When Tessa pulled into her apartment complex
she could see He’brewq’s white Chevrolet Camaro sitting in front of her
townhouse. Parked beside him was his close friend Prez in a black Dodge
Charger. Tessa parked beside He’brewq’s car and pushed the button on her keys
to open her back door to get the bags. He’brewq stepped out of his car and
opened her passenger door. “Sup bey, you must just got here?” Tessa asked,
assuming because he had a key to her apartment. “Where the fuck you been Tess?”
He’brewq leaned into her car with his head and hands both resting on the top of
the door frame. “I went to the mall to get some things. What’s up?” Tessa
pulled the keys out the ignition and place them in her black Michael Kors
messenger bag. “What’s up? Fuck you mean what’s up? Your ass been gone for
hours and your phone off. What, you on some ho shit now?” He stepped back so
that she could see his whole face. “Are you serious? My phone died. What the
fuck is wrong with you He’?” She pulled her phone out to show him. He’brewq
paid it no attention slamming her door. He climbed back in his car, started the
ignition and made his exit burning rubber in the process. “Wow.” Tessa looked
in shock as Prez followed suit.
After getting all her bags in the house,
Tessa proceeded to kitchen to finish a left over apple pecan salad she had in
her fridge. After catching a couple of episodes of Modern Family she went to place
her phone on the charger and run her bath water. She had never seen He’brewq
that upset, and over nothing she kept thinking to herself. She had been gone
hours before shopping and he had not had a problem with it. Squeezing the
bottle of Warm Vanilla Sugar bubble bath under the running water she hadn’t
noticed He’brewq standing in the bathroom door. “So who you were at the mall
with?” he stood with his arms crossed staring at her. “Ooo shit! You scared the
fuck out of me!” Tessa jumped dropping the whole bottle in the half filled tub.
“Answer the question Tess.” He stepped towards her. Tessa turned the water off
and sat the bubble bath on the bathroom counter. “Where this coming from boo?”
She asked looking at him confused.
He’brewq took a deep breath as if to calm himself. “I’m not going to ask
you again.” He stared down at her. She couldn’t help but laugh as he was
talking to her as if she was his two-year old daughter Destiny. “Look I don’t
know what the fuck you-“her sentence was cut short by the back of his left hand
knocking her into the bathroom wall. “So you think I’m some pussy ass nigga now
that I’m with you bitch?” He’brewq yelled while his right fist found its way to
where his left hand had already made its mark. Tessa attempted to regain her
composure partly out of fear but mostly out of anger. There was no way she was
letting this dude lay his hands on her and get away with it. She had made up
her mind she was going to beat his ass or kill him.
Using
the wall to square up, she began swinging and was connecting most if not all of
her punches. With the way the two were moving around you could have sworn her
bathroom was twelve feet by twelve instead of eight feet by four. Growing tired
of her resistance He’brewq’s hands found their way around her neck and squeezed
until her arms and legs went limp. He then tossed her from the bathroom to her
bedroom floor where Prez stood with duct tape and black garbage bags. Tessa’s
eyes grew big as adrenaline suddenly began to rush throughout her body. She
took deep breaths and began to crawl backwards away from the both of them.
“Baby wait! What the fuck I do?” she cried staring at He’brewq as he removed
his ripped black t-shirt revealing his broad chest and flat stomach. He didn’t
answer taking the duct tape from Prez and making his way towards her. “Prez
please! Oh my GOD He’ what’s wrong with you? I didn’t do shit, I promise! Baby
look at me! Look at me!” Tessa pulled back as he attempted to tape her legs
together. “What ol’ boy say to you at the mall Tess?” He’brewq squatted in
front of her. Tessa looked at him dumbfounded. She thought over her trip to the
mall trying to figure out who the fuck “ol’ boy” was and what or why it was
this crucial. She had never seen this side of He’brewq and it scared her. She
now knew why his baby’s mother never questioned him when he would disappear
with Destiny with no calls or warnings. He had to have pulled some similar shit
with her she thought. Slap!
He’brewq’s hand came hard across her face breaking her thoughts. “Lito, Tess.
What were you doing with Lito?” He sat on her bed looking down at her. Tessa
thought back to the light skinned man in Torrid. She couldn’t recall ever
seeing him around South
Memphis nor had
she heard his name before tonight, so she was completely amiss of what, if any,
the problem was with him. “Lito? Nothing baby. He helped me with my bags that’s
it. I promise, I don’t know dude.” He’brewq stared down at the woman he had
grown to love and wanted badly to believe her but business was business. Lito
was moving in on his hustle and using every means available to make it happen.
He’brewq
had found it odd that the one night he had his goons following Lito that they
happen to come across him and Tess and soon after one of his trap houses get
knocked over. He had been in the streets far too long to believe in
coincidences. Even if it was, he knew he would have to take the heat and
explain how the fuck the shit happen and why the dude responsible was seen with
his woman an hour or so before. “Yo Prez, get this shit out of here.” Prez made
his way to Tessa and reached for the tape around her ankles. She jumped not
knowing what was next. “Relax lil’ sis.” He stated calmly as if he wasn’t about
to hurt her just a few moments prior. Tessa stared into Prez’s hazel eyes still
hesitant in letting him come close to her. He pulled his pocket knife out and
made an incision in the tape where her legs met and peeled it off her skin. He
then grabbed the garbage bags and made his way out of her room. After a few
clinks of metal and the sound of zippers being closed, Tessa heard her front
door close and then the engine to Prez’s Dodge Charger. Her body relaxed a bit
sensing that the imminent danger she never expected to see was over, but she
soon forgot that thought realizing that He’brewq was still sitting in her bed.
He didn’t say anything just stared forward at her wall. Tessa sat there beside
her night stand afraid to move. Her face was hot and swollen from where his
hits connected and she could feel the knot forming on the back of her head from
when he tossed her into her room. “Go ahead and take your bath. I’m going to be
in the living room.” He’brewq stood and left Tessa alone in her room with her
thoughts.
After
twenty minutes of silent tears Tessa finally stood and made her way back over
to her bathroom door. Stepping inside she noticed how her and He’brewq had
managed to knock everything from her bathroom counter to the floor. She got on
her knees and began picking up her facial cleanser, lotion, toothpaste and
make-up bag. Placing everything back on the counter she made her way over to
her Jacuzzi sized tub and touched the water. It had become cold so she reached
down, pulled the drain, and decided on a shower instead. Shielded behind
falling water she let out muffled sobs. However the Nichols in her couldn’t,
wouldn’t let this slide. This man had placed his hands on her in her house. If
her grandfather, D. Nichols, was still around she thought, it would only take
one phone call. Drying herself off, Tess grabbed a pair of shorts, some socks,
and a t-shirt forgetting her usual routine of rubbing JBCO on her skin and
hair. After lacing her sneakers she grabbed one of her Campania lamps from her nightstand and made her way
to the living room ready to do battle.
He’brewq
was sitting on the couch with his back towards the hallway Tessa was slowly
making her way down. With one swift swoop she knocked him across the side of
his head crushing the crystals that encrusted the lamp post. “Fuck!” He’brewq
yelled out grabbing his head and leaning from the impact. “Maggot ass mother
fucker! Who the fuck you think I am? So you a weak ass nigga that whoop on
bitches I see!” Tessa climbed over the back of the couch and began to swing at
the side of his face hoping to inflict as much damage as possible. She knew she
couldn’t whoop him but if her mom had taught her anything about fighting, it
was that fair ain’t in it. Zoning in on where his hands covered the gash she
had given him from the lamp, Tessa swung with all her might attempting to make
the wound worse. Still slightly in a daze it took He’brewq a second to realize
who was hitting him. Moving his hand from his head in the midst of the blows
his woman was raining down on him he saw the blood on his hands and blacked
out. Standing he snatched Tessa’s legs from up under her and speared her into
the couch knocking the wind out of her. She attempted to hop up and catch her
breath but was met with a right-left combo to her jaw and chin. Shielding her
face Tessa rolled to the floor before crawling a few steps to get away from
He’brewq’s blows that were finding her back and side as his foot made its way
to her ass propelling her forward into her dinette set. “You stupd bitch!” His
voice bellowed off her vaulted ceilings as he made his way over to where she
was beginning to stand. “Fuck you, you
piece of shit!” Tessa screamed back tossing the decorative plates off her table
at his face. He managed to duck the first three but the last caught the top of
his head as he reached out and grabbed her shirt ripping it and exposing the
top of her chest. Tessa pulled away from him, ripping the shirt more until the
point her left titty was out fighting with her. Running towards the kitchen she
snatched open her kitchen drawer and pulled out her stainless steel butcher
knife. She turned around quickly with her new defense ready to yield it only to
find He’brewq’s fist connecting with her face. Tessa fell backwards into her
refrigerator dropping the knife in the process.
He
stalked towards her and lifted her from the floor by her neck, restricting her
air flow he leaned in until their noses were touching. “He must of paid you
real good to betray me, because I know that fat fuck can’t fuck you right.” He
said through gritted teeth as she scratched and pulled at his hands. Tessa
could feel the color draining from her face and her body getting extremely
weak. If He’brewq didn’t let go soon she knew he was going to kill her. “That’s
enough.” She heard a raspy man’s voice come from behind He’brewq. Tessa
continued to try and pull his hands from around her neck. “Rook, I am not going
to repeat myself.” The voice hissed from the distance. He’brewq let go and
Tessa slid to the floor. Unable to catch herself, she slipped into darkness.
Bzzzz! Bzzzz! Bzzzz! “Got damn!” Tessa screeched through gritted
teeth looking towards her phone on the nightstand. She was happy it was a
Saturday morning, as she did not feel up to doing anything. Still pissed off
and sore about the night before she did not want to be bothered with anyone,
especially He’brewq. As far as she was concerned, they were through. Fighting
through the pain in her side, she managed to sit up in bed, reach over and grab
her cell phone. Double tapping the screen on her LG G2 it reflected that she
had to missed calls from “The Bae.” Seeing He’brewq’s nickname on her screen
made her sick to her stomach. “Nah. I’m good lil’ dude.” She said to herself
tossing the phone onto her bed. Standing, Tessa slowly made her way over to her
bedroom mirror to examine the damage. Her entire face was swollen as well as
her hands. There was knot on her left side that had a maroon color she noticed
when she removed her already ripped shirt. “This muthafucka just don’t know.”
Tessa was seething hot at this point. She grabbed her wide tooth comb off her
dresser and attempted to comb out her wild hair so she could find a way to get
her day started.
