RUDE BOY

What comes next

Jay Paris p.o.v

It was later in the day. Jason had gone home already and Fox was just getting home from work. I saw him walk in as I was watching TV in the living room.

"You off tomorrow bro?", I asked.

"Yeah", he said,

"Aye before you go wash or anything I gotta tell you somethin'."

He went to his room and put his things down and came back in some shorts and tank top. "Wassup?", he asked.

"Um, Jason came by claiming he was related to me. You know anything about my side of the family?"

"Uh, nah."

"You sure? You never met anyone related to me?"

"Only person I know that's related to you is Steven."

"What the hell man."

"Why? He told you that?"

"Yeah, man. I don't know if he telling the truth that nigga ain't never lie to me ever since I knew him."

"Then what makes you think he's lying?"

"For one he told me out of the blue and started apologizing and saying why he quit fucking with me and all of a sudden he's all "I'M YOUR COUSIN" and shit then I'm just left in shock."

"Yeah, he might just said that shit."

"But look though, he said that his mama is my dad's sister. Is that true?"

"I don't know bro. I hardly know anything about your dad because I disliked him as much as you did. I could never cope with him. We never talked or hung out he just came around, provided for me here and there. When we went out he did get me things but towards him I was quiet. I didn't talk as much as a child. I didn't know him well at all. We never knew-- well I never knew his family. Maybe if you ask mama then she'll tell you."

~

"I don't know boy!", said mama the next morning. 

"Ma, you don't no anything about his family, siblings, nothing?"

"No because by the time he left it was too late to be introduced. I never had time to get that close to yo' daddy because by the time I wanted to get serious and be showed around to his family, he panicked and left. I don't know why, but I've moved on. So don't try to hurt him or anything or track him down. He won't recognize you by that red hair, boy. "

I tugged on my hair and observed it.

"Think I should try plum hair?", I asked.

Mama gave me a dirty look, "Hell no, boy that's gay! "

"What the---no it is not! You see black girls walking around with plum hair and red hair how would that make me gay?!"

Mama put down the basket of clothes on the floor beside her bed. She put her cold hands on my face standing real close to my face.

"No", she said tending back to her laundry.

I rolled my eyes and poked my lip out. "Ugh." I walked out the room like a child about yo throw a fit in his fit with his face in the pillow.

~

I decided to call Nakita that night. It was almost 12am.

"If this is a booty call hang up", she answered.

She doesn't fully trust me yet still.

"No, I don't do those. You know that", I said.

"There's a lot of things I thought I knew about you and a lot of things that I've expected not to occur. I did my best to not allow myself to treat you like any other typical black guy you would find in the projects who dicks automatically pop out of their pants when they see a classy chick like me with dignity and respect about herself."

I inhaled as if I was just about to curse her out but I backed up because I remembered what I did to her. So if I'm gonna win her back I have to be cautious about what I say. I don't want to make things worse. I know she's testing my anger and the one power she had over me was learning to watch what I say and watch what I do. I don't want to mess up anything, it's all or nothing. I love this girl. Least I can do is break a bad habit for my own benefit.

"I'm sorry, is there anything I can do to make it up to you? I have money... I have a house and my mama just got her EBT....I also have a dick, you know.."

"Oh my god! You dog! I should've known!"

"Well shit I'm willing to whatever it takes to win you back."

Nakita sighed, "I think your smarter than that Jay. I really have a small amount of faith in you on the inside, just hoping you'll change and it'll mean something more than doing this for me."

"It does. I've known I had this anger issues ever since every daily beaten I've gotten after getting suspended for 3 days in the first grade."

I heard a snicker.

"Bruh that's funny? I still got scab marks from them permanent ass whip marks that I had to go to school with", I said.

"I'm sorry, you mad bro?", she said still laughing as she speaks.

"Bitch ya backbone game is sorry, and nah I ain't."

"Ah fuck you, your crewneck game is sorry."

"That don't even matter they be comfortable as shit."

"I'll tell you what matters."

"What?"

"Your determination."

I paused and smiled to myself. "Of course."

"I'll call you later I'm on the bus still and everyone is sleep."

"You should be too."

"I know. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Night baby."

"Goodnight."

She hung up and I felt the void in my heart fill up completely.