Page 19 of Kassir and Rebel (D-Ville Projects #2)

Rebel

Fighting!

Kassir actually fighting at the damn park, in front of kids, in front of his kid.

Un-fucking-believable!

The minute my eyes lock with his, I just shake my damn head. One minute, we’re having a chill day at the park. I’m talking with Teaira about my wonderful date last night in Crescent Falls then this shit happens. The Kassir he claimed no longer existed seems to magically reappear.

Kassir hops up from the bleachers like a fucking rabbit, storms into the parking lot, and beats the shit out of some man. He and Suleem are acting like mad men in front of all these people and kids and now he’s walking toward me like this shit didn’t just happen.

“Bae,” he says when he’s in front of me. “That…that was ju?—”

“Just open the door,” I say, cutting his ass off.

He reaches for my arm but I put my hands up. I can’t deal with him, much less look at him because there’s blood on his fucking shirt. I just want to get in his ride and get away from his ass. If it wasn’t for Kassan, I would have hopped my ass in the car with Teaira.

“You hurt, Daddy?” Kassan asks with so much concern. As much as I tried to get him away from the shit, I couldn’t stop him from looking back and seeing it.

“No. I’m straight. I’m not hurt at all,” he tells Kassan, although his eyes are trained on me. “Let’s go get something to eat. Then I’ll take you home.”

“You can drop me off,” I utter but Kassan hears me.

“You not going to eat with us?” he asks.

“Yeah. She’s eating with us,” Kassir answers for me and I roll my eyes, hard.

He steps closer to me and I move to the side.

So he opens my door then the back door for Kassan.

Reluctantly and pissed the hell off, I get in and he closes my door.

When he’s inside, he has the nerve to place his hand on my knee.

“Where do you want to eat?” he asks me but I ignore him.

I discreetly try to push his hand away but he doesn’t move it.

“Alright, man, you pick the place. Where do you want to eat?” he asks Kassan.

“Can I have pancakes and chicken for dinner?”

“Yeah. We can go there.”

Kassir starts his ride then pulls out of the parking lot. As he drives, my words are screaming in my head and I can’t wait to tell him how angry, disappointed, and confused I am. The only thing saving him is Kassan.

“You like pancakes, Rebel?” Kassan asks, and of course I answer him. I’m ignoring his damn daddy, not him.

“I love them actually and I prefer them for dinner too.”

“Are you gonna get some?”

“Nah. I’m not hungry but you eat all the pancakes you want.”

“Ay. I’m just going to get the food to-go. It’s getting late and y’all gotta be at the airport early.”

“Okay,” Kassan sighs. Clearly, he’s disappointed but I’m relieved. Kassan isn’t the problem; his damn daddy is, and unfortunately, I need him out of this truck so I can deal with his dad.

A few minutes later, we are in the parking lot of Pancake House. Both Kassir and Kassan get out but I stay inside the G-Wagon. When I see them walk into the diner, I pull out my cell and call Teaira. I swear she answers before her line rings.

“What happened?” she blurts out.

“I still don’t know. We still have the baby so I haven’t said much to him.”

“That shit was crazy. What the fuck! They beat the shit out of him. Tyriq didn’t say much either but practice was definitely over. I hope they don’t bring that shit to the tournament.”

“They ain’t supposed to but clearly I misjudged Kassir. He’s doing the same shit he was doing when he had to fuck Linnea for my safety,” I snap. My sarcasm is loud and clear.

“Now don’t do that,” she scoffs.

“Do what?”

“Project. Regress. Compare apples to oranges. You and him are in a good place. He basically carried yo’ ass around when your ankle was fucked up.

He took you to a rooftop dinner last night.

The old Kassir would never do a fancy dinner on top of a hotel at night.

Besides, you were even thinking about talking to Prep about?—”

“Ugh! I gotta go,” I cut her off. Not only do I not want to hear what she’s saying right now, but they are also walking out of the diner. “He’s coming back to the car.”

“Don’t sabotage this,” she hurries out before ending the call, and although she can’t see me, I cut my eyes at her.

“We got you some food,” Kassan announces as soon as they get in. I look back at him and see the two bags filled with to-go containers on the seat and the smile on his face.

“You did? Well, thank you,” I tell him. My eyes divert from Kassir when I look back forward.

“Can I eat now?” Kassan asks.

“We’ll be at your mom’s in ten minutes. You can wait, okay?” Kassir says.

“Okay,” he sighs.

Kassir’s unwanted hand returns to my knee before he pulls off.

Again, I try to brush it off, but he doesn’t move it.

I simply shake my head then keep it turned toward my window.

I aimlessly stare out of it the entire ride.

My anger with him clouds my thoughts and it doesn’t hit me that I’m heading to Linnea’s house until we are pulling in front of the duplex.

What the fuck!

As long as she stays inside, I’ll be cool.

“You want to come and see my room?” Kassan asks innocently.

“Nah. She’s gonna stay in here,” Kassir quickly answers for me.

“Yeah, maybe next time. Have fun at your family reunion, okay?” I say.

Kassir gets out first then opens the back door.

He grabs a bag and Kassan gets out. Kassan rushes to my door and taps on it.

When I open it, he reaches up to hug me.

He is truly adorable. “Bye, baby,” I tell him before closing my door.

My eyes follow them to the duplex. Linnea actually lives right between D-Ville and Brunswick Meadows. The duplex isn’t too far from Prep either.

They aren’t at the door long before it opens. Both walk in. Not even five minutes later, Kassir is walking back out. He’s halfway down the small walkway when the door opens and she rushes out behind him.

“Hey,” I barely hear her say and he stops and turns around.

“What’s up?”

“Is she in there?” she questions, louder this time. I can definitely hear her.

“Ay. Take yo’ ass back in the house,” he says firmly and I let my window down.

Since she wants to come out and talk shit, I have time today.

I have never exchanged words with Linnea, never.

All of my words have always been aimed toward him because he was my man.

We were in a relationship. His loyalty was to me.

I hated that he slept with her and it broke my heart that she got pregnant.

However, our paths never crossed until now, and after his bullshit earlier, if she wants it, she can fucking get it. They both can.

“Yes. I…am…in…here. Now what?” I stress.

Kassir turns around so damn fast and barks, “Rebel!” Then just as fast, he turns back to her. “Linnea, take yo’ ass back in the fucking house,” he grits angrily.

“No, stay out here,” I say, then open the door.

“Go in the house,” he repeats and she marches back toward the house.

She mumbles something as she does and I only catch one word, bitch.

It’s enough to set me the fuck off though because I’m out of his ride and running toward her in two seconds flat.

He hooks his arm around me and holds me back as soon as I try to run past him.

“Man, chill the fuck out,” he has the nerve to say.

“Fuck you, nigga,” I spit and he grins.

“Yeah. Okay,” he mumbles as I try to break free from his hold.

“I’m not letting you go,” he insists. I don’t give up though.

I jerk and try to twist free but he holds me tightly and practically carries me back to his ride.

He manages to open the door then tosses me inside.

“Kassan is in there, in case you forgot,” he reminds me in a calm but ominous tone before slamming the door.

“Bastard,” I yell. He just shakes his head as he walks in front of his ride to the driver’s side. “You know what?” I say as soon as he’s inside.

“What?” he challenges, pissing me off more. So I mush the side of his face with the palm of my hand. “Keep yo’ hands to yourself,” he barks.

“Like you did at the park,” I snap.

“That’s not the same.”

“Seems the same to me, Serious!”

“Don’t call me that,” he barks.

“Why? ’Cause that’s who the fuck you were acting like out there.

You talk all that shit about changing and being a different man but I can’t damn tell.

You doing the same shit you were doing when you had to fuck her to make me leave.

Yeah!” For a moment, he just glares at me, not saying shit.

I glare back, daring him to rebut, but he doesn’t.

He shrugs then shifts his ride into drive.

As soon as he pulls off, I’m back on his ass.

“You don’t got shit to say to that?” I challenge.

“Nothing? Mr. Serious has nothing he wants to say. He can beat the shit out of a nigga in a park full of people, full of kids. Shit, in front of his own kid, but he doesn’t have nothing to say. Imagine that.”

I continue to talk shit all the way to back to D-Ville and to the building and he remains mute.

By the time we pull into his parking space, I’m fuming.

My head is shaking incessantly. I can’t stop my damn foot from tapping and my hands are itching to knock some words out of him.

I’m pissed the fuck off and he needs to say something gotdamn it.

I’m out of the G-Wagon before he can walk over and open my door.

Since he wouldn’t talk in his ride, we will argue this shit out upstairs.

I’m in the building before him, and when he walks in with the food bag, he walks right past me.

“Kassir,” I call out after him.

Without turning around, he says, “We can talk in the morning when yo’ ass has calmed down.”

The nerve!

He continues to the elevator and I catch up with his smug ass. “Oh, we are talking tonight,” I counter sternly.

“I’m not trying to say shit we can’t take back,” he utters before walking onto the elevator.

I step on too, and before he can use his key card, I pull out mine and press the ten for his floor.

When the elevator opens on his floor, I rush out in front of him and open the door.

When he walks in behind me, he shakes his head as if he’s annoyed, so I slam the door.

“Rebel,” he grits as he heads to the kitchen.

“I swear to God if you open that food and don’t talk to me, I’m going to?—”

“You gonna do what?” He frowns. “You already put yo’ hands on me and tried to get out at my son’s house.”

“Don’t act like you care about shit in front of Kassan now. You didn’t at the park,” I spit and he ignores me. He treks to the kitchen and places the bags on the counter then walks back to me. He gets so close that he backs me up on the door. “Get out my face,” I snap.

“Nah. You wanna talk. Let’s talk. The park was some DP shit that had to be fucking dealt with. You getting out of my ride, trying to start shit in Kassan’s front yard was different.”

“I didn’t start shit. She did. She came out of the house talking shit. Not me,” I fire back. “Plus, I owe her an ass whooping anyway.” I roll my eyes. “Get out my face,” I yell before pushing him.

He steps back because he wants to, not because of my push but I use the moment to my advantage anyway and get to his sectional.

I’m the one who’s supposed to be pissed but he seems angry too.

He’s too fucking calm and I hate when he’s like this.

He won’t put his hands on me but he also isn’t going to let me keep putting mine on him either.

So to prevent that, I take my ass to his sectional and sit down.

“All this yelling and rah-rah shit is too much over nothing. At the park, one of my lil niggas was getting into it with Leem. I saw the shit and went over there to handle it.”

“Y’all beat the shit out of him. Your son was out there and he saw that,” I stress.

“And I’ll explain that to him. But when it comes to my son, my brother, you, and anybody that I love, I’m gonna handle what I need to.

Today was one of those fucking times. I’ve changed, Rebel, but I ain’t changed that fucking much.

At my core, I’m always going to be the nigga that handles business. ”

“Handling business led to guns and shootings before, and to protect me, you fucked another woman, remember?”

“And I’ve admitted that that shit was wrong. Fucked up. This ain’t that and I’m not him,” he says sternly.

“How do I know that?” I ask and the tremble in my voice causes him to join me on the sofa.

These past two weeks with him have been everything.

I’ve noticed the change in him and it only makes me love him more.

This Kassir is more mature. He owns up to his mistakes and he’s intentional in everything he does and says.

The way he took care of me when my ankle was messed up and our date last night, it all proves that he’s changed.

I see it. I see him and he honestly has me reevaluating everything, even my life in Miami.

Seeing Coach at the block party and hearing about the opening at Prep had my mind churning.

Besides my job, there’s honestly nothing else for me in Miami.

Leaving there would be easy. Being head coach at my high school alma mater would be a dream come true.

Besides, my found family is here, my best friend is here, and more importantly, my heart is in Diamond Falls.

There’s no denying it; Kassir owns my heart and I can’t handle it if he breaks it again.

Today took me back to the past for a moment and that scared me.

All of my anger is actually rooted in my fear.

“Because I’m telling you that I’ll never hurt you like that again. I have a second chance with you and I’m not fucking this shit up.”

“My heart can’t take it if you do,” I admit.

“And neither can mine.” His hand caresses the side of my face, then he leans in, resting his nose on mine.

“I’m not in the streets like I used to be but I’m still a street nigga.

That part of me will never go away. But I promise you, I’ll never let that part of me hurt you again in any way.

All I want to do is love you. Just love me back, bae. ”

“You know I do,” I tell him.

“Then trust me.” He sighs then shakes his head. “This shit with us is real.”

“I know, baby.”

He plants a kiss on my forehead then says, “I gotta shower this day and that nigga’s blood off me. Come join me in a few minutes. I need to bury my face in your sweet pussy.”