NAMED MALIK & COCO (Urban)

|EIGHTEEN|

•Malik Kades•
"Leek"

"I'm sorry baby it's just I haven't seen my parents in a while and they really miss me. I'll be home this weekend." She promises me over the phone.

"It's all good have fun. I love you."

"I love you too baby."

Once I hang up one of my bro's taps me on the shoulder and I turn around. "Wassup?" I ask looking around the football field.

"You good?" He questions.

I nod. "I'm good I just need to get out of here for a second." I haven't been feeling too good lately. It's not at all my shoulder or chest. It's like my stomach keeps hurting as if something bad is about to happen. I've been constantly on edge and on lookout. I've never been like this before.

"Malik go home." Coach Bryson says.

"But coach-"

"Go. Home." He repeats sternly. "I won't have one of my best players over working himself."

• • • •

I raise up from the coach when I hear knocking at my apartment door. I walk towards it slowly clutching my gun that's in my pants. "Who is it?!" Nobody says anything.

When I open it I scrunch my face up in confusion coming face to face with Cassia. "How did you...how you know where I stay?" I ask in confusion.

"Your mom told me. I talked to her." I move aside letting her come in.

"Aye last time we was on the phone you was dawging me and going in. I know you ain't hit up my moms and take a flight down here just to do it again." I state.

I haven't spoken to her since she went in on me. As far as I see it it's not much to talk about.

I watch as her face turns red and she looks around my apartment. Her hands at her sides and she's quiet momentarily as if she's thinking of what she wants to say. "I had an abortion."

What? Did I just hear her right? "W-what you mean you had an abortion?" I question confused.

She doesn't hesitate this time. "I was pregnant with your baby," her eyes meet mine. "I told you I needed you and you said to handle it. I had an abortion."

"So you just got rid of it?! Without even talking to me?!" The base in my voice causes her to jump.

When Coco speaks her voice sounds strained. "Look where we are," she motions around us. "You are in North Carolina being a pro athlete. You and Patience live together. You are following your dreams Malik."

"And?" I can't help but start to grow emotional. "That was my baby...that was our baby Cassia."

"And now it's gone." She stands her ground raising her voice a little bit. "I was left to make that decision. Me! I was in there all by myself. Do you think that shit was easy?"

"Must've been as easy as it was for you to up and leave me." I watch as hurt flashes across her face.

"I-It wasn't easy Malik. Just like it wasn't easy to hear that you love her ass. That all we was is sex."

"You're broken and you know it." I throw in her face.

She smacks her lips. "If I'm broken it's cause you broke me. YOU."

"So you think you the only one who got hurt?" I question feeling my chest tighten.

"Uhhh lemme think about that. Yes! You're about to follow your dreams and go to the league someday. I'm living in a hotel room, alone, and had an abortion."

"That was my baby too!" I snapped at her.

"And you weren't there." A sob escapes her lips and I watch as she breaks down crying.

"I would've been though." I run my hand down my face. "I would've dropped everything to tell you not to do it."

"So what? You would've tried raising a kid with all that you got going on? You would've ruined your perfect little life."

"My life ain't been perfect since you showed up." I motion to her.

She scoffs. "Fuck you Malik. I hate you so much!" She yells at me shoving me by the chest. Again and again and again until she's breaking down crying against me. "Why you do me like this?"

I close my eyes missing the feeling of her in my arms but not liking the feeling of her crying like this. "Why I do you like this? Why you do me how you did?"

She shoves me back and before I know it her hand is coming in contact with my face. My cheek stinging like crazy. "I wish I never met you Leek," she says. "I swear to God I wish I never did."

"Is that right?"

"Yep." She folds her arms over her chest tears falling down her cheek.

"Here you go again playing fuckin' victim."

"Oh I play victim?" She motions her herself. "If I walk out that door you'll be calling me right back in."

"And you'd let me!" I call her out.

"Then maybe we should stop," her words make me go silent. "Maybe we should just stop this back and forth."

"Why? So you can go be with Carson?" Just like that she tries to walk away and I grip her arm stopping her. She won't even look at me. "This is what we do Cassia. Me and you. We fight, we argue, we yell, shit we even hate eachother," I laugh a little. "But we addicted to eachother. You ain't gone ever find nobody like me and I won't find nobody like you."

She lets out a shaky breath. "I don't wanna do this no more Malik. I don't wanna cry no more. I don't wanna be hurt no more. I already had to deal with being loved wrong and hurt by my dad. I wanna be around different now."

I let go of her arm causing it to drop to her side. "Cassia if you walk out that door we done. Ight? It's over." As much as I don't mean it those words leave my lips.

She takes a few more steps and I continue. "I-I love you okay. I know I ain't never said that shit but I do. And if you care about me like you say you do you wouldn't leave."

She stays silent. "I know I wasn't there when I should've been and it's partially my fault the baby is gone. But I'm here now Coco please." I beg.

She walks away and that was last time I ever saw Cassia Chase.