Page 32 of Remy

“Of course, it matters! I’m not a whore, Remy!”

“I know you’re not. And if that’s how you want to play this, then that baby is mine.”

“What?”

“It’s mine, Tianna. I’m the fuckin’ father, and you’re not gonna drink while you’re pregnant with my kid!” I snap at her. She laughs to herself before grabbing the bottle off the floor. She holds it up and looks at what’s left before bringing it to her lips and downing it. I know I should stop her. I know I shouldn’t lether do this, but I can’t. Not when I look in her eyes and see how much pain is there.

“Yours. What a fucking joke. I wish it were yours,” she says as she rustles around in my drawers, looking for more. And she finds it, taking the cap off and chugging as much as she can.

“It is mine. Don’t care who the real dad is. It’s mine.”

“You don’t want this baby,” she says as I walk toward her. I rest my hand on her stomach and look her in the eyes.

“This baby is a part of you, Tianna. I want you and everything that comes with you.” Tianna slaps my hand away, and I stand here, running my hand through my hair.

“How fucked up can my life get, Remy? Huh? Just how fucked up can it be?” She isn’t a drinker and never really has been, but this alcohol is hitting her hard and fast. She’s slurring as she keeps drinking, and there’s nothing I can do to stop her.

“You have Charlie to think about,” I remind her. She turns to me, eyes glossy as tears leak down her cheeks.

“Charlie? You mean the one thing I couldn’t keep safe? The baby I let him take?”

“You didn’t let him do anything, Tianna. That man cheated you. You fucked you over and fucked you up, and he’s gonna pay for that!”

“Oh yeah, big bad, Remy. Go out and get his hands bloody, and for what? For a bitch who slept with half of the city?”

“Stop, Tianna.”

“Stop what? Telling the truth? My God, Remy! You slept with me, too. Maybe you should get checked because who the hell knows what I have.”

“I mean it, Tianna. That’s enough.”

“What are you going to do? Huh? Punish me? Haven’t I been punished enough?” More tears. God, I didn’t want this for her. I didn’t want her to know or find out like this.

“Give me the bottle, Tianna.”

“Fuck you, Remy. You know what? Fuck all men! You’re nothing but a bunch of users anyway.”

“Give me the bottle,” I tell her once more. She huffs out a laugh and brings the bottle back to her lips, and this time, I swat it away again. The bottle hits the floor, and Tianna hits me. Her hands are balled into fists as she hits me as hard as she can. And I let her. I know she needs to get this out. I know she needs to let it go.

“I’m nothing but a whore! I’ve lost my family, my friends, my daughter. You! I’ve lost everything, Remy and all because of him! Because I was too stupid to see what was in front of me. No, I wanted to believe he loved me, that he cared about me. I wanted to believe I was doing the right thing and I wasn’t. I was nothing but his little whore!” She shoves away from me and starts stripping out of her clothes as she walks to the bedroom door. Before I know what she’s doing, she’s down the hall and into the main room naked.

A few of the guys look over at her, trying to see what the hell she’s doing.

“You like whores here, right? I’m sure you all saw the fucking videos! Might as well get some of me, too,” she screams with her arms out to the sides. I walk up behind her and try to grab her, but she slips away.

“Don’t touch me! Maybe you’re like Brad, huh, Remy. Maybe you want to share me, too,” she yells.

“I’m not sharin’ you, Tianna.”

“Why not? Afraid I might get pregnant? Too fucking late for that! Come on. Who wants to take a turn,” she slurs. Her screams turn to sobs as her body slowly deflates. I move toward her just as she picks herself back up and runs down the hall back to my room. This is killing me. Seeing her like this is too much.

“You got this?” Gunner asks. I nod my head and walk back down to my room when I hear the water running. I debate giving her some space but decide against it. Instead, I walk into the bathroom and find her in the tub, slipping under the water. I reach for her in a panic and pull her out, but she fights me.

“Leave me alone. I can’t do this, Remy. I can’t fucking do this!” She cries. Her slippery body slides out of my arms as she grabs the sponge and begins to scrub herself. “They touched me, and I didn’t know,” she sobs harder. I kick off my boots and climb in the tub with her, fully clothed. I take the sponge from her as she sobs manically, and I scoop her body into my arms. Her head lands on my chest, and that’s where I keep her as she cries.

I don’t know what she’s feeling. There’s no way I could comprehend it. I’ve never been in her position, and I don’t know how to handle her. So I keep her like this. I hold her. I run my hand up and down her back. I keep her tucked in close to me.I whisper sweet, calming words in her ear. It doesn’t help. All it does is cause her to cry more.

“What did he do to me?” She cries harder now.

---