“Cocaine trafficking isn’t what I said Hicks,” I said as he pulled off.
“You know good and goddamn well that wasn’t no fuckin’ intent to sell. Whatever you plan on doing, do it. He might have an attorney that can play the system,” he warned me.
“Nah, he can’t get out of this. I made sure of it. Just trust me nigga.”
Bentley might’ve been the nigga in these streets, but I was the nigga that had folk doing my dirt behind these badges. He’ll never be able to outdo me when it comes to this. All I needed was a way in and his dumbass gave it to me.
Enzo, you outdid yourself this time. Sage Springs is yours nigga.
…
ONE YEAR LATER
5
HEIDI
“How many times do I have to tell you to stop pulling your punches? When someone comes at you, are you going to do the same?” I shook my head from side to side answering Cedees latter question. “Okay then. I been at this long enough to roll with the punches. You can’t hurt me.”
Nodding, I bit down on the mouth guard and took a stance. Since I’d been sparring with Mercedees, my confidence had grown tremendously. I wasn’t the bravest person in the room, but I was no longer the weakest. Cedees could run with the big dawgs on any given day. I was aspiring to get to that point.
The advice Dr. Wright gave me helped. I quit waddling in my sorrow and found an outlet. A full year had passed since I last saw Empathy Emporium. I learned quickly that I was in my own way of healing when she broke me down and spoke to me in raw form. Nothing about what I went through could be trashed so easily but it could be mended and formed into a lesson.
Cedees didn’t wear gloves with me that often and now was one of those times. She threw haymakers with her bare hands. She wasn’t afraid of anything, and it’d been like that since we were kids. Royce used that to his advantage and had her fightingneighborhood kids in groups. She loved every bit of it. If the girl could register her hands for real, she would.
Come on Heidi. You got this.
Inhaling deeply, I threw my hands up and prepared myself for a battle with my girl. Cedees was what you called a headhunter. She went for anything above the neck ignoring my body completely. Me on the other hand, I was just trying my hardest to land a hit.
“Here we go,” she said before becoming light on her feet.
She bounced from right to left in a rhythm. I followed her every movement and coached myself along the way. When she threw a jab, I countered as best as I could. Being confrontational wasn’t my thing so I rarely and I do mean rarely had to fight. However, this wasn’t for a normal brawl between me and another woman. This was me gaining control and never letting a man take advantage of me again.
Left, right, left. Step back, right jab to the ribs.
This was a combo I seemed to have down pact. It was also one that allowed me to stick and move. After all the things I took from Dr. Wright, this one seemed to be the most trusted one. Being defenseless wasn’t something I’d ever be again. Wondering if the next man I hold a conversation with was going to let me be or have his way wasn’t how I wanted to live anymore.
I took my focus off Cedees for a split and she rocked my shit. Stumbling back, I heard her deliver a mannish laugh. “Don’t ever take your eyes off your opponent until you got them down on the ground and even then, don’t let them ponder for too long,” she advised.
Shaking off the attack, I threw my guard back up and maintained eye contact. All I thought about when I got in the ring was the fuck nigga that brought me chaos and confusion.Everything Mercedees was teaching me, I applied to my everyday life. I wasn’t just a sitting duck anymore.
Right, right, left, right.
I was able to land two hits on her. One on her left rib and one on her right jaw. I knew Cedees was crazy when she smirked at the taste of her own blood. “Okay cousin. You’re stronger than you think, I see.”
She did a slight bounce and shook off the jabs. I couldn’t lie; I got a little scared. She did this shit for fun and nothing, but joy stemmed from this. I told her several times that she was my inspiration to becoming stronger. As usual, she gave me words of encouragement in the most ghettoest way she could.
A smile graced my lips as confidence began to surge through me. Before I could throw another combo, my cell rang out. “Hold tight Cedees. Let me see who this is, right quick.”
Nodding, she quickly helped me with my gloves so I could answer. I climbed out the ring and grabbed my phone off the top of my gym bag. Seeing that it was the call I’d been expecting for months, I swiped across the screen enthusiastically.
“Hello, this is Heidi.”
“Hi Heidi, this is Erin Squinks down at Nurturing Pathways.”
“Hi Ms. Squinks, what can I do for you?”
“Well, I thought I’d give you a ring personally letting you know we have some exciting news for you. Is there any way we can get you to come down and talk with us? We think you’ll be pleased,” she squealed with excitement.
