’ floor.
The shit that just transpired was the exact reason why I was ’bout to end up in front of their door. I didn’t know what the fuck was going on with me. Doll had me out here acting all out of my character and shit. If anyone could make sense of it, it was Ma.
I knocked on their door and waited for someone to come to it. Pops pulled the door open and a smile coursed his lips. Pops was tall, standing at a good six-two. Back in the day, he used to have long locs ’til they started thinning and he shaved his head bald. He had the complexion of a chocolate bar with a salt and pepper beard.
“Surprised to see you,” he said and gestured for me to enter.
“I came by to talk to Ma. Where is she?”
“She was in there watching television. You want me to go back there and get her?”
Seeing that he was shirtless, there was no telling what Ma looked like back there, so I told him, “Yeah.” And took a seat on the couch.
Pops swaggered to the back of the suite. He and Ma had been living their best life for the last ten years after Schizo and I took over the family business. Those two were never in Alabama. Every time I looked up, they were in another country somewhere. It was amazing to see those two still together after almost thirty years. They didn’t make love like that no more and it was the exact reason why I wasn’t out there searching for it.
“Hey, baby.” Ma’s voice brought me from my thoughts.
“Hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.” I stood to my feet and pulled her in for an embrace then pecked her on the cheek.
“No. I was just in there catching up on my show.” She eased down on the couch and gazed up at me. “What’s wrong?” Ma knew me like a mufuckin’ book.
“I wanted to talk to you ’bout something.” I took my seat and faced her. “I’ve been smashing this shawty ever since we touched down.”
“Doll?” She nodded and continued, “I know.”
“How you know that?”
“Don’t ever think that I don’t know what’s going on with my kids. You can continue though.”
As if I needed her permission, I continued, “Well, Chante showed up the other day and I’ve been having conflicted feelings.”
“For which one?”
“Both, I guess. I’ve been knowing Chante for what seems like forever but I don’t really see a future with her.”
“Have you told her that?”
“I’ve told her plenty times that I didn’t want a relationship.”
“But you didn’t tell her not with her?” Ma’s brow lifted. “Right?”
“I just told her that I wasn’t ready for one at all.”
“Why not just tell her the truth? What’s the point in holding on to her if you know you don’t want to be with her? What about Doll?”
My teeth clenched hearing her name. “That woman just does something to me. I find myself doing stuff that I never thought I’d do. I feel possessive over her.”
“You like her.” Ma’s lips spread from ear to ear as if she’d just won the lottery or something.
“I mean, yeah. I guess.” I did just so happen to have went in her pussy raw. Something I vowed I’d never do with anyone. I wasn’t ’bout to tell her that though.
“Is it possible that you could love her?”
“Love?” I chuckled and waved her off. “That’s a lil extreme, ain’t it?”
“Just ’cause you push everyone away and keep ’em at a distance, doesn’t mean you’re not capable of love, Chavez.”
My phone vibrated and I glanced down at it.
Schizo: I know what happened to Unk. Chad knows what happened here and they are coming for our asses.
Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I leaned over and pecked Ma on the temple. “I gotta go,” I told her and got up from the couch.