before this
starts i don't care
if this book is
short or has nothing
to do with jahseh
i'm bored
stokely held his head in his hands. "fuck" he turned to jahseh. "come on we have to get you out of here."
jahseh sat there saying nothing. blinking at his shoes cluelessly.
"what the hell is his problem?" maya wiped tears off her cheeks.
stokeley yanked jahseh's arm up. "you are, his family, and even himself." he walked jahseh out and snuck him downstairs.
maya peeked over the balcony and watched the group of people filming and calling out to her. she spent the next hour watching death note in the bed covered in blankets.
he hit rarely. it was always pushing each other, breaking things, grabbing things, but never hit.
all maya could do is play it back in her head like a cassette. she's rather be lying in a pool of blood than his bed. she almost forgot the scars on her neck but then remembered. her dad's party.
maya was almost fresh out of makeup from all the other times she was in crisis. when jahseh slammed the door one night, the bookshelf fell on maya's foot. when jahseh and maya were fighting in his car, he swerved so fast she broke her nose then that same day he pushed her downstairs and she broke her arm. all she used was foundation. she knew she didn't need that much makeup anyway.
when maya checked her makeup bag she was out. her bank account was officially empty. her cash app and paypal were dry. she was broke. she would have to start selling her laptop or switch for money.
it had turned out jahseh was missing his shifts and coming in late. he didn't seem to care but his boss did.
maya got on a skirt and t-shirt, then headed to the bus stop. she checked the time. 4:38 pm. the dinner was at six. she just needed to pick up her dress and go.
......
jahseh finally came home only to sit on the couch and stare in the dark living room. maya peeked to see who it was. "hey."
"hi," he mumbled.
the silence was loud.
"stoke talked to the cops. he told them it was a misunderstanding. that's all." jahseh spoke in a monotone.
maya didn't respond. she was beating her face with the brush as best as she could finishing up the final touches. "my dad is having a dinner rehearsal tonight." she stuck an earring in.
"i'd love it if you came. "
"sure. do i need a suit?"
"yeah. your hair-"
"i just got it done," he told her.
"can you zip me up?" she asked.
jahseh walked into the bathroom and zipped up the short black dress. "you straightened your hair?" he asked.
"my dad always thought it looked prettier that way."
.......
maya and jahseh arrived just on time for the rehearsal. the entire night all eyes were on them. maya could've cared less. she was studying her new mom. her name was amanda. she was a bleach blonde with an hourglass figure and a nasally voice. she looked like she could pass as maya's stepsister. her dad was all over her the entire night. "oh wallace" she'd practically moan. even jahseh glared at her across the room. "are you gonna talk to him?" jahseh asked maya.
