Page 43 of Not My Type (Not My Type #1)

“Mi hungry,” Clova yawns. “Zara yuh can go buy sup’m fi we eat? Like some patty since it cross the road?”

“Alright,” I pick up my purse and walk over to her. Clova gives me five grand.

“Buy patty fi everybody, on me unuh ever a support me.”

“Wah kinda patty?” I drop the cash in my purse.

“Cheese patty,” they say in unison. I mean, it had to be.

I push the door, now drowning in the sun, I miss the air conditioner already. I make my way over to Tastees. Thank God the place never pack because I’m in no mood to stand in this poorly ventilated place.

Within minutes I’m served. “Thanks,” I mutter, pick up the bag and walk out. I quickly cross the road and smile at the guy who gave me an oblige.

“See har deh,” I hear and I turn around. See who deh?

Two girls are looking at me from across the road, one of them is a slim brown girl that I’ve seen once or twice in treez and the other one looks so much like ... Talia?! Raatid.

Our eyes connect and she starts walking across the road to... me? Ooop. I shake my head waiting to see if she’s really coming to me or I’m mistaken. She approaches me in rage.

“Y’een even all that?!” her cold eyes scanning me from head to toe. A wah this?!

Though her voice isn’t pleasant I flash her a beautiful smile. “My man calls me Pretty Mami so... I guess to him, I’m all that.” Hope that hurts. Her eyes raging.

She nuh see say a she alone a kill up harself?

“Bitch! Is your name Zara or what? I just wanna know that I’m getting the right bitch,” her face growing red. Her friend stares me down. I don’t answer.

“You know Nickoi?” I face Talia when she asks that. So this is what it’s about huh? Still, I don’t respond. Cause wah this gyal feel like?

“I just asked you a question and I expect an answer!” she steps closer. I step back. I don’t like drama and mi nuh waah fight over nuh man.

So mek the gyal and har fren beat yuh den. A self defenseeee!

People are now looking. “No you naah go talk to me so, else we not going to talk at all,” I say coldly. She scoffs.

“Okay Miss pretty bitch. I’ve been hearing about you and I found your ass now huh!?”

“Mi neva’ a hide,” I say cooly.

I don’t have time for this shit. Sometimes you cya avoid problem. I hiss my teeth and walk away ignoring her. Mi refuseeeee fi fight with a gyal over a man. Worstttt the man nuh inna sight, yuh crazy? Mi mad how you a walk way..

“Wah yuh do, fraid a the gyal?” I hear Bingy asking. I ignore him. He’s a taxi man. Chro.

As I made my way up the first step, she grabs me turning me around before she grabs my blouse. My anger flares. I drop my bag and push her and she stumbles. She gets up quickly and starts hitting me constantly. I step back, blocking her wild swings.

“Bitch!” She screams still swinging.

I’ve had enough. I give her a hard kick sending her crashing onto her back. I don’t wait for her to get up. No hesitation—I pounce, fists hammering her face. Yes man!

Her slim friend rushes me, arms wrapping around my neck from behind. I ram my elbow into her stomach—hard. She gasps, her grip loosening.

Bitcha yuh! My subconscious cheers.

Talia jumps on me, but I shift my weight, sending her tumbling to the ground. Her slim friend comes at me again—I don’t hesitate. I kick her, and she topples right onto Talia, who was just struggling to get up.

“Owe!” They wince.

“Gyal deh can fight!” A random person says.

“The Spanish girl bad too nosah!” Bingy exclaims.

“Beat the gyal!” Someone says when a stout girl comes at me out of nowhere. So a gang dem a gang yuh!?

She’s making it hard for me because of her weight. She swings wildly—I duck and shove her with everything I have in me. She stumbles over something behind her that fails to bear her weight and crashes onto her back. She gets up quickly, grabbing up Talia in the process.

Talia wastes no time. She sprints toward me and lands a kick—I slam into the wall.

Before I can react, her fist connects with my head.

Pain flashes through, but I don’t hesitate.

I give her a hard blow, straight to her belly.

It was solid. I’m positive that one sent waves all throughout her body.

She winces, stumbling back. I move away.

But clearly they’re not done.

All three of them charge at me, their blows raining down. I throw up my arms, blocking the hits to my head, stepping back, trying to create space.

“Unuh leggo the girl!” A man shouts.

“Lef them! Yuh nuh see the black gyal tek the Spanish girl man!” Bingy laughs.

Black gyal and Spanish girl, you peep that? Sure did.

“Shut up man yuh sound like a fassy... even if she take her man or whatever the three a dem cya deh fight the girl so!” Another man argues back.

“Beat the gyal!” Bingy exclaims. This is clearly soooo entertaining to him.

“Nothing more than you a pick up fi she cas a browning enuh!” I hear the man saying. . I continue to block their hits. Grab Talia hair!

I struggle to move my hand but manage to grab Talia’s hair by a handful. She grabs mine then I kick the other girl. The stout girl tries to hit me again but I push her while pulling Talia’s hair.

She screams. “I’m gonna kill you! You’re the reason Nickoi broke up with me and now he’s posting you!”

I drag her from side to side, my grip tight in her hair. Suddenly, the stout girl yanks my hair hard. Pain shoots through my scalp, and I bite my lip, my hold on Talia loosening.

A few men try to part the fight, but their efforts prove futile.

“Call the police cause one of them have a knife!” A lady says and I move quickly when the stout girl throws it to Talia.

She moves closer to me swinging the knife and I tackle her causing the knife to fall out of her hand. I kick it away. She punches me in my mouth and it starts bleeding. Wah deh gyal deh just do!?

“That’s what you get bitch and I’m not done yet!” she moves towards the knife.

As I walk over to a man selling juice and water by the road side, Talia grabs me again and I push her off me then run towards the cart man.

“Wi a call the police!” I hear someone shout from the crowd but I’m too mad to even care.

I wipe away the blood and my tears. A middle aged man throws me a piece of cane. “Use this pon them,” he tells me and I take it. Trouble!

As soon as I get the cane, I start swinging it on Talia. She tries to move but I hold her in my grip and continue to beat her with the cane. Bombaat! Zara bad alone!

“Mi nuh care if a three a unuh or is a gang!” I yell. “Mi never trouble none a unuh or send guh call fi unuh” Wow Zara is really mad.

The other two girls run over to try defend their friend but I push the first one and start beating them both with the cane. The slim friend steps back. Dah one deh a coward. I look at Talia and she’s in pain.

She gets up angrily. “Just watch this bitch!” She says walking over to her car.

I grab my bag watching her and spot Clova and Sash blazing down the stairs. I look around and it looks like the whole town is gathering here, everyone talking at once.

“Zara yuh face!” Clova runs towards me.

“Who do this!?” Sash right behind her.

“Bombaat!” I hear someone says and everyone start scattering.

My heart reaches my throat when I see Talia. She has a gun pointing at me and I can’t lie... I’m scared. Who wouldn’t be? One shot and anything can happen. Oh God..

“I came here with this incase something like this happened,” she says pointing the gun at me. I stare at her and Sash holds my hand then Clova holds out her hand to Talia.

“No bother with this Talia you nuh need fi do all of this,” Clova begs.

“I’m tired of this stupid ass bitch!” She says, cocking the gun. “She’s messing up my life!”

“Doh move enuh girl,” A man tells me before he turns to Talia.

“Nuh matter what this situation is about yuh nuh need fi do this... unuh already fight and that’s it. Just done it,” a middle aged man says.

“I don’t care what none of y’all got to say... I’m gonna kill this bitch and I’m gonna do it no—” someone grabs her from behind and she shoots the wall. Everyone screams.

“The only person weh allowed fi seh dem wah kill har is me... not you,” I gasp when I see Gavin grabbing the gun from her.

A group of men grab her from behind unexpectedly. Instantly she starts kicking to get out of their grip, screaming and fighting. They manage to overpower her and walk away with her.

Such a wild girl! How uncivilised.

“Zara?” Gavin’s voice drags me from my thoughts. I stare at him as my eyes well up with tears.

I don’t know what to say. Maybe saying I’m traumatized is an understatement. This is the craziest day of my life. I got jumped and I almost died. Let it go.

He hugs me. “Look wah him mek nearly happen to you,” he says and I breakdown. There’s so much going on in my head right now.

Father God loves you, so no weapon form against you nah go prosper.

“I love you Gavin,” I sob, holding him tight.

He rubs my back. “I love you more.”

Sash and Clova hugs me. “A one a the craziest things me ever witness,” Clova sighs.

Sash is crying. “Now yuh come!?” Sash raises her voice and we look around.

It’s Nickoi, his brows pulled together, eyes like ice. I press my head in Gavin’s chest with tears flowing over my cheeks unendingly.

He comes closer to me. “What happ’m?” his voice deadly.

“Oh, your Latina bitch jumped her with har dutty foot friend them and then have the heart fi pull out gun pon myyyyy cousin!” Sash shouts at him. He stares at Sash for what feels like an hour before he looks at me.

“Zara?” he calls.

“Weh yuh deh call har fa go check yuh gyal them!” Sash snaps. “Go warn deh Spanish gyal deh to cas me will tek my man gun and mek marrow fly enuh.” Deadd.

He ignores her.

She hisses and hugs me. “Mek we carry har home Gavin,” Sash says in a spiteful manner. Nickoi’s face expression makes it obvious he doesn’t like what she’s saying.

“Mi a carry har home cas me need fi talk to har about something,” Nickoi says.

“Mi nuh care wah you and har a guh talk bout and mi know seh you can shoot mi yasso but mi nuh care mi a wul this in too long. Yuh might love her and she might love you and thing but she clearly nuh fit inna your world. All you a do is mek life hard fi har. Mi nuh think Zara ever fight a day in har life and the fuss time she fight a you cause it and mek a dutty gyal nearly shot har,” Gavin snaps at Nickoi.

He looks away. “Who nearly shot Zara?” Nickoi asks, venom laced in his voice.

I guess he didn’t hear the first time. Or him just a process it. His eyes are dark and emotionless.

“Oh so you late... yuh Latina nearly shot har,” Gavin says sarcastically and Nickoi storms off. Wah him gone do ?