Page 21 of The Hood's Finest: Jersey & Mylani
“What girlfriend?” she asked with a shocked expression on her face. Instead of responding, I pulled out my phone and went straight to the girl’s Passion page. She had tagged Jersey in the picture. That’s how I was able to see it. I didn’t know how Shanna missed it. They were all hugged up and dressed in all black. Her caption read,Thugged Out By The Hood’s Finest. ????
“This nigga can’t be real right now. He wifed up that stripper hoe, while I have his whole fucking son! Oh, we’ll see about that. Fuck Jersey. If he wants to play house, then you can stay here as long as you want; just understand that it’s not permanent. I need to go see my baby daddy.” Satisfied with the pot that I had just stirred, I retired to my room and relished in the fact that I had bought myself a lil’ more time.
***
I picked up an extra shift at the hospital so I could make some extra money. I knew I gave Shanna hell for letting me continue to stay with her, but I didn’t plan on letting her put me out before I was ready either. That’s why I was working more hours. I needed all the money I could get so that I could move.
“Hey, Tash. Can I talk to you for a second?” I looked up from my phone and saw my ex-boyfriend, Eric, standing in front of the information desk I was sitting behind.
“I’m working, Eric. What do you want?”
“I came to see when you’re coming home. You’ve been gone long enough.”
“Do you still have your lil’problem?”
See, I was living with my sister because I got tired of paying for Eric’s drug habit. He stayed high more than he was sober, and that in turn resulted in black eyes and busted lips I got tired of hiding.
“Damn it, Tasha!” He slammed his fist on the counter, drawing unwanted attention. “Stop this bullshit and come back home. I need you,” he pleaded. He looked so vulnerable, I kinda felt bad for him. Sighing deeply, I looked into his regretful eyes.
“I’ll think about it. That’s all I can promise right now. Give me a lil’ more time.”
“You got that, but don’t make me wait too long, and I have to come back up here.” He turned on his feet and left just as smoothly as he had come. On top of finding a place to stay, I had to find another job too. I refused to go back to Eric and his erratic behavior. That was definitely not an option.
14
Shanna
Jersey had all of life fucked up if he thought he was about to settle down with a bitch that wasn’t me. I had his fucking son, so I trumped all of that. He had to see me, and I meant that shit. I was on my way to his parents’ house now to see if I could catch him there. I could never catch him at home, so he had to be somewhere shacked up with that hoe. I pulled up at his parents’ house and made a beeline for the door.
“What are you doing here, Shanna?” his mom asked. I didn’t like her, and she didn’t like me. Her fake bougie ass got on my last nerve.
“I came to talk to your son. Is he here?”
“Is my grandson okay?” she asked, genuinely concerned. She may have been a bitch, but Jerz was the apple of her eye.
“Myson is fine. I came here to talk to yours.”
“Look, lil’ girl. Jersey doesn’t live here. I suggest you go to his home, where he resides.”
“Don’t you think I’ve done that? I’ve been by his condo for a week straight, and he hasn’t been there, unless Houston has been lying for him.”
“His condo? Oh, girl. How stupid can you be?” His mom laughed when she said that.
“This should show you how important you are to my son. You don’t even know where he really lives. You just got caught up in all the glitz and glam.”
“What do you mean, where he really lives? He lives in Midtown with Houston,” I revealed.
“If that’s what you’d like to think. I suggest you call him and get out my house.”
“Look, can you call him for me? I really need to talk to him. He hasn’t been answering for me. Even when I call from Jerz’s phone, he hangs up.”
“I’ll call him this time, but y’all need to get y’all’s shit together because I’m no damn mediator.” I was relieved that she said she would call him for me. When he got on the phone, I was gonna let his ass have it.
“Wassup, Ma? I’m kinda busy right now.” I heard his voice flow through the speaker.
“Somebody wants to talk to you,” she said, waiting for me to speak. I reached for the phone, but she moved it out the way.
“Talk if you gonna talk. You don’t need to hold it.”
