'Til Sun Beams Find You [COMPLETE]

Forty-four (Part 2)

"You know what the problem is? You weren't using your head," Malik tapped at the sides of his temples with his middle fingers as he lectured her.

He paced back and forth across her living room in front of her.

"I'm telling you.. niggas see you acting all crazy like that over them they gone do you waaaaay dirtier than they ever planned to before," he pointed at her with the cigarette between his middle and index finger before placing it between his lips. "If you was doing that shit to me... crying and begging me not to leave you in the middle of a fuckin club... bet," he nodded to himself. "I'm gettin creative with ways to do you dirty. I'm doin you ten times worse just cause I know you gone take it. That's the game," he shrugged.

Nico held her knees to her chest as she looked up at him.

He was mostly just talking to himself as she stayed within the confines of her own mind.

She didn't believe any of what they told her about last night.

Nico only remembered up to her third drink when the drugs kicked in and everything after that was a blue. She faintly remembered seeing Carter, crying and screaming, and then throwing up all over herself when they tried to bring her home.

Angelo gave her the play-by-play, and she begged for him to stop, as she was getting second-hand embarrassment hearing it, and worse, knowing that they had watched her do what she had done.

She hugged the blanket around herself tight as she listened to Malik's ramblings.

Her hair was wet from the shower she took and hung down the sides of her face as she left it to air dry. She was wearing shorts and a hoodie that did nothing to offset the cold air of her apartment. She wanted to ask Malik to turn the thermostat up since he was close by, but she couldn't really get any words out.

She was just... quiet.

Her bowl of cereal that Angelo poured for her sat untouched on the coffee table in front of her. He was sitting next to her, eating his bowl of cereal quietly as he followed his brother's pacing with his eyes.

When Malik finished with his speech, Angelo raised a brow.

"That all you got in that philosophy book of yours?" He cracked.

Malik kissed his teeth.

"All I'm saying is if she was thinking with her head, none of that woulda gone down. Nigga shoulda folded you but he didn't... shiiit that's what I woulda done," Malik said as he plopped down next to her and picked up the video game controller. "Can't be putting yourself in those situations, girl. Gotta be more playa than that. Shit was hurting my heart to watch, Nic.."

They were initially staying at Jada's apartment since it was vacant while she stayed with her parents for the holidays, so it made it easier for them to take care of Nico when they brought her home.

Mostly, it was Angelo as Malik was too out of it to be any help and he just went upstairs and crashed.

Angelo helped her take off her clothes and wiped off her makeup and did his best to try to wash the vomit out her hair, but couldn't manage all of it, and Nico was too tired to stay leaned over the tub for any longer.

He slept on the couch and was awakened by Malik knocking on the door, accompanied by the video game console he brought down to play because it was boring in the apartment upstairs by himself.

"You good?" Gelo asked her when she didn't have any response to Malik's monologue.

"Cold," she muttered, unsure of how Malik was comfortable without a shirt on.