When We Were Young

Chapter Ten

Two weeks later

Odell POV

I never thought that Dezzy would ever just stop caring about me. Like she really didn't give a fuck.

She stopped coming to my games, even though her little ugly ass friend Derrick was on the team. Maybe she would come if he actually played, but his ass was always on the bench where he belonged.

"Bruh, tell me how the shit was! She got good pussy?" I heard some of my teammates talking and turned around to see he was talking to Derrick.

"Yeah, bruh that shit was... Something," he laughed and dapped up the niggas he was talking to. "Her head game strong too! I'm talking 'bout throatin' a nigga anytime."

"Damn, sho' sound like she payin' like she weighin'," one of them laughed.

I know they not taking about Desiree', because if they are they lying.

"Ayo, shut that shit up," I spoke up and started walking over to him and his two friends.

"Who tha' fuck you talkin' to?" Derrick looked me over.

"I'm talkin' ta' yo ass. Shut. That. Shit. Up."

"Don't nobody be yelling fa' you to be quiet when you ova' Thea' tal'm bout them snow bunnies you be fuckin' on," he smirked. "So what you worried bout my shit fa'?"

"Yo ass is lyin', that's why I said shut the fuck up. Ye' ain't did nothin' wit' nobody, much less the girl you talkin' 'bout. So quit lyin' on yo dick."

"How the fuck do you know? She don't deal witcho ass no more. Fuck on wit' that."

I don't give a fuck whether she still talked to me or not. Dezzy was not a hoe. I knew for a fact she only had sex with one person, her boyfriend Justin junior year. She said she didn't like it, so why in the fuck would she do anything with fucking Derrick? She didn't.

Just because we didn't talk anymore didn't mean I didn't know her.

"Yeah you quiet now. You don't know what she does and you  shouldn't be carin'. She a grown woman now, and she on ha' grown woman shit, so stick to worryin' about yo snow bunnies," he laughed and turned away.

I turned and grabbed my bag and walked out.

I needed to know if what that nigga was saying was true.

I made my way to the Dezzy's apartment. She lived about thirty minutes from school; another reason to sell drugs: she wouldn't have to live in the fucking ghetto.

I jogged up the steps and before long I reach her apartment.

"Desiree'!" I pounded on her raggedy door, "Desiree'! Desiree' Elise! Open the do-"

I was cut off when the door was snatched open. I looked down to see Dezzy with sweatpants on and a hoodie over her head.

"What are you doing here Odell? And why are you yelling in front of my door? You're gonna piss off my neighbors."

"Whatever," I shrugged, "look did you fuck Derrick?"

She still had her head down with her hood on.

"Answer me Desiree'."

"It's not like it seems Dell," she spoke quietly with her eyes still on the floor.

"How is it then Dez?"

She didn't answer, she just slid her hood off her head to show a purple bruise across the side of her face.

"What the fuck happened to your face Desiree'?" I questioned her as I stepped inside and shut her door behind me.

"Tell me what happened," I reached out and touched her cheek and she flinched  away from me. "Fuckin' Derrick do this?"

"No," she shook her head.

I ain't believe her for a second. "Well who did it?"

She was still looking down.

Her mother's years of beating on her and blaming her for everything bad in their life really broke her down and made her so fucking scared of confrontation.

She probably didn't even put up a fight against whoever did this, because if she did she probably would have won.

Finally she spoke, but it was still quiet.

"Some girls just came out of nowhere one time and then it kept happening. The other night was like the fourth time. Derrick showed up, and broke it up. Apparently one of them was his cousin. Afterwards I thanked him and he told me that I should make sure nothing like that happened again and that he could help me. Then he came over once and tried some stuff and I told him we were just friends, so he got mad and told me that I got what I had coming. Then this happened," she gestured to her face.

"Then he came back yesterday and said that if I didn't give him what he wanted those girls would keep coming back... So," she wiped her eyes and stared at the ground, "I just did what he asked. Is he telling people what I did?" She looked up at me, "He didn't rape me or anything , but I really didn't  want to do it. I was scared, you know I'm not like that, don't you Dell?" She had tears in her eyes.

"Of course I know you're not like that baby," I pulled her close to me and wrapped my arms around her and rubbed her back as she laid her head on my chest. "Dezzy, you know that  that's rape right-"

"He didn't 'force' me to do it and I didn't say no. I don't know, it's not like I could tell any-"

"He threatened you into doing something he knew you didn't want to do, that's never okay.  And you could have told me. I don't care what happened with us, I never want anything bad to ever happen to you," I kissed her hair.

"Can I tell you something," she whispered.

"You can tell me anything."

"I'm scared Dellie."

"You don't ever have to be scared, cuz I got you."

"Dell, I'm sorry."

"Can I tell you something?"

She nodded against my chest.

"I still love you Dezzy and I never stopped."

"I love you too Dell, and neither did I."

I never thought I'd hear those words ever again.

A/N: Votes and comments make me smile; don't y'all wanna see my pearly whites??  😁😀 😂😂