How I Got Good

Chapter 2

"Times change, People change.... maybe not"

Imani's P.O.V.

I wake up at 6:34am, crying. I can barely sleep, then when I finally get some sleep, I feel like this. I still haven't told anyone, except Jermaine, and it's killing me. I decided to call Jermaine. "hello", he says in a broken voice. "Jermaine?" I lifted myself up in bed. "Imani?? You Okay? What's wrong?" He starts to clear his throat. I'm trying to think of something to get him to come over. "ummm...I need a favor"

"wassup?"

"I need you to come over and make a sandwich and chips" There was silence on the phone. "hello?"

"Imani...you want me to get Messiah dressed, leave, and come to you....to make a sandwich?"

"...and chips."

10 minutes later

Jermaine knocks on the door. I run downstairs while putting my hair in a ponytail, I wipe my teeth off with the inside of my shirt. I open the door. Jermaine passes a sleep Messiah in my arms. "Thanks for coming" I whisper. "So what's the real reason you wanted me to come?" I take Messiah upstairs to my room and lay him down, Jermaine follows. "I just wanted some company, I couldn't sleep."

"thinkin bout Jamal?" I nod as I go to sit on my bed, next to the baby. "you just gotta say 'fuck him'. He did you bogus Imani and I'm not Tryna see you with puffy eyes and a red nose." I smiled because I knew he genuinely cared about how I felt.

"I just wish there was a guy that was just honest and knew how important a true relationship is to me." Jermaine comes sits next to me and holds me, "I know you've been through this numerous times and I'm here for you. I know you'll find that special guy one day", he pauses, "you never know....he may be closer then you think." I looked up at him while he was holding me and smiled.

He smiles and got up. "where u goin?... you didn't make a sandwich" I smiled. He smiled, "go to sleep Imani. Rest." He leaves my room.

Jermaine's P.O.V.

I walk into the guest room and sit down. I look at the diaper bag, I pick it up and walk to Imani's room. "Imani, You gotta--" she was finally asleep. I walked to Messiah and changed his diaper while he slept. After I was done, I put him and Imani under the cover and walked back to my guest room. I went to my drawer and changed my clothes. I stay here so much, this room might as well be mine. I went to lay down and started thinking...

Imani doesn't realize that the guy she needs is me. I can't tell her though... she would go crazy if I told her how I felt...or will she? Yeah, she will. I don't know. I just know what kind of guy she needs and I know I fit that category with no problem. No guy changes, and I want her to know that who I am now, will be the way I will be in the future. How do I tell her? I'm not sayin shit. She'll get mad as hell. She's good to Messiah though, like a mom, since his actual mom didn't want to be around anymore... left us for a nigga in California as soon as she could leave the hospital. I love Imani.

I fell asleep.

The next morning

I wake up to a knock at the door. I go to Imani's room, she's still asleep. I walk toward the door, seeing a note with my name on it.

Maine, Jamal called last night, he's coming early to get the rest of his stuff. If I'm asleep, just hand him the box by the door.

The door knocks again. I walk downstairs, look in the peephole, and see Jamal. I open the door. "Who the fuck are you?" Jamal tries to come in. I push him back outside. "Nigga, don't touch me boy! unless you want ya life to change. Don't fuck with me." I laughed, picked up the box, and handed it to him. He pushed it to the floor and says, "I don't want that shit. This my house, where Imani at?"

"nigga, shutup. This not yo house, yo name ain't on shit. Yo shit in this box, take it and leave." I tried closing the door but he put his foot in the way. "so we gont be kids about this Jamal?"

"IMANI GET YO ASS DOWNSTAIRS BEFORE I GET UP THERE AND BEAT YO ASS!!" I boiled and punched him dead on the nose, he fell to the ground. I picked up the box, threw it at the sidewalk, and closed the door. He left with a bloody nose. I got upstairs to the bathroom to wipe my hand off. I hear Messiah and Imani. She walked in with Messiah in her arms, "What's goin on?"

"Nothin I couldn't handle." I walked pass her to my room. She followed, "what's your problem?" I looked at her with a stern face and asked, "Jamal hit u before?" Her eyes widened. "IMANI! DID HE BEAT YOU?!" She nodded. "damn" I went to hold her. She started crying in my arms. "why didn't you tell me?"

She looks at me and says, "Its normal." referring to her dad beating and sexually abusing her when she was young.

Its upsetting I can't do nothing to help her. Jamal doesn't deserve to be alive. "I'm sorry 'Mani....I wish I could fix it. Make you feel better." a tear fell down my cheek, I quickly wiped it, to prevent Imani from seeing. "it's okay."

"no, its not. He was beatin you and you didn't say shit to me."

"Because I knew you would act like this" she walked off. I followed, "how am I suppose to react?...happy? I care about you and I can't take how you been settling for niggas who treat you like shit."

Damn, I shouldn't have said that. I know she gont get mad as hell.

"Look, Imani, I--" she put her hand up and walked to her room to lay Messiah back in bed. I said 'damn' to myself and walked to her door and sat there looking at my phone.

Jamal's P.O.V.

I walk into the house and look in the mirror at my face. I think to myself, this nigga fucked my nose up.

I call Imani. "Hello?"

"That nigga still over there?"

"Why you still actin like you walkin on this floor? You're done! That's it." she says as she feeds Messiah. "you know in time people change. I can." No response from the other end. Then she said, "well, you shouldn't have changed in the first place, then you wouldn't have to change back", then she hung up.

I need her to understand that she's mine. That Jermaine nigga needs to step.

I was bored so I hit up a friend.

Me: come thru

Girl: right now

Me:yea...wear what I like

Girl: (; be there soon