Cameron 6 (15 page)

28

The following evening, Jag attempted to make things right between him and Cam by treating her out. He hoped that dinner at a five-star restaurant was enough to get back into her good graces. He did his shit, but when it was all said and done, he didn’t want to lose Cameron. She was the best thing about his bleak existence.

Cam looked elegant that evening in a floral print pleated dress and pink single sole heels. Her hair was jet black and styled in an asymmetrical bob. The added weight from the baby was in all the right places. She was just as beautiful to him as the night Jag first saw her in The Shakedown.

“Can I get you two started with anything to drink?” their waiter asked, looking specifically at Cameron as he spoke.

Jag watched as his eyes rested on Cam’s full lips. Truthfully, his mind was just playing tricks on him. Jealousy had caused him to see more than what was actually happening. For a second, he even thought he noticed her smiling back flirtatiously.

“I’ll have a glass of Chardonnay,” she ordered.

The handsome, brown-skinned waiter turned towards Jag. Instead of answering right away, he stared the man down for several seconds. He was tempted to break his fucking jaw.

“I’m fine… but maybe a glass of water for you.”

“Sir? I’m—I’m sorry?” he asked confused. The comment indicating his thirstiness flew completely over his head. Cam, however, caught on quick.

“Jude!”

Jag looked as if he wanted to stab her. “What the fuck did you just call me?”

“Jag, I—I’m…” Cameron stuttered, embarrassed. The truth was, she’d been thinking about Jude all day. She never
stopped
thinking about him. It was only a matter of time before she wound up calling Jag his name.

“Should I give you both a few minutes—”

“Fuck off,” Jag spat.

The waiter quickly scurried away before he became a victim. This wasn’t even his regular shift. He’d picked it up for a fellow co-worker.

“Why did you do that?” Cameron asked him. “What is up with you? Why are you being such an asshole?”

“Yeah, I bet you’d like to know. Smiling and shit in that motherfucker’s face. I can’t believe you.”

“What are you talking about? You’re tripping, for real.”

“You know, you something fucking else, Cam.” Jag said, shaking his head. “You something else.”

“You’re just talking crazy. I’m not about to go there with you. Let’s just enjoy this dinner—”

“I don’t have a fucking appetite anymore. Matter fact, I’m ready to leave.”

“But we haven’t even ordered yet, and I’m hungry, Jag.”

“I don’t give a fuck. Get your ass up. Let’s go.” Jag tossed his napkin on the table and stood to his feet.

“Jag, I don’t want—”

Her sentence was cut short after he snatched her ass out her seat. Porcelain plates and silverware fell onto the ground as the table shook. They were making a scene and drawing unnecessary attention to themselves.

“Jag, let me go. You’re hurting my arm, and you’re embarrassing me!”

Jag heartlessly dragged Cameron from the restaurant. Once they were outside, she broke free and tried to walk away from him. Jag tried to run after her and grab her arm, but Cam snatched away. Tears filled her eyes; she didn’t even want to be near him.

Jag roughly grabbed her from behind, and a full out fight occurred in the parking lot. While wrestling and tussling, they both fell to the ground. Jag wasted no time climbing on top of her. He couldn’t fathom her walking away from him.

“You flirting with these fucking guys and callin’ me
his
name!” Jag yelled. He couldn’t bring himself to say Jude’s name. He hated the motherfucker that much.

“You wanna leave me? Huh! Is that what the fuck you want? You wanna walk out on me?” Jag shook her violently, causing her head to smack against the pavement repeatedly.

“Get the fuck off me!” Cameron screamed.

“You wanna leave me?!”

“JAG, STOP!” Cameron cried.

Finally realizing what he’d done, Jag ceased his assault. Guilt set in after he climbed off. He felt bad for being a bit too rough. Cam quickly rushed to their car, climbed inside, and slammed the door. She cried silently to herself during the entire trip home.

Cam didn’t speak to him at all. There was nothing to say. Jag had shown the ultimate disrespect tonight by putting his hands on her. After kicking off her heels, she stomped upstairs to her bedroom. She tried to slam the door behind her, but Jag barged in right after her.

Cam walked over to the bedroom mirror and surveyed the damage. There was a dark purple bruise on her arm, and a large knot slowly beginning to form on the back of her head.

“I was better off staying with Jude,” she mumbled. Before Cameron could take back what she said, Jag slapped the shit out of her. She never saw it coming. Cam crashed into the mirror, shattering it upon impact. A tiny shard of glass sliced her shoulder on the way down.

Jag looked like an animal as he stood over her, chest heaving and fists clenched. She barely even recognized him. She couldn’t believe he had actually hit her. There were so many things Cam wanted to say, but she was at a total loss for words.

Jag turned around and stormed out of the bedroom. She was grateful when she heard the front door slam shut behind him. It was then she knew they would only continue to spiral downhill.

29

“Good morning. Wake up. I gotta surprise for you,” Jag whispered. He gently shook Cameron’s arm to wake her. She’d slept well into noon since she had stayed up all night crying.

Lately, Cam had been feeling like she wanted to get away, but she had nowhere to run to. Nausea swept over her when she opened her eyes and saw Jag’s face. There was once a time when she enjoyed waking up to him… now all it did was make her cringe.

“What?” Cameron was clearly unimpressed. Whatever present he had, he could take it and shove it up his ass. She was done with Jag after last night’s episode.

“I need you to get up and get dressed. We have to go to it.”

Cameron sighed in annoyance. “I’m not really in the mood for surprises, Jag.”

He could tell she was still angry with him for hitting her. “Could you please just fucking do it, Cam.” Jag tried his best to remain calm. “Please. I think it’ll make you happy.”

Doubt it,
Cam said to herself.

Reluctantly, pulling the sheets off her body, she climbed out the bed, showered, and threw on casual wear. An hour later, they were pulling into Cameron’s parents’ cemetery.

“Why are we here?” she asked. Cam was uneasy about being there with him. Usually, she visited her parents’ gravesites alone. It was private and personal.
Why the fuck is he even bringing me here?

“I told you I have a surprise for you.”

Now Jag was scaring Cam. She didn’t like the direction things were going. “What the hell is surprising about being at a damn cemetery?”

“You’ll see,” was all Jag said.

After they parked, they hopped out the truck and he led her to where her parents’ burial site was located. Cameron’s mouth fell open in shock when she saw what he had done. Jag had replaced her parents’ cheap, flat headstones with upright modern ones custom made. At the time of their deaths, money was scarce, and the family only paid what they could afford.

Jag had spent roughly $10,000 a piece on each headstone, but he knew it would make her happy. While the thought was nice, Cam felt indifferent about what he had done. It was a sweet gesture, but she felt he should’ve asked first. Who the hell just desecrated someone’s family’s graves without permission? Cameron didn’t know how to feel.

“Do you like them?” Jag asked. He patiently waited on her to say yes.

Jag felt crushed when she responded with “I don’t feel so good...”

***

Things were still tense between Jag and Cam all day, so he stayed at bay. Cameron took the time alone to hire a baby sitter and step out for the evening. She needed fresh air — away from him and their home.

Cam decided to hit up her girl Juicy since they hardly talked or hung out. Thankfully, she had left Marcus’ trifling ass alone. Supposedly, he’d been fucking with the coke too heavily. Now she dated some wealthy, surgeon who had a fetish for hood chicks. He had somehow convinced Juicy to hang up her stripping heels for good. She was happy, and Cam was happy for her.

Both women enjoyed lunch together at
J. Alexander’s
in Lyndhurt while catching each other up on the latest things in their lives. Cameron didn’t tell Juicy about the incident last night with Jag. She still had trouble accepting it herself. Cam just wanted to push those bad thoughts to the back of her mind and enjoy herself. Lately, it seemed like she didn’t do enough of that.

After lunch, Cameron and Roxie did a little shopping at the nearby mall. Once they were dressed and curled to perfection, they had a couple drinks at
Kings and Queens
before heading downtown for the real entertainment.

It was so refreshing to be out that Cameron had almost forgotten what being in her twenties felt like. She had two kids now. And Jag acted worse than a probation officer. One would’ve thought she was on house arrest. He never wanted her to go anywhere if he wasn’t accompanying her, and he had a problem with her hanging with her friends.

The entire time she and Juicy were together he blew her phone up nonstop. It was pathetic. Apparently, he had come home and noticed she was gone.

Cameron and Juicy were chilling in VIP at a new club down on West 9
th
when she finally pulled her phone out and saw the missed calls. Juicy immediately noticed Cam’s changed disposition.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

Cameron thought about keeping it to herself, but she needed someone to vent to. She could no longer contain all the bullshit she’d been going through. Taking a deep breath, Cam began to tell Juicy everything about her and Jag’s relationship — including how possessive, controlling, and abusive he had become.

“Damn, that shit is nuts. Girl, I could’ve told you that from jump. White boys are fucking crazy. They don’t know how to handle black pussy.” Juicy laughed at her own crude sense of humor. When she saw Cam wasn’t laughing too, she got serious again. “Look, you ain’t obligated to that mothafucka and you’re not his property. Fuck him. If he doesn’t make you happy, let him go. No man is worth your peace of mind, hun. You got kids now. If you ain’t gon’ put yourself first, at least put them first. Ain’t no mothafucka like that safe to be around at all,” Juicy advised. “It wasn’t easy for me to leave Marcus, but I had to do what I had to. When it’s all said and done, you gotta do what’s best for you, Cam.”

Juicy was right. It was about time she wised up.

All of a sudden, Cameron’s phone started ringing again. Jag was relentless. Sucking her teeth, she decided to answer so he would chill.

“Yes, Jag?”

“
Yes, Jag?
Fuck you mean, ‘yes Jag’? Where the hell you been, and why you ain’t answering my calls? Who the fuck are you with?” he demanded to know.

“Jag, relax. Stop tripping. I’m with Juicy at Tango Lounge.”

“Did you ask me if you could do that? ‘Cuz I don’t remember you asking me.”

“Oh my god. Are you serious right now?”

Juicy saw that Cameron was about to get worked up, so she snatched her phone, and hung up on Jag. “Fuck that nigga. We enjoying ourselves.”

Cameron was more than grateful for her interception. All she wanted to do was enjoy her evening. She didn’t need the drama. Unfortunately, the drama came to her when Jag showed up an hour later, mad as hell and on one.

Cameron and Juicy were dancing by the bar when Jag noticed her. She didn’t even see him approaching her since she was busy having a good time. Without warning, he snatched Cam up by her hair and dragged her out of the club kicking and screaming.

30

“Hey! What the fuck are you doing?” Juicy yelled, running after him.

“Bitch, get the fuck away from me before I knock your got damn head off your shoulders.”

Juicy didn’t underestimate his threat in the least. She saw the way he did Cam. If he could treat his own girl that way, then there was no telling what he would do to her. Instead of stopping Jag, she watched as he yanked Cameron out of the club. Outside a few guys witnessed what was happening.

“Get the fuck off of me, Jag!” Cameron screamed. “What are you doing! Let go of me! You’re pulling my fucking hair out! Stop it! You’re acting crazy!”

“Hey, man. What’s ya issue? Let the lady go.” One of the men stepped up to Jag in Cam’s defense.

He wasn’t expecting for Jag to snatch out a loaded pistol and aim it directly at his head. “You better back the fuck up! Or else you’ll be the next dead nigga on TV.”

Everyone that was standing nearby gasped in shock after Jude’s harsh choice of words. Cameron was beyond embarrassed; she had never heard him say anything more cruel or racist. She honestly didn’t know what the hell had gotten into him. She felt like she didn’t even know him anymore.

“Did he really just say that shit?”

“Oh my God. He did not say that.”

With the state of the current issues, Jag had taken an all time low with his hurtful comment.

“Get in the fucking car,” Jag demanded. He didn’t give a damn that he had offended a dozen black people. And now they all had to watch him disrespect his black girlfriend. The sight of it all was heartbreaking.

Cameron burst out crying hysterically after fastening her seatbelt. She had never felt more embarrassed or ashamed. She didn’t understand why Jag was treating her that way. They used to be best friends; he was like family. She loved him like a brother but valued him like a companion. Why was he behaving so vicious now? What had changed?

“I don’t wanna hear you crying during this long ass drive.” Jag started the car and pulled off. He didn’t care that she’d driven her own vehicle. That shit could get impounded for all he cared. It would only serve her ass right.
She doesn’t need a fucking car anyway. ‘Cuz she’s going where she doesn’t need to be,
Jag told himself.

Cameron ignored Jag as she continued to cry and sniffle in the passenger seat. Her cheeks were beet red, her hair was in disarray, and her mascara was running. She looked a mess, but she felt even worse.

I need to get the fuck away from him. I can’t do this shit anymore,
Cam thought.
This is torture.

Cameron still hadn’t stopped crying by the time he hopped on the freeway. Jag didn’t appreciate her deliberately disobeying him. He had a headache and he wanted silence.

“Keep on with that crying shit, and I’ma bust ya damn head against that window. I mean it, Cam. Knock it off.”

Hearing her sobs made him think about Eunice crying after he killed her daughter. The shit was slowly driving him crazy. That one job had completely changed his life; it had scarred him. Atlanta had hardened Jag, but now he was just a hollow shell of the man he used to be. Stone should’ve never asked him to carry out such an act. For every cause was an effect.

Cameron kept quiet during the entire drive home. It seemed like they couldn’t get there fast enough. Jag barely had a chance to park before she hopped out and ran to the house.

Cam quickly looked around the home for the baby sitter. She planned on packing her shit and catching a ride with her. Cam also knew her baby sitter would call the police if Jag put his hands on her again.

“She’s not here,” he said walking up behind her. “I sent her home right before I came to get you.”

“Where are my kids?” Cameron frantically asked.

“They’re in their rooms sleeping. Where else would they be?”

Cameron’s mouth practically hit the floor. “You—you left them here?!” she screamed. “By themselves! Are you fucking crazy? They are children! What is wrong with you?”

“You gon’ get enough of calling me crazy,” Jag warned her. The word seared his skin whenever she used it. He hated the way it made him feel. “They were sleeping. It’s not like they would’ve woken up. Besides, I wouldn’t have had to leave them if you weren’t parading all around the got damn city — and half naked at that,” he said, pointing to her outfit.

Cameron turned around and started for Justin’s room — but Jag quickly grabbed her arm. “Wait — what are you doing?”

“What do you fucking think?” Cameron snapped. “I’m taking the kids and I’m leaving your ass—”

WHAM!

Jag punched Cameron dead in the face with a closed fist. The blow was strong enough to drop her instantaneously. Blood gushed from her nose and ran down her mouth and chin. She could also feel her eyes beginning to swell from the assault.

Jag barely gave her time to recuperate as he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her towards the sliding glass doors that led to the pool.

“Jag, no! Stop! Somebody! HELP ME!”

Ignoring her cries, Jag slid the door open and lugged her towards the crystal blue water. She tried to fight and claw at his hands, but she was no match against the 6”4 man.

“Jag, please! No!” Cameron pled. “Don’t do this! Jag, it’s me!”

He had completely blacked out by then. Jag wasn’t in his right state of mind. He was heartless as he dunked her head and upper body in the cold water. In silence, he watched as it turned scarlet red. Right there in the backyard of their home, he proceeded to drown his girlfriend.

Cameron’s arms flailed wildly. The more she fought it the more his grip tightened. “You wanna leave me? Is that what you want?” Jag asked. “You just like everybody else in my life. Always walking out on me. But it’s only one way out of this relationship, Cam.”