About twelve a.m. Jahrein came in our bedroom, smelling like a pound of weed. I was sitting in my bed on the phone as Junior lay next to me asleep. Jah stood and glared at me, as I kept on talking to April.
“Hang up that phone. I need to talk to you.” he finally demanded.
“What?” I asked him as I removed the phone from my ear.
“Hang up the phone, I said.”
“What do you want?” I wasn’t afraid of his ass. I knew my daddy was at home so I wasn’t even tripping.
He decided to snatch the cordless phone out of my hand and hang it up. Then he moved in closer to me. “What the fuck was you doing riding with that nigga Delvin the other day?” he spoke sternly, like somebody's daddy other than Junior's.
“I needed a ride and he gave me one.” I crossed my arms across my breasts.
“What the fuck is your problem, Raven? How you just gon disrespect me like that?”
“Disrespect? Jahrein, please.” I smacked my lips. “You want to talk about disrespect? Well, why is it that every other day it’s a rumor out here about you fucking some bitch?” Even though, I hadn’t heard anything lately I decided that my best bet was to use reverse psychology.
“What?” Jahrein fumed as he pushed me back and laid his body on top of mine. He then wrapped his hands around my neck and started choking me. I couldn’t even scream to alert my daddy.
“I can’t breathe.” I finally let out as I tried to pry his hands from around my neck.
“Shut the fuck up.” he whispered. “Yeah, talk that shit now. You want me to call your daddy for you? Ray-Ray! Ray-Ray!” he yelled.
My daddy didn’t answer, but all that chaos awoke my baby. He began crying at the top of his small lungs. This did not deter Jahrein, though. He used one hand to place Junior’s pacifier back in his mouth, and still managed to hold me down.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you, Red and Ray-Ray went to a party.” he chuckled as he continued to choke me.
He was choking me so hard that I was beginning to panic. Was he really going to kill me? I started crying trying to beg him to stop. The words were not coming out. Right when I thought that my life was over, he released me.
I was coughing and holding my neck. His crazy ass just sat and watched me.
“What you got to say now?” he asked me with a menacing grin.
I didn’t have no words for him.
“It’s over? It’s over, huh? You better say something.” he ordered in a threatening tone.
“No.” I cried, realizing that I was helpless at that moment.
“No? So, who you with?” he asked, with a raised brow.
“You.” I mumbled.
He placed his hand to his ear. “I can’t hear you.”
“I’m with you.” I spoke clearer.
“That’s what the fuck I thought. Raven, I’m tired of going through the motions with you. Your ass is hardheaded. If you just do what I tell you, we wouldn’t have no problems. I keep telling you the same shit over and over. Keep them niggas out your face. Take care of my son. That’s all I ask for. Why can’t you do right?”
Was this nigga serious? “Jah,youcan’t do right. Don’t put the blame on me.” I sniffed.
“Fuck that!” he yelled, so loud that it made me flinch. “When have you ever seen me with somebody else? Stop listening to what those hoes say. I aint worried about these bitches. I be out there trying to take care of you and Junior. Y’all are all I’m worried about. People gon talk. You just have to be better than that shit. You letting rumors and lies come between us?” he spoke. He was so heated that he was spitting as he talked.
“Whatever!” I yelled. “Look at what time it is. You’re just bringing your ass home. Why didn’t you come home when my school let out? Did you forget that you have a baby too?”
“I had to check that nigga first. He was going around claiming my gal like everything was all good. After I left that nigga pissing on his self I still had to go get this money.” Jahrein explained as he pulled out this big bank roll.
“Am I supposed to be impressed?” I asked him dryly.
