Distractions (D. SWING)

23

Square Up Squared

My eyes scan the room carefully behind the limo tint of my Ray Bans. K-Ci's hip bumps me, I fall into rotation of mimicking the way his hips move. The drop is approaching as DeVante points for the engineer to slide the volume up to the highest notch the sliders allow him to.

Women cover the majority of the mass of humans in the room. A lot of potential temptation every man in here has to fight, may I add.

"Baby, you good?"

I heard him yell over the loud music almost a third of a second ago. He periodically checks in on me for no reason at all, it's just something in him.

My thumb springs out of my fist indicating I'm doing alright. Just as I had wished, my boyfriend's cousin seem to be no where in sight. Oddly enough, I'm kind of worried about him. To think Jared's not here with us while whoever is out there is looking for him almost worries me. We all know I can't stand him, that doesn't mean I want something bad to happen to him. Do you know what DeVante would do? I don't either and I'd hate to find out.

No worries, though. Knowing De and how he is, Jared is handled.

"I'm 'bouta take you home," DeVante speaks over the volume and into my hear.

"Why, I just got here!"

I look around feeling my gut tug on the string of my heart. "I don't like the energy," He says shaking his head. "Some shit 'bout to pop off. You just standin' there anyway! You not even interactin' with nobody!" He's using histrionic descriptions of me to justify his plan.

"I'm chilling!" He looks me up and down.

Rising to his feet, DeVante says something to Static that leaves him nodding. "I'mma be back." He grabs my hand pulling me toward the exit, I slug my feet against the carpet to put a drag in our pace.

His paranoia has been fluctuating these past few days. Fuck it, DeVante as a whole has been fluctuating these past few days. Some days he's sketchy, other days he leaves me feeling secure enough to let him hold my hand as I dangle off a building– honestly! The trust that we've got the other is irreplaceable but the way he always thinks worse case scenario really irks me. That negative trait in him isn't new, it's simply how he is. He swears those light eyes of his are the crystal ball of the world because he always swears he knows what comes next.

"Nel," He irritably groans dropping my hand, I allow it to dramatically slap my thigh.

Days like this, I should listen to him.

Behind him, the door opens with a high lack of celerity. A woman, standing at about five feet and four inches, enters next to Miss Mary J. Blige. I snap, unable to dare recollect any of my common sense. I made a vow in March. I said that the next time I was in physical reach of this women, I'd drag her. Never have I ever felt such a strong need to drag somebody through splinter infested trenches the way I wish to drag Kim Porter. Life slows itself down, my feet spring ten inches off of the ground to reach over DeVante's shoulder. Eyes locked in a solid target, once I feel her long black hair between the webs of my fingers, I am still not satisfied. That is, until the pressure of my arm yanks back. Her head roughly pounds against my boyfriend's shoulder. The impact ricochets her body backward. Applying my left hand around my right hand for a better grip, I yank her down to the floor as she hits against it face first.

Feeling my body fly upward higher into the air, I reconnect with a concept called the speed of time. DeVante has lifted me into the air. "Put me down," I yell pounding into his back. "Bitch, you got some nerve showing your face up in this muthafucka!" Shimming out of DeVante's grip, I go for my target a second time while seeking red. A large knot sits on top of the center of her forehead. My right hand reaches for her, DeVante snatches me back by my shirt– leaving me to just miss Kim's face by this much. The way my body flies backward, my closed fist ends up open allowing my middle-finger's nail to swiftly slide across her face leaving a paper thin scratch deep enough to draw blood from her left temple down to the right edge of her face.