"Bruh. Them feds still ain't got yo' bitch ass yet." Ja said. "Holdin' that gun timid as fuck."
Devon and Malia looked up at Ja, making him chuckle. He couldn't really decipher her facial expression. She looked more scared than anything but there was a sense of relief in her eyes.
Nothing was said until Ja spoke up again. "How you gon' be gangster and be a bitch, bro? Come hea', Malia."
She took a step away from Devon and he let her, so she walked the rest of the way from him and over to Ja. He could tell by the way Devon was holding the gun that he didn't intend to use it.
"You can't save her every time."
"Only thing savin' yo' ass is my daughter." Ja said honestly, a dangerous look in his eye. "Leave my girl alone, bruh. I'm tryna' give yo' ass a chance."
Devon tucked the gun, almost afraid to take his eyes away from Ja. "O-Okay."
"What's yo' problem any way?" The point guard asked. "You ain't had ya' ass beat good enough?"
Malia grabbed his arm gently. "Can we just leave?"
For once, Ja listened to what Malia was saying and they left. She was a little bit bummed out that Ja forced her to leave her Mercedes at work. She also don't feel the greatest about staying over his house but he didn't give her another option
Malia sat in the middle of his bed after her shower in a sweatsuit that belonged to him. She watched him move around the room, removing his jewelry and other things like that.
"What made you come to the club at that time?"
Ja shrugged. "I felt like drinkin'. Needed to see you."
"So, you came to my job to drink?"
"No, Malia." Ja corrected, taking off the first of his gold chains. "I felt like drinkin' but I ain't want to. So, I came to see you. Ain't have shit to do with where you work."
Malia's subtle jab had obviously gotten under his skin even though she didn't mean for it to. "I'm sorry."
Ja didn't say anything in response and continued to remove his jewelry. He was annoyed for a couple different reasons, one being the stress he was under and the lack of alcohol in his body factored together.
He'd thought that he would be able to let Malia leave and be fine with it. Then, KK picked up Kaari and all of the sudden he was sitting in his house with nothing to do but party and drink. Ja didn't know if that thought annoyed him because Malia didn't want him to or because he simply just shouldn't, but he decided to dead the entire thing by going to see her.
The need for alcohol didn't exist in the presence of Malia. It never had.
When Ja took a seat on the edge of his bed, Malia kept his eyes on his back. "I'm sorry that we fought this morning."
The silence around Ja made him wish that Kaari was here and not with her mother. "It ain't ya' fault. You was right about me needin' to get my shit together."
"I didn't mean that, Ja."
"Nah. You was right, though." He said. "I can't keep goin' like this. You a dope ass female and if I'ma be ya' friend, I gotta be better."
Malia slowly nodded her head. "O-Okay."
Ja saying friend stung her to hear but then she remembered that they never really established being anything else. All they ever did was share a bed a couple of times and kiss twice, once in which he was too drunk to remember.
He heard the tone in her voice and turned to look at her. "You straight?"
"Mhm."
"Nah. What I say?" Ja pushed his dreads back, getting a better look at her. "You'on believe I'ma stop?"
