The Stop

Chapter 1

There was a loud knock on the apartment door.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Asia got up with a start. " Who the fuck is it!" She cried. Last night was off the chain. She decided to go clubbing with her cousin Peaches and a girl name Jessica. Now her head was buzzing from the side effects of gin and juice and some hella endo.
Bam!Bam! Bam!
"Fuck!" She cried getting out of the bed. It was Ma with this twisted look on her face, holding Maya.
" What happened to you last night?" Ma asked busting her way into her apartment.
Before she could say anything Ma came in nagging about she was no babysitter and that Asia need to clean up some.
"The child is outta milk...."she continued nagging. Asia took Maya out of her arms. Asia was between jobs because the daycare was shutdown due to an criminal investigation of her employer. She did had an interview at the school district and another one at the assistant living center.
Ma began to pick up the covers with two fingers like Asia was disgusting.
"You need to watch yourself to. Marymae told me she heard them girls plan on calling DSS on you..." Asia sighed.
Ma is always the bearer of bad news. Sometimes I feel she enjoy it. Ma seem to want nothing good to happened to her. All because she got pregnant for Jamal.
Jamal Sanderson was the popular basketball player in high school. Asia wasn't popular, but she was smart when it came to English. So she was assigned to tutor him.
And before she knew it, she found him cool after the fact she asked why did he bullied her in Middle School.
"I liked you, Asia, but I just didn't know how to tell you..." he answered.
He started paying attention to her which didn't set well with his girlfriend Shavonda Page and his teammates.
She spent days being hackled and pick on.
Jacklyn and Wanda, some henchwomen for Shavonda tried to swirly her in the gym bathroom during class one day.Two of the guys from the team stuffed her in the locker.
It stopped eventually and that's when he showed up on her porch.
"C'mon...Shavonda and I are through..." he smiled his crooked smile. He was handsome and really no boy really paid her attention.
When she told her mother that she and Jamal was dating. Ma was against it.
"That boy look shady and up to no good." She replied. But that's how it was with Ma.
She had a boyfriend but he broke her heart. He took a liking to one of Ma's co workers.
That's when he left. There was no Melvin any more. Good Riddance.
Asia thought he was creepy that way he was looking at her young body. That's when Ma changed too. She started going to this new church. She got more strict and holy.
Asia couldn't leave the house without a full enquiry. Where you going? Who's gonna be there? When you coming back?
"No dating. You are too young Asia. You are not ready for marriage." She replied.
"Ma, I don't care what the pastor says I want to live my life. I am too young to be married anyway!" Ma would cry that Satan had his hold on her. And that she wasn't gonna have it.
" All that boy wants is one thing!" Ma retorted.
Asia would pretend that she had to go to the Library to write a paper.
She would met Jamal at the library or at the Stadium.
" Come on Asia...you scared....." he would say.
One time he borrowed his cousin's car. It was an old 1999 Camry.
" We going to the River..." he replied. She smiled and got into the car. They rode down the slope and he found a nice parking place. It was early spring and the days were getting longer so five o clock wasn't as dark.
"So what you going to do ?" asked Jamal. He reached into the back and pulled out two cans of beer. She didn't understood what he meant. She guess she was feeling him. "After you graduate, Girl..." he exclaimed sarcastically.
"I don't know...I guess go to Tech or get a job." Asia answered. "I really want to get out of this town." He hand her a beer.
"I don't drink."she replied. She had seen her cousin Peaches got really drunk at parties that they sneak off to. She didn't want to get drunk like that. Peaches always was looking for a fight or opening her legs after she drink.
"Girl...try it..."he offered. She took the cold can and taste the contains. It left a bitter taste in her mouth and a burn in her throat." Loosen up..." He replied with a grin.
He kept encouraging her to drink more. " Well, if things go well, I am going to this Black College up north if they accept me..I will be playing college football." He told me. "Drink some more..." Asia felt lightheaded but good.
"Asia..I always liked you..." he said as he caressed her arm and pulled her closer. She couldn't believe Jamal Sanderson was kissing her.