Project Queen (Urban Fiction)

Chapter Four

"Where the hell you been?" Mrs. Byrts started in on Shae the moment she walked through the front door.

"Out," Shae snapped. She was fed up with being treated like a house slave. She had every right to go outside if she wanted to. She was a grown ass woman.

"You know you supposed to be watching the kids. I can't deal with 'em and neither can ya grandma."

"They ain't my kids. Why can't I do nothing without you jumping down my throat?"

"You doing more than you supposed to be doing, so you better watch ya damn mouth," Mrs. Byrts said. "What the fuck you doing letting Larry into my house when I ain't here?"

"Ma, Larry comes here all the time. Why you tripping 'bout it now?"

"I guess you let him in ya room all the time, too, huh?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Did you let that boy fuck you? Did you spread ya legs to him?" she asked in an evil tone. Shae didn't answer. "Since you ain't denying it, you musta gave it up. You finally became the slut I done said you was?" Shae couldn't believe that her mother had the audacity to ask her about something so personal. It wasn't like she cared anyway.

"Get off my ass. Damn. If I did sleep with him, it's my body," Shae said. She didn't even care if she made her mama mad. She was tired of her nosey ass all getting in her business.

"Are you spreading ya legs to every Tom, Dick, and Harry now? You gone been done caught something," her mama hissed.

"I'm not spreading my legs to nobody, Ma. How many times I got to tell you?"

Mrs. Byrts grabbed her by the arm in a claw-like grip. Her long, sharp nails dug into Shae's skin. "I saw the blood on the sheet, tramp. So I know you let that boy pop ya cherry. Now that you finally got a taste of what a dick feels like, you'll be out in the streets trying to get it all the time. You hot in the ass just like that no good sister of yours."

"I'm not a tramp and neither was Vivian. That man forced himself on her. It wasn't like she wanted to have sex with him." For years, Shae knew the truth, but Vivian swore her to secrecy. She saw no reason to hold it in any longer. Maybe her mama would finally shut up about it. "Vivian got raped and it was your fault." She snatched her arm away from her mother's painful grip. Her nerves had stretched to the breaking point.

"What is you saying, girl? Nobody raped my daughter. I know better."

"Yes, someone did. I saw it happen. Vivian tried to fight him, but he held her down and took what he wanted." Shae stared at her mother with eyes filled with fury. "It was your drunk boyfriend, Percy, who did it," she spat. "He came into our room all the time and he used to feel on me, too. That's why I didn't like him and I didn't trust him. You let a child molester live with us."

For a second, Mrs. Byrts stood motionless. Her eyes narrowed. Then, she hauled off and delivered a backhanded slap that made Shae's head reel.

"You lying heifer. I don't associate with no pedophiles, let alone let them live in my house. You best be keeping that to ya self," she warned.

"What's going on?" Ma Violet cut in. "Bertha, what you hittin' that chile fuh? What'd she do now? I didn't see her do nothin'."

"Mama, stay out of this."

"Excuse ya self, Missy. Remember that I'm ya mama," Ma Violet said. "Let that chile alone. I ain't gonna sit here and let you beat on her- on none of 'em."

"This lying lil bitch is gonna get her tongue snatched out her mouth."

"Wait a minute now. That foul language gots to go. Bertha, don't make me go up side ya head with this here cane. Now, I don't condone abuse and I will not tolerate ya disrespect." Ma Violet had risen out of her rocker in her anger. She stood glaring at her daughter.