5. I Can Be A Prick If You Tempt Me

Marshall's P.O.V.

2003

I walk into the privacy of my house, my security staying at the door and breathe a sigh of relief. Today was too much bullshit for my liking. I swear to fuck, Paul is straight stupid for flying that damn girl out of LA for this dumb publicity stunt.

But hey, not as stupid as I was back when I did that damn song, huh...

"Daddy, you home!" My thoughts get interrupted by two little girls running towards me.

Both Hailie and Alaina pretty much jump into my arms, damn near knocking me off my feet.

I smile to myself as I hug the both of them, gathering them up in my arms, looking over their shoulders at my aunt Betty who walks out behind them from the living room where they were all just watching TV.

"Thanks for watching my daughters for me, Betty," I smile gratefully at her.

Kim has been tripping lately. Again. And half the time I don't even know where her ass is at, so a lot of times I end up having the girls at my place even when it's technically her time to have them. Not that I mind having them around me, but sometimes it does clash with my work schedule and today was one of those days. Luckily, Betty was there for me though.

"Always my pleasure, Marshall. You know that," she says back, grabbing her things. "Well, I best be going now. Gotta go home and cook dinner for your uncle."

"Aight bet. How much I owe you?" I try to shift my two daughters weight off of me so I could fish for my wallet.

"Boy hush," Betty stops me. "You know very well that you do not have to pay me for this."

"I realize that auntie, but I still wanna compensate you for your time. You don't even understand how much this means to me for real."

"I do understand, Marshall. Which is exactly why I won't accept any money from you. Anyway, bye! You be good, girls," she waves to Hailie and Alaina and walks out.

This woman is truly a fucking godsend sometimes.

"Aight, time put dad's arms need a break," I chuckle, lowering my two little girls gently to the ground.

"Daddy, are you okay?" Hailie giggles looking up at me with her big eyes.

"Of course I am, baby girl, why you say that?" I ruffle her blonde hair.

"You look... angry," Hailie giggles again, and I frown. "Are you mad about something?" She asks innocently.

"Nah baby, I ain't mad about nothing," I reply, fixing my face right quick. I forget sometimes just how easily my daughter can read my emotions, she is way too smart for her own good, I swear.

"Uncle..." Alaina then says tentatively, staring up at me shyly. "I mean... dad, can I call you dad?"

"Of course you can baby, I been told you that," I reply, feeling my heart break for her a little bit. See, Alaina, she's never had a proper male role model in her life, and ever since me and Kim adopted her a couple of years ago, she still to this day struggles with how exactly to address me. And myself, I don't got no problem with her referring to me as her father. As long as she don't got no problem with it. Cause truth be told, I love her as if she were my own anyway.

"So dad," Alaina then smiles. "Can't we all go watch a movie together after dinner?

"Yes, please daddy!!" Hailie seconds her.

I internally groan to myself cause to be honest? I ain't in no mood to do shit right now but to just go and chill somewhere, plop down in my bed and sleep, retire for the rest of the night.

But the thing is, when you got kids, and your kids want you to watch some cartoons with them, you watch some fucking cartoons with them.

"Of course we can girls," I grin, ushering them back into the living room. "You all finished ya homework though?"

"Yes daddy, we have!!" Proudly announces Hailie. "You want to look it over for us?"

"Uh... no baby, I believe you. Imma let your mommy look at that later. Now, let's go have dinner and watch that movie later. What you all wanna watch anyway?"

"Toy Story!!" They both exclaim in unison.

Of course... I grunt to myself in my mind. The amount of times I've seen this damn movie by now, I swear...

I fucking love the two of them though. And I'll fucking die for them...

A few days go by, and I have to go and do that stupid ass public outing with Nikki. One of the many apparently, according to Paul.

Let's get one thing straight, it's not that I dislike the damn girl, it's the fact that I'm fucking pissed at the fact that she keeps acting like she's got a hidden agenda or something.

I don't like feeling like there's somebody out there constantly holding shit over my head that they could potentially ruin me with.

And I also hate how Nikki remains adamant about her side of the story. She DID cheat on me goddamit, and she DID fucking destroy me with what she had done to me back then. Who cares if there are other details to it all that I might have failed to mention to the public...

I knock on her door and she opens it looking like she literally just rolled out of bed, standing facing me in some damn pajamas.

"What the hell are you doing here, Marshall?" She asks me, confused.

"Fuck you mean what I'm doing here? Today is the day for, you know..."

"Oh shit, it was today, really, I totally forgot," she frowns as do I. Fuck she means she forgot? "Well, come on in," Nikki then shrugs, stepping aside and letting me through the door. "You'll have to give me a minute to take a shower and get ready cause I just woke up."

"Just woke up? Nikki, it's like 2pm!"

"Well, I might have... been partying last night so... anyways, that's none of your business regardless!! Just give me a minute," she shrugs and disappears inside her bathroom.

This chick is un-fucking-believable, and once again, Paul has been a goddamn fool to think this was a good idea!!

I pinch the bridge of my nose in exasperation, then go plop down on the same couch I was sitting at last time I had been here.

Why does this shit feels like I came to pick this girl up for a fucking date or something, cause it sure as hell ain't that shit at all, and imma be a goddamn fool to think that it is.

The fucking problem though is that there's just something about Nikki. Always fucking was...

"Okay, I'm ready," she finally says walking out of the bathroom fully dressed.

Fuck me...

Why does she have to be so goddamn hot though, and I fucking can't stand the bitch!

"What?" She frowns.

"Nothing," I reply, trying my hardest not to stare.

"Why you looking at me like this for then?" She asks. "Is this too much? Where we supposed to be going anyway?"

"Yeah, this might be too much as a matter of fact," I now chuckle. "Cause we are just going to go roll through the drive through of one of the fast food joints I usually frequent to be honest. Paul wanted us to be spotted out in public doing what I usually do, to be honest."

"Oh, well let me go change then."

"No time," I roll my eyes. "Look Nikki, no offense to you, but I'm really trying to get through this whole thing as soon as possible."

"Okay, fine by me," she shrugs.

Then we go do our thing.

A couple of days after that, I go pick her up again, late at night this time, and we go to this club I always go to in Detroit.

We head straight to the V.I.P. and this time, Proof is here with us also.

"Hey Nikki," he goofily smiles as he hugs her.

"Hey Deshaun... I mean, Proof!"

"You can still call me DeShaun girl, I don't care."

"Okay cool," Nikki smiles.

We all get massive amounts of drinks brought to us then and just sit there sipping for a while, knowing that paps must be taking pics as we speak.

I have to seat real close to Nikki for these purposes, and the more we all drink, the more curious she apparently becomes. About certain things.She leans into me in order to be heard over the loud music playing.

"Marshall, can I ask you something?" She speaks directly into my ear ans I now have to do the same thing to her in order to be heard.

"Yeah sure, what is it?"

"Did you really mean that shit?" She deadpans.

"What shit?" I frown.

"Oh you know, thay shit you've said about me and the other women that look like me in that song? I've been trying to let it go, but I kind of can't just let it go. Not without a proper explanation anyway. I mean, I thought I knew you, but this whole time, come to find out, this whole time you are like this whole different person."

"I ain't a different person Nikki," I sigh. "I was just hurt by what you did to me back then, you know what I'm saying?"

"By what I did, BY WHAT I DID, MARSHALL?!" She now looks at me incredulously. "Wow, so you really DO believe those lies you be spewing to the public then?!"

"Shut the fuck up Nikki, these are not lies!" I exclaim back. "You know what the fuck you did!"

"And you know what the fuck you did also!"

We stare at each other for a few seconds, then she huffs.

"You know what, Marshall? You keep playing the innocent fucking victim like you are doing right now. Keep playing that game!! But just know that the more you continue to act like this, and the more you continue to fucking lie, the more it makes me want to expose you for what you really are! Now excuse me," with that she gets up on her feet and walks away quickly towards the bathrooms.

"Wow, what was that all about, doody?" Proof chuckles as we both watch Nikki storm out. "She still mad at ya, huh?"

"Sure as fuck looks like it," I reply back through gritted teeth.

Feeling like I've got about enough with this girl's shit by this point.

You know what yo? At this point, I feel like if she wants to fuck me over so bad and tell her side of the story to the whole world then she might as well do just that cause I don't even care anymore. But I've about had it with her!!

"Yo, I gotta piss," I announce to Proof, then walk right out, following behind Nikki.

By the time I reach the restrooms, she is just exiting out of the female bathroom, just as I walk up to her.

"Fuck are you doing, Marshall?" She frowns, holding on to the doorknob.

"You and I, we are about to have a little talk baby girl," I reply, pushing her back inside of the small bathroom and walking in behind her, shutting and locking the door behind me.

"Fuck is your problem?!" Nikki exclaims as I back her up against the sink.

"My problem is that I'm sick and tired of you thinking and acting like you run shit Nikki, cause imma tell you right now, you ain't," I reply, placing my hands on her waist. "Let me ask you something? Did you really think you was gonna come back into my life and turn shit upside down for me with this lil blackmail scheme you tryna run on me? Nah," I pick her up easily and place her on the top of the sink, standing in between her legs. "Not gonna happen, sweetheart. You might not realize this, but I can be a real prick if you tempt me, and I swear to God you are tempting the fuck out of me right now. So you best just get with the program."

Nikki's eyes widen slightly as I continue to talk, and for a second there, I think that I've finally got her right where I want her.

Aight good cause she better recognize...

Then she fucking laughs at me and I suddenly feel small as fuck.

"Oh my fucking God!! Really, Marshall?! You really thought you were going to come corner me in this public fucking bathroom and intimidate me?! God, this fame and fortune of yours must've really gotten to your head over the years!!"

She jumps off the sink pushing me in my chest with her small palms.

"You keep forgetting that I actually KNOW you, Marshall," she smirks. "No matter how much your ego has apparently inflamed over the ears, I still see you for exactly what you are and who you used to be. An insecure ass quiet shy little white boy that used to get bullied in school and shoved into lockers. The same boy whose girlfriend Kim used to manipulate him and tie him into knots. The same boy that ran to me when he couldn't stand it with Kim anymore, only to..."

Oh fuck me, I just want to shut her up at this point! Can't stand her saying a word to me no more.

I just wanna strangle her, I swear! Or maybe slit her goddamn throat or something.

I also kind of want to fuck the shit out of her, I ain't even gonna lie about that...

"So, who do you think you are scaring, huh, Marshall?!" Nikki continues to taunt me.

Without even thinking much of it, I grab her face in between my hands and yank it up and towards me as I simultaneously bend my head to her level, placing my lips roughly on hers just to make her stop fucking talking!

The kiss doesn't even last a second and yet I can still register just how soft her lips are. Always were actually...

Nikki pushes me back and slaps the fuck out of me at the same time.

"What the actual fuck, Marshall?!" She exclaims breathing rapidly as her chest moves up and down.

"I... I'm sorry," I mumble almost incoherent like, backing away from her now as she advances towards me, grabbing the front of my shirt.

"Let me make something perfectly clear to you. Do not. Ever in your whole miserable ass life do that again!! Not after what's went down between us in the past!! Not after you recorded that shitty ass song then had the nerve to blame it all on me and what I supposedly did to you!!" She growls, yanking me closer to her, our faces inches apart.

And I can't lie, her yelling at me like that and being this close to me, only makes me wanna do what I just did even more, but I ain't gonna do it cause I wanna fucking live goddamit, and I have a feeling that if I had so much as tried that again, this girl would fucking murder me on the spot!

"Got it?!" Nikki now snaps at me. "Do you fucking get it, Marshall?!" She growls.

Fuck...

"Yeah Nikki, I fucking got it," I respond sheepishly and she lets go of my shirt.

"Well good," she replies, quickly walking out and leaving me standing like a goddamn fool in the middle of a female bathroom at a Detroit nightclub, breathing heavily.

God-fucking-damn her!!

***

1989

"So what is it that you would be wanting me to do, Marshall? Now that you have won our bet that is and fucking killed it in that rap battle," This girl, I think her name is Nikki, asks me.

I stand in front of her, sizing her up, doing my best to remain confident when in reality, this chick makes me nervous as fuck for some reason.

"I don't know yet. Let me figure it out, sweetheart, and I'll let you know then," I finally respond, doing my best to sound all smooth and shit, like I've seen some of my boys talk to girls before. Myself, I don't have too much experience with bitches, other than Kim that is.

"Cool, you let me know then," Nikki shrugs, staring up somewhat smugly at me. "But I'll tell you right now, do me a favor, do not ever call me sweetheart again, got it?"

"Okay baby," I smirk.

She scrunches up her face.

"Uh... nope, don't call me that neither," she crosses her arms over her chest.

"What should I call you then?" I ask, genuinely confused.

"How about my fucking name?!" She fires back.

"Aight Nikki," I smirk again, her name rolling off my tongue.

"Oh, so you do know it then? So use it!!" She snaps, walking away.

Fuck me, what the hell is wrong with this chick?! Like, what is up with that attitude? Must be a New York thing, I guess...

I smile to myself, pull down the brim of my baseball hat and walk away in the opposite direction...

Later on that night, I make my way back home.

Only to see my mother passed out on the couch in the living room and Kim nowhere to be found.

I can't front, I don't even know where me and my girlfriend stand at this point.

It seems to me like all we ever do is fight. But I still love her though, I think.

We've been together, officially together, for like a year now.

But I've known her even longer. Ever since that day my mom took her in after Kim ran away from home and from her abusive stepdad, and she became my foster sister.

Less than a month after Kim moving in with us, she began sneaking into my room late at night and we started having sex. She initiated it and I went with it, cause what guy wouldn't. I've never even done it before, only heard stories from my boys.

We were still only friends back then, but we've made it official recently and began actually dating, and that's where all of our problems started, it seems.

For whatever reason, Kim has no respect for me. She does whatever the fuck she wants to do, whenever wherever.

Now she's running around with this other kid from our neighborhood and it seems like we are really broken up this time.

I'll get her back though. I know exactly what I want to do too. I'll just make her jealous. Make it look like I'm dating some other chick.

Question is who?

We all know exactly who, obviously, but this chapter was getting a little too long, so I realized that I had to end it right here lol 🤣