One Way Out

Chapter 9

6 Months Ago

Paris sits on the edge of the couch arm as some of the boys play dice in front of her. Jeremiah was finally back from school for winter break and she still hasn't seen him yet. All she could think about was going to his house and playing chess, something these kids knew nothing about. Smoke filled the dingy dimly lit apartment living room. She couldn't wait to get out of there.

She kept her head down in her phone, texting. It seemed like every day that went by, she hated the drug life more and more. She wanted to get out but there was no way that she could see. She just had to wait for something to happen....

Her phone vibrates. She opens the text.

Jer: I mean if Brook is busy, I could come get you

She hears Brian call her name from the bedroom. "Yea baby?" she calls back, typing a text back to Jeremiah.

Me: Nooo that's not a good idea. It's not safe for you

Jer: Cant be much safer for you..

Me: I'll be fine

Paris hears footsteps behind her, then a rough hand on her back, forcefully shoving her off of the arm of the couch and onto the floor. "Bitch, you ain't hear me talkin' to you?" Brian says hovering over her with his fists clenched, "I said come roll my weed."

Paris stands up and brushes the crumbs she picked up from the ground off of her arm. "Where is it?" she asks with a hint of hate in her voice. "On the counter," he directs. She glares at him from the side of her eye for a moment, then obediently walks 10 feet to the kitchen counter.

She picks up the bag of already cut marijuana and opens it. She rolls open a paper and sprinkles some of the chopped leafs onto it. Her phone vibrates again. She pauses to check it.

Jer: I miss you..

She grins to herself as she types back.

Me: I miss you too

As soon as she hits SEND, Brian snatches her phone from her hand. "Roll my weed bitch," he commands. "Tap stop! I am!" she whines, reaching for her phone.

"Obviously not," he says, "Who the fuck you texting that got you so distracted anyway?" He squints down at her phone. Paris's heart starts to jump. She didn't get a chance to back out to the home screen let alone lock her phone. She hopes Jer doesn't text her back so fast. But that hope quickly goes out the window when she hears her phone vibrate in Brian's hand.

His eyebrows raise and his mouth forms an "o" as he reads the text. "Oop. Come- haha, 'come over?'" he reads. He looks at her and shakes his head slightly, "Well where you going P?" He chuckles. Paris says nothing, looking at him with strength in her face but fear in her eyes. "How you gonna have friends without daddy's permission? And he can't even meet me? How rude," he taunts. "Come get me," he recites as he types the text back.

He scrolls up a little in the messages, "Oh? You miss him?" She doesn't respond but she holds his eye contact when he looks up at her. She feels a whoosh of air as he quickly brings his arm back and backhands her across the face, knocking her over onto the floor once again.

The other boys have stopped playing their dice game and were now watching as Brian confronted her. She stayed on all fours on the ground, taking deep breaths and staring at the floor attempting not to cry as she felt her stinging cheek start to heat up. "Get the fuck out my house," Brian says lowly to the boys. But when none of them move, he grabs a rolling pin from the counter and throws it towards the group. "I said get the FUCK OUT MY HOUSE!!" he bellows. The boys scatter and exit as quickly as Brian threw the pin.