Page 3

CHAPTER 3

MCCOY

“Get your ass up!” Jamel yelled as he stood over me. I barely opened my eyes before he snatched the covers off me. The scalding water hitting my skin made me jump from my bed. I screamed out in pain, and Jamel’s laugh hit my ears. “Quit all that screaming. The shit wasn’t even hot.”

I wiped my face and prayed it wasn’t burned too badly, but I knew my prayer would fall on deaf ears when I felt my skin pulsate. I kept my eyes on Jamel as he paced in front of my bed. I hated he was in my condo, had a key, and used it freely. “What are you doing here?” I asked as I tried to get myself together.

“Ay, watch your tone before I break your shit,” Jamel replied as he mugged the hell out of me. I didn’t say anything back. Instead, I looked down at my clothes and skin. I was starting to blister in certain spots, and even now, after a few minutes, I saw steam rolling off me.

“What can I do for you, Jamel?” I questioned instead of saying something I knew would set him off. I’d learned quickly to play my role when it came to him. He was one of those men who needed to be in charge. He was a weak-ass nigga who was trying to be more than what he was. I just hated it took me so long to see it.

“My cousin Kaleb needs to get off,” he replied, and I stared at him, confused. Jamel pulled a blunt from his pocket and lit it without taking his eyes off me. “Make that shit happen.”

“What did he do?” I asked, knowing whatever it was was more than likely serious. I’d been around Kaleb a few times, and I got a bad feeling from him each time.

“Don’t matter what he did or didn’t do.” Jamel pulled his blunt and blew the smoke in my direction. I knew not to move or react because he would do it again if I did. “Make that shit go away.”

“I need to know what I’m making go away,” I replied, and Jamel grunted. He dropped the pot he was holding on my bed, immediately burning a hole in my sheets, and walked into my space. I didn’t move. Not because I was afraid, because, at this point, I wasn’t scared of anything when it came to Jamel. It had more to do with the pain I was experiencing from being burned by scalding water. The fact the pot was still hot enough to burn my silk sheets wasn’t lost on me.

“What the fuck did I say?” Jamel grabbed my face to make me look at him. “Get him the fuck off!” He took a pull of his blunt and blew it in my face. “That’s your fuckin’ job, right? To get niggas off? Do that shit then!”

“Where is he?” I asked through clenched teeth.

“Central lock up,” he answered. “Get that nigga bond, pay it, and get him out. When I come back later, shit better be done.”

“I’ll try,” I replied honestly. No matter how much I wanted to lie, I never lied, especially about getting someone out of jail. Even if they were related to Jamel and weren’t shit in my eyes, I wouldn’t lie to them or him.

“Your choice is to get him out or deal with me,” Jamel said, looking me up and down. He licked his lips and smirked. “And trust me, baby, as much as I’ll enjoy it, and you’ll enjoy it, too, I’ll break your ass and put you on a corner after I’m done.” He pushed me away and headed out of the room. “Play with me if you want to!”

After Jamel left, I headed to the bathroom connected to my bedroom and stared at myself in the mirror. My eyes filled with tears as I did so. I was blistered on my arms, stomach, neck, and parts of my face because of the water Jamel had thrown at me. I peeled off my clothes, letting the tears fall freely because of the pain. This wasn’t the first time he’d burned me, but this was the worst.

I grabbed the ointment from my medicine cabinet and tried to apply it, but I could barely move. Against my better judgment, I went back to my room and grabbed my phone from the end table. I had one person I could call, but I knew she would show her natural ass when I did.

“I’m about twenty minutes from your condo,” Lynx said as a greeting. “You hungry?”

“No,” I moaned in pain as I sat on the bed. “I need you to stop and grab me some stuff from the store, though.”

“What you need? It ain’t yo’ time of the month, so I know it ain't tampons,” she replied with a small laugh.

“Some burn ointment,” I answered in a mumble.

“Why?”

“Jamel did his version of a wake-up call,” I answered truthfully. “With a pot of scalding hot water.”

“How bad, McCoy?” Lynx questioned. The sharp tone of her voice and the difference in her breathing signaled she was pissed.

“I’m fine. I don’t need you doing anything stupid.”

“McCoy, you just said this nigga threw hot water on you, and you don’t want me to do something stupid?”

“I just need you to calm down,” I replied softly, hoping to calm her. “Just calm down for a second and listen to me. I know this is a fucked-up situation. I’m not dumb to that fact, but I have to move smart, or it’ll blow up in my face.

“When I run, and I will run, Lynx, I need to ensure everything is tied up in a neat bow so I don’t have to come back.”

“I swear on everything I love, McCoy.”

“It’s fine.” I looked down at myself and bit into my bottom lip. “I’m fine.” It was bad, probably worse than I even wanted to admit. But I wasn’t letting Lynx retaliate and do something stupid because she was upset. We’d worked too hard, way too fucking hard to do something stupid now. “Just get the ointment, and I’ll take care of it. Please, Lynx.”

“I’ll be there in a bit,” she replied after a few minutes of silence.

I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling, trying not to move. I was hurting badly, but this wasn’t new for me. I mean, yes, the pain was new, but the reason behind the pain wasn’t. The person delivering the pain wasn’t new.

“I swear to fuckin’ God, McCoy. I hate this nigga,” Lynx said, coming into the room. I opened my eyes to see her staring at me. Her face was void of emotion, but her eyes told another story. She was pissed. I'd never know how I lucked up to have a best friend like her, but I did know I never took her for granted.

“Join the club,” I replied. “Help me up.” I put my hand out, and Lynx pulled me up slowly. I screamed in pain once I was on my feet. “Shit!”

“Your plan better fuckin’ work, too, McCoy,” she said as she helped me into the bathroom. “If it doesn’t, I’m killing him, no questions asked. We can fight about it then.”

“My plan will work,” I weakly argued. Doubt pushed in the back of my mind, though. I’d been sitting on this plan for a few months, waiting for the perfect time. “Now help me get myself together. I need to get down to the police station. Jamel’s cousin is in lock up.”

“The fuck did he do?” she questioned, even though I knew she didn’t care. The conversation was to take my mind off the pain. This was our new normal, and I knew she hated it, but it was my life.

“No clue,” I answered.