I stared at myself for a long second before laughing bitterly.
“She gonna hate that he did me like this,” I said low.
That thought sat ugly in my chest, thinking if she saw me hurt, she would bring her ass back.
My phone rang in my pocket again. I pulled it out and looked at the screen as I stumbled to the bed, laying back.
“What, Bully,” I snapped.
“Nigga, you good?” Bully paused. “You sound low.”
“I’m straight.”
“Yeah, okay, I been waitin’ on you to hit me back. I’m in the A. Send me your location, I’ll grab an Uber.”
“Nah, fuck that,” I said, sitting up. “No paper trail?—”
Bully laughed, cutting me off. “It’s not like you really doin’ shit, cut it out.”
The nigga kept laughing in my ear.
“Nigga, shut the fuck up, I’m coming.”
I hung up the phone and got back up, going into the bathroom. I grabbed a rag and cleaned the blood from around my mouth and nose as best as I could before throwing on ahoodie and pulling the hood over my head to try to hide my swollen face.
I grabbed my bottle out of the fridge and walked out of the room, stumbling down the steps. Once I made it to my car, I inhaled hard and exhaled harder as I poured some Henny in my cup before pulling off.
The drive to the airport was long as fuck. Atlanta traffic was moving but not fast enough for me.
I turned my music up, tried to zone out into the radio, but I couldn’t, I was too mad.
Finally, I made it to the airport, hit Bully, told him where I was, and waited for that nigga to get to me.
While I waited, I leaned back and took a sip from my cup. The liquor burned worse than usual with my busted lip, but I welcomed the pain as I watched people running with bags, families hugging, and people looking for their Uber. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Bully’s big ass walking toward the car.
I drank what was left in my cup, preparing myself for whatever he was going to say.
He opened my back door first, throwing his bags in, then opened the passage door and leaned in as I turned my head toward him.
“Damn nigga, who fucked you up?”
I opened my mouth, and he cut me off as he got in and closed the door.
“Was it Love? Did that nigga catch you?”
I didn’t want to, but I nodded.
“I went to take Islah some flowers, was gonna see if me and her could just talk without you, but that nigga popped up,” I said as I pulled off.
Bully laughed. “Nigga, I told you to leave that girl alone. That nigga is not playin’ bout her.”
I shook my head. “I still have a chance with her.”
Bully shook his head. “You like to find out shit the hard way…think that all you want to.”
I drove back to the motel, while pouring myself another cup, and Bully took it from me.
“You been down here wildin’, nigga, you just need to come home.”
