Imagine That (Woody McClain Chronicles)

Trouble (1)

Her aunt had warned her about men like him.  The ones who were motivated by greed and power, the ones who had strayed from God. The ones who pumped poison into the Black communities without a second thought about the harm they were doing. Her aunt warned her.

"I know I don't have to tell you but you stay away from that nigga. Neighbor or not, you just keep movin' if he speaks to you. That boy is bad news."

Y/n did just that. For three days, she watched from her bedroom window as he and three other men unloaded a UHAUL truck with his belongings. The thought of drug dealers moving into her neighborhood made her stomach turn.

"There goes the neighborhood." She mumbled before closing her curtains and heading to the kitchen where her aunt and cousin were.

"Morning. You goin' for your run?" Her aunt questioned, noticing her niece's attire; an orange sports bra, grey spandex capris and a simple pair of running shoes.

"Yep." Y/n replied. She snatched a piece of bacon from her cousin's breakfast plate and attempted to kiss her cheek, only for her cousin to mush her face in irritation.

"Heffa." Her younger cousin frowned throwing a napkin at her.

"Hey! Hey! Watch your mouth." Her aunt warned, pointing a fork in her cousin's direction.

Y/n laughed as she grabbed her hyrdro-pack and backed out of the kitchen.

"See ya'll."

"Alright be careful. You got your protection?!" Her aunt shouted after her. Y/n doubled back and waved her switchblade in the air as proof before finally leaving the house.

Her stomach twisted into knots as she jogged past his house. He and his minions were up early ready to service their usual customers. She deliberately ignored his gaze although she could feel him staring her down. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't noticed how attractive he was but the fact still remained he was trouble so she averted her eyes.

"Good mornin'." One of his guys spoke up. The earbuds resting in her ears gave her a legitimate reason not to respond. She simply didn't hear him, even though there was no music playing.

"Prude bitches, man." The guy glared at her as she passed. Y/n rolled her eyes as she finally made it to the next block.

After running her three miles, she was finally making her way back to her block. She slowed her jog to a power walk as she neared the corner. There he was. He looked innocent enough standing, smiling at passersby but Y/n knew better. She contemplated crossing the street to avoid it but by the time she made her mind, it was too late. She was only a few feet away from him. He watched as she approached. His hands crossed in front of him at his waist. He licked his lips, eyeing her. Her workout attire did a great job accentuating her figure. He had noticed her watching him when he was moving in. He thought she was cute. He definitely wouldn't mind having some fun with her.

"How you, doin' beautiful?" He spoke smoothly as she got closer, a deep southern accent saturated his words.  Y/n glanced at him and kept walking. He sighed and rolled his eyes. He wasn't one for disrespecting women so he wouldn't dare call her out of her name but he didn't take too kindly to being blatantly ignored, especially by a woman as beautiful as her.

He reached out and gently grabbed her arm, making her turn around with a look of bewilderment. He chuckled. "Why you actin' like that? I'm tryna be nice. Wanna apologize for my boy earlier." He smirked. Y/n raised an eyebrow looking him up and down. He looked nice, much nicer than any drug dealer she'd seen before --not that that would change her mind about him.

"Ok? For what? What the fuck you want from me?" Y/n spat, snatching her arm away from him. He shook his head with a smile. She was too over the top with the disrespect and had probably seen one too many hood movies for her own good. Just for that, he was going to make her squirm. He was going to eat her fine ass alive.