CHAPTER ELEVEN

TASHA

 

I’m standing outside of the car with Crystal in a wooded area, somewhere still in Georgia, right outside Atlanta. His wife was still inside waiting on us to come back. “Crystal, why would you get on the phone and talk to that nigga ‘bout his wife?”

 

I leaned up against the car. “I’m not understanding you right now. ‘Cause the last thing we needed was this dude looking for us.”

 

“You heard that bitch,” she said pointing at Denise in the car. “He already knew. So I got news for you it’s too late, Tasha, the least we can do is get some money out of it.”

 

“You just destroyed everything I had coming to me and you don’t even care.” I sighed. I could see the future I planned for Nikki and me pass by and it fucked me up.

 

“By everything coming to you, you mean your precious bitch and sperm baby? Is that what you telling me? Because if you are, you right, I don’t give a fuck, Tasha.”

 

“You so lost right now you can’t even imagine.” I walked a few feet away from her, put my hands on my hips and looked up into the blue sky. “I really can’t believe this is happening. Why did I approve this?”

 

“I’m gone,” she pointed to herself. “I’m gone? At least I know who I am and I’m not letting you or some bitch named Nikki take away my identity. What about you though, huh? ”

 

“You just put everyone in danger, Crystal. Everyone. Mama, Tiffani, everybody. You bet it all without even thinking of who you might hurt. Before you popped off with the nigga Hollywood, I had a plan to get us out of this.”

 

“And what exactly was your plan, Tasha?”

 

“I was goin’ to talk to Denise and try to get her to understand that we didn’t mean to hurt her. And that—”

 

Crystal laughed and balled over, holding her stomach as if I just said the funniest thing in the world.

 

“Fuck is so funny?” I asked.

 

“I finally am able to do something for myself and you can’t stand it.” She paused. “But don’t even mind me though. You just keep running your mouth.”

 

“You don’t know what you talking about.”

 

“But I do,” she nodded leaning on the driver’s side door. Denise is still inside her car giving us dirty looks. “When this shit works out it’s gonna be me who’s the reason we’ll never have to work again. All I wanted was a piece of the pie.”

 

“The only thing we going to get after this is side by side caskets, Crystal.” I paused. “That’s it. This is the worst case scenario.”

She frowned. “So what you gonna do now, Tasha?” She paused and folded her arms over her chest. “Huh? Because everything you saying ain’t gonna get us out of this situation right now. Is it?”

 

I cleared my throat.

 

“Now you gonna have to have my back or walk away, grab your girl, leave town and let me do this on my own. Or help.” She paused. “Because either way it’s going down tonight.”

 

I sighed and wipe my hands down my face. “Fuck!”

 

“I know it’s wrong, but at the end of the day we in this until its over.” She shrugged. “There ain’t no other plan that will allow all of us to be safe without money. We either divide up now and you let me go at it alone or we stay together and you help.” She moved closer. “And I really, really, need your help, Tasha. Don’t you see? What you want me to do? Beg?”

 

I looked down at her. My heart is all fucked up because if something were to happen there would be no way I could live with myself. I knew it and so did she which is why she did wild stuff like this. “You been doing a lot of crazy shit on your own so let me ask this, is there anything else you gotta tell me?”

 

“What you talking ‘bout,” she said trying to laugh it off. “You know everything already.”

 

“I’m serious, Crystal.” I paused. “Are you being real about everything? Are there any other surprises?”

 

“Real huh?”

 

“Bitch, ain’t nobody playing with you!” I yelled. “Answer the fucking question.”

 

“Okay, okay, I’m being real as you so eloquently put it.” Crystal laughed. “But, there is one thing.” She pulled her pants down.

 

“What the fuck are you doing?” I looked around to be sure nobody could see us.

 

Before I know it she had moved closer. “You see that shit on my pussy?” She pointed at it. “I think I got burned by one of my hoes. And I fucked Tiffani and Mercy the other night and I probably gave it to them too.”

 

“Crystal, pull your fucking pants back up before I go off out here.” I was so embarrassed. Not just for myself but her too. “You playing yourself real bad.”

 

“Look at it right quick,” she said. “I just need to know that whatever this shit is won’t kill me.”

 

I knew what she was trying to do. Whenever she wanted to skip the subject she would do something crazy so I would get thrown off. On the other hand when I looked from where I was I did see small bumps. “I think that’s just a rash. You’ll be aight.” I sighed although I wasn’t sure. “Now pull your fucking jeans up. You embarrassing me out here.”

 

She does. “I guess I’ll cancel my doctor’s appointment. Not like I’m gonna be able to go now anyway.”

 

“Now, is there anything else besides that disgusting shit that you have to say to me?” I paused. “I’m talking about lies or dishonesty?”

 

“The only thing I held back on was this weed I got in my pocket.” She pulled it out and wiggled it. “I was gonna save it for an emergency, but I figure we got a life or death situation goin’ on right now so we might as well...”

 

“You know what, light that shit up,” I told her.

 

For fifteen minutes we smoked the bar and passed it back and forth. For that moment while we waited on word from Hollywood nothing else was goin’ on in the world and Denise wasn’t in the car even though she was. We talked about everything from the day we had to tell ma we were both gay to the two sisters we met in high school who we convinced to lick each other by lying about how we did the same thing.

 

When I was as high as I wanted, and a little more relaxed, I looked over at her. “Let’s get back in the car. It’s time to see where he is. I’m sure he’s back in town now and everything.”

 

Crystal opened the door and fell in the back seat. I reached under the seat to adjust it and Denise yelled, “I hope you two bitches got a good high because you sure are wasting enough of my time. Now either kill me or let me go because I don’t give a fuck anymore.”

 

I’m so high, I feel like I’m floating and for the moment nothing she said bothered me. “Denise, ain’t nobody gonna hurt you.” I smiled. “You good. Plus your husband gonna come through. I just know it.”

 

“Yeah, just relax,” Crystal said slapping her on the shoulder. Her eyes were glassy and red and I wondered what mine looked like. “You keep being cool and I have a feeling we gonna let you go.”

 

We tried to reach Hollywood several times again but nothing happened. Maybe he was on the plane headed back to Atlanta. I decided that we would drive around so nobody would stop us and ask us any questions. So for the next forty minutes I drove in silence, with no special place to go.

 

“I’m hungry, bitch, you hear me?” Denise said all of a sudden.

 

When I looked at her she was staring in my direction. “What you just say to me?” I scratched my head.

 

“You heard me, bitch! I said I’m hungry. Pull over and let me get something to eat. You might as well.”

 

“First off if you call me bitch one more time I’ma push you out this car while I’m driving.”

 

“And here I thought you were the nice one,” she said to me. “But I knew you would reveal your true personality sooner or later.”

 

“I’m warning you to shut the fuck up,” I yelled at her again. Usually the weed calmed me down but for some reason I was agitated.

 

“’Bout time you gave it to this bitch,” Crystal said closing her eyes. “She been getting on my nerves all night.”

 

“Like I said, either take me to get something to eat or I’m gonna make this ride uncomfortable by screaming my face off,” Denise threatened.

 

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Crystal said. “You not in no position to be—”

 

She screamed so loud my eardrums rattled. “Aight, aight, calm the fuck down!” I yelled. “I’m gonna let you grab something now.” I quickly turned into some country fried chicken joint, which was the first place I saw. Besides, after smoking I’m kind of hungry too. I pulled up in a secluded area of the parking lot behind the restaurant, near the dumpster.

 

“What the fuck you want?” I asked parking. “And don’t be ordering too much because until your husband do what he gotta, funds are limited.” I lied, as if we didn’t have the other money in the trunk.

 

“Give me a fried chicken sandwich, Tasha,” Crystal interrupted.

 

I shook my head. “You have zero manners.”

 

I took Denise’s order, which was some chicken strips and a diet soda. I got out of the car, and I walked around the building and inside where there was a long line. Irritated, I’m in the restaurant for fifteen minutes before my food finally comes out.

 

When I come back to the car I see Denise holding a gun to my sister’s face. From the window Denise is grinning at me and my sister looks horrified. Like she knows her life is about to be over. No. No. No. No. No. I said to myself. This can’t be happening.

 

As I looked at her I felt helpless.

 

I walked up to the window. "What you doing?" I asked her.

 

“Get in the car and untie my legs and other arm,” Denise demanded. “Or I’ma blow this bitch’s face off.”

 

Instead of doing what she asked I dropped the bag of food on the ground; opened the car door, released the gun from my waist that I stole from Crystal out the backseat and fire into the car window. Shooting Denise in the face.

 

Wow, now I had to add murder to the list of things I’d done wrong. Fuck!