Daddy's Little Girl

c h a p t e r 12

(Cookie:) 

“I’m just tired of you cheating on me, Terrance.” I said, laying against my boyfriend’s chest in our bedroom.

“Man, chillout with allat, Cookie. Ain’t nobody cheating on you.” He stated, after smacking his teeth.

“Then what is it called when I catch bitches over my house with you, how you be calling over females ‘baby’ thru your text messages, and how you look at other girls when we’re together. Especially, when I used to be with Paris.” I retorted, using a name that hasn’t come up in forever.

Even though I have other friends, none of them can replace my bestfriend... or, who I called bestfriend. Feeling replaced has got to be one of the worst feelings in the world. I didn’t mean to trip as hard as I did when I found out I was being replaced by Paris’s friend... what was her name? Camilla. But, being replaced was all I went thru since I been a child. Once you find that one person that you feel won’t replace you, you get extremely attached to them, like how I was to Paris.

When I was little, I was my mama’s baby. She loved me to death, since I was her only child and the only other person she saw daily. I believe the reason why the connection between my mother and I was so strong was because I never met my father. Since my mother was a single female, she had to provide everything for me, including love. She gave me all her love, until one day when I was 9 and she introduced me to her new man candy. She would go out with him daily, leaving me at home alone. Some days, she wouldn’t even come home. I instantly realized that I had become replaced, and the feeling was terrible. I would sit at home and cry, only wanting comfort from my mother. “Baby, I’m going out with your step-dad tonight. You can microwave a TV dinner and eat it. I love you.” Were the words I heard from her the last night I saw her in person. Days passed and my mother never came home. I walked to school alone, came home alone. My grandma was at my driveway one day, and told me my mama was in jail. I was devestated, and at that moment of despair, I became friends with Paris Hendrix.

“You go thru my texts, Cookie?” Terrance almost yelled, harshly lifting me off of him.

“If you so damn faithful, then why you getting so mad that I go thru your texts?” I asked him, as I stood up off the bed and looked down at him. He hopped off the bed after me also.

“Cause that’s my private shit, homie! You don’t want me going thru yo’ texts with random ass niggas!” He stated.

I looked at him like he was the dumbest muhfucka on the earth, “Terrance, you’re my only nigga!”

“I ain’t believing none of the shit you sayin’, baby.” He said, turning around and grabbing his pants off the ground. He pulled them on and then tossed a shirt over his head. 

“I’m so tired of arguing with you, Terrance! Where you finna go?” I asked, walking over to the other side of the bed to stand in front of him.

“Out.” He replied, dryly, pushing me out of the way and grabbing his keys off of my dresser.

“If you leave, you ain’t coming back!” I yelled out to him, even though I was lying, as he walked out of my bedroom door. I stood in front of the door until I heard the front door slam close.

I opened and closed my fists and stared holes into the door, as tears began to fall down my face.

To say I wasn’t jealous of Paris would mean that I’d be lying. The definition of perfect would just be Paris. She’s got the ass, chest, face, and all the other necessities for a nigga to worship her feet to get with her. When she would tell me about her insecurities, I would tell her things like, ‘You’re pretty’ or ‘Stop thinking like that’, but deep down, I’d be looking at her like she the stupidest bitch in the world. Not only is she beautiful, but she has a beautiful ass nigga that wants her badly. Even though I fell out with Paris, I’m still cool with Maurice. He doesn’t express his feelings at all, but you can tell he’s still in love with her. I heard that she left everything here to go to L.A. with this nigga she used to talk about, and, being honest, I think she’s stupid as fuck for that. The thing is that she left someone who loves her with everything he’s got for someone who’s probably just using her. When she finds out, she’s gonna try to run back to Maurice, but I’m pretty sure he’s going to already have another bad bitch on his arm.

For me, I don’t know. I’ve been in a relationship with Terrance for a while, but we can’t last. We won’t. I’m still with him because he actually makes me feel wanted. I ain’t no Paris. I’m not beautiful, perfect, etc. I don’t have the body like her, nor the face. The only thing that’s valuable on me is, what Terrance would say, ‘good pussy.’ I just wish he could look at me for something other than that.

I wiped my tears and dragged my feet over to my bedside table and picked up my phone as I sniffled. I dialed the number and put the phone up to my ear.

After three rings, I heard the voice. “Wassap, baby?”

“Can you come over?” I asked, my voice cracking.

“What’s wrong, Cookie? That nigga put his hands on you? He still over there? Where he at?-”

“No, calm down. Just please, come over.” I begged. I waited after I said that, and I heard a long silence then the phone being hung up.

I went into my living room and sat down on the couch. Just remembering Terrance continued to bring tears into my eyes. I hugged onto a couch pillow and bawled out into it.

I began crying like there was no tomarrow. I was crying so hard that I didn’t even know someone was in my house until I felt the arms go around my body.

“Stop crying, ma.”

I refused to look up, knowing that my face is hideous when I cry. I mumbled into the pillow, “You don’t understand.”

I felt my chin being lifted, but I refused to show my face. I didn’t budge at all. “C, if you’n stop playing...”

“I’m not playing.”

“Lift yo’ head up, then, damn.”

“I don’t look good when I cry.”

“You don’t look good at all,” I was told, with a chuckle, “I see you all the time, C. Lemme see you so I can talk to you.”

I felt my chin being budged up again, and I didn’t fight it this time. I lifted my head up, and turned to face those big, beautiful, brown eyes. He had a hard look on his face, until I looked at him. A small smile began to form, exposing his perfectly alligned, white top row of teeth, and his bottom row shining with his grill. Two dimples formed in his caramel colored cheeks, and his small goatee looked neatly shaved and combed.

“It don’t matter if you cryin’ or not, you look good. Don’t worry bout what you be thinkin’, what yo’ nigga be saying, or when I be fuckin’ witcha. You look good, ma. Aight?” He said to me, causing me to smile.

“Thank you, Nino.” I said, wiping the tears out of my eyes.

“Nah, what the hell wrong with you?” He asked, sitting back on the couch and putting his hands in his lap.

“Don’t you got some work to get back to?” I sniffled, as I turned around to look at him.

“I got the fuck off of work to comfort yo’ ass, so you betta bring yo’ ass on and tell me wassap.” He commanded, grabbing my hips and pulling me back near him. I scooted back on the sofa and sat beside him, snuggling into his chest as he put his arm across my shoulder.

“Same shit with Terrance.” I simply said, and he knew everything bout what I meant.

When Paris and I fell out, it only made my friendship with Nino stronger. While Paris would tell Maurice about her problems, I would tell Nino about mines. I vented to him about my problems with Terrance, and he did the same to me about his business and how he feels about Maurice’s accident. He listened to my problems like I listened to his.

Nino let out a deep breath, “Why don’t you just leave that pussy ass nigga?”

“Nino, you know-”

“Nah, don’t even finish that, ma. I don’t know why. You say you get love from that nigga but he steady cheating on you. You think ain’t no other nigga lookin’ at you that way ‘cause you insecure as fuck. I’m talmbout you be gettin’ looks, ma. If he treating you bad as hell, then you needa get one of these niggas who actually look at you, care bout you.” He told me, causing me to buried my head into his chest.

“But, I don’t see the niggas that you see.” I mumbled.

“Because,” Nino used his index finger and tapped it on my chin, lifting my head up and turning it to him, “You keep your head faced down, so you don’t know who’s looking up.”

Before I could reply to what Nino said, I heard a car door slam close outside. I automatically knew it was Terrance. My eyes widened, knowing Nino’s car was in the driveway and he was also sitting in my living room.

“Nino, that’s him!” I panicked, as I leaned off of Nino and sat on the other end of the sofa.

“Okay, and? I must suppose to be scared or some shit? You forgot he works for me?” He said with a chuckle. He placed his feet up on the coffee table and basically made himself at home. Pulling out an already rolled blunt, he asked, “You gotta lighter somewhere? I left mines.”

“You know what, I’m finna go to my room and act like I ain’t even know you was in here and-” I got up off the couch when Nino interrupted me and grabbed my hand.

“Don’t be scared of that nigga, C. He ain’t gon’ do shit while I’m in this muhfucka.” Nino said, looking up to me which only made me feel safe. I smiled down at him when I heard the door open.

I looked up to see Terrance coming into the house with a box of chocolates and roses. He looked over at me and smiled, but it quickly left when he saw Nino and I holding hands. I dropped his hand and brushed it against my jeans as Terrance closed the door behind him.

“Wassap, Cookie?” He asked, but kept his eyes locked on Nino, who was just chilling on the couch.

“Are those for me, Terrance?” I asked him as I walked towards him. I took the items from him, while he walked right past me. “They was.” 

He made his way over to Nino and extended his hand to dap him up, “Wassap, boss? Whatchu doin’ over this way?”

Nino just looked at Terrance’s hand and started chuckling, “You gotta lighter on you?”

Terrance scrammed through his pocket until he came across a lighter and tossed it to Nino. He lit up his blunt, and took a long drag of it. “I had to check up on my girl.”  Nino said. 

Terrance looked at me with rage in his eyes, then they calmly subsided when he looked back at Nino. “Oh, my bad, boss. I ain’t know she was lovin’ the crew.”

When he said that, Nino started coughing up the smoke that he was inhaling. He put the blunt down on the table and stood up in front of Terrance, rocking him right dead in the jaw. 

Either Terrance was weak as fuck, or he ain’t want to disrespect his boss, because he didn’t hit back as Nino continued his assault on him. I dropped the flowers and chocolate and ran over to where Nino continually laid jabs on Terrance til’ he was knocked out on the floor. 

“Nino, stop!” I yelled, trying to pull him off of Terrance. “Nino!”

“What!?” He yelled, looking back at me with hatred in his eyes.

“Get off of him!” I screamed, pushing Nino off of Terrance. He was knocked the fuck out. I scrambled on top of him and lightly touched the blood that was oozing out of different places on his face.

“What the hell you doing, C?” Nino asked as he stood up.

“You tryna kill him, what the fuck you mean ‘what I’m doin’?!” I yelled up at him.

“He just disrespected you in front of me-”

“I don’t give a fuck, Nino! I coulda handled it better than you tryna kill him!” I scowled, small tears threatening to come out of my eyes. Nino looked at me long and hard before stepping over Terrance and I to grab his blunt.

“You stupid as fuck.” He inhaled, then exhaled the smoke as he began walking towards the front door.

“Nino, where are you going?!” I screamed out to him, tears began falling down my face. He turned around and looked at me, shaking his head. 

“While you still with that nigga, C, other niggas gon’ get tired of waiting,” He stared at me before he opened the front door, “Whenever you got some respect for yourself, I’ma be there for you to fuck with me.”