A Stripper's Daughter

Chapter 16

3 Days Later....

Today Was The Day Of My Mom's Funeral, And I Was A Total Wreck. Dakota And Jasmine Hugged Me As I Cried My Eyes Out. We Ended Up Doing A Closed Casket Service Because Her Face Didn't Even Look The Same. When It Was My Time To Go Up And Give My Speech, I Couldn't Even Walk At First. I Got Myself Together As Kota Walked With Me Towards The Front Of The Church.

"Thank You All For Coming Today. This Is Probably One Of The Hardest Things That Has Ever Happened To Me. I Didn't Just Lose A Mother...I Lost A Best Friend. I...I...Don't Think..." The Tears Started Again. Shit!

"Do You Wanna Sit Down?" Kota Asked. I Shook My Head.

"I Don't Think My Mom Would Want Me Crying Right Now. I Can Hear Her Voice Now Telling Me That No Matter What Happens To Her, That She'd Always Be My Guardian Angel." I Said. I Choked My Tears As I Looked Into The Crowd. I Think My Jaw Fell Off When I Saw My Mother's Killer Standing In The Back Of The Church.

"Dad!" I Screamed As I Pointed At Carl. Carl Smirked And Winked At Me As He Ran Out The Door. I Watched As My Dad And Jalen Ran After Him While The Crowd Got A Little Rowdy. I Started Hyperventilating As I Slowly Sat Down. Dakota Started Fanning Me While Jasmine Found Me A Bag.

"Give Her Some Room!" Jalen Said. I Started Feeling Very Light Headed As I Laid Down And Curled Into A Ball. That Fucker Ruined My Mother's Funeral!
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After The Service, We All Sat At The Church To Eat. I Isolated Myself From Everybody And Just Stared At The Wall. I Knew It Was Only A Matter Of Time Before Carl Came For Me, But What Was He Waiting For? I Was At My Weakest Point So Why Was He Taking His Precious Time? All These Questions Were Circling Through My Brain And I Just Couldn't Believe It.

"Bae?" I Heard Jalen Say As He Sat Next To Me. I Just Looked At Him As He Put A Plate Of Food In Front Of Me.

"I'm Not Hungry." I Said.

"Bae You Need To Eat Something." He Said.

"I Don't Want To Eat." I Said. He Was About To Say Something Until Dre's Bitch Ass Interrupted Us.

"Layla...I Just Wanted To Come Send My Condolences Personally. I Know I Teased You About Your Moms, But I'm Truly Sorry. And I'm Sorry For Your Loss." He Said.

"Thanks." I Said. Dre And Jalen Exchanged A Few Words Then Dre Walked Off.

"You Ready To Go?" Jalen Asked.

"Not Yet. I Need To Go Find Kota And Her Mom." I Said.

"Well I'll Be Waiting On You." He Said As He Kissed Me. I Nodded And Walked Over To Dakota's Mom. I Gave Her A Hug And Thanked Her For Coming. She Was Definitely Like A 2nd Mom Me.

"Where's Kota?" I Asked.

"I Don't Know. She Went To The Bathroom Like...A While Ago." She Said. I Nodded And Headed Towards The Bathroom. Something Didn't Feel Right. I Walked Into The Bathroom And Noticed It Was Empty. I Saw Dakota's Purse And Shoes Laying On The Ground And I Immediately Panicked. Ohhh No! He Took Her! I Grabbed My Phone And Quickly Called Carl. I Prayed I Wasn't Too Late.

"About Time You Called Me." He Answered.

"Where's Dakota?" I Asked.

"She's Right Here. Would You Like To Speak To Her?" He Asked.

"Carl Please Don't Hurt Her!" I Begged.

"Do You Remember What I Told You? If You Told Anybody That I'd Kill Everyone You Loved." He Said.

"Carl Please...Take Me!" I Said.

"Excuse Me?" He Asked.

"Take Me! You Can Take Me And Do Whatever You Want To Me! But Please....Don't Hurt Her." I Said.

"Okay Fine. I Want You To Meet Me At Your Mother's House." He Said.

"Okay When?" I Said.

"Now!" He Said.

"Okay. I'll Be There." I Said.

"Good. And No Funny Business! Or I Will Kill Her!" He Said.

"No Funny Business." I Assured Him.

I Hung Up And Took Some Deep Breaths. I Walked Out Of The Bathroom And Snuck Out The Back Door. I Hurried Down The Block And Around The Corner So Nobody Would See Me. I Then Hurried To The Bus Stop So I Could Catch The Approaching Bus.

"Mom...Please Watch Over Me. I'm Going To Get Revenge For You. I Promise You That." I Said Quietly.