Chapter 4
four
. . .
Hendrix
“Man, fuck!” I barked, ready to toss my phone in the trash.
I quickly called Cassidy and was sent straight to voicemail.
Then, I called my agent, knowing I was possibly facing a PR disaster.
Hours before Christmas, my face was splashed across every tabloid magazine and blog in the country over some shit that I knew looked worse than it was.
I knew if Cassidy had gotten wind of it, she was going to be expecting an explanation.
When I got back to the room, all her things were gone. I pulled out my phone to call her over and over, leaving a slew of voicemails in my wake.
“You’ve reached Cassidy. Leave a message after the beep,” her voice recording echoed through my speakerphone.
BEEP
“Cass? It’s me. Answer your phone. Where are you? I’m in the room and all your shit is gone.”
BEEP
“Listen, I know you probably have a million questions running through your head right now, let alone people in your ear. I just wanna talk, aight? Please, just call me back. Did you get another room? Just tell me where you are, and I’ll come to you.”
Anger seared my skin as I spent the next hour calling her while waiting for her to call me back. On what seemed like the hundredth time I’d called, she answered.
“What do you want?” she asked as if I was nothing but a nuisance to her.
A frown etched into the side of my mouth. “What the fuck you mean, what do I want? I wanna talk to you, Cass. I’ve been calling your ass non-stop for the past hour!”
“I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“Bullshit. Then, why aren’t you here then? You just gon’ up and leave me like that with no explanation or telling me where you at?”
“I’m a grown woman, and I can come and go as I please.”
I shook my head, trying not to let her quick ass responses drag me down to her level. “Just tell me where you are, and I’ll come to you.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“Why isn’t it? We need to talk.”
“I don’t want to see you.”
“Cass, stop being stubborn and tell me where you are. Did you get your own room here in the hotel?”
“No.”
“Did you get a room somewhere else on the strip?”
“No,” she replied, just as dry as the first time.
I drew in an exasperated breath while pinching the bridge of my nose. “Then, tell me where you are.”
“I’m at the airport, Hendrix.”
My eyes bulged out before frosting over with anger. “The airport? What the fuck are you doing there? Come back to the hotel so we can talk, Cass.”
“No. I’m going home, Hendrix. This whole thing was a—”
“A what? A mistake?”
“You said it, not me,” she retorted.
I thrust out a breath. “Look, I already know you saw those whack ass photos, and before you go feeling a way, just let me explain. You at least owe me that.”
She scoffed. “I don’t owe you shit, nigga.”
“Just up and leavin’ like that with no explanation? You toxic as hell for that and you know it! How is it that the first time you hear or see something you don’t like, and you up and leave me for the streets without even hearing my side?”
“Why do I need to hear your side of anything with the truth right here in my face? I don’t have shit else to say to you, okay? Everything done in the dark comes to light, remember? And thanks to you I’ve got the whole fuckin’ world in my business because of your lies!”
“Cass, just let me fuckin’ explain. It’s not what it looks like, I put that on everything I love.”
“Oh, like how you love me, right? I don’t believe shit that comes out of your lyin’ ass face!
Here I was trying to convince myself that I didn’t need to wait for the other shoe to drop with your ass, and boom, here we are.
You know what? I hope you and that two-dollar bitch have a merry fuckin’ Christmas!
” she snarled before hanging up in my face.