"So what you wanna talk about?" Jerome asked Jess. She smiled.
"I want you to tell me everything about Grace." She said. "From when you met her to when you lost her."
Jerome sighed. "I guess it couldn't hurt." He sipped his drink and started. "Look, I fucked Grace over. I really didn't deserve her. She would still be here if I wasn't so stupid."
"What happened?"
"So the first time I met her was in 10th grade. She was staring at me with her ugly ass and my boys started picking at her so I joined in and we gave her hell. That's it. It wasn't right, but it didn't feel wrong. Then in 12th she came to school like a new person. I really just wanted to fuck and graduate. Then my dawg Frank, God bless his soul, dared me $100 to fuck by the end of the school year. So me being a real nigga, I hit her with the smooth talk and got her number."
"And she loved you?"
"This is only the beginning. We almost dated for a year. When I think about it, I regret not doing the whole one month-six months anniversaries. I tried to make up for it with a necklace. It was exspensive as fuck but at the time I was desperate and I wanted her back. But imma get to that, let me finish." Jerome said. "Anyways she was so sweet, and it took me til now to realize. I knew she didn't like me and she only liked dating me because I'm Jerome Houston and I'm the shit. So I'm being a stupid ass nigga and playing her perfect ass, and treating her all wrong. I mean. I'm fucking my baby mama, bitches at parties, my bitches at the trap. Any hoe I feel like and lying about it to her face. At the time I didn't care either. Honestly it was fuck her feelings as far as I was concered she was a hard fuck."
"Well, that's..." She paused. "A different way of saying it."
"Yeah, she was real kept to her morals." Jerome took a break to drink. "As time goes by I find myself actually caring for this girl. Like I'm thinking about shit I ain't thought of before and she ain't even gave me no play. But I was scared to show it because of all the fuckshit I put her through I didn't think she felt the same way. I don't think we ever during our entire relationship felt the same way about each other. Anyways, I showed some of it. I cut back on cheating and I respected her. She wasn't my queen yet but she was almost there."
"What makes you think she never felt the same way?"
"That's where I'm at know." He said. "Everything changed when she met Kelly. I could tell something was off about him and everytime I warned her it seemed to push her further out of my lap and into his. I was giving her everything I had then. My heart was hers I loved her and I still have love for her. But Kelly, he was so persistent and he was there for her. They shared more interests and I was jealous for the first time ever and I didn't know how to deal with it. I was taking it out on Grace. Accusing her of cheating, but it turned out I wasn't wrong. I can't lie, Grace changed my life. She turned me into a different person around her, but when I found out she was cheating it fueled me. I'd tried to have sex with her multiple times before and there was always something stopping her. However, Kelly comes along and all of a sudden her cherry stem's in the fucking street. She fucking him. Her boyfriend for damn near a year and this nigga comes along and she gives it to him. I ain't know what he did, but I had to come up with something. So I poured my heart out to her."
"Awee."
"However they weren't my true feelings." Jess laughed. "They were the suface feelings. My love for her was so much deeper than words. " he sighed and Jess stopped. "It got her to spread her legs and make me $100. I should've just called off the bet or atleast took the money privately, but I had a rep to uphold and I couldn't let word get out my girl cheating so Frank and I told everybody about it and made her feel hella stupid. Then after my boss/her brother put me in the hospital I regretted it. It hit me that the love of my life was gone, and the wrong nigga got her. I tried to get her back but she wasn't with it and I could understand. If she was here I would tell her how sorry I am and how much I actually love her because I never did. I regret not treating her better and taking us more serious. I don't care how soft I sound. She was my weakspot."
Jess nodded. "Touching story, but what about her personality?"
"Hella smart, she was sweet, shy at times, but hanging around me I rubbed something off on her and she could stand up for herself. She was reserved. Scared shitless when she found out she was pregnant. She was so scared. I could understand, I mean there was two potential fathers. Imagine telling your parents that. At that time I knew she needed someone and I was gonna be there. So I was, and I even got my baby mama to help. I always had a feeling it was my child, and if yall legit I'll forever be grateful. Even if I only get a day with him."
Jess leaned toward him and grabbed his hand. "It's your son, Jerome. Y'all are actually kinda similar. Kelly isn't ideal."
"Stop bringing him up, ok." Jess sighed.
"If it wasn't for Kelly you wouldn't have a son."
"And if Kelly knew it was mine she wouldn't have had that long to live."
"I'm bringing him to you aren't I." Jess said. "Kelly isn't heartless like his father and Trayvon.
"He killed my girlfriend." Jerome said standing up. "Look I got shit to do. Just get my son to me." He said walking away.
Jess stood up and walked over to where D'Angelo was waiting for her. "You're actually doing good."
"A little better with you here." She said smiling and kissing him.
He smiled and kissed back quickly pulling away. "What?"
"I got a question." Jerome said.
"What?" D'Angelo asked.
"Do you think he'll be mad? At me. Like will he want to meet me?" He asked sounding kinda worried.
"I can guarantee you he will not be mad and he'll want to meet you." Jess said placing a hand on his shoulder. He probably won't wanna stay. I mean, he's not a big fan of drug dealing and street life. He wants to go into Criminal Justice like us."
"So you saying he won't love me?"
"No," Jess smacked and sighed.
"I wanna tell him who I am." Jerome said.
"That's all you." Jess said. "I won't tell him a thing."
"Thank you."
YOU ARE READING
Finding Grace
Mystery / Thriller"What do you mean?" He asked sitting down. "Grace died before she had her baby." "And you got a body?" He stared at the ground then looked back up. Jess took the birth certificate out and gave it to him. He shook his head. "There's no way. How do I...
