CHAPTER TWELVE

KADEN

 

We were in Barby’s room staring out the window. Basically we watched what looked like Tabitha getting herself outta a tight situation between Chaviv and Dandre. I don’t know what she said but it went from Chaviv’s crazy ass knocking on Dandre’s window to her getting carried in to the building by him.

When they disappeared I turned toward Barby and said, “The girl is good. Say what you want but if she got outta that something has to be magic about her.”

Barby looked relieved that Chaviv didn’t kill Dandre. I guess what Paris said stuck to her.

“Maceo’s still sleep.” Paris said walking back into the room. She looked at Barby and then me. “Anything happen outside? Is Dandre okay?”

I approached her. “Nope, things are calm for now.” I exhaled. “So you gonna finish my hair tonight?” I fingered the section that was left. “Because I’m in a better mood now and need my shit done.

“Yeah, I can do it,” Paris shrugged. “But what changed all of a sudden? Why you smiling?”

Barby just listened.

“Because when we beat this bitch’s ass tomorrow, it will bring a smile to my face.” I shook my head. “After seeing that shit outside, with her getting in Dandre’s car, Barby went way past disrespect.” I looked at Paris. “And after seeing that you have to be with us now.”

She sighed. “I am kinda thinking moving with yah but I’m not about to be threatened when—”

“You so fucking chicken!” I said. “I can’t even be mad because—” When my phone rang and I looked down and saw it was Lakota calling suddenly I couldn’t remember what we were talking about. I don’t even think I cared. “I’m going to my room, I’ll be back.”

“I thought we were having a conversation?” Paris said sarcastically.

“Girl, I be back! Just wait!” I ran to my room, closed my door and answered. “Lakota…how are you…I mean…what you doing?”

“How come I been calling and couldn’t get you? Yesterday you had all the convo for me and now you mute! What’s up with that, Kaden? You don’t want me hitting you no more? Because I won’t if that’s how you feel.”

My eyes widened. “Wait…when did you call? Cause I swear on everything I didn’t get it.”

“Does it matter? You ain’t answer.”

“Lakota, why you doing this to me? Why you telling me you don’t love me and then…and then you call with all this? I can’t take this up and down stuff with you. The mental games are killing me.”

“I never said I didn’t love you, Kaden. I said I couldn’t be with you. Stop taking everything to heart.”

My nose wrinkled and felt tingly. I was trying not to cry but it was hard every time he opened his mouth. “But I want to be with you! I want to hold you! I want to love you and I’m willing to do whatever I can to make that happen.”

“You can’t do anything but let shit be right now. Your problem is you try to force too much. Some shit just gotta work itself out on it’s own time. I say that to you repeatedly. That’s why you not ready to be my woman. You don’t think big.”

I felt like a balloon, which had been poked with a pin. “You right. I guess.”

I heard him blow something and figured he was smoking. “Is Dandre over there? The streets saying they don’t know where he is. And he ain’t been answering my calls.”

My eyebrows rose. “Why you asking about Dandre? I thought everything was cool.”

“Again with the questions.”

I rolled my eyes. “I saw him earlier but I think he left.” I lied because I still didn’t know what was happening with them and I didn’t want to be involved in whatever beef they had going. I thought it was squashed but the way Paris was talking earlier I couldn’t be sure.

“Well I’m coming over later.”

The moment he said that I could hear Dandre in the living room laughing with Barby. I wanted nothing more than to see him. Then to lay my nose close to his neck and inhale. Then to feel his fingers along my back before somehow finding their way to my pussy. But if I invited him over I didn’t want him fighting with Dandre.

“Kaden, are you there?”

“Uh…yeah.” I cleared my throat.

“Can I stab through for a second? Just to kick it with you?”

I heard Dandre and Barby get louder and figured Dandre might be staying. “Lakota, can I come to your house? That way we can have a little more privacy?”

“Nah, you know you can’t do that.”

“Why?”

“Because I live with a girl, Kaden. Stop faking dumb.”

I felt gut punched when I was reminded. That quickly when he asked to be with me I was taken to the time where it was just he and I. “Oh, I forgot. Sorry about that.”

He laughed. “You trying to fuck or not, Kaden?”

What the fuck?

Gross!

I hung up on him. I don’t even know why. For a second my fingers hovered over my phone as I considered calling him back. Instead, surprisingly, he called me. “So you hanging up on niggas now? That’s your thing? I thought you loved me.”

I smiled that finally he reached out to me first. Usually I was calling him and begging to be back together. “I’m sorry, I just…”

“I may have came at you wrong but if we ever gonna get back the only way it will work is if we spend time together. I mean, if you saying you don’t want me no more then say it. I’ll go on with my life and leave yours alone.”

I knew he was fucking with my mind but how could I make him stop? I loved him too much. “You right…”

“So can I come over or not? I’m tired of asking you.”

“Yeah, I have to make a few stops so I’ll be home in a couple hours.”

“Good, I’ll see you at midnight. We have some more things to talk about.” He hung up just as Paris knocked on my bedroom door. I needed to find a way to get Dandre out of here before Lakota came by so I didn’t feel like company. I needed to think.

But the moment I opened the door Paris went in. “I don’t care what we gotta do I’m down!” she said.

“I was just about to ask you to do my hair. Me and Lakota hooking up tonight. But what’s wrong?”

She pushed past me and I closed the door. “So I walk into my room after talking to Barby when guess who I see coming out of my bedroom? Tabitha’s ass?”

My eyes widened and my jaw hung. “Fuck you talking ‘bout? What she doing in there? Maceo sick so I know he can’t be keeping company.”

“That’s just what I said!” Tears rolled down her face as she got louder and wiped them away. “But he was up, smiling and shit. I’m ready to get out of this apartment. I don’t fuck around when it comes to Maceo, you know that.”

A grin formed on my face but I tried to contain my pleasure. “So does that mean you with us? Moving with us and everything?”

“If I could leave tonight, Kaden I would. That’s on everything I love.”

I shook my head. “This bitch think just cuz she was in this apartment first she can do anything she wants but nah.”

Barby busted into the room and came up to us. “What happened? I saw how mad you were a minute ago.” She looked at me and then Paris. “Well? Somebody say something!”

I smiled at her. “All you need to know is that Paris is down with us. Finally!”

Barby smiled sinisterly.