Chasing Chase (Urban Fiction)

2 | Just Gotta Make It

I got to work tonight with a lot on my mind. So much had happened since dropping off JoJo this morning. I was just glad JC could watch him tonight in case Hernandez decided to slide through. I had to focus though, I needed tonight's pay. "Giselle, lemme get a whiskey on the rocks" "I got you Ty." I responded. In here I was a different person for various reasons. Bartending at a strip club was not something I was proud of but it paid the bills.. on a good night. "Here you are" I slid the drink his way and waited for the tip. A dollar. One measly dollar. If the night was going to be like this, there was no way in hell I was going to make it through. I sighed and leaned on the back of the bar. "What's got you down mama?" Selina asked me. We always worked the same shifts, and grew closer over time. "Money man, the house alone is gonna put me in debt, on top of JoJo about to start Senior year, of course he's gonna go to college with all his talent.. Selina it's a lot" I vented to her. She rubbed my back for support. "You got this mama, god never gives more than you can handle" her Latina accent made everything better. "Head up baby girl, you have a visitor" Selina told me. My face lit up. "How you doing tonight beautiful?" he asked in his charming, deep voice. "Better now that you're here" I flirted. Damien was a customer that came night after night but swears it was only to see me. He was a 28 year old married man, a full 10 years older than me but it was cute and fun to entertain. "You look as beautiful as ever Giselle, but something is on my baby girl's mind.. what's up?" he read my emotions with me having a blank face on. Was he good at guessing or did he honestly care? "Money is tight you know? Tryna put my baby brother through school and keeping the house we in, it's a lot on my plate" I told him and he listened intently. "You know I can help you." He looked to me with a grin on his face that gave me the impression that his intentions weren't as helping as I thought it would be. "No, Damien, I'm fine" I leaned up off of the bar and headed to the back where the phone was. I had to check on JoJo.

I dialed up JC's house phone and Blake picked up. "Hey B, can I speak to JoJo?" "Yeah Chase, hold on" I looked around to make sure no one heard my real name on the other end of the phone. "Hey sis, what's up?" "Nothing JoJo, I just wanted to check on you. Everything good?" He paused and I grew worried for a moment. "Yeah, no onions.. aiight thanks.. sorry Chase, we ordering carryout for dinner.. but yeah everything is good. Blake is holding it down, and BJ is a pretty good bodyguard too" we both laughed. BJ was only 3. "Okay well good. I should be home at 2, so I'll come get you then, or should I wait until tomorrow?" "Come tomorrow, I wanna play Blake in COD a few times tonight." I smiled. "Okay baby boy, I'll see you in the morning, love you kid" "Yeah yeah" he handed the phone to JC. "Hey girl, how's it going tonight?" "Slow, JC how am I gonna pay the mortgage, light and electric in two days, when I'm barely making $100 a night?" Everything felt like it was just turning bad so fast. "Hey, look.. graduation is a week away, your dad would've hustled for that money and got it however he needed to. You do what you need to do Chase." JC always gave me the motivation to keep pushing. I spent a few more minutes talking about how big BJ was getting and how proud of herself she was for graduating even though her whole family believed she wouldn't. I then realized that I had to call Parker. We had some real shit to talk about. "Look girl, I need to check on Parker and then get back to work, thanks again for looking after JoJo." We ended our conversation and I quickly dialed Parker.

"Who dis?" he answered the phone. "I told your ass about answer the phone like that, you gon miss an opportunity acting like a hoodlum." "What opportunity gon come through the phone Chassia? Telemarketers and niggas in jail." We both laughed. He was right. "Park.. how you doing?" "I'm.. I'm cooling, you know, can't trip too hard. He was never my boy and she aint never really love me." Earlier today when I came home from dropping off JoJo, Parker told me about his girl.. well ex girl Cassidy and how she slept with his homeboy Mark. Not only were they sleeping together but now she was pregnant. It was no way in hell it was Parker's because he never touched her. They were together for seven months but Parker was always on the go, and never had time to lay it on her. Guess that's why she found comfort in Mark. "Cassidy was never right for you anyway." I told him. I knew it wouldn't make him feel better, but it needed to be said because it was true. Parker was the type of dude to carry a glock and defend his family, but love his woman with all his heart. He just wanted one that could remain loyal and down for him whether shit was hard or not. When he found the one, he was gonna give her the world. "Look I gotta finish my shift, and then I'll be headed home" "What time you supposed to get off tonight?" "I should be home around 2." I spoke into the phone. "Aiight, I'll be up until then" "You don't-" "Shut up and go to work" Parker cut me off. He was always worried about me and my well being, since we were kids. He really was my big brother. I used to be in love with Parker but all that ended when he got with Cassidy.

I heard the clicking of heels down the hall and realized the next girls were up. At the end of the line was Destiny. We had been in high school together and she graduated a year before me. "Chassia?" She hasn't seen me in the club before, I was always behind the bar. I shushed her and checked to see if anyone heard her. "I'm Giselle here" "And I'm Mother Theresa" Her sarcasm made me chuckle but not loud. I was serious about keeping my cover. "What you doing here? Cus by the judge of this outfit, you ain't stripping, but you should be" she said while rubbing on my booty. I moved her hand and she laughed. "Bartending won't pay the bills baby girl" she told me. I looked away. It was no way in hell I was gonna start stripping. "Think about it" she said to me and walked away. I knew stripping was good money, but it was also a road that once I entered, I may never come back from. 12:45. I had to finish up my shift.

I ended the night with $200. It was nothing compared to what I made when I first started working there. I was bringing in $500 a night, just off of tips. Was it me or the club? This wouldn't last long enough for me and JoJo to even have food for the month. What was I gonna do? I came in the house and called Parker immediately. "I'm home Park" "Is JoJo there? If he is, I don't want to wake him." I smiled to myself, he was always so worried about JoJo, looked after him like he was his little brother too. It warmed my heart knowing he was on our side, no matter what. "No, he slept at JC's tonight." "Cool, Ima head down there in a few." We ended our conversation and I quickly went to change out of my work uniform. It was no stripper's outfit, but it fit tight enough and was short enough to get me plenty of stares at the gas station for those late night fill ups. I brushed my hair and took off my makeup. I could be comfortable around Parker, we practically grew up together. I changed into a tank and basketball shorts, and sat on my bed scrolling through my twitter timeline and awaiting his arrival. I heard the front door open and heavy footsteps up the stairs. Heavier than usual. I sniffed the air, and it didn't smell him. If that makes sense. "Hello?!" The house grew silent as I called out. I reached for my piece in the nightstand and stood armed. "Ayye what the fuck is up, whose there?!" I yelled again. I opened my door slightly and turned the corner, only to be snatched up and put in a choke hole, with a knife against my throat. It was Hernandez. I knew that scent anywhere. The scent of drugs, alcohol and desperation. "You scream and I kill you" he told me. I was scared but I didn't budge. Parker soon came in the house, and began up the steps. Hernandez tucked us away inside of a bedroom and locked the door. Parker knew something was up. He had to. I had left the drawer where my piece sat, wide open. He began to search the house. "Chase?!.. Chase where you at?!" he began to yell worried. I saw as he approached closer to the door and I headbutted Hernandez in hopes that it would give me time to escape his grasp. "Parker in here!" I ducked under the bed and took cover. Parker burst through the door and jumped on Hernandez. They went at it for a minute until Hernandez was weaponless and I had a gun to his head. "You know you must really have a death wish" Parker told him, spitting out blood. "Keep fucking with my family if you want to bitch" he punched him right in his nose and made him bleed profusely. Damn. Parker stood him back up. "Come around here and fuck with any one of us, ever again and you'll have more problems that a broken nose.. Understood?" Parker spoke fear into his heart. "Good" Park dragged him out the house and laid him on the concrete. After kicking him one last time, Parker returned to the house. I had a few bruises and aches. Nothing that I hadn't seen before. I just thank god JoJo wasn't home.