A Stripper's Daughter

Chapter 26

The Next Morning, Dakota And I Decided To Ditch School And Just Hang Out. We Headed To The Nail Shop To Get Our Nails And Toes Done; Something I Desperately Needed. We Had Our Feet In The Spa Water As We Sat There Talking. I Was Starting To Feel A Whole Lot Better Until I Saw Someone Staring At Me Through The Nail Shop Window. It Was Carl's Friend, Niko. He Gave Me The Dirtiest Look Ever Before Walking Inside Of The Nail Shop. I Started Getting Cold Chills As He Sat Down. He Never Took His Eyes Off Me Until Some Young Girl, No More Than 18 Or 19, Ran Up To Him.

"You Like My Nails Big Daddy?" She Asked Loudly. He Nodded As He Pulled Out A Stack Of Money. Niko Reminded Me Of Terrance Howard In That Movie Hustle And Flow. He Had On A Dingey Ass Beater, With Some Jeans, And Some All White Forces. He Had A Silver Chain That Hung Down His Neck And Two Small Earrings That Were Barely Noticeable. His Dark Gaze Made Me Squirm In My Seat. He Was Clearly Not Happy To See Me And The Feeling Was Mutual.

"Um...Do You Know Him?" Dakota Asked.

"That's Carl's Best Friend." I Said.

"Ew. What's His Problem?" She Asked.

"I Have No Clue, But I'm Ready To Go!" I Said. I Gathered My Things And Began Going Towards The Door. I Heard Niko Murmur Something, But I Ignored It As I Hurried To The Car.

"That Was Creepy." I Said.

"I Know Right. Let's Just Go Back To My House." She Said.

"I'd Rather Go Home." I Said. She Nodded And Started The Car. I Couldn't Get Niko's Face Out Of My Head And It Scared Me Shitless! When We Got To My House, I Saw Jalen And That Bitch Monique Doing There Normal Therapy Session. I Climbed Out The Car And Jalen Immediately Ran Over To Me And Kissed Me Hard. Ugh...I Can't Even Hold A Damn Attitude!

"Don't You Leave Me Again!" He Said. I Nodded As I Kissed Him Again.

"Awww Lovebirds! The Future Mrs. Jalen Smith!" Kota Said. I Looked At Monique Who Rolled Her Eyes And Mumbled Something Under Her Breath. See....I Can't Even Give This Bitch The Benefit Of The Doubt Because She Keep Trying Me.

"I'll Let You Finish Your Therapy. Me And Kota Are Gonna Go Start Dinner. Would You Like To Join Us Monique?" I Asked.

"No Thanks. I Have A Prior Engagement To Attend After Our Session." She Said. I Shrugged And Headed Into The House.

"Oh That Bitch Mad!" Kota Said.

"Mad As Hell!" I Said. We Both Cracked Up Laughing As We Headed Into The Kitchen.

An Hour Later, Jalen Came Walking In The House. He Seemed Upset About Something.

"What's Wrong?" I Asked.

"Monique Said My Arm Isn't Getting Any Better. I Might Not Be Able To Play Ball Anymore." He Said. I Gasped As I Pulled Him Into A Tight Hug. Jalen Lived And Breathed Basketball So I Knew This Was Horrible News For Him.

"Isn't It That Girls Job To Make Sure That You Get Better?" Dakota Asked.

"Yeah, But It's Also Up To My Body To Respond And I Guess It's Not. Now I Can't Be A Professional Ball Player And Give My Girl And My Kids A Good Life." He Said. He Stood Up And Headed Upstairs. My Baby Was Really Upset! I'm Definitely Going To Have To Make A Visit To See Little Miss Monique.
*
*
*
*
*
*
The Next Morning, Jalen Headed To School To Take His Exams While I Stayed Home And Played Sick. After Jalen Left, I Got Up And Started Getting Dressed. I Decided To Wear My Cheetah Print Leggings, With My Black Tank Top, And Black Flip Flops. My Hair Was Down In Loose Waves And I Decided Against Makeup. Kota Was Waiting For Me Downstairs And We Headed Out. Jalen's Therapy Center Was 15 Minutes Away So We Got There Pretty Quickly. Kota Stayed In The Car While I Headed Inside. The Receptionist Was Reading A Book When I Approached Her.

"May I Help You?" She Said Not Even Looking At Me.

"Um Yes...I'm Looking For Monique." I Said. She Nodded And Started Looking Through Some Papers.

"I'm Sorry...You Say Monique?" She Said. I Nodded. She Excused Herself And Headed To The Back. Minutes Later, The Receptionist Returned To The Desk.

"Monique No Longer Works Here." She Said.

"Really? When Did She Quit?" I Asked.

"She Didn't. She Was Fired A Few Months Ago. She Stopped Coming To Work After Her Father Died." She Said. What The Hell? I Was Confused.

"There Has To Be A Mistake. My Boyfriend Jalen Has Been Getting Physical Therapy Treatment From Monique For Almost 3 Weeks Now." I Said. She Looked At Me And Picked Up The Phone.

"Miss Bartlett To The Front." She Said. A White Woman Appeared From The Back And Gave Me A Wide Smile.

"Hi! How May I Help You?" She Asked.

"Apparently Her Boyfriend Has Been Receiving Treatment From Monique Johnson Who Was Fired Months Ago." The Receptionist Said.

"Can You Describe Her?" She Asked. I Nodded And Began Describing Her Down To The T. Miss Bartlett Began Looking Through Some Files And Shook Her Head.

"I Don't Understand Why This Girl Would Be Pretending To Still Work For Us. It Doesn't Make Sense." She Said.

"Maybe She Needed The Money." The Receptionist Said.

"No. I Heard She Came Into Some Money After Her Father Died." Miss Bartlett Said Still Looking Through The File.

"Um...How Did Her Father Die?" I Asked.

"He Was Murdered. Apparently He Was On The Run After Murdering This Stripper." She Said. My Heart Dropped As I Slowly Lost My Breath. Monique Was Carl's Daughter?? Oh Fuck!