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I finally made it back, the biting cold air stabbing at my skin like icy daggers. It felt like an eternity, but I was home.
As I shrugged off my hoodie and lifted my gaze from the ground, a familiar voice shattered the stillness just before I reached the door.
"Yo! There you is, dawg! We been waiting for you!" Rufus boomed, flanked by Deshaun and Von.
I hadn't expected my crew to be here...
Their expressions twisted with concern. "You good, doody?" Deshaun's voice held a note of genuine worry.
I licked my dry lips, uncertainty dancing in my eyes.
Fury still pulsed through me, mingled with anxiety and confusion from that damn cab driver.
"...Kim took off with Hailie, so if yall tryna kick it, I ain't in the god damn mood." Was all I muttered even though much more that happened last night. I stormed past them and pushed open my door, disappearing inside. And my boys? They followed, every step of the way even though I really wanted to be left alone.
"That dont explain the blood and scars on yo face, Em. What, you got into a brawl?" Von prodded, shutting the door behind us as I peeled off my hoodie and headed for my bedroom.
I heard my boys murmur, "What the hell went down in here?" I knew they were eyeing the aftermath of last night's chaos, mostly the mess Kim and I left behind from our argument. I didn't bother answering.
"Yeah, and when was the last time you hit the damn shower, mothafucka?" Rufus threw a jab, earning chuckles from the others, but the sound of my bedroom door slamming shut drowned them out.
Why they always gotta crack jokes when they can see I'm not in the mood, huh? They do this every damn time, for what?
Before doing anything else, I just sank onto the edge of my bed, trying to corral my thoughts. Really letting it all sink in—how close I came to ending it all, how I could've snuffed out that girl's life, my own, destroyed everything, all because of my recklessness. I felt like some kind of monster, that and what I did to Kim, what I said to her, the rage that consumed me last night when I faced that man. Just being in this house made my skin crawl.
I sprang off the bed, memories flooding back of what had gone down on it. How many other damn guys had been in this bed with her? I couldn't shake the thought, and it turned my stomach. I felt sick, felt betrayed.But let's keep it real, I'm not innocent either. I've had my moments of straying from Kim... but that was years ago. I couldn't wrap my head around her doing this now, especially when things were going so damn well. After I splurged on a new apartment for us... and it wasn't long before I was eyeing a damn house. I was hustling for us... all that grind she said was a waste finally paid off.
