"Mya?"
My whole body went stiff. I knew that voice.
"Rah?"
Yah's eyes went wide and she mouthed, "Rah?!"
"Yeah, it's me." His voice was deeper than I remembered, that same South Side drawl. "I know it's been a minute. I been meaning to reach out."
"Reach out?" I could feel my heart racing, my hand gripping the phone tight. "Nigga, are you serious right now?"
"I know you probably don't wanna hear from me—"
"You goddamn right I don't! I got shot and you left me, Rah. At a fucking dice game. you left me there bleeding on the fucking ground!"
"Shorty, listen—"
"Nah, you listen! That shit was hot, niggas was shooting, and you ran. You left me there to die. If it wasn't for Trigg coming back for me, I wouldn't be here right now!"
There was silence on the other end for a second.
"That’s what made you fuck with that nigga huh," he finally said, his voice lower. "And Shorty, believe me that shit haunts me every day that I did you like that. But you gotta understand, I had warrants out on me. I had my pipe on me. If I woulda stayed and 12 pulled up, I was going straight to the County. I was moving hot."
"So you just left me? Because you had your pipe on you? I was laying there shot and you just dipped!"
"I wasn't thinking straight. Shit was crazy. Niggas was still bussin', I heard sirens coming. I had to move."
"You always got an excuse." I could feel tears burning in my eyes but I refused to let them fall. "You know what fucked me up the most? It wasn't even that you left. It's that you ain't call. You ain't text. You ain't check to see if I was even alive, afterwards. Straight silence from yo’ ass. For a whole year, Rah. Nothing."
"I know, and I'm sorry. Mya. I'm sorry. I shoulda reached out. I shoulda made sure you was straight. But I was laying low, trying to handle my shit. And by the time I got right, I ain't know if you even wanted to hear from me."
"I didn't then and I don't now."
"Shorty, just let me see you. Let me apologize for real, face to face. I know I fucked up. I know I did you dirty. But I wanna make it right."
I looked at Yah and she was shaking her head so hard I thought it might fall off, mouthing "Hang up, bitch!"
"Why?" I asked. "Why now? After all this time?"
"'Cause I been thinking about you. 'Cause you was my girl and I did you wrong. 'Cause..." He paused. "'Cause I miss you, Shorty."
My heart was beating so fast. Part of me wanted to cuss him out and hang up. But another part, a stupid part remembered what we used to be before that night.
"I'll think about it," I heard myself say.
"That's all I'm asking. Just think about it. I'ma text you later this week, aight?"
"Aight."
"Aight, Mya. And for real... I'm sorry."
I hung up without saying anything else and tossed my phone on the couch.
Yah was staring at me like I lost my whole mind. "Bitch. Bitch. Tell me you not about to see that nigga."
"I don't know, Yah."
"You don't know?! Mya, he LEFT you! You was shot, bleeding, and he left you at that dice game like you wasn’t shit! And Trigg is the one who came back for you! Trigg is the one who got you to the hospital! And now you mad at Trigg but you thinking about giving Rah another chance?!"
