Page 8 of Cove City: Volume II
Naheem
My foot tapped on the mini pedal as my ink gun buzzed. I tried focusing on my client as Zeus invaded my thoughts. Everything invaded my thoughts. I began questioning myself, not telling Zeus I was meeting up with Pierre to close that chapter in my life, and Pierre telling me that Quinton never told him he had been there.
“Goddamn!” Harvey yelled.
My attention focused back on her. “Sorry,” I mumbled.
She shot up from the table. “Oh, hell nah, you’re not about to fuck me up. I came here for a cute little flower and you’re going to give me one of Chevy’s plants.”
I laughed. “I’m sorry. Give me a minute, my mind is just somewhere else right now,” I said as I pulled the mask from my face, sucking in air.
I could see her staring at me curiously, “Is it Zu?”
It was amusing how Harvey and I had become so close, considering she had once been involved with Zeus. I nodded as I ran my hand over my forehead. I really wanted to break down, but I had to keep myself together. If he didn’t care aboutthe sake of our relationship, why should I? Harvey faced me, “We all know Zu, he kind of gets in his head and sometimes,” she paused. “Well, all the time, it affects his judgment. What happened?”
Talking to Harvey was different than talking to Zaria. Both were understanding, but it seemed easier to open up to Zaria because she hadn’t fucked on my nigga and Harvey did. “There is some miscommunication is all.”
She gave a dry smile. “I get it. You don’t want to tell me, and you don’t have to. Listen, whatever it is, I hope it works out. Zu needs a woman like you and I’m sure you need him. If he can’t listen to you or you guys are beyond the work-it-out stage, then maybe that relationship doesn’t serve either of you.”
Harvey was right. He and I did need to talk, but talking to a brick wall was easier said than done. Zeus’s and my relationship lacked communication. Even when I tried, somehow, we would end up having sex instead. Zeus’s bedroom skills were top tier. I couldn’t imagine anyone having that dick but me; however, I knew it was the biggest problem. I began to think about the things Pierre and I had talked about, and some of the things he said played in my head like a broken record.
“Can I ask you a question?” I said to her.
“Sure.”
“Have you ever been violated by someone you trusted?”
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t say a word. I was beginning to regret asking.
“Yes, but anything I say to you, you cannot tell Chevy.”
“Ok.”
She fumbled with her hands as if she were nervous. I placed my hand on hers. Harvey was like a closed book. She never shared anything about her past, except how she and Chevy had become friends. Seeing her like this was new to me.
“One guy I dated was everything I thought he would be. You know, coming from different group homes, you find yourself chasing happiness. You chase it so much that you're blinded to things. Instead of you searching for good people, you search for the good in people, and you begin to create your own idea of happiness, although you know deep down that it’s far from that.”
The statement she made hit home so hard that it sent chills down my spine.
“This guy I was dating had given me everything I needed, or at least I thought. I had become ayesgirl. Until one day that yes turned into a no, and he acted as if I had never said yes before. A jealous man is a dangerous one. He became envious of Chevy’s and my relationship. He wanted the depth Chevy and I had, but it wasn’t there,” she paused as a tear escaped her. “One night we were chilling, things were good. We had a few drinks, and I must have been beyond my limit because I was so tired. He wanted to have sex, and I didn’t. I must have passed out because when I woke up, he was on top of me.” She cried.
Immediate flashes of Quinton popped into my head, and I felt a wave of nausea. It was the same thing for me, without the alcohol. My stomach turned.Did Quinton rape me?The notion of him violating me had always sizzled in the back of my head, but Harvey telling me her story triggered something. I reached out and hugged her, “Your secret is safe with me,” I whispered.
I needed to find Quinton because I needed answers before I pulled the trigger on his ass. The person that I needed was miles away and angry, not only at me but also at the situation with Dio. Even if I wanted to tell him, I wouldn’t because at the end of it all, I still loved Zeus and wouldn’t want to put more on him than he could bear, and my pride wouldn’t let his turning his back on me slide.
QUINTON
“It’s hot as fuck. Where this bitch at!” I spat.
I sat outside near a funky ass garbage can waiting for Flex to come out of the club. It had been three fucking hours, and her ass still hadn’t set foot outside. The heat penetrated me so much that a nigga started to become delusional. Things were shifting, as if I were seeing some type of mirage. I swiped my hand down my face and stood. I paced the side of the parking lot thinking. The more the sun sizzled my dark, handsome skin, the more my mind began running.
I thought about that fucking girl who was in Zaria’s Place. I didn’t realize she was in there until after the cocktail flew from my hand into the window. The way her eyes widened when I went to throw the second one stopped me. I tossed the cocktail into the bush and ran. Keith’s ole giddy ass just had to be the hero. “Fuck!” I shouted.
I let out a sharp breath as I began thinking about the bitch that came between me and my cousin. I fucked up letting my impulses speak louder than my thoughts. This wasn’t the first time, but this time I knew I had hit rock bottom. With nowhere to turn and limited funds, I had no one to rely on. The Zoo Boyz didn’t put a nigga on, Sasha had turned her back on me, my auntie didn’t fuck with me, my momma was shooting shit up her arm somewhere, and Pierre’s head was stuck up a bitch’s ass.
Another hour went by before Flex finally came walking out of the club. The painted-on jeans hugged her wide hips, while the crop top she wore was barely hanging on. I wiped the sweat that trickled down the side of my face before I rubbed my hands together, stepping toward her.
She giggled as she held the phone in her hand, talking to someone. “Excuse me,” I tried whispering.
