Chapter 15

Shelly

Hey, everyone! How’s it going? I know you probably don’t know about me, but my name is Lashell Monae Richards. I was Jayden’s baby mama, and I knew him and that bitch Ambria had probably told y’all some bad things about me. Which was why I didn’t want Ambria to be the one to tell my side of the story, for one reason: she was team Mimi. She was in love with the fact that my man and her main bitch Mimi done got together and became an item, but what I wanted her to know was that I was about to fuck all the shit up. She had me bent and twisted if she thought I was about to let that shit slide. Ain’t no bitch gonna just come up out the cut and take my man from me and I ain’t do nothing about it. Oh, hell no, I wasn’t that type of female.

Honestly, I didn’t know why Jayden would try me. He already knew how I was. We already went through that shit with that bum bitch Janet Jones, and just like I was about to do with this shit, I shut that shit all the way down.

You see, Jayden called himself trying to play he was King Tut or somebody and have a bitch and a side bitch, thinking I wasn’t going to find out. Oh, but I did, and I went berserk on his ass. I whooped Janet’s ass every time I saw her, until the bitch left the state. I needed to show her and Jayden’s asses that I wasn’t to be played with like that. I really believed that Jayden actually hated me though. The dude never had anything nice to say about me. Hell, he never said anything nice to me, so I knew his ass was definitely feeling a little different about me now than he was when he first met me. I really didn’t care though, because I played my part and I had my spot locked down. I was wifey, the mother of his firstborn and the bitch who was never going to go anywhere. I knew damn well that I had it going good. Well, that was before this new bitch came into the picture. Now I had to come out of character and show her ass who I was and why she shouldn’t be fucking with another bitch’s man.

At times, I would find myself asking if Jayden was worth this shit. Should I really give a fuck about this nigga? Or was it the shit he did for me that I didn’t want to lose? I was tired of making myself look like a fool for a nigga who didn’t want me, but when money was involved and I knew damn well that I didn’t have that, I pushed that shit to the back of my mind.

My family always said that they couldn’t believe that Jayden and I were once in love because we never acted like it. We were always bickering and beefing, and we stayed fighting. He was always provoking me though. He never did the things that I’d ask him to do. He stayed doing the complete opposite, which always made me go postal on his ass. He was barely home, and he was always on the go with Mark’s little bitch ass.

That’s another thing: Mark was always around. It was like he didn’t have his own life or house to go to. He was always there. Shit, I was starting to believe that them niggas were gay or something. That’s how much they were always with each other. No matter what time it was, when you saw Jayden, you were bound to see Mark following him. The shit was gayish, and I was going to put my foot down about that, among other things.

I was sidetracked when the house phone started to ring. I ran, trying to get it, because I didn’t want it to wake Cam up. “Hello,” I said, answering the phone with an attitude.

“Hey, bitch. What’s up with you?” my cousin Brittney asked me.

“Girl, I’m chilling right now. What’s up with you?” I asked her.

“Same here. I’m trying to find out what we’re doing tonight,” she replied. “I’m getting tired of staying in this house.”

“Shit, I don’t know. I got to do something with Cam’s ass first,” I said, once I reached his room. I poked my head in a bit to make sure that he was still asleep. Once I had made sure that he was, I walked down the hall to my bedroom.

“Bring him over here for Tae. You know he can always come and play with Nevaeh and Da’Myren,” she said referring to her kids.

“Girl, I don’t know. You sure Tae gon’ want to babysit all them kids?” I asked, making my way into my walk-in closet, trying to find an outfit to put on.

“Tae will do what I tell her to do. Besides, she’s grounded. She can’t go nowhere. I’ma just give her phone back, and she’ll agree. You know she can’t live without it.”

“All right, but we still don’t know where we’re going, shit,” I said, just as I spotted a black fitted dress. I removed it from the hanger and went to lay it across the bed.

We tossed around some ideas as I went into Cam’s room and quietly laid out a bag to get him packed up for the evening, but we still couldn’t decide where to go.

“Once you drop Cam off, we’ll figure it out,” she left it, just as the doorbell began to ring.

“Girl, all right. I got to go now. Somebody’s at the door.”

“Let me find out that you over there checking on Jayden again. He’s going to fuck your ass up,” she said, laughing.

“Girl, fuck Jayden’s little bitch ass. He know better. He ain’t going to do a damn thing but give me his money. He knows damn well not to play around. He already knows what it’s hitting for. I got something that he’s dangerously in love with,” I said, letting it be known. I was the type of bitch to do a nigga wrong today and have him back tomorrow, just how I did with Jayden the first time. And you know why? It’s because the power of pussy is a motherfucker. I had a lot of things that most bitches would die for.

At twenty-eight, I had a banging-ass, flawless body and a beautiful face, and my sex game was on point. I hadn’t yet met a man who wouldn’t give me anything that I wanted. I made sure that every nigga I fucked with was able to take care of me so that I wouldn’t have to. I never had to get a job or anything. I believed that was why God blessed me with a powerful pussy, so that I wouldn’t have to work. All I had to do was make sure that my body stayed right and my pussy stayed tight, and those niggas were putty in my hands.

“Shell! You still there?” Brittney asked me, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Yeah, but I got to go. I forgot that I had somebody at the door. I’ma have to talk to you later,” I said, hanging up the phone, not waiting for a reply.

Before going to answer the door, I plugged my phone into the charger. As I made my way down the stairs, whoever it was started beating on the damn door.

“Damn, hold on. I’m coming,” I screamed in a nasty tone, but the person ignored me and started to beat some more while ringing the doorbell at the same time. I put an extra pep in my step so that I could get to the door faster and chew out whoever it was. Once I made it to the door, I jerked it open, ready to give whoever it was a piece of my mind, until I realized just who it was.

“Well, it’s about time you answer the door. I thought you was going to have me standing out here forever,” Jayden’s mother, Mrs. Carol Smith, said, making me eat the words I was about to say.

“Um, hello, Mrs. Smith, how may I help you? If you came here looking for Jayden, he’s not here right now,” I said with a fake smile, pretending to be nice. I always had to pretend as if I liked this trick when I knew damn well she didn’t like me. She didn’t say anything. She just stood there looking at me with a look of disdain written all over her face. I was starting to feel uncomfortable.

“Wha . . . what’s wrong, ma’am?” I asked, stuttering. This little old bitch was beginning to hit a nerve.

“Where’s Cameron?” she finally opened her mouth to say.

“Oh. Um, Cam’s in his room sleeping,” I said, confused. “Why?”

She looked at me, rolled her eyes, and then she headed for the stairs.

“Where are you going? I told you that Cameron was in his room sleeping,” I said, chasing her, but she ignored me and kept right on walking. I wanted to grab her ass and knock her out. She was starting to piss me the fuck off.

When we entered Cam’s room, he was up in his bed. She turned and gave me a snobby look before turning back to Cam, who was now reaching for her. She picked him up and then turned back to me. I didn’t know why she always acted as if Cam were still a baby. He was now a four-year-old, and too big for her to carry him.

“You look as if you were about to go somewhere. Did I interrupt you?” she asked, noticing Cam’s bag that was on his dresser.

“Oh, yes. I was about to bring Cam to my cousin’s house.”

“Well, why would Cameron be going by your cousin’s house? Are you going somewhere?” she asked, looking at Cam.

“Well, yes. Me and my cousin were about to go shopping,” I said, lying. Her old ass didn’t need to know what I was doing. What she needed to be concerned with was her son and why he hadn’t come back home yet.

“Yeah, I bet,” she said under her breath as if I couldn’t hear her. She then looked up at me with a smirk on her face. I knew some shit was about to go down.

“I’ll keep Cameron until his father gets back. In the meantime, you can go and start packing your things. Your time here has come to an end. I want you out of this house in an hour,” she said, just as the doorbell started to ring again. She pushed past me with Cameron in her arms and went to answer the door. I was right on her heels.

“What do you mean my time here has come to an end?” I asked, confused.

“Just what I said. It’s time for you to pack your things and leave my son’s house,” she said as we walked down the stairs. She walked over to the door, opened it, and found a big, bald black guy standing there. “You’re right on time.”

“On time? On time for what?” I asked, still confused. I needed to know what the hell was going on.

“That shouldn’t matter to you. All you need to be doing right now is going upstairs, getting your things, and then getting out of here.”

“I don’t know what you smoked, but I’m not going anywhere,” I said, finally putting my foot down. I was tired of this old bat thinking she could do what she wanted in my house.

“Oh, darling, yes, you are,” she replied, giving me an evil glare.

“No, I’m not. I’m here because my man, Jayden, your son, my baby’s daddy, wants me here. I talked to him not too long ago, and he did not tell me that I had to leave. Therefore, I’m not going anywhere. This is my house. The only person who needs to be leaving is your ass,” I said, taking a step toward her.

“You see, now that’s where your little ass is wrong. Jayden is the reason why I’m here in the first place. He was going to do it himself, but since he’s not here, he sent me to do it for him. And, to be honest, I’m really happy that he’s finally seen you for the lying, two-timing hussy you really are,” she said, taking a step closer to me. “Now, you can either go and get your shit and leave the easy way, or I can make you leave.”

I stood there matching her stare. I couldn’t believe Jayden sent his mother over here to do his dirty work. I stood there, standing face to face with the devil himself. I wanted to slap the fuck out of her old ass.

“You know what? Fuck you and your little punk-ass son,” I said before I turned to walk up the stairs to my bedroom. Once I was inside of the bedroom, I went straight into my walk-in closet. I grabbed my suitcases out of the corner and began pulling clothes off the hangers and tossing them into them.

“This nigga must don’t know who the fuck he playing with,” I said, pulling more clothes off the hanger and throwing them into the suitcase. “I don’t know what chick you take me for, but I can bet you my last dollar that you’ll regret it. I done told him time and time again not to push me, but it looks like that’s the only way I’m going to be able to get through to you,” I said, talking as if he were right in front of me. Jayden just didn’t know what he’d done. He done did the wrong thing. He was getting ready to see a side of me that he’d never seen before.

I exhaled furiously. “Fuck them and fuck this house. Jayden will definitely pay for this,” I said as I zipped up my suitcase. I hadn’t realized until now that I had packed all of my suitcases. When I was done, I rolled all three suitcases out of the room and into the hallway. I placed them by the door, then went to Cam’s room and got his things. Once I had everything that he needed, I rolled Cam’s suitcase out of his room, before stopping to pick up mine, and then I headed down the stairs. Once I had placed our stuff by the garage door, I went to the kitchen and grabbed my keys, before going in the living room to get my son.

“What are you doing with Cameron’s things?” she asked, once I had entered the living room.

I had to look at her twice. “What do you mean?” I asked her.

“Like I said, what are you doing with Cameron’s things?” she asked with a raised brow.

“What do you think? If I got to go, I damn sure ain’t leaving my baby behind with you people,” I said, attempting to walk over to where Cam was, but she stopped me.

“Little girl, it’s in your best interest for you to leave out of here now. Cameron is staying with me until his father gets back,” she said, stepping in front of me. She gave me a look that said “hell yeah,” and I completely lost it.

“You must be out of your damn mind, lady. Cameron is my son. I gave birth to him, not you, and if I say that he’s coming with me, then he is,” I said, pointing my finger in her face. She looked at the finger that was in her face, then back at me, before she picked up her hand and slapped me in the face. “You bitch!” I yelled.

“No, you’re the bitch and a stupid bitch at that. I’ve held my peace with your little ass for a long damn time, but that stops today. From the first moment that I laid eyes on you, I knew that you weren’t shit, but my dumb-ass son was too busy thinking with his little head and not his big head. You had gold-digger written all over your face. You didn’t want my son. You only wanted what he could’ve done for you and like a fool his dumb ass couldn’t see it until it was too late,” she said, and then she pointed at Cam, who was sitting on the couch. “You and I both know that the only reason you had that child was because you wanted to trap my son. You don’t really want that child. You’re only using him as a crutch against my son, which is the number one reason why he didn’t put your ass out a long time ago.”

“Look, you old hag, you don’t scare me at all. Just like you, I’ve wanted to hook my foot up your ass among other things, but I didn’t. You’re right about one thing though. I don’t want your son. I only want what his punk ass can do for me,” I replied with a smirk on my face. She let the bitch out of me now, and she was about to see just how fucked up things were about to be. I got all the way in her face and raised my hand up to slap the shit out of her, but someone caught my hand midair.

“Bitch, I wish the fuck you would.” Chucky had come in, and he pulled my arm so far back that I thought he was going to break it. He then picked me up and began walking to the door.

“Put me down, muthafucker” I yelled, kicking and screaming, but he ignored me and kept walking. “Chucky, I’m not playing with you. You better put me down, nigga, or I’ma fuck your fat ass up.” I was about to try to bite him when I felt myself being lifted in the air.

‘What the fuck are you do—” I started to ask, but before I could finish asking the question, I was being thrown onto the ground. I tried to get up, but he pushed me back down.

“Bitch, if you knew like I knew, you’d stay right down there where you are,” he yelled.

“Chucky, this some fucked-up shit and you know it. Wait until Jayden hears about this. Your ass will be through,” I said ranting.

“Bitch, if you ain’t hear Ms. Carol when she said it, please let me be the one to tell you. Jayden was the one who sent us down here in the first place. He wants your ass out of his house, and I’m glad. He done finally seen you for the lying, two-timing, evil, vindictive, gold-digging bitch you are. He done finally found him a good chick and your time here is up, Bitch, be gone,” he said, giving me a look of disgust, and then he walked away.

I sat there on the ground stuck. I couldn’t believe that Jayden actually wanted to go there and take it this route with me. Did he not know the bitch I really could be? I was the type of chick to fuck a nigga today and not give a fuck about him tomorrow. I was that crazy bitch you knew, the one with a bunch of different personalities, the one who had to take beaucoup medicines to calm myself down. I knew damn well that the nigga didn’t want to fuck around with something like this, but since he wanted to go down, I was about to bring it to him. I guessed I was about to go on a little world trip. I was making my way to Atlanta to find his ass. Either we were going to handle this thing properly like two adults, or I was going to cause hell on him and everything that he stood for.

Finally pulling myself off the ground, I pulled my phone out and made a call to my cousin Brittney asking her to pick me up. Ten minutes later, she pulled up. I grabbed my luggage, placed it in the trunk, and got in the car. The moment I got inside of the car, I wished like hell that I hadn’t called her. She fussed a little bit about me letting Jayden and his mother do what they were doing to me, but I half-ass listened to her. She thought that since she was a few years older than I was, she could tell me what to do and how to do it.

“Look, Brit, you need to chill out. I’m really not trying to hear all of that right now,” I snapped at her. She was beginning to get on my damn nerves.

“Don’t catch no attitude with me. You need to check that nigga on his shit,” she replied as if I didn’t just ask her ass to shut the fuck up.

“Girl, I got this,” I told her, and then a thought came to me. I pulled my phone out and made a phone call. The phone rang a few times, before going straight to voicemail.

“Who you calling?” she asked, pulling up into her driveway.

“I was calling that stupid bitch Jade, but she ain’t answering,” I said, dialing her number again, but like before, the phone rang a few times and went to voicemail.

“Your sister?” she asked, surprised.

“Yes.”

“Girl, I haven’t seen her ass in a minute. I thought you and her didn’t fuck with each other like that,” she said, looking at me sideways.

“We’ve talked a few times before, so it’s not like that. Besides, she lives in Atlanta, and that’s where I’m heading in a few days, so I thought I’d give her a call,” I said, as we got out of the car.

“Okay,” she replied. She looked as if she wanted to say something else, but instead, she left and went inside the house, leaving me there to get my own things out of the trunk.

I knew she was probably worried about Jade and me getting together, because every time that we linked up, we always ended up in trouble. This is why our mothers had chosen to split us up when we were little. Even as kids in school, we were getting into trouble. It worked for a little while, until somehow she found me and we’d kept in touch ever since. Now I needed her help, and I knew that it was going to take a minute, but she was my sister. She was going to help me either way. I just hoped that we didn’t get ourselves into any trouble as we always did.