21

^^ this finna be y'all at the end of this chapter. 😂

Janet

Bethany and I were studying the kids photos from their latest modeling session.

"We are about to have to have the birds and the bees talk with both of these little fuckers." Bethany muttered as she gave me Kendrick's photo and pulled Nadia's out of the envelope.

When I placed my eyes on Kendrick's, I immediately agreed with my girlfriend. "Oh yeah, cause if he shows any female these pictures, they are bound to try it."

"Babe, look at Nadia's!" Bethany gushed. "Baby I'm about to cry, she looks so cute!"

"What happened that got you all soft?" I teased her.

She wrapped her arms around my waist. "You. Duh."

"Oh yeah. Let me see her." I grabbed the picture and studied it. "Look the curl definition."

"She gets it from her momma."

It was almost like us speaking them caused them to walk into the house yelling. School has started two weeks ago, and we haven't heard the end of it.

Especially since Nadia was too good to stay in her right grade and when they offered her an opportunity to skip grades she took it.

So now they're both in the 8th grade, and it's been hell ever since.

Still, it was getting late and they had asked to walk to the park.

I slid the photos in the folder it came from.

"Shut-up you foster child!"

"Nah, foster child or not, you finna hear this! Don't walk away from me!" 

"They've argued non stop since school started." I complained to my girlfriend.

Bethany put a pillow over her head. "Act sleep. They'll go away."

I laughed at her as the kids busted inside the room.

"Momma B, get yo daughter. She getting reckless!" Kendrick complained.

Nadia came right after. "Momma, please inform Kendrick that he is not my watch dog and that people can have decent conversations with me and not want to take my V Card!"

Bethany sat up. "You've been talking to boys?!"

"Ohhhhh. Has she?" Kendrick asked loving the fact that Beth was on his side. "She's been hugging them. And "oh hey Trey Bear"ing them, she's lost it!"

"Nadia!" Bethany asked feening shocked.

I shook my head and held up a folder as I changed the topic. "Y'all pictures came back."

Nadia practically ripped it out of my hands. "Ou let me see!"

Kendrick took it out of her hand. "Oh no ma'am. I'll take that. Why you need them? To show Trey Bear?"

"He's just a friend! I'd let you know bro!" Nadia exclaimed as she stomped her feet.

"You better. Imma let off on you for a little while. But tell that Trey boy, I'll run up. Real talk." Kendrick went good for a second.

Bethany laughed and I shot Nadia a look. "He's serious Nadia."

Nadia pouted. "I know! That's why people scared to be my friend now!"

"Good. That's how it should be." Kendrick changed topic. "Momma B, what you cooking tonight?"

"Air pudding." Bethany responded. "It's not my night it's JJ's."

"Shi— Taki Fried Mushrooms." I stopped before I cursed. "I don't have anything to cook. Okay suggestions anyone?"

"Lasagna!" Nadia screamed loudly because she thought someone was going to beat her.

"Cool with me." Beth agreed.

"I see no problem with it." Ken didn't argue.

I nodded. "Great. Store run. Whose in?"

Kendrick answered. "Me!"

"My suggestion, so it's my turn to ride!" Nadia said.

"Fine. I'll stay with Momma B. She low key my favorite anyways." Kendrick smirked and went and jumped on Bethany.

"Boy! I appreciate the love but you are too big to be jumping on me." Bethany laughed.

I mugged him. "Remember that young buck. Come on Princess Nadia."

"Let me go get my phone charger." She commented before disappearing around the corner.

I slid on my shoes that were by the bed as I got up. When I did Kendrick rolled over on my side and got comfortable.

Shaking my head at him, I went around and gave Bethany a kiss. "Be right back."

"Kaysies. Ou Kendrick, let's watch How To Get Away With Murder." Bethany suggested.

"Wait what episode you on?" He asked her.

"Season 3. Episode something."

"Ahh." Kendrick spoke. "Alright, I'm in."

I smiled at them bonding as I walked down the steps and grabbed my keys and wallet. Nadia came following after a few seconds.

We got in the car and she immediately connected her phone to the car.

She played something and it filled the car.

Hundred bands, times a hundred bandsCan you get it, ain't no running manKeep a hundred rounds, we gon' get himI ain't never gave a fuck about no bitchCause I'm bigger and I'm better

As I hit the radio I asked her a question. "Sweetie, are you angry or something? What is that?"

"Bankrupt by Cuban Doll." She answered shocked at the fact that I had turned the radio on.

"Is this in? This is what y'all are listening to?"

"Uh Yeah."

"You know what, imma let you have it. As long as you not listening to Trina, we all good."

"Trina is a good rapper."

I stopped at a red light and my head shot to her. "And how do you know that?!"

"Kidding." She laughed but I didn't. "I'm kidding Momma J. Seriously."

The only laugh she got from me was a dry chuckle. "Mhm better be."

We drove listening to the radio for a few before I pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store.

Nadia and I got out the car and she spoke. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Can I tell your momma this secret?" I answered a question with a question.

"Nope." She popped the p, as she shook her head.

"Then no, you can't tell me this secret. Grab a basket."

Nadia grabbed a basket from in the corner and pushed it over to me happily.

"What's got you all happy Dia?" I finally asked for she had been skipping on side of me for a little hot minute.

Dia sighed. "Momma J, Trey likes me. He wrote me a note today and had my best friend YaYa give it to me."

I side eyed her. "Girl, do you have a boyfriend?"

"Maybe." She rocked back and forth on her heels slightly.

"No ma'am! You aren't allowed." I frowned at her answer.

"Momma J it isn't that big of a de—." Nadia didn't even finish her sentence because something else had caught her attention.

I followed her eyes and a man stood over in the corner. He was looking at different chips, but when he looked over at Nadia she clung on to my arm.

"Nadia what's wrong?" My tone filled with worried. "Who is he?"

"Don't think I'm crazy when I say this." She began just to stop because the man looked at us again but quickly looked away when he saw I was staring at him this time.

He was a dark man, very bulky and he had a cap on top of his head.

"Nadia, I need you to start explaining please." I told her as I walked down several aisles to get away from the sight of the man.

"He's everywhere I am. Yesterday after school he almost made me miss my bus. He said he knew my father, but I've never seen him before. Then today, he was at the park when KD and I went. And now he's here. Momma I wanna go home. Please." She was practically begging.

I immediately nodded. "Come on. We will order pizza or something."

We left the grocery store, but in order to do so, we had to walk past the man. He watched us leave.

I got in the car and Nadia did too. The man walked out of the grocery store and got into a black Escalade that was sitting on all black rims.

Instead of starting the car and driving off, I sat there for a second watching him.

It seemed as if he was waiting for me to make the first move.

"Nadia, put your seatbelt on." I instructed her because she was too scared to move.

She shakily did it before admitting something. "Momma I'm scared."

"It's okay." I assured her. "I won't let anything happen to you."

I grabbed my phone, quickly I connected back to the Bluetooth and called Bethany.

She answered on the third ring.

"Hey baby. Wassup?"

"Beth, do you know a man. Black. Really buff and bulky?"

I finally put my car in gear as I drove off and it didn't surprise me that he followed.

"No. At least I don't think so. What's wrong? Your tone is scaring me."

"Don't panic, but he's following us and apparently he's been talking to Nadia. He has her scared shitless. I'm on my way back home. We didn't even get the groceries."

"Fuck the groceries Janet! What do you mean he's following you? What kind of car is it?"

"A black Escalade."

Kendrick said something in the background. I knew it was him asking what was wrong.

"Janet, is the man kind of tall? Really dark?"

"Yeah." I replied calmly because Nadia was in the passenger seat and I knew she was getting freaked out.

"Is the Escalade on some black rims?"

"So I'm guessing you know this man Beth."

"Janet, I'm not playing with you. Get home now. Run red lights if you have to. Baby you aren't safe."

"Nadia's in this car Beth."

The other end went silent before Bethany cursed loudly. "Fuck!" I heard her take a few deep breaths. "Baby, where are y'all?"

"On 21st Street. I'm about to turn on Wilson in a second." I responded as I looked at the neighborhood I was in.

When I looked at my rear view mirror I saw he was riding my bumper dang near, so I sped up. He was on my tail.

"Mommy, I'm scared." Nadia cried out and I looked at her to see tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Janet isn't going to let anything happen to you baby. I promise. Y'all are going to get home."

I looked at Nadia as I sat up in my seat and looked in the rear view mirror. "Nadia hold on." I took a sharp left turn and he still followed. "Yeah Beth, he's on me bad."

"Janet, just please get home. Please." Her voice cracked and I knew that she wasn't saying who this man was for a reason.

Her panicking didn't help Nadia's because she was full out bawling in the passenger seat.

"Who is this man Bethany?!" I demanded a answer from my girlfriend.

"It's a long story Janet, I promise once you get home I'll exp—."

Her voice was cut off, or maybe my ears stopped tuning in to her voice. I rode through a green light and saw headlights coming for Nadia's side.

"Nadia!" I lunged towards her body as I shielded her head from the impact.

The car hit us and I felt our car flip.

Nadia screamed. "Momma!"

I couldn't answer from the pain I was feeling, it was so much I didn't even know where it was coming from.

We landed upside down and I realized Nadia had stopped screaming.

"Na- Nadia?" I barely got her name out and through the pain, I looked to the side at her. Even through my blurry eyesight, I could tell she wasn't moving and I panicked. "Nadia?!"

Bethany's voice was long and gone, the ringing in my ears made me want to scream alone.

I heard footsteps approaching me and I looked out the broken glass window as the man squatted before me.

He was blurry but I could tell he was the man from the grocery store. When he spoke his voice came out slowly. "You tell that bitch, she might have got off easy in court, but this is only the beginning. She's gonna wish she killed herself instead of Tommy."

He walked away as I took a deep breath, I saw the wheels of his Escalade drive off. I looked down at my body and found the strength to unbuckle my seat belt.

I fell on glass and shouted. "Shit!"

Still, I could careless about the pain I was in. My eyes set on Nadia, as her arms dangled towards me. I scrambled to get to her seatbelt and kept hitting it.

She wouldn't come out of the stupid fucking seatbelt.

"Nadia, listen to me, if you can hear me I'm here okay? I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here. Nadia you gotta stay with me. Listen to my voice and stay with me." I ranted as I began to cry.

Another voice inserted itself into the conversation. "Ma'am! I've called 911! Are you alright?!"

I felt hands around me and I was pulled away from Nadia. "No! Stop! Let me go!"

The guy wouldn't. "Ma'am we called 911!"

"No! My daughters in there! Let me go!" I tried to fight him off.

He sat me down on the ground. "I'm going to get her out ma'am."

The man took off towards the car and began trying to pry the doors of my car open. It didn't work and I tried to get up and was sent right back down from a pain in my stomach.

I looked down and a shard of glass sat lodged into my stomach. I bit down on my lip as I pulled it out slowly. My breathing got harder as I flung it to the side of me.

I heard sirens and I had no more strength to sit up so I laid back on the ground. My head stared at the stars and I realized Bethany wasn't lying when she predicted people were going to try to kill her.

Fuck.

What the hell just happened?