Magic

Chapter 17

Kirshnik "Takeoff" Ball

I sat outside the school for the longest and she never came outside. It was starting to get dark so I went around to the guy and caught her coach coming outside with all of her stuff. I stopped my car and got out.

"Uh, Coach!" I shouted out. She turned and looked at me. I stayed by my car cause I could tell by the way she was acting she didn't want me to go over to her. She was moving fast trying to get her stuff into her car. "You see Maggie today?" she turned to me.

"I'm sorry, I don't know anyone by that name." she said.

Right, cause only we call her that. These white kids got a completely different name for her. "Uh, magic...I was supposed to pick her up but she never showed."

"Oh, you the new boyfriend?" she asked.

I shrugged. "If you say so."

"Well, she didn't show up to practice and she never misses that. I didn't get word that she was checked out early or anything so I don't know." She said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Hey," she said. "It's probably nothing, she's probably sitting at home sick or something and forgot to tell you not to come."

I nodded. "Yeah, maybe you're right," I got back into my car and went home. If she was home she would have told me so I didn't drive all the way across town to go get her. We haven't been on the best of terms but she's more considerate than that

I wanted to stop by her house, but if she was mad enough at me to disappear without telling me then she doesn't want me around at all so I just went home.

Friday

"Man you been moping all week behind that girl. When she's ready to talk she will." Quavo put his feet up on the coffee table and grabbed the remote. I hate when he does that shit, lounging around on my mama furniture like he live her, and he know he don't put his feet on the tables at his house.

"Get your feet off my mama stuff." I said. "you didn't pay for that shit."

"See that's what i mean. You taking it out on us cause Maggie don't wanna talk to you. Grow some." Quavo shot back.

"Kiss my ass." I said to him.

"I know you not cursing in my house." my mama called as she walked into the living room from the kitchen.

"I'm sorry ma," I said.

"What's this I hear about that Maggie girl?" she asked me.

"He mad cause she went ghost on him cause he pissed her off." Quavo blurted out.

"No I didn't, we was even arguing no more. She just-"

I was cut off by the sound of someone pounding on the door. My mama made a face then started toward the door and we jumped up and went behind her. Whoever was beating on the door like that wanted a problem and they definitely got on. My mama grabbed the door and threw it open and standing on the other side was Maggie's mom and her sister. Her mama looked like she hadn't slept in days and her eyes were puffy like she been crying.

"Where is my daughter!" she roared. Her daughter was standing in front of her but she was trying to get around her to get to me.

"What the hell is going on?" my mama asked.

"My little girl aint been home in days and she been spending most of her time from you. You been picking her up in the morning and dropping her off at school and bring her home in the afternoon. I know you know where she is!"

"Ms. James I don't. I went to pick her up and she wasn't there. I talked to the coach and that hadn't seen her either." I said.

"Liar! I knew you was no good,"

"Wait, he said that he hasn't seen her." my mama said putting her arm out and blocking the door just in case she got away from her daughter.

"He's for real, she aint speak to us in days." Quavo said.

She stopped struggling and just stood there staring me down. "I know you had something to do with this. I know you did. I should have never let her start hanging around you." she turned around and walked back across the street. Once she was gone my mama turned and looked at me.

"See, that's what happens when you don't listen to your mama. I told you leave that girl alone and now she had you wrapped up in a bunch of shit cause she wanna run away." She rolled her eyes and walked back into the house leaving me and Quavo standing by ourselves.

"You think she's alright?" he asked me.

"I shrugged and shook my head. "I don't know.

Magdalyn "Maggie" James.

I've been here in the dark for what felt like years. When Jeremy took my out to the car he put a napkin over my mouth and nose and after that everything went dark. When I woke up it was still dark. I was tied up in what I'm guessing is a basement cause there are stairs that led up to somewhere. I could probably get up and run out of here, wiggle out of the ropes around me feet and just run, but I haven't eaten in days and I probably would make it too far.

The door at the top of the stairs opened and someone walked down. I turned my head and looked up from where I was laying on the floor to see Jeremy and another man.

"You feeling okay magic, you look a little down." He said with a wicked smile.

I'm fine," I answered.

He rolled his eyes." still just as cocky as ever. We'll just have to knock you down a few notches." He stepped to the side and let the other man move forward.

"Sorry little lady," he said to me. "Don't take this person, it's all about the money for me." He grabbed me by the ponytail and pulled me up until I was sitting on my butt. He cocked his arm back as far as he could and punched me right in the face. He hit me so hard that I sent my head flying into the wall behind me. He let my hair go and all I could do was fall back to the floor.

"That's enough," Jeremy said. "We just need her to look a little beat up, but we gotta make sure that he can still recognize her in the picture." He said.

"Alright," he said. He took a pair of scissors from his pocket and grabbed the front of my shirt. He cut it all the way down the middle and ripped it off the rest of the way. "This is enough right?" the guy asked Jeremy.

"Yeah it should be." He said. "Come on."

They went back upstairs and left me there by myself. I tried to focus on my breathing and not the pain in my eye. They came back a few hours later and this time Jeremy had a plate with a sandwich on it and my phone in his other hand. "I know you're hungry." He said. "And I'm gonna help you out. I'll let you have this sandwich after you give me the passcode to your phone."

"You have to open it with my fingerprint." I replied.

He walked over and grabbed my hands pulling me onto my stomach so that he could get to my hands. "Which one?"

"My thumb," I replied.

He pressed my thumb to the phone and let my arms go. He stepped back and took a picture of me laying on the floor then headed toward the stairs. "Oh, I almost forgot." He came back and dropped the sandwich down in front of me. "Enjoy."

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