“I’m fine, had some bad sushi,” she lied, bringing herself to her feet.
She was barely standing before he snatched her up by the collar of her shirt and pinned her against a wall. He didn’t give a fuck who saw them right now. He had a point to get across.
“Yeah, ’cause a nigga been sick himself lately, extra tired and all that bullshit. Got my auntie telling me she dreamed of fishes and shit and all my symptoms mean I’m about to be a daddy. What you know about that, Nadia, huh?” He got in her face, grimacing, and she nudged him back with all the strength that she had.
“I don’t know, Forrest. Maybe it’s one of your other little hoes you out here smashing. I don’t owe you an explanation for shit.” Nadia’s defenses were high, so he knew that she was on the fuck shit. Nodding his head with a knowing smile, Forrest kept his cool.
“Tell me right fucking now… are you pregnant?” he commanded.
“And what if I am? It ain’t got shit to do with you. You know you ain’t the only one, Forrest.” Nadia sneered smugly, and he turned, like a rabid dog, on her.
Fisting her hair, he gripped her shit so tight she thought he would rip it from her scalp. Wincing in pain, her lips parted in agony, and Forrest brought himself to her face.
“If there is even a chance that this is my baby, your best bet at staying alive is to tell me now. That nigga don’t give one fuck about you, Nadi.”
“And you do? I can feel the love, Forrest.” She laughed, but his grip remained tight, making her temples pulse and a headache form in her cranium.
He snatched away from her but didn’t go far.
“How far along are you?” he asked, looking her up and down.
“About two and a half months,” she answered. “I fucked him in Miami, so he knows there is at least a possibility. He wants a DNA test.”
“Smart man.” Forrest chuckled and tapped his chin, deep in thought. “Smart woman too. You just spared yourself.” He wagged his finger at her before taking steps toward the door to leave. “Don’t worry about Rose. Shit will hit him when he least expects it, and there won’t be time to recover from what I got in store for him.”
The scorned, contemptuous beam that spread across his face turned Nadia cold inside, and even the air around her went icy. Things were about to take a turn, and she was almost certain that she didn’t need to be around for it. Only problem was, she didn’t have a lot of time or money to pull off a vanishing act, so she had to come up with a plan.
Mille returnedto school about a month ago. To him, it was all routine. He did his work, pushed through the halls, and didn’t talk to anybody. With the way he was feeling, he was afraid of what he would do if he came across someone that rubbed him the wrong way. Mulling through the halls toward his locker, he did his best to avoid everyone. Even the people he was once cool with, he blew off. Folks were too fake for him. They didn’t care about him or what he was going through. They wanted the scoop, so that they could go around gossiping.
Pausing at his locker, he put his combination in so he could switch out his books and move on. When he slammed the door shut, he smiled when he saw the pretty face standing at his side. Enika was a creeper. She was quiet like a mouse, so she was always able to creep up on him.
“Good afternoon,” Enika greeted him, a cute smile gracing her face, showing off her dimple.
“It is now. Where you been hiding?” he asked, knitting his brows at her.
“The gym. Planning the homecoming dance,” she answered, hugging her books against her chest.
“Oh, I didn’t think that was your thing.” Mille voiced, falling in stride with her down the hall.
They were synchronized down to the last step. Enika loved being around Mille. Her day wasn’t complete if she didn’t see or speak to him. She was glad he was back in school, but she could tell he was still very sad about his father.
“Yeah… Usually, I’m not. I was asked to help though, and I didn’t want to say no to Mr. Caulfield,” she responded sheepishly.
“That’s cool.”
“So what are you doing after school?” Enika questioned.
“Uh, nothing. I got a lot of work to catch up on before the year ends. I’ll just be trying to get it all turned in.”
“I can come and help, if you need me to,” she nervously suggested.
Mille glanced over at her, his eyes dark and bleak. He gave her a nod and a half smile.
“Yeah, I’m staying at my sister’s spot with her and Rose. My mama is going through some things.”
“Okay. We can ride the bus together. I will text my daddy and let him know I’ll be studying with a friend,” Enika replied.
Mille loved the way her smile lit up the corners of her eyes. Right now, she was his peace. He didn’t like being around people much, but Enika was different. She let him talk, and had a level of understanding that even some adults hadn’t mastered yet.
