Secrets

Kayla's P.O.V

"Kay,"

"Hmm?"

"Answer yo' fuckin' phone, damn," Chris muttered groggily, his voice thick with sleep.

Turning over, I glanced at the clock on his nightstand—8:03 PM. Damn, we'd been asleep for hours. My phone vibrated in my hand, and Destiny's name flashed across the screen. Sliding the answer bar over, I pressed the phone to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Kayla! Did you and Chris not hear yo' phone?!" Destiny's voice was frantic, her breathing ragged.

I sat up immediately, pushing the covers off. My eyes flickered to Chris, still knocked out beside me.

"Nah, girl, what happened?!" I asked, my heart pounding.

"Ty, man—he got jumped when he was comin' back from the trap! Y'all need to get here now!"

My breath hitched. Not Ty.

"Okay, mamas, don't cry. We on our way."

Hanging up, I shook Chris's shoulder furiously. He groaned but didn't wake up. Frustrated, I jumped out of bed, scrambling to find my jeans and pink Roshes.

"What's the matter, ma'?" Chris mumbled, still half-asleep.

"Chris, get up! Ty got jumped!" I said frantically, slipping into my sneakers.

"For real? Nah, you lyin'." He smacked his lips, rolling over dismissively.

"Chris, I'm not playin'! Destiny just called—she said he got jumped coming back from the trap or somethin'! Get up, man! We gotta go!"

That got his attention. His eyes snapped open at the mention of "trap," a flicker of something unreadable passing over his face. He knew something. He was hiding something. But now wasn't the time to ask.

"Ahh, shit," Chris muttered, throwing on his clothes fast.

"Come on." He didn't waste another second before bolting down the hallway and out the front door.

I was right behind him. We jumped into his blacked-out Audi, and within seconds, we were flying down the streets.

Silence filled the car, thick and suffocating. I glanced over at Chris—his jaw clenched, fists tightening around the steering wheel. Anger was written all over his face.

This wasn't just about Ty.

"So... what's the trap?" I asked quietly, my gaze fixed on the blur of trees rushing past outside.

"Hmm?" He feigned confusion, gripping the wheel tighter.

"Don't 'hmm' me. What the hell was Ty doin' there?" I demanded, my voice laced with worry and frustration.

Chris exhaled sharply through his nose. "I don't know what you talkin' 'bout."

Liar.

"Okay. Play fuckin' stupid then." I crossed my arms, looking back out the window.

I knew exactly what the trap was—and what happened to people who got too deep into that life. My ex, Keenon, had been caught up in it too. I knew the dangers. I knew what could happen.

And now Ty...

"Ion know why you mad," Chris muttered, kissing his teeth.

A hot tear slipped down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly before turning to face him.

"You don't know why I'm mad?" I scoffed, clearing my throat. "My fuckin' boyfriend—my best friend—is mixed up in somethin' he shouldn't be. And see where it got Ty? We don't even know if he's okay!"

Chris said nothing, his grip on the wheel tightening.

"You think I wanna get a call that you in the hospital? Or locked up? You think I'm overreacting? I been through this shit before, Chris! And it's not fun!" My voice cracked at the end.

Chris sighed but didn't argue.

Seconds later, we pulled up in front of Destiny's house.

"Babe, look—"

I held up a hand, cutting him off. "I don't even wanna hear it."

Wiping my face, I climbed out of the car and slammed the door behind me.

I stormed up the porch stairs and rang the doorbell twice. Hurry up.

The door swung open, revealing Nia.

"Hey, guys," she greeted, hugging me and then Chris.

"Where's Ty?" I blurted, wasting no time.

"He's in the room with Des and Aug," she mumbled.

I rushed past her, Chris following closely behind. At the end of the hallway, I stepped into the room and froze.

Ty was lying on the bed, his head resting against Destiny's chest. His lip was busted, his face swollen. August stood in the corner, fists clenched at his sides, radiating fury.

"Oh my God, Ty... are you okay?" I rushed to his side, eyes scanning his injuries.

Chris stepped forward. "You good, bruh?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Ty muttered, voice hoarse. "They really got me, though."

"Aww, my poor baby Ty." I leaned down, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Kayla, if you don't move with that childish shit," he chuckled weakly.

At least he was laughing. That was a good sign.

"Ion know what I woulda done," I admitted, my voice shaky.

"Girl, calm down," Ty sighed.

Chris turned to him. "Who did this to you?"

Ty hesitated, then exhaled sharply. "Them niggas we been beefin' wit'. Bruh, forreal, I thought they was gon' murk my ass right then and there."

"Babe, don't talk like that," Destiny mumbled, stroking his hair.

"Yeah, Ty, we're just glad you're okay," Nia added softly.

I swallowed hard. "Ty, why the hell didn't you call anybody?! Me and Chris told you to stop goin' alone!"

"Right," Chris grumbled.

"Man, I told y'all, ion need no babysitter when I go there!"

Chris's expression darkened. "We said we'd never go alone, unless one of us was wit' each other!"

"Y'all not about to gang up on me! If that's the case, get the fuck out my girl house!" Ty snapped.

"Man, we just sayin'—none of this woulda happened if you just called," August said, shaking his head.

"Come on, y'all, let's just make this an eye-opener for next time," Nia said, trying to de-escalate the situation.

I frowned. "Wait... you knew about this?" My gaze shifted to Nia.

She hesitated. "Uhh... yeah. I—I been knew."

"You too, Des?"

Destiny avoided my eyes. "Yeah."

I turned to Chris, searching for any kind of explanation. He refused to meet my gaze.

"Oh, so y'all been hiding shit from me?"

"It's not what it looks like, babe," Chris finally muttered. "I just wanted to see if you were ready first. Obviously, you're not."

I scoffed. Wow.

"So that's how y'all feel?" I searched their faces, but no one would look at me.

Silence.

"Y'all ain't shit." I shook my head, stepping back. "Hope you feel better, Ty."

Then I turned, shoulder-checking Chris on my way out.

Nia's P.O.V

"Well... I didn't think she'd react like that," I sighed, watching Chris chase after her.

August scoffed. "Man, too much shit goin' on right now."

Ty sighed, shaking his head. "Sooner or later, we gon' have to tell her everything."

"Right," Destiny whispered. "I feel bad."

Chris came back into the room, defeated, sliding down the wall.

"You shoulda just told her in the first place," Nia muttered.

He nodded, rubbing his face. "I know."

August crossed his arms. "So... what we finna do about these niggas, Breezy?"

Chris exhaled sharply.

"What we supposed to."

Time to handle business.

-Revamped