CHAPTER EIGHT

BARBY

 

The maintenance man just left from fixing the window and I was prepping the chicken thighs for tomorrow’s party for Tabitha. While seasoning them, my red locs were brushing against the meat. I was gonna put them in one single braid but something was on my mind and I didn’t give a fuck if it was gross.

All I could see was Tabitha.

Every so often I’d look at her and wonder what my man saw in her. To me she wasn’t all that. Yes, she was cute but her entire body was fake. I’m talking fake tits, fake ass and fake lips.

I can’t stand her red ass!

What made me more annoyed was that she didn’t seem to realize I didn’t like her. I would even make little comments whenever she brought up Dandre’s name to fuck with her but she just smiled, hugged me and called me crazy.

“Girl, we gonna have so much fun tomorrow!” Tabitha said excitedly as she chopped onions on the kitchen’s counter. She turned around and looked at me and frowned. “Hey, put your locs up. They’re on the food.”

I knocked them toward my back and kept doing what I was doing. Salting the fuck outta the chicken. People would need a ton of water after eating these shits. “My bad.” I rolled my eyes.

“So your friends coming over for our party?” She asked.

“You know my roomies are the only friends I have.” It felt so gross talking to her but I needed to keep her off my trail until I convinced Paris to move with us tonight.

She smiled. “You know what, Barby, I think that’s the way it should be.” She shrugged. “Truth is you can’t trust everybody. At least I can’t.”

She looked over her shoulder and smiled at me before dicing vegetables again. I think staying in the kitchen was her way of acting like she was never doing anything. Like she was too busy cooking to be trying to steal bitches’ niggas from up under them.

I wasn’t buying it.

“Outside of you guys the only person I talk to is my sister.” Tabitha continued. “And I’m good on the rest of these chicks. Keep them away from me is my motto.”

“You right about that.” I rolled my eyes again. “On the you can’t trust people part.”

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Tabitha turned her head quickly and her long hair whipped over her shoulder. It was the only thing real on her by the way. “Can you get that for me, Barby?” she asked. “I don’t want to smear onion juice all over the doorknob.”

“Yeah, please don’t do that gross shit,” I rolled my eyes again.

“You so silly, Barby.” She giggled. “That’s why I fuck with you. You make me laugh.”

UGHHHH! I CAN’T STAND HER! She really doesn’t know I don’t like her. Or maybe she does and doesn’t care.

I wiped my hands on a strawberry red towel and opened the door. It was Chaviv, her boyfriend. Chaviv had to be about 6’3 or taller. He had really smooth light skin and soft brown hair. They looked so cute together which was why I can’t understand why she was always up under my nigga. “Hey, Chaviv.” I smiled, before stuffing my hands in my back pockets. “What’s up?”

He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Hey, B.” He looked over my head. “Where Tab?”

“In the kitchen cooking for the party as usual. You know how she is boy. Come on in.” I opened the door wider and he bopped inside like he had no cares in the world. But I was going to fuck up his peaceful situation.

“I know she thought I forgot her shit.” He nodded and raised his hand with the bags. “But I got everything right here.”

“Hey, bae,” Tabitha said walking out of the kitchen, removing the bags from his hand and placing them on the counter. “At first I thought you weren’t gonna make it until I remembered you always got me.”

“I told you I was coming but you know shit is on my time.” He winked. “The streets ain’t punctual, baby girl. I can only get away after the money collected.” He slapped her ass. “You know that.”

Tabitha went through the bags slow at first, before speeding up. While looking inside one of them she frowned and said, “Chaviv, you forgot the ground beef! I need that for the cheese taco dip. See, I knew you would mess up! That’s why I tried to call you today to remind you but you didn’t answer the phone.”

“Fuck,” He ran his hand down his face. “I knew it was something. Sorry, bae.”

“Can you please go back and get it for me?” She paused. “I’m almost ready for the meat and I don’t have the time to go myself.”

He sighed. “Aight, man, but you stressing me the fuck out ‘bout this party shit. I know that. I be glad when this shit is over. Who the fuck have a party just ‘cause they got a crib together? You ain’t even charging niggas. They just eating and drinking on your dime. Dumb!”

“Can you please get my stuff?” She said rolling her eyes. “Let me worry about who paying in my house.”

She seemed mad and I loved it.

“Man…aight,” he stomped toward the door.

“I’ll go with you,” I said grabbing my keys. “I need a few things too. Might as well catch a ride.”

“Good, maybe you can make sure he picks up the right stuff,” Tabitha said before focusing back on the onions and green peppers on the counter.

Five minutes later I was in Chaviv’s red pick up truck listening to ‘Going Viral’ by Kodak Black while wondering if I could trust him with what I was about to say.

“You can skip around on the songs if you want,” he told me. “I got a lot of new shit on my playlist so its whatever’s your pleasure.”

“Nah, the music’s okay, I like this one anyway.” I moved my head a little so he could believe me before looking at him out the side of my eye. I wasn’t in here for music. I was in here to fuck up Tabitha’s shit. “So how long yah been together?”

He looked at me and back at the road. “I figure you talking ‘bout my shawty.”

“Yeah…”

“Long enough for a nigga to be loyal.” He gripped the steering wheel as if I was about to come onto him and he was stopping me short. Chaviv need to go head with that shit. If I wanted to have him I could and he knew it. “She cool people though.”

I smiled. “That’s nice of you.” I nodded. “To be loyal to somebody that…that…you know what, I’m not gonna do that.” I shook my hand. “Dandre always talking ‘bout I talk too much. So let me prove him wrong this time.”

He chuckled. “Niggas say the same ‘bout me but it ain’t true. About I can’t hold water.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna leave it alone because I don’t want no problems.”

He frowned. “If you got something to say spit it out and stop with the games.”

“It ain’t my place. Plus Tabitha’s my roommate and I don’t want her mad at me. We do have to live together.”

“If you feel that way why you talking then?” His jaw clenched. “I hate that shit.”

“Chaviv, don’t get mad at me because—”

“I’m a real nigga, B, and you might not be used to being in the company of a real nigga.” He said cutting me off. “Not saying your dude ain’t but we different. That means I ain’t got time for the he say she say shit. Now if you gonna say something spit it out or get the fuck out my truck.”

Suddenly saying anything felt dangerous. He was liable to snap and I didn’t want it to be on me. I moved uneasily in his leather seat and it groaned. “I…I think your girl is fucking Dandre. I’m almost 90% sure.” Slowly my eyes rolled on to him to see his expression. “I just thought you should know that shit.”

I could see him clench the steering wheel again. “My girl fucking Dandre? How you sound. As much as I be banging Tab’s back out, what would she see in that dude? Plus when would she get the time? Nah, you got the facts smeared, shawty.”

“I’m just saying what it is.” I shrugged. “You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want.”

“So if my broad fucking your dude, and you really believe that why you ain’t step to him? Why you rapping to me about it?”

“Who said I didn’t talk to Dandre?”

“Well where’s the proof he stabbing my girl?” He asked.

I thought about this for a minute because I needed him to believe me. At the same time I didn’t want him to do too much and my plan to get both of my roommates out blow up in my face. So I said, “I think I saw them kissing. They were real close and it didn’t look or feel right to me. That’s all I got for now.”

He stopped his truck in the middle of the road. Cars beeped their horns and drove around us but not without throwing their middle fingers in the air and yelling.

He could care less because his eyes remained on me. “What you just say? About them kissing? You seen this with your own eyes?”

“Like I said, I can’t be sure because it was in the hospital and so much was going on. I don’t know if you heard but Dandre got stabbed last night.”

“FUCK THAT NIGGA. I WANT TO KNOW ‘BOUT MY BITCH.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I…I mean…he was getting stitched up and I walked out and I saw them together.”

“This ain’t adding up to me.” He shook his head from left to right rapidly. “It don’t feel right.”

“I wasn’t the only one who think they saw it, Chaviv. Kaden was there too and if you don’t believe me you can ask her.”

He rubbed his hand down his face. “So did she kiss the nigga or not? Because now you saying somebody else saw it but at first you weren’t sure. Is it fact or fiction?”

“All I’m saying is to pay attention to your girl. That’s it.”

“Aye, how I know you ain’t jealous?” He gritted on me. “You seem like the type anyway.” He looked me up and down like I stunk. “Jumping into a nigga’s truck and shit without an invitation. You know how thirsty that must have looked to her? But did she stop and say you couldn’t go? Nah, she said to remind me to pick up what she wanted. That’s cause she ain’t insecure like you.”

I swallowed the second lump in my throat. “See, now I got you upset, Chaviv, I—”

“I’m gonna find out for myself if Tabitha is doing whatever you claiming.” He pointed at me. “But if I find out you lying you gonna be in a situation, B. I don’t play with shit like this.” He pointed downward. “It’s best you know that. Dandre fucking my girl is disrespectful on all levels and he’d have to be dealt with too. If you loved the nigga you probably shoulda never told me.”

My phone rang and I was happy because he was way too intense. I didn’t spend a lot of time around him but now I think it was a mistake to even get him involved.

As a matter of fact I’m sure it was.

I placed my cell against my ear just as he pulled into traffic. “Hey, Kaden.” I swallowed again before looking at Chaviv who was staring at me as if he wanted to tear me to pieces. “What’s…what’s up? I’m kind of busy right now.”

“Girl, you gotta come back! Something wrong with Maceo!”