Page 36 of Intercept My Heart

“Hey, Siah,” Nessa cooed, twirling her bundles with her fingers. I wanted to get away from them as soon as possible because I felt like an intruder.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? You could have rode with me.”

“You never asked. Plus, you’ve been too busy to talk to me anyway. I’m surprised you still remember who I am.”

“Man, stop playing with me. A girl as fine as you isn’t easy for a nigga to forget about.” I stood there awkwardly as the two of them flirted back-and-forth. My bladder gave me the signal that I needed to keep pushing, so I tapped Arnessa on the arm and told her I was gonna find another bathroom.

“There is a bathroom in the master suite. If you go down that hall and go all the way down to the end. Adam said only his close friends can use it, but it won’t be a problem. Just make sure you shut the door back once you’re done,” Josiah explained.

“I’ll be right there after I get done talking to this fool.” Arnessa rolled her eyes as if she wasn’t interested in talking to him. Even though I knew that wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t bust her out like that.

“Yeah, alright. Keep playing with me, girl.” He pulled her closer, and that was my cue to leave. I thanked him and quickly raced down the hall to relieve myself. Even with the room door closed, the music boomed through.

Whoever owned this house must have paid their neighbors off; otherwise, the police would have shut this party down hours ago. I heard the door slam, so I called out to Arnessa to let her know I would be out in a minute. As I stood in front of the mirror, I smiled at what I saw. The girls helped me apply a little makeup and gave me an outfit to wear. The yellow crop top matched the blue jean mini skirt and complemented my slim frame. For once, I felt sexy, and I relished in the feeling.

“Girl, I’m pretty sure I peed all of the liquor out,” I joked as I stepped out of the room. I expected Nessa to respond, so when I heard nothing, I lifted my head to see where she was. My stomach dropped to my feet as I stared into cold, familiar eyes.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve to be up in here partying as if you didn’t tear apart an entire family,” he seethed. The fire dancingin his eyes told me that I was in danger. I silently cursed myself when I realized I left my crossbody with my phone in it downstairs with the girls.

“W-what are you talking about, Drake? What your parents did wasn’t my fault.” After I turned over all the evidence Ciera left behind, along with my statement, Vera and Dennis were arrested and charged with child abuse, child endangerment, and a host of other charges related to sexual assault and misconduct with minors. After the story aired on the news channels, a few other girls came forward to tell their stories as well. Once the trial was over, I packed my things and headed off to college. I picked an out-of-state school to start over and get away from the stares and whispers.

Vera was sentenced to fifteen years, while Dennis took a plea deal for thirty-five. To be honest, that wasn’t enough for me, but I guess it was better than nothing. To be honest, after I left, I never thought about what it would mean for Drake and his sisters. Hell, none of them cared about what happened to Ciera and me, so I returned the favor by focusing on myself. From the menacing glare on Drake’s face, he hated me as much as I hated his parents.

“All you bitches do is lie. My mother said that you were trying to destroy our family because my father refused to be with you, and I believe her. You and those other lying bitches were jealous that my parents were in love. You didn’t have a family of your own, so you decided to take away mine! You stupid bitch!” Drake lunged toward me. I attempted to step backward but ended up backing myself up to the bed. I tried to break away from him, but Drake slapped me so hard my vision began to blur.

“You ruined everything! You took my parents and my best friend away because you want to be a damsel in distress! You just had to take everything from me!” Drake pushed me onto the bed and then gripped my neck as he straddled me. My hands clawedat him as I tried with all my might to get him off of me. Nothing seemed to work, and the longer he held me down, the more frightened I became. My life hadn’t been the best, but I certainly didn’t want to die this young.

Drake finally released his hands from my throat, and I fought to catch my breath. Tears streamed down my face as I reflected on what had just transpired. Drake climbed out of the bed, so I assumed he would be leaving, but I had been sadly mistaken.

“You know, one thing about crying wolf, eventually, your lie will become your reality, but by then, no one will believe you. I’m gonna make sure you never forget the name Jones.” Before I could truly process his threat, Drake began to yank on my skirt. I fought him off, but his weight dominated mine. He reached into my skirt and ripped my panties off as he spread my legs.

“This pussy better be good for everything it’s cost me,” he grumbled. I let out a piercing scream, but the music was so loud I doubted anyone could hear me. Arnessa told me she would be coming, so I hoped she made it in time.

“Shut up! You weren’t crying when you got your ass on that stand and lied to those jurors.” Drake undid his belt with one hand while the other squeezed my throat. When he freed himself, I attempted to kick him, to no avail. Drake laughed cynically before he spit in my face. My feelings were hurt, and I felt so degraded. Drake rained blows over my body while he positioned himself between my legs.

“This is what happens to bitches who don’t know how to keep their mouth shut.” He grunted before shoving himself inside of me. Due to my dryness, the pain hurt worse than I could have ever anticipated.

His hold on my throat grew tighter as he pumped into me. Tears streamed down the sides of my face until they dripped into my ears. I could feel myself slipping in and out of consciousness, and I didn’t bother to fight it. Anything would be better thanthis. Drake wasn’t as big as Dinero, but his size was enough to feel as if he was ripping me apart.

“Stupid bitch.” He continued to call me all kinds of disparaging names while I lay there fighting for every breath I could get. There were no sunny beaches or vacations this time. Instead, the scene appeared to be an out-of-body experience. I watched myself lie there helpless, begging for me to fight back. Only there was no movement as I straddled the fence between reality and unconsciousness. Once he finished, Drake turned and hocked another loogie on me once again. I was too busy flailing like a fish, trying to catch my breath.

“Now Dinero will finally see you for the worthless trash you’ve always been. I bet he won’t want anything to do with you now.” He laughed. His words haunted me as I wondered how I would even tell him. Or if I even should.

I lay on the bed in a fetal position and sobbed until there were no more tears. Eventually, Arnessa must have realized I had been gone too long because she burst into the room, calling my name. I was naked from the waist down, so she covered me up first. When she insisted we call the police, I frantically declined. The last thing I needed was for this to make it to the news. Who knew? Maybe Drake was right, and the world would think I lied.

“Charae, we have to tell someone. Whoever did this to you needs to be arrested. You didn’t deserve this.” I wasn’t quite sure if I believed her. Maybe all of this was my fault. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut and just moved on with my life. Then, none of this would have happened.

“Please, no. All I need you to do is help me put my clothes back on and get me out of here. I don’t want anyone to know what happened. It’s done and over with.” Arnessa gave me a sympathetic look, but I turned my head. There was no room for sad faces and feeling sorry for myself. I wanted to bury this deepin my mind and move on with my life. Nothing would ever be the same.

Several weekslater

“Damn, it’s lit in this bitch.” Dreis whistled as we stepped into the party. I’d been to a few college parties as a youngin, but it was nothing like what I’d experienced here at Douglasville These mothafuckas barely slept from partying so much. It amazed me that everyone around here managed to maintain their grades.

“Hey, yeah. Did you bring the bars?” my roommate, Montez, asked. He played on the football team with me, but his ass was a wild one. I’d sold drugs for years, but I never touched anything outside of weed, and even that was sparingly due to football. These cats out here were something different. My uncle Ro suggested I bring the pills to school because he swore thatcollege students were a major clientele for him back in the day. He wasn’t exaggerating at all.

Within the first month of being here, the word got around that I was the man to see for all their candy needs. I didn’t need the money, but at the same time, it was hard to pass up. I’d been in the streets since I was a young boy, and it had nothing to do with the struggle but the community. Unc always said the fiends were gonna get it from someone, so they might as well get it from someone they could trust. His logic made sense to me, and for the most part, it brought me a solid clientele over the years.

“Yeah, I brought it. I’ve already gotten a few requests for them, so I’ll probably sell out before the night is over.”

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