"Brianna," I called out as I stepped over the shattered glass from a broken picture of Bri and Teddy.
"I'm in the bedroom," Bri stated.
PJ beat me down the hallway when she said that.
When we walked into the room, she was walking out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her bloody hand.
"Bri, what happened? Did he hurt you?"
"No, he just pushed me back when I put his pills in the garage disposal."
"Then, how did your hand get hurt?" I asked while unwrapping it at the same time.
"This temper of mine. I was screaming, and he wouldn't listen to me, so I punched the picture of us I had on the wall."
"Now you know you should have punched his ass instead of some damn glass!" PJ shot back at her.
"Where is he now?"
"His mom just picked him up. He apologized for pushing me and said he was going to her place to get a breather."
"Is his mom still on drugs?" I asked her because, from what I remember, she was on that shit bad.
"Yes, so I already know when he returns, he's coming back with more pain pills."
"The hell you mean when he returns? This nigga messed your place up and doesn't have a dime to fix any of it, and you're going to allow him to come back in?"
"PJ, where else is he supposed to go?" Bri mumbled.
"TO HELL! That's exactly where he can go. I would not keep putting up with this."
"I know, and I promise it'll all be over soon. I just feel like I owe Terry that much to try to help him out. He didn't turn away from me when I got injured—"
"You didn't get addicted to pills, either, so it was easy to get you back to you. That nigga is an addict, and you can't save them no matter how hard you try, Bri. What part of that can't you see?" I was beyond pissed off at her for continuing to allow him to do this shit to her.
"Mimi, right now, I don't need that. I know what I have to do, so just trust me."
"Fine. Whatever you think is best, but don't call us when shit gets too much for you to handle. He pushed you this time, and there's no telling what he will do the next. We are trying to help you get out of this now. Put his shit outside and change your locks. Problem solved, Bri."
"I really want to take you seriously right now, Mimi"—she paused to pull the neck of her shirt over her nose—“but you smell like you've been swimming in a pond with catfish."
"I told her she stank, friend. Up here trying to reason with somebody and her body reeks of sewage water."
"Fuck both of y'all. Did I leave some clothes over here?" I asked Bri, walking toward the hall bathroom.
"Yeah, they are in the guest room. Throw that other stuff outside. Do not put it in my washer."
"Girl, you sleep with trash every night. You can handle this smell," I quipped.
Leaving out the room, I went into the guest room to gather my clothes and towels. They wanted to talk shit about me, so I'd let them worry about Teddy's ass and cleaning up the mess he made while I went wash my ass.
SIN
My business office was located on the fourth floor in The McQueen Firm's building. While Zoo and I were essentially the more active owners, Brooklyn spent most of his time in thestudio we owned. Our businesses were legit, even if everything we did wasn't. Our family sustained some hiccups in the past, but things had been quiet for the most part in the last few years. Marriages were happening left and right, kids were being born daily, and honestly, I loved that shit. My family was growing as Black families should.
I spent the morning meeting with two separate companies looking to expand their offices into a new area. JSC was known for great architectural designs that afforded clients both accessibility and security. We'd built a number of properties over the years, and the firm wasn't slowing up by a long shot.
As the day progressed, I finished up some paperwork and prepared to leave the office a little early. I had plans to be courtside, cheering Naomi on. Smiling as I thought about her reaction to seeing me, I planned on making her give me some of her time.
