Winter Toes III: Defending the Heart

WT3| "Reality Resting In"

c h a p t e r t h i r t y f i v e
-
will justice be served?

Maison looked down at his hands as he sat in front of Wyn, feeling like a dog that had just been hit with a newspaper for shutting on the carpet. He was getting lectured like a father would do a son all over a female. Wyn had been a little too heartless over the time and he could care less about Maison's newfound love. Mase and Chase were getting dead serious nowadays.

And everybody had known about it.

She had him attending church and taking an online class to get his GED and everything. She was changing him for what his mother considered the better. Even recently, everyone was comparing Daye to Mase saying how he needed to get with someone like Mase had. It made him happy and he liked his newfound happiness. However, the boys he usually kicked it with didn't. And now that included Wyn too.

"Look, kid. All you doing is creating a weak point. You letting this girl get in your head, man. Trust me, I've made that mistake." Wyn told him, pointing to his head as he spoke. "You don't wanna do that in a game like this."

"That's actually what I came here to talk to you about... this game shit, man. I'm not.. I don't really wanna do it anymore. I got a future and-"

"Man, miss me bout all that future shit. I need somebody to take over while I'm gone and you knew that would be you before anyone else."

Mase knew that was a lie. He just shook his head and buried his face in his hands. He knew this wouldn't be easy sailing but it's something he wanted to do for himself and Chase, to show her that she was making him a better man and that he really meant the words he told her when they spoke about their future together.

Chase was worried that she'd wake up one day and he'd no longer be in her life. She expressed how broken and torn she'd be, going down the path she had been trying to run from.

Mase was also making her better, helping her realize her own potent and how beautiful of a person she really was. She started doing poetry and expressing herself through dance. This was everything. This relationship, and him in general, was everything to both of them.

"I don't wanna end up like you in here." Maison said, standing as he spoke. "I can't do that to myself."

"Nigga if you turn away from this there's no turning back." Wyn said.

"What makes you think I would ever turn back, my nigga?" Maison asked before getting up and indeed turning his back.

"That's ya head. That's ya fucking head."

-

Taylor stood in front of a log mirror, naked as she observed her bruised flesh. She had stitches up the middle of her stomach and more on her right side. She frowned at her appearance. What she thought was average before was now ugly to her and she hated it all. There was no longer a part of her that she liked. Everything she touched felt disgusting under her fingers; the pattern of the stitches and the softness of her skin even felt nasty.

Roman watched her from afar, his eyes trained on her though she had no clue he was there. Fed up with the way he looked at herself he walked further into the room.

She was about to say something but he kissed her passionately. "You're beautiful." He promised her before kneeling down and kissing the stitches on her stomach. "You're beautiful." He kissed the stitches on the side and told her again. "You're beautiful."