“No, stay on this phone. Just give me a second,”I instructed.
I jogged back over to Essex and Nariyah with Nova clasped tight in my arms. She was yelling, enjoying the ride.
“What’s wrong? Why you look like that?” Essex inquired.
“I gotta slide. Some shit popped off,” I sputtered, passing Nova back to Essex for a second time.
“I’m sorry, Goddy, I know I came to trick or treat with you on your first Halloween. I’mma be right there next Halloween,” I promised Nova before pecking her cheek.
“You good?” Essex pried.
“I’m straight. Send me pictures of my goddy, please,” I requested, sprinting back to my whip.
“We got you. I already took so many pictures, I’ll send them to you,” Nariyah promised.
“Drive safe,” Essex shouted.
I hopped in my whip and peeled off while the roof was retracting. No matter what was going on, if Elise called, I was coming. When I opened up the maps and saw she wasn’t far from her pop’s church, I knew they did something to really piss Elise off. She’d been going to church up there every other weekend and helping with their events since she finished grad school and they’d never had any issues. The way my baby washiccupping and snotting through the phone, they better hope I didn’t kick in their fucking door.
CHAPTER THREE
Rashawn Kentrel Williams
It took a little under an hour for me to make it to Brooksville the way I was driving down 75. I pulled into the parking lot next to Elise’s truck. She was parked out front of Spirit Halloween, about fifteen minutes from her parents’ church. The sun was setting, cooling the night air.
When I approached the truck, Elise’s seat was reclined, and she was asleep in the driver’s seat. I gently tapped on the window, and her eyes fluttered open. She glanced up at me, her tear stained face pulling at my heart. As she sat up to hit the locks, I noticed the big grey stain that spread across the entire lower half of her yellow dress.
Once I heard the locks click, I tugged the door open and pulled Elise out of the truck. The moment her feet were out of the truck, I noticed the grey splatter also trickled onto her white Keds with the sparkly mustard laces to match her dress.
“What happened, bae?” I questioned, wrapping my arms around her. Elise’s hair was in knotless braids that she pulled up into a high bun. Either the sleep or whatever happened had her bun leaning and braids falling to her shoulders.
“I don’t want to talk about it. I got myself together now.” Elise melted into my chest, her sweet signature scent faint but present.
“Nah, what happened. The way you were crying on the phone, you gotta give me something.”
“No, I promise I’m fine. I’m sorry I made you drive all the way out here for nothing.”
“You asleep in a strip mall parking lot. That ain’t nothing. I hate when you shut down like this. I want you to tell me when shit is going wrong with your parents, too. I want you to be able to vent to me about everything. We are supposed to be working towards something. I already know something went down between you and your parents and that’s always where you seem to shut me out. Ion fuck with them so it didn’t use to matter to me, but now it does.”
Elise huffed, pulling away from my embrace.
“Did you know that Faith is still a stupid bitch?” Elise questioned, folding her arms across her chest. My eyes fluttered because her response caught me off guard. I knew Elise was infuriated because that was the only time she cursed. That, and when I was trying to let my dick or tongue speak to her soul.
“Ion know shit about what Faith got going on. I ain’t seen her since high school graduation,” I admitted.
“Well, she is. Faith purposely spilled the water I was using to clean the paint off my brushes on me,” Elise divulged, flailing her hands in front of her stained dress. “If ruining my dress wasn’t enough, then she tried to hit me. But I caught her hand midair and almost broke it off,” she vented, then closed her eyes and tilted her head back until she was facing the sky. “Lord, please forgive me, but I wanted to rip her arm off and beat her with it.”
“Yeah, alright,” I scoffed.
“Hush, Rashawn,” Elise groaned, stomping in place.
“Come here, my big baby, I’m sorry,” I apologized, pulling Elise into my embrace.
“I just don’t understand how she could still be so mean spirited after all of these years.”
“Your light is contagious. I love being around you, soaking it up. That shit does something to me. It has been that way since we were eighteen, when you came into the room with me your first weekend at college. Just like your light sucks me in, it can also stir resentment in others. That’s their problem. Not yours. If you want, though, I can get my cousins to jump her for fucking with you,” I offered.
“No, Rashawn!” Elise pulled away again.
