Around the Way Girls 9 (21 page)

“I don't like her because her helpless used and abused ass was the cause of King getting locked up. He is always feeling sorry for her, why I don't know.” She rolled her eyes at Breezy.

“You are pathetic and insecure. That is why you don't like me,” Breezy spat. “You feel threatened by me. It's funny how you are supposed to be such a bad chick but at the same time is threatened by little nappy-headed, dirty, no-clothes-having Breezy. I guess y'all shook because I ain't the underdog no more. Y'all chicks see me climbing that ladder and realize that it's only a matter of time before I reach the top. Gotcha shook, don't I?” She laughed while winking at Vita, further pissing her off. “That just goes to show that a fat ass and a hot coochie will only get you but so far!”

She turned her attention to Annette because she truly felt bad about disrespecting her home. Especially since she'd been good enough to give her a place to stay. “I apologize for the disrespect. I never want to disrespect you in any way because you have been more than good to me, better than my own mama; but there was no way I was going to allow her to put her hands in my face and not defend myself. I have been beat on, walked over, and disrespected enough to last a lifetime. I can't live like that anymore. People will treat me like I treat them or I guess I will go through the rest of my life fighting. I was a victim but not anymore.”

Annette looked at Breezy through proud eyes. Words couldn't express how she felt to hear the strength that she now possessed. Breezy had come a long way and all she could see was her growing even stronger as time passed. “No need for apologies, baby. I can't tell you how good it felt sitting here listening to you. You are becoming such a beautiful woman inside and out.” She looked at Vita. “Vita, I'm not taking sides but it is what it is. You were wrong. Breezy didn't make King do anything. They have been friends forever and he has always been very protective over her and I doubt that will ever change. The decision that he made to do what he did to Terry was his choice. I thank God that Terry had the charges dropped, probably because he knew that the truth would come out about his sorry butt. Anyways let this be the end of this mess, okay?”

“Yes, ma'am.” Vita didn't look happy at all but she didn't say anything else.

 

 

That night at work, Breezy couldn't stop thinking about the argument that she and King had earlier that day. She felt bad because she hated it when the two of them argued. Everyone at work noticed her sad and gloomy mood as well. They kept asking her all evening what was wrong but she kept lying and telling them nothing. She was glad when she finally made it back home. The first thing she noticed when she got there was that King's car wasn't parked in front of the apartment in its usual spot. Normally Montez would come in for a few minutes when he dropped her off but tonight he told her he didn't feel like it and she was glad because she didn't feel like entertaining company. All she wanted to do was take a bath and lie down.

After taking a shower, she went in King's room and got in bed. She was so tired that she fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. King came in at around 2:00 a.m., waking her by slamming drawers and moving around the room.

He had a lot on his mind as he moved about searching for a change of clothes. He too had been thinking about their argument the entire afternoon and the fight between her and Vita. He felt like he was caught between a rock and a hard place, dealing with his feelings for her and Vita's pregnancy. He turned on the lamp and that woke her completely up.

Breezy sat up and looked at the clock.
Is he serious?
she thought, lying back down and putting the pillow over her head. She heard him turn the lamp back off and was happy so that she could she could try to go back to sleep. Next thing she knew, the pillow was being snatched from over her head.

“Wake up; we need to talk,” King said, lying next to her.

“Why can't we talk in the morning?” she whined sleepily as she fixed her scarf on her head and attempted to turn back over.

King grabbed her shoulder and flipped her back over. “Stop playing, Breezy, before my mama wakes up and starts tripping because I am in here with you at this time of the morning with the lights off. You know how her mind works.”

“Well then go into the living room and we can talk in the morning.”

“I heard you tell me that you loved me in your sleep two months ago,” he blurted knowing that would get her up and he was right.

Her eyes popped open. “Huh?”

“Breezy, before you deny it, I don't feel like dealing with the games tonight. Just keep it one hundred, please.” She didn't say anything so he continued. “You were asleep and when I walked in, I heard you say ‘King, I love you too.' What was that about?”

She propped her head up on her hand. “I don't know. I was asleep so I don't know why I said it.”

“Okay, fair enough, but what about the poem?”

She let out a sigh. “What about it?”

“You know what I am asking and you also know that I know it wasn't about Montez. Is that really how you feel? Like I'm your soul mate?” There was light coming in through the blinds from the streetlights. He looked at her and waited for a reply. Her eyes dropped to the bed as she fidgeted with the edge of the pillowcase.

“Honestly, yeah,” she admitted as she lifted her eyes in time to see a smile spread over his lips. Butterflies filled her stomach. Her nerves got the best of her and she lay back on the bed, covering her face with the pillow.

“Why are you covering your face?” He laughed at her shyness.

“Because . . .” she answered from beneath the pillow.

“Because what?”

She didn't respond. After a few seconds, she felt him tugging at the pillow. She let go of it but didn't bother opening her eyes until she felt his lips cover hers. They sent electricity throughout her entire body. She'd kissed Montez a lot and it had never felt like that. Her hands unconsciously went up around his neck and they kissed like two long-lost lovers. His hand found her thigh and began caressing it. Her lips were like two soft pillows. He'd never experienced anything like the kiss that they were sharing. It took every ounce of strength within them both to pull back.

King didn't move for over a minute. He just lay there staring at her.

“What are you thinking about?” Breezy asked, beginning to feel uncomfortable under his gaze.

He reached over and took her hand, placing it up to his lips. He kissed it and then held on to it. “I'm just thinking of how I've made such a huge mistake.”

“What do you mean?”

“Pops told me awhile ago to be careful with Vita but I didn't listen. He also told me about these feelings that I have for you and I denied them, knowing all the while that he was right and that I truly do love you.” Breezy blushed as she listened to him confess his love for her. “Now, I've gotten her pregnant . . .” He paused and then got up grabbing the other pillow. “Good night.”

“You're going to bed?” she asked confused, thinking that they weren't finished talking.

“Yeah, I'll talk to you in the morning.” With that he left the room.

After he was gone she couldn't get to sleep so she lay awake staring up at the ceiling thinking about what had just happened. She felt more confused now than she had been before he'd told her how he felt. At the same time she felt bad because Montez deserved a girl who cared about him and only him, not someone who was in love with her best friend and only using him as a fill-in.

The rest of the week dragged by slowly. King and Breezy tried to act normal like nothing had happened between them but the kiss they'd shared was present on both their minds throughout the entire week. Every time that they made eye contact, they'd blush but neither of them brought it up.

Saturday finally rolled around and King was more than happy because he had the day off. It was the first Saturday that he'd had off in quite a while. When he woke up that morning Breezy and Annette were already gone, leaving him and Curtis alone. After taking a bath and getting dressed, he went into the kitchen and found Curtis at the table eating. Annette and Breezy had cooked breakfast before leaving. There were pancakes, eggs, turkey bacon, and grits. King fixed a plate and heated it in the microwave.

“Morning, Pops.” He greeted Curtis as he moved around the kitchen.

“What's good, son?” Curtis asked as he chewed on a slice of bacon. He glanced at the TV that sat on the counter and then at King.

“Ain't nothing. How long ma and Breezy been gone?”

“They left about forty-five minutes ago. This food was so good, I'm on round two.” He laughed. “To my understanding Breezy has the day off so her and your ma decided to turn it into a girl's day out.”

King chuckled as he placed his food on the table and took a seat. “Ma thinks that Breezy is her daughter. I'm glad that they get along so well.”

“Well daughter, daughter-in-law, same difference.” Curtis laughed giving him a knowing look.

King tried to play like he didn't know what Curtis was getting at. “Pops, what are you talking about?”

“Boy, don't play dumb. You know exactly what I am talking about. We are both men here. Don't get me wrong, I like Vita but we both know she ain't the one. Breezy on the other hand . . .” He nodded his head. “That right there is a keeper. I am so proud of that girl I don't know what to do! She is gonna be somebody. That girl is gonna go places. You watch and see what I tell you. Son, Breezy is destined to do amazing things.

“Look at what that child has been through and look out how far she has come. Yes, we helped her but look at the moves that she has made on her own. She is a straight A student, works, and she has a gift when it comes to writing. Last but not least she has the voice of an angel. I walked through the house the other day and heard her singing.” He shook his head remembering how good Breezy had sounded. “That girl is going to be somebody! Makes an old man like me so proud to see a young person do good things.”

The way Curtis spoke about Breezy brought a proud smile to King's lips. “Yeah, she is special.”

“Yep, so special that one day she is going to be Mrs. Collins.”

“Dang, Pops, you done planned a wedding and everything!” King laughed.

“Shit if you know like I know you'll be planning one.” Curtis leaned over and playfully hit him in the shoulder. “I sure hate that you went and got Vita pregnant but we make mistakes, son.”

“Yeah, I care about Vita a lot though. Even if she did lie to me about being on the shot, I am going to take care of my child and do what I have to do to make sure that she is straight. I told her that I still plan to play ball though. I feel like I can be a father and live out my dreams.”

“You sure can. I know that I ain't your real daddy but you feel like mine and you know that there ain't nothing that I won't do for you. I want you to play ball because you are extremely good and I can definitely see you going pro. Your mother and I will make sure that baby is taken care of until you get on your feet.”

King felt tears sting the back of his eyes because Curtis's words touched him. “Pops, get outta here with that ‘you ain't my real daddy' mess. You the only daddy I know! Thanks for everything.” He got up and gave Curtis a hug and he hugged him back.

“You don't have to thank me, son. I would do it all over again with no hesitation.”

King smiled. “That's what's up, Pops. Enough of this mushy stuff now.”

They both laughed. With the women out of the house, the two men decided to kick it and watch sports. Something that they hadn't done in a while. Vita came over around 3:30. She wanted to go out to eat.

“We can go later on. I'm chillin' right now. You welcome to chill too,” King offered.

“I guess I have to since you don't want to go out.” She smacked her lips and flopped down on the sofa next to King. She had on a pair of skin-tight jeans.

“Vita, why do you have on those tight jeans? I know that you ain't big yet but you still don't need to have those pants so tight on your stomach, I don't think.”

“Chill out, King, they ain't even that tight. I'm not going to hurt our baby.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Okay?”

“Yeah, okay but don't come back over here in no more tight jeans because if you do we are going to have problems.”

“Okay, daddy.” Vita pouted.

They both turned their attention to the TV. A few hours later, Annette and Breezy came in. They had so many bags that it was ridiculous. They'd even bought food. King and Curtis helped them get the bags out of the car. They looked so happy, talking and laughing nonstop. Vita looked like she was a little jealous of how Annette was so into Breezy.

“Dang y'all bought everything you saw didn't you?” King teased.

Annette walked over and gave Curtis a peck on the lips and then gave King a peck on the cheek. “We found some sales.”

“Sure did. Don't worry we didn't forget about you. I got you something and I bought the baby some stuff. I know it's early but I couldn't resist!” Breezy squealed.

“Yeah, we really outdone ourselves,” Annette added. “Oh and some girls from the shop are coming over later. Kendra and Tamara coming over to play spades.”

“Is that why y'all bought so much food?” Curtis teased.

“Yeah, I don't want nobody at my house getting hungry.”

Annette and Breezy started putting their stuff away. After they were done Breezy walked back in the living room and handed King two Rocawear shirts and a little mint green baby Rocawear shirt. “I figured a girl or boy could wear mint green. It was just so cute; and I got this too.” She handed Vita a navy blue Old Navy diaper bag. “I hope y'all like it.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Vita said dryly, taking the diaper bag from Breezy and placing it down on the floor next to the sofa by her feet. She didn't want anything from Breezy except for her to get the hell out of her face.

Breezy ignored Vita's obvious attitude and the fact that she'd sat the diaper bag down on the floor. “I can't wait until Kendra and Tamara get here! They were talking mad smack about how they were going to whip us in spades!”

“Child, they can quit that yapping because ain't none of that popping off in here. All I know is we are fixin' to get our nails done for free for the next four months,” Annette bragged and high-fived Breezy. “See they bet us that if we win we could get our nails done for free for the next four months but if we lost their lunch was on us for the next four months.”

“Dang y'all done got real tight with those women down at the salon haven't you?” King asked.

“I guess you could say that.” Annette laughed.

The doorbell rang and Breezy all but ran to get it. “I'll get it,” she announced already on her way to the door. She opened the door and started screaming. King jumped up to see what was wrong and so did everyone else. He snatched the door open only to see four women. He looked at Breezy, who was still screaming, confused.

“Girl, what in the hell is wrong with you?” Annette snapped trying to figure out what the problem was.

Breezy finally spoke. “Oh my God, it's Judy Richwood and LaToya Jones; they're the owners of
Urban Lit
magazine! Oh my God!” she squealed jumping up and down.

“Yes, it's them!” Kendra laughed at Breezy's excitement. It had been her idea to surprise Breezy because she knew how much she loved their magazine and how much she wanted to be a writer. “Now let us in! It ain't hot out here!”

Breezy was star struck! She backed out of the way with her eyes still glued to the ladies.

“Y'all come on in,” Annette told everyone. “Y'all done nearly gave my baby a heart attack.” Everyone came in and Annette made the introductions.

“Breezy, we ain't nobody special, honey,” Judy told Breezy as she took off her jacket and sat down getting comfortable. She was a really beautiful older woman. The grey hair around the edges of her hairline hinted her age but didn't take away from her beauty at all. “I am flattered by your reaction though.” She laughed.

Breezy was done. She felt like she was dreaming. She couldn't believe that she was actually standing in the same room with Judy and LaToya. “I just don't know what to say. I have every issue of your magazine. I love your magazine.”

“Thank you.” LaToya spoke for the first time. “We read over one of your submissions that you sent in not too long ago. We were both very impressed. We're going to have to see what we can do about getting you a feature.”

“Really? Please don't play with me like that.” Breezy looked like she might pass out. She was holding her chest like she really might have a heart attack.

“I am not playing. Not only are you a great writer but I have heard great things about you from Tamara and Kendra. I am always willing to help someone who is trying to help themselves. We need more young people like you.”

“Oh my goodness! Thank you so much.” She turned to Kendra and Tamara. “I don't know what to say to y'all. Thank you so much.”

“That's good enough,” Kendra told her.

“I am about to release my next book and I was thinking that it would be cool to give the readers a little treat by featuring a short story from you at the end of the book.” LaToya smiled at Breezy. “How does that sound?”

Breezy couldn't hold it together any longer and broke right down. “Are y'all serious? I mean for real? Please tell me I ain't dreaming.” She looked up at the ceiling. “Lord, you are truly good. All those times that I have cried myself to sleep praying for a break, a way out. I can't thank you enough, Lord. After all of the pain and suffering. I guess my storm is finally over.”

There wasn't a dry eye in the room after witnessing her breakdown and give thanks like that.

King looked at her and thought,
My pops is right. She is definitely a keeper.
He knew what he needed to do and he made up his mind that he wouldn't allow another day to go by without doing it.

Breezy finally pulled herself together so that they could get the card game started.

 

 

Around 12:30, Vita started to complain about being tired and sleepy. “King, can you drive me home?” she asked. “My ma dropped me off earlier. I didn't drive.”

“Yeah, I'll take you,” King said rising from the sofa and helping her up. He walked into the kitchen. “Hey, Ma, I'm going to use your car to take Vita home.”

“All right, be careful and don't be gone long,” she said, not taking her eyes off of the card game.

“All right.” He grabbed the keys off of the counter and he and Vita left.

As soon as they pulled out of the complex, Vita reached over and ran her hand up his thigh. “Baby, let's go to the park before you take me home.” She never was sleepy in the first place. She was just tired of sitting at King's house watching everybody play cards. “I know you didn't really believe that I was sleepy did you?” She giggled.

“Yeah, because that's what you said,” King snapped. “Damn all you do is lie, ain't it?”

Vita looked at him puzzled by his attitude. He'd never gotten upset with her before when she'd suggested they go to the park and have sex. “What's your problem?”

“You are my problem,” he stated. It wasn't just that she'd lied to leave his house but it was everything. The fact that she'd lied about being on the shot, her attitude, and most importantly the fact that she wasn't Breezy. He glanced over at her. “This thing between us isn't working out—”

“What in the fuck do you mean this isn't working out?” Vita yelled in disbelief. “Oh so you trying to be one of those deadbeat niggas? Is that it? You fuck with me, get me pregnant, and then roll on to the next bitch? Is that what this is?”

“Are you done yet?” King asked calmly. He wasn't about to waste energy arguing with her.

“No, I ain't done yet! You need to explain to me what in the hell brought on this sudden change of heart? Is there another bitch? Is it Breezy?”

“If you would shut up then I could explain but you keep yapping so I can't.”

Vita sat in the passenger seat glaring at him through anger-filled eyes. She was more hurt at the thought of missing out on being a baller's wife than she actually was about losing King. She cared for him but it wasn't love. It was the dream of sitting courtside wearing all of the latest fashions, walking the red carpet at different events, living in a big-ass house, driving the flyest whips, going out shopping, flying first class all over the world and vacationing in exotic locations. She knew without a doubt that King was going to be a professional ball player and she wanted to be right by his side reaping the benefits.

“No problem, I'll be quiet.”

“Truth is, I haven't felt the same about you since you lied to me about being on the shot—”

“I didn't lie to you,” she cut him off.

“Yes, you did, Vita. You and I both know that you lied so cut the antics.”