Ruffian (Completed)

1.

Shanell Liana Lancaster, 20
3 years before
9am

"Yo." Cain spoke groggily into the phone as he answered, sleep evident in his deep voice.

"Cain." I spoke softly, trying to gather my words so that I wouldn't burst into tears before I could even get them out.

"Baby?" He asked in confusion, shifting a bit.

"Yes." I answered before taking a deep breath.

"What's up, babygirl?"

"What's gon' on?" He cleared his throat, flipping his phone over as it now pointed at his high ceilings in his large bedroom.

"Alot.." I trailed off, looking down into the blank screen of our FaceTime call.

"I just really need to talk to you."

"What wrong?" He went on asking as the camera continued to face the ceiling, away from his face completely.

I rapidly bit my lip, feeling nervousness exuding my body. Just trying to gain the courage to spit out this information.

"Babe, it's really important and-" I started but stopped, sighing deeply.

"-I just don't want to have to say it to the ceiling."

"I need you to get up and look at me." I expressed to him and he sighed a little before I heard shifting then a few seconds later his face popped up into the camera.

"I apologize, I wun' tryna be rude."

"I just woke up and shit. I had a long night, ma." He grumbled and I nodded understandingly, looking into his eyes now.

"But I'm all ears for you now."

"And good mornin', baby." His deep voice then went onto say and we couldn't help but to smile at each other as our eyes connected through the screen.

"Good morning." I replied to him with a small smile.

"How yo' mornin' going so far?" He asked, leaning over to grab something before he got back into the camera.

"You look beautiful this mornin'." He complimented, coming back with an already rolled blunt behind his ear, a wrap in hand and a small bag of weed.

"Where you comin' from?" He went on asking, furrowing his eyebrows.

"The doctor's office, babe."

"Remember I told you I had an appointment this morning?" I asked him and his eyebrows shot up, instantly remembering.

"Yeah yeah, I remember."

"So what's up? Everything aight? I know you was feeling sick." He asked all at once while rolling his blunt and looking directly into my eyes.

"Yeah but no.." I trailed off.

"Everything's not okay." I whispered quietly and my stomach jerked a bit as tears threatened to fall from my eyes.

"What's wrong?" He spoke seriously now, stopping everything he was doing and putting all his attention on me as I put my phone down, covering my face completely.

I was a nervous wreck, I couldn't just tell him this.

"Babygirl." He called again but I completely ignored him as I sat parked outside of my house with my head against the steering wheel.

Today had just been a hectic morning for me, he didn't even understand. He was a man, he didn't have to.

I could hear him sigh deeply into the phone while I tried calming myself before he began talking again.