Page 14

“Rondell, I don’t want to fight with you tonight. I went out with my girls, had a great time, and all I want to do right now is shower and crawl into my bed. If you are here to argue, please just go to your place because I don’t have the energy to fight.”

“Bitch, who the fuck do you think you’re talking to? Huh?” He hissed, pushing me up against the wall next to my dresser. His hands gripped my shoulder as he shook me, banging my head against the wall.

“Ronnie, please,” I begged, knowing how quickly things could escalate.

“You must have forgotten who I am, but I’m gonna remind you. I told you I wasn’t comfortable with you going out with those bitches, but then you show up here with some nigga I’ve never seen before. Never once did you mention anything about other men going with y’all, which leads me to believe you were being sneaky.”

I shook my head and tried to create some space between us, but it was no use. Rondell pressed his entire body against mine as I fought to break away.

“You’re wrong. Tommie’s brother wasn’t with us. The only reason he showed up was because we were too drunk to drive and she called him.” I blurted out.

“You really expect me to believe you? Then explain why she wasn’t the one sitting in front with him.” Ronnie pressed.

“Tommie wasn’t feeling well and decided to lie down in the backseat to avoid getting sick. I had no choice except to sit in the front.”

“It sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me, and you wonder why I don’t let you go anywhere. As soon as I allow you out of my sight, there is always some bullshit attached. I’m not the type of man you want to play with, Honesty. There are too many bitches who want a chance to be with me, and I’ll be damned if I allow you to embarrass me or play with my feelings. I shouldn’t be getting sent videos of you getting in a car with another man.”

It took everything inside me not to roll my eyes. Rondell loved pretending he was a tough guy, but he was overly emotional. All he cared about was what the outside world thought or said about him instead of being himself. He posted pictures and videos of every aspect of his life for others' attention and hated it when things didn't go his way. Since everyone on campus saw us as relationship goals, he only cared about proving them right.

“It’s not my fault; your friends and followers are messy. I didn’t say more than two words to the man while he drove us home, so I don’t know what you want me to say. We’ve only been around each other a handful of times, and he’s never been disrespectful or tried to flirt with me. I’m tired of being accused of cheating when I barely get to go anywhere without your approval. There’s only one cheater in this relationship, and it’s not me,” I shot back. I probably should have kept the last part to myself, but the liquor had me feeling a little more confident than usual.

“W-What did you say?” Rondell loosened his grip and stepped back.

“You heard me. You’re always accusing me of cheating, but I bet if we were to swap phones right now, only one of us would be hurt.” I lashed out. I had grown tired of his controlling ways a long time ago, but he still didn’t seem to get it.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

His nostrils flared as he got in my face. Normally, he would try to keep his voice down when Tommie was home, but I guess he wasn’t too concerned tonight.

“You tell me. You’re so worried about me and what I might be doing behind your back that it makes me wonder if you have a guilty conscience. If you were the kind of man you claim to be, why would you be worried about me cheating? I’ll tell you what it is. You and I both know you aren’t treating me right, and it scares you to death to think about me getting revenge for all the fuck shit you’ve done to me. I guess I should ease your worries and let you know that I’m not interested in being with any man, including you. After the way you’ve treated me, I promise you’ll never have to worry about me dealing with anyone else. I hate men, actually.”

My arms were folded across my chest as we stood there almost nose to nose. I tried to put on a tough girl act, but the truth was, I was anything but strong. In fact, I never felt so weak in my life.

“I’m gonna give you a pass because I can smell the liquor on your breath, and it’s obvious it has given you some liquid courage. You and I both know I don’t take disrespect kindly, and for your sake, you better hope I don’t find out something different about you and ol’ boy. All that rah-rah shit you’re spewing is irrelevant to me because unless you’re ready to die, we’re never breaking up.

“Now, hurry up and take those clothes off. I’m tired, and I’m ready to get my dick sucked. Since you want to run your mouth so much, I’ve got some place for you to put it to good use.” Rondell gripped the front of his sweatpants as I glared at him in disgust.

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, but I’m sleeping alone tonight, and I won’t be putting my mouth on anything. I’m tired, and I’m not in the mood to be around anyone right now. Maybe we can talk tomorrow when I’m sober and have a clear head,” I suggested.

“Yeah, the liquor must have you losing your mind because nowhere in my statement did I give you a choice. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, but both options end with you naked and on your knees.” Rondell shrugged as he spoke with finality.

My heart beat wildly as I weighed my options. Usually, I would do whatever it took to keep the peace, and right now, it seemed like the easier choice. However, a rebellious part of me wanted to choose a different option for once.

Before I could respond again, my phone buzzed inside my purse. I thought it would eventually stop, but it kept going off, so I assumed it was probably my friends in our group chat.

“Who the hell is blowing your phone up?” Rondell pressed and snatched my purse off my shoulder. I didn’t bother to resist since I had nothing to hide in the first place. He opened my Chanel bag a little too aggressively for my liking, but I kept my mouth shut.

Ronnie already knew my code, so I stood there as he swiped through my phone on a dummy mission.

“I’ll never understand why bitches will spend all night together only to get home and talk all night as if you weren’t just with each other.” He scoffed.

I assumed I must have been right about the group chat. We talked every night, so I wasn’t sure what the problem was. Nevertheless, I stayed quiet and let him do what he needed to do.

My phone kept buzzing with notifications, but I didn’t think much of it until I noticed a shift in Rondell’s demeanor. My girls and I talked shit from time to time, but he was rarely ever a topic of discussion. Internally, I panicked, wondering what they might have said to make him angry.

“Go grab your things so we can take a shower.” His tone seemed calm, but his energy was the complete opposite.

I watched as he tossed the phone onto the bed, then swaggered over to the door. Hurriedly, I grabbed a change of clothes and followed behind him. We often took showers together, so I wasn’t surprised to see him set up his Bluetooth speaker. We would have sex in the shower from time to time, so he used the music to drown out my moans. I wasn’t in the mood to have sex, but clearly what I wanted no longer mattered.