Stepped

Chapter 10

Breeze

“So, Breeze, the million-dollar question is…are you coming back to the spot to kick it with us?” Ora wanted to know.

She was standing in front of a nigga, looking fine as shit.

I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t attracted to Ora.

She was a high yellow girl, with naturally curly, long, dark hair.

Had a gorgeous mug on her, with full lips, a button nose, and inviting almond shaped eyes.

Then when it came down to her body…shape was immaculate.

Small waist. Round ass. Thick legs. Sizable breasts. All the shit that I liked.

So, tagging along with Kezzy, while he was kicking it with her bestie, Charlie, had been the easiest favor I’d ever given.

At this point, the four of us had hung several times, and I really felt like I knew Ora. And honestly liked what I saw.

Maybe the vibe was always right because we were cut from the same cloth. Ora now lived in the burbs, but had grown up in the hood, like myself. So, she had a certain ghetto mystique that I lowkey enjoyed.

“Ion know, lil’ mama.” I rubbed my chin hairs. “It’s already past two in the morning. So, driving to 3rd Ward would be going out the way, and I’d probably be out when the sun is coming up.” I pointed out how her student-living apartment was not within the route I’d planned on taking.

She sucked her teeth. “What’s up with you and this time keeping? Every time we all link, you be acting like you got a curfew. Like you aint grown and is literally about to leave for school, where nobody will be there to tell you when you can come and go.”

“Nah. I definitely don’t have a curfew.”

“Okay.” She gazed up at me. “Then what’s the problem?”

I scratched the side of my face. “Honestly? I got a—”

“What the fuck is this, Ricky?”

Hearing that voice, I spun around to find Summer standing there. She was all done up with the hair and makeup, while dressed like a fucking slut.

“What chu talking about?” I asked her, as all eyes were on us. Her girls were also standing back, mean-mugging Ora.

“I’m talking about you and this bitch, right here.” Summer angrily pointed at Ora.

“Who a bitch?” Ora fumed, as she stepped up to Summer.

With them standing face to face…I ain’t gone lie…

Ora’s light dimmed a bit. Cause while Ora was a high school baddie, Summer was a grown type of bad bitch.

Although dressed provocatively, Summer’s look was fucking impeccable.

Flawless. Like she was a celebrity and a whole glam squad had put her look together.

From her hair, down to her intentionally dewy skin.

She was a walking fucking fantasy. And also my biggest fucking headache.

“Say, y’all chill out.” I wedged myself between them, refusing to let things escalate. Especially since I wasn’t a hundred percent sure if Summer’s prissy ass could fight…outside of me. Because privately, she’d put hands and feet on me a couple of times, recently. But I digress.

“Nah! This hoe called me out of my name!” Ora raised a hand and pointed.

I nodded. “And I understand that. It’s just a misunderstanding. Let me handle this.”

“And you’re still a bitch!” Summer lashed.

Not having time for all the bullshit, I bent my knees, and lifted Summer off her feet. Her ass was literally kicking and screaming, as I carried her out of the house.

Once we were on the sidewalk, I placed her back on her feet, before her little friends came rushing over.

“You better not hit her, nigga,” Renny chided. “Or we finna jump you out here.”

I waved her off, while focusing on Summer. “What’s all this clowning shit about?”

“It’s about your jealous ass!” She shouted, while shoving my chest. “You always tell me to keep these niggas out of my face. Now, look at the bullshit you on. Skinning and grinning with the next bitch. But I’d be wrong if I go kick it with Harlem!”

Hearing that…I lost my cool. “Who the fuck do you think you playing with?” I growled, while yoking her up.

“Breeze!” Her girls simultaneously yelped, before raining punches across my back.

“Hey, y’all chill out!” Kezzy commanded, while yanking them back.

With all the chaos, Summer managed to escape my grasp. She then reached over, and popped me in the mouth, before bolting in the opposite direction.

After she was a safe distance, her girls ran over to her, and they all jumped into the beamer, before skirting off the block.

“Damn, them hoes wasn’t playing,” Charlie giggled, as her and Ora were now standing on the sidewalk.

I glanced around and peeped all the muthafuckas laughing and recording with their phones.

I shook my head. “This shit crazy.”

Ora approached me. “Are you alright?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I’m straight.”

She hooded her eyes. “Who was that girl?”

I sighed. “A fucking headache.”

Charlie snickered. “Well, you know what that means, Ora. That’s his gal.”

Not denying it, I licked my lips.

Ora shrugged. “So?” She gazed into my eyes. “You coming to the spot or nah?”

Damn. Lil’ mama was clearly feeling a nigga. And there was a part of me that wanted to see what was up.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind kicking it with ya lil’sexy ass. But…I’ma have to take a raincheck this time. My bad.”

Summer

“Say, you wanna hit this blunt?” Brian questioned, as he puffed on some weed.

I shook my head. “No, I’m good.”

I don’t know what he thought this was. I didn’t know him well enough to trust his dope. Hell, in all honesty, it felt like I was spiraling.

It was nearly five in the morning, and I'd let this nigga talk me into letting him pull up. Of course, he wasn’t about to come in my house. Hell, I didn’t even want him parked directly outside. So, we were on my block, parked several houses down.

Brian was Tarin’s cousin, and had pulled up on us at an after-hour club, after we’d left that sham of a house party. Me and Brian had previously called ourselves talking in the past, so I was somewhat familiar with him.

He was a handsome, tall, slim, chocolate, gold grill having guy. Through Tarin I knew that he was a street pharmacist, and he looked the part, as there were two hefty chains gleaming around his neck, and Rick Owens on his body.

Under normal circumstances, I would’ve been flirting, and talking his ear off, but wasn’t shit about this normal. For me, anyway.

I was in my feelings, and had spitefully entertained Brian that night. And after he actually pulled up, probably thinking that he was about to get some pussy, I realized that I was probably taking things too far.

I was sitting outside with him, like I didn’t share a home with my boyfriend.

And after about twenty minutes into us sitting outside, I was over it.

The problem was that unbeknownst to Brian, I was afraid to get out of his Benz.

Because Breeze had pulled up at home, fifteen minutes after I’d hopped in Brian’s car.

From a distance, I’d watched Breeze park behind my truck, and head into the house. My guess was that he’d gone in, looking for me. And when he didn’t find me, he came back outside.

Breeze was seemingly losing his mind, as he’d gotten in my beamer with the spare key. After searching my truck for God knows what, he began calling my phone, insistently, while pacing back and forth in the driveway.

Funnily, I’d met Brian at the curb, diagonally across the street from my house. So, as we sat back watching Breeze lose his mind in the driveway, Brian had no clue that we were watching my boyfriend. Especially since my ringer was off, and he didn’t know that my phone was ringing nonstop.

“Say,” Brian chuckled, revealing the gold on his teeth. “Whoever that nigga is waiting on is gon get popped. Cause that man is about to lose his fucking mind. It’s five in the morning too. Oh, yeah. He probably finna drag a hoe by their hair.”

My heart skipped a beat. “That aint funny.”

“Shit, yeah it is.”

Rolling my eyes, I knew that it was time to get away from his ass. So, I refocused on my driveway, and realized that Breeze was no longer standing outside. That meant that it was now time to make a move.

“Hey, pull up some,” I hurriedly instructed.

“For what?” He hooded his eyes.

“Cause. You finna let me out.”

“Let you out?”

“Yeah. I’m finna go in the house.”

“But I thought that we was kicking it?”

“We was. Now I’m getting sleepy and I’m ready to go to bed.”

“I’m saying. Can I come with you?”

“Come with me? Nah, that’s literally impossible. But I’ll call you,” I lied.

He sucked his teeth. “Yo pretty ass aint gon call a nigga. I’m already knowing.”

“Yes, I will. But pull up.”

He sighed. “To where?”

“To that house with the red car in the driveway.” I pointed at my next-door neighbor’s house.

Nodding, he placed his car in drive. I was about to sigh with relief, until he pulled closer to my driveway than the neighbor’s.

“No.” I nervously glanced around. “Why did you pull up right here? Back up.”

“What’s the difference? Just hop out?”

Afraid that I’d be seen getting out of his car, I angrily curled my lips. “Brian, just back this muthafucka up—”

My door was abruptly snatched open.

“Get the fuck outta this muthafucka,” A steely voice, growled, as I was literally yanked out of the Benz.

“Wait!” I screeched out, as Breeze literally carried me across the driveway.

Shockingly, Brian didn’t attempt to assist me. Instead, he skirted away from the curb with his passenger door still wide open.

“Put me down!” I screamed, as Breeze carried me into the house.

Finally, he placed me on my feet, before pinning me up against the wall in the foyer.

“I should fucking kill you,” he gritted, as he gripped my neck. “You was out there fucking that nigga?”

“No.” My nostrils flared. “Let me go.”

“Nawl.” He shook his head. “I can’t fucking believe you. Sitting outside with another nigga. Then you really left the house in these slutty ass clothes.”

I swerved my neck. “And?”

“Keep fucking talking.” He squeezed my throat. “Cause you’on know where my fucking head is at, right now. I should cut your fucking pussy off.”

Stubbornly, I sucked my teeth. “Boy, fuck you. I don’t give a fuck about where your head is at. I already told you that I can show you better than I can tell you. And for every one bitch you can attract, I can pull fifty. The fuck is you saying?”

His breathing became heavier. “And all them niggas can die. Cause if you aint with me, then it’s nobody.”

“Get your bitch ass back!” I roared, as I shoved him back with force, causing him to crash into the opposite wall, bump into a picture, sending it shattering on the floor.

“Hey, what the hell is going on?” My mama groggily questioned, as she flipped on the lights, before stepping into the foyer, with Ricky right behind her.

I was sure that we’d waken them up, since the master suite was on the first floor, and our voices were echoing throughout the house.

“Your daughter is ‘round here, acting like a thot. That’s what’s going on,” Breeze fumed. “I was in the bushes, and caught her getting out of a nigga’s car.”

Ricky frowned. “In the bushes? What the hell y’all got going on?”

“He started it,” I blurted, knowing that I sounded silly as hell, but I just couldn’t help myself. “He was on a two-man with his friend,” I claimed, drawing my own conclusions about the situation.

“It wasn’t even like that,” Breeze swore.

“Wait, hold up,” my mama interjected. “Summer, where the hell is the rest of your clothes?” She looked me up and down.

Realizing that Ricky was right there, I immediately felt self-conscious. That outfit was never supposed to reach their eyesight.

“Exactly,” Breeze co-signed. “She been outside, with that on. Then she been sitting outside with another nigga for hours. And aint no telling what she been doing with that nigga.”

“Probably the same thing you was doing with that high yellow floozy!” I spat.

“That’s enough!” My mama yelled, while slicing the air with her hand.

“I am tired of this shit! All this arguing and fighting around here. It’s way too fucking much, and that’s why y’all need to call it quits.

In fact, I’m demanding that y’all call it quits.

Because this shit is beyond toxic and I’m not here for it.

And I’d never thought that I’d say this, but I can’t wait for you two muthafuckas to leave for school next week.

Because we need some peace and quiet ‘round this muthafucka.”

“Yeah, and until then, y’all need to keep some distance,” Ricky added. “Cause we aint no damn counselors and y’all aint finna have us stressed out.”

“Exactly.” My mama nodded. “Now, take y’all ignorant asses to bed!”