NELLE.

CH 2.

I was damn near wasted by the time Pharaoh returned. Trés left around an hour after my drinking fiasco, which meant I was stuck in my room watching Netflix for the remainder of the day.

"I'm going through, changes! I'm going through, changes! (In my life)."

I threw my arms around casually slurring the remaining lyrics to the theme song of Big Mouth, and as the theme song was approaching its finale tune I paused the show, standing up to go use the bathroom, I was met in the doorway with the arrogant smirk of none other than the King himself.

"Havin' fun?" Pharaoh spoke. His voice being deeper than I remembered it to be hours ago, which sent shivers down my spine. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I attempted to maneuver my way past his tall build frame, only to be defeated just as quickly as I'd begun. I huffed, taking a step back and crossing my arms, slightly gazing down as stood my ground. He chuckled at my stance as he looked me up and down.

Don't look up. I warned myself.

I was tempted, I knew what he was doing; he did it all the time—.

Now watch, I thought.

As soon as you look up, he's going to lock his creamy ass Milk Chocolate eyes with yours, and then you're going to be stuck all over again. Don't do it!

Pharaoh cleared his throat as if he was waiting for me to react; I gave him no reaction, not even a twitch, I was determined to win this war if it was the last thing I—. "Nelle," He spoke.

"What?" I looked up.

Damn it!

"Damn it!" I yelled. Kicking my foot on whatever was nearby, which just so happened to be the frame of my bedroom door. "Fuck!" I exclaimed while falling back on my bed and grabbing my now throbbing foot.

I hissed aloud, while gently caressing my foot,  noticing that as the seconds went by the room got awkwardly silent. I looked up and instantly rolled my eyes as I saw Pharaoh standing in the corner of my doorway, body curled up with his hand on his stomach as he rocked back and forth with his mouth semi-open, and his eyes watering.

This Nigga's really laughin' at my pain . . . Shakin' my head.

I shook my head as I attempted to stand, which turned out somewhat successful.

After I stood and was able to regain my balance, I slowly began hopping towards my bedroom door and into the hallway. Passing Pharaoh, who was still laughing hysterically, I simply screwed my face up towards him and kept it moving.

"It ain't my fault you crippled!" He shouted and laughed even harder as I made my way into the bathroom.

Lawd. I thought,

It's gon' be a long night.

***

It was around one in the morning when I woke up, and just as fast as I opened my eyes the pain came rushing forward, I merely groaned as I slowly lifted myself up from my bed. My body felt heavy, and my head felt as if my brain and skull were playing a game of bumper cars. I sighed, standing up and grabbing onto the wall I sluggishly made my way down the hall and into the bathroom. Closing and locking the bathroom door behind me, I turned on one of the dimly lit bathroom lights, and as my eyes began adjusting to the light I looked into the mirror and studied my features.

My skin was a mahogany brown, which complimented my Dark Chocolate bold yet well-rounded eyes. I had thick eyebrows and high cheekbones, my nose was wide, yet thin, and my lips were pink and full. I had a head full of thick, black, coarse dreadlocks that stopped mid-way down my back and complimented my body in ways other features didn't.

To me, my body was a whole different story. I stood at 5'5 and weighed about 125 pounds, I had half the shape of a Coca-Cola bottle, and my breast weren't all that spectacular as I wore a 34B; my thighs weren't what some considered thick, they somewhat rubbed together when I walked and over the years I somehow obtained stretch marks. Like I said, nothing too grand, but I had little to none complains.

Breaking myself out of my haze, I turned to my left in order to turn on the bathwater. I figured a warm bath would at least make me feel somewhat better in my state of hangover, and after what seemed like a few minutes of the water running, I thought it'd be okay to climb in the bath now even though it was nowhere near full yet.

I hummed to myself while getting undressed and gradually climbing into the bath with the water still running, an interest I did ever so often as a child.

As a child, I thought.

I used to be so happy as a child . . . Now look at me, I ain't got shit to live for being in this damn house all day. Whole Childhood, whole Teen years, down the muh' fuckin' drain; shit would be so much better for me if I'd a just—,

"Nelle!" A deep voice spoke from outside the bathroom door knocking me out of my thoughts, I was stunned to see the bathwater had begun to overflow.

"Shit," I mumbled to myself, quickly leaned forward to turn off the water.

"Yeah?!" I shouted while looking towards the door, "Come downstairs so I can talk to you after you finish your bath Mamas." It was Pharaoh who had spoken; "Okay." I promptly stated, wanting him to get away from the door as quickly as possible for whatever reason.

I sat still for a few seconds. Listening as his footsteps began to move further and further away from the door, after hearing him walk down the stairs towards the first floor of the house, I sighed and laid my head against the back of the bath, having one thing and one thing only stored in the front of my mind:

I needa' get outta' this house.