17

Janet

"Bethany! Stop!" I yelled as I grabbed my girlfriend and pulled her away but not before she kicked the woman in her face. "You gone catch a case!"

"This bitch is gonna learn not to fuck with me Janet!" She flung her body forwards and I almost lost grip but I tightened it.

Tika jumped up quickly but could only sit down on the bench from that head shot that Bethany delivered with her Timberlands.

Tika's friend came to her aid and I finally put Beth down when we got by her car. "Get in the car. Now!"

Bethany smacked her lips and got in the car. As I began driving she spoke. "The bitch had it coming."

"Okay Beth. Whatever." I was irritated with the fact that she had even fought to begin with.

"I'm sorry I fought JJ." She apologized sincerely.

I looked at her and found true sympathy on her face. "Are you being serious?"

She busted out laughing. "Hell no! She then learned her lesson and if she forgets it, I'll organize another round."

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4 hours before

"Jamie! I will punch you in your face if you don't leave me alone." I threatened my coworker who was nagging me.

"Janet! Come on. Get your ass up! You have been moping for too damn long." Jamie pulled the covers off of my body. "I got us a case and I'm sure you'll like it!"

I looked at him as I kind of perked up. "Okay you've got me, I'm all ears, I'm listening."

"15 year old boy, accused of robbing and killing his grandparents. His family called us and I told them I would run it by you."

My eyes jumped in excitement. "Okay I am so in. You could have called and told me this."

"Janet bye." Jamie rolled his eyes at me. "I have called you more than 10 times. I thought some of Tommy Renfros people had got to yo ass."

I chuckled. "Whatever. I've just been in a funk without Bethany."

Jamie frowned at me. "Aw, she still hasn't been back?" I shook my head in response and Jamie popped my thigh. "Get over it! Snap back Jackson! We don't do this shit. You wasn't even this phased when Tika's ass cheated on you."

"Quit hitting me!" I yelled at him before glaring. "And Bethany and Tika are two different people on two different levels. Tika and I always had that friendship more than a relationship. Not to mention the open marriage we decided upon. With Bethany, it's totally different and she just has a way with me that nobod—."

"Shut that sobby shit up." Jamie cut me off. "Like I said shake the fuck back. Why not get your divorce expedited?"

I sat up on my couch completely at that idea. "Hold on, how can I do that?"

"You and Tika agree that y'all want to speed the process up. Agree on what goes to who. Call a judge and see when she's available."

Judge Hill!

"You are the best I swear!" I shouted as I smiled and hugged him.

Jamie chuckled. "Yeah you owe me one. So let's get this little boy off the murder charge."

"Yeah. Send me the files and I'll look into it. Get our open argument, oh and we need a meeting with him." I reminded Jamie.

"I know this. I'll send it to you." He gave me a hug. "Get out of your funk child. I'll talk soon."

"I'll try. Thanks Jamie."

"No problem." He walked out of my room and a few seconds later I heard my door shut.

Sighing, I got up so I could look the door.

Almost as soon as I stood up the door opened.

We stared at each other, my staring was from being in shock that she was standing in front of me. I studied her appearance and she was clothed in a white t shirt, some denim overalls that stopped right below her butt, and some Timberlands.

"Janet... Tika goes to church."

My face scrunched up. Our first time seeing each other in 48 hours and she says this?

"Okay?" I questioned as I looked at her

"The church I went to this morning." Beth cut short.

My face went blank. "Y'all talked didn't y'all?"

Bethany nodded. "Yeah we did. She's a bitch. I don't like her. She told me she was gonna handle me, like she actually could. She got a stank ass attitude but she told me what you did."

Towards the end of her sentence Bethany's voice softened.

"What did I do again?" I need clarification on what exactly I did just to make sure Tika hadn't said anything stupid.

"The divorce papers."

"Oh yeah!" I exclaimed. "I did do that."

Beth changed the topic. "Come with me somewhere."

I shook my head. "Not until you say that your coming back to stay over here. You and the kids."

She smiled at me before chuckling. "You are sounding more and more like me everyday I swear."

"I'm so serious though Beth."

"I know you are." She assured me. "We will come back, after you come somewhere with me."

"Where is this somewhere you're speaking of?"

"JJ! Come on!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me.

I grabbed my phone and my keys and let her lead me towards the car.

When we got in the car she squealed and I looked at her weirdly. "What?"

"Okay so you're going to be proud of me. I did something that you told me to do." My facial expression wore a mask of confusion as she continued. "I texted my old modeling manager and he told me to come in for a meeting today. I did and now I'm on my way to my first photo shoot."

"That's great." I nodded in satisfaction. "Great that you're following your dreams."

Bethany sighed and got back on the more serious topic. "Why did you choose not to be upfront with me about your situation?"

"Tika's not that damn important." I shot out as I received a look from Bethany and spoke again. "Plus, would you have even considered dating me if you knew I was still married but separated?"

"Hell no, but only because I feel like you were never going to divorce lil mama."

"Tika and I will always just be complicated. Just because our relationship started from being best-friends since we were kids. We crossed a line in the 11th grade and never turned back, so I'll never truly be able to just forget all about her."

Bethany shrugged. "So whenever you figure out how to forget all about her, let me know so then we can move forward in the present relationship that we have. If we even have one."

I looked at her for a minute. "What did that mean?"

"She's disrespectful, point blank period. And if we wasn't at church she was finna meet the old Bethany talking about she gone walk me. Like I won't ball that bitch up. I don't know who the fuck she thought she was talking to, but she needs to learn her fucking place and stay in that shit."

In complete honesty, it pissed me off that Tika put on a whole act in front of me just to go back and fall out with Bethany. After the whole "support" speech, she had me fooled.

"Okay." Was the only word I verbally let out.

"Why'd you say it like that?"

"Cause that's not what I was talking about. I was talking about the 'if we even have one' comment you just made." I rolled my eyes.

Beth sucked her teeth as she shifted her body in the seat. "Well do we have a relationship? Cause I mean we don't know shit about each other, other than the obvious I killed my fiancé shit. Adoptions and walking through the park."

"Your favorite color is cream. Not white." I commented smartly.

"Okay honestly, I want a relationship with Janet Jackson. Not just the nice things, I want to know everything. I'm not asking to know everything right now, but eventually I feel like we should be able to get there. So no more lies please!"

"Agreed."

"Pinky promise?" She held out her right pinky and I quickly wrapped my left pinky around hers.

"Okay now both hands on the wheel please." I joked.

She rolled her eyes as she chuckled. "Whatever JJ."

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When Bethany got done with her photo shoot the sun was setting giving off a really pretty dark orange and purple.

"This is beautiful." Analyzing the sky, I fell in love with it.

"Oh we have to walk!" Bethany exclaimed. "Come on let's go to the park and walk."

I didn't object as she grabbed my hand and we walked to the park which was literally next door.

"You did great." I complimented her on her modeling shoot. "So is this the start of Bethany Taylor's legacy?"

Beth shook her head. "Nope. It's the start of Bethany and Janet's legacy. It's just a small step in a big direction."

"Who would have thought that I would have turned Bethany Taylor soft?"

She giggled at me as she looked down at her feet. "I don't think anyone would have guessed from the way we started off. Am I still such a 'fucking piss off'?"

"Sometimes." I muttered softly.

When I looked up Bethany had shot me a look. "Mhm well you are still dramatic sometimes."

We busted out laughing and Bethany pulled out her phone when she got a text.

I walked on side of her and a person caught my eye. She was sitting at the park bench with her friend.

It was Tika.

"Alright, my feet hurt. Let's go home." I told Bethany quickly before she could see Tika.

Bethany looked at me and frowned. "Nooo, come on let's walk for a little bit longer please."

Out of nervousness, I bit my lip. "Bethany please let's just go home."

"Why are you being so presentient about this out of nowhere?" Beth asked as she looked from me to straight ahead.

Tika and Beth saw each other at the same time.

She took a step and I pulled her back. "Please don't."

Beth shook her head as she tied her hair up. "JJ I'm sorry, but she got this one coming. I told that bitch it was on sight."

Before I could argue Bethany was already walking and I was walking behind her. "Bethany!"

"Get up, Tika." She spoke and as soon as Tika stood that first punch was throw. 

They began fighting.

It was lick for lick and out of shock, I stayed put.

Someway Tika ended up on the ground and Bethany was just hitting the woman in the face.

I looked at Tika's friend, Kacie, whom I never got along with.

She stepped forward almost as if she was about to jump in and I spoke to her. "You touch them and I'll mop the floor with that purple pack weave you call bundles."

Kacie immediately stepped back.

Finally, I grabbed Beth off of Tika.

"Bethany! Stop!" I yelled as I grabbed my girlfriend and pulled her away but not before she kicked the woman in her face. "You gone catch a case!"

"This bitch is gonna learn not to fuck with me Janet!" She flung her body forwards and I almost lost grip but I tightened it.

Tika jumped up quickly but could only sit down on the bench from that head shot that Bethany delivered with her Timberlands.

Tika's friend came to her aid and I finally put Beth down when we got by her car. "Get in the car. Now!"

Bethany smacked her lips and got in the car. As I began driving she spoke. "The bitch had it coming."

"Okay Beth. Whatever." I was irritated with the fact that she had even fought to begin with.

"I'm sorry I fought JJ." She apologized sincerely.

I looked at her and found true sympathy on her face. "Are you being serious?"

Beth busted out laughing as she took her hair out of a ponytail. "Hell no! She then learned her lesson and if she forgets it, I'll organize another round. Now she can handle up on that shit."

"I cannot believe that you just fought at the fucking park Danielle." I called her by her middle name.

"I'm surprised she didn't pull hair. I respect that much about her."

I asked her an honest question. "What did it solve?"

"The problem that I had with her. That's what it solved. When I say on sight I mean that."

"Hoodlum." I mumbled to her as I looked at her.

She was analyzing her knuckles which were bruising. "I'm going to have to tell my mom about this."

"Aw! She took you to church just so you could let the devil use you." I busted out laughing.

Beth mugged me. "Look it's not a over night process! You live and you learn."