Coming of Age

19

After a few days of silence, Joelle went back to the store. Nobody had seen her for a couple of days. It was like she had fallen off the grid.

"Well look who it is."Dean smiled at her. "I was wondering if you were okay."

"I'm fine. I just had to come back and tell you that I liked it."Joelle smiled at him. She sat down in front of him.

"Good, Good"Dean licked his lips. "They call you Jojo, huh?"

Joelle laughed and crossed her arms in front of her. "How you know that?"

"I always do my research whenever I see a pretty girl."Dean chuckled.

Joelle sucked her teeth. "I feel all the lil game you tryna spit at me. What you want?"

"I don't want nothing. I know you do big shit, but smoke a lil spliff with me. Let me get to know you a lil better...JoJo."

"Call me Joelle."She rolled her eyes. "My friends call me JoJo."

"Damn, So we can't be friends?"He smiled at her. He pulled out a joint and lit it up before passing it to her. "I like that name by the way."

With all the drugs Joelle was already on, she took the joint and put it to her lips. She hit four times before passing it back. "Dean is your real name?"Joelle asked him.

"Is Joelle yours."Dean chuckled.

"Joelle Irie Johnson, yup."

"Dean Ray Crews. Nice to meet you."He gave it back to her and she started to laugh. "Your middle name is Ray?"

"Don't make fun of me, I'm named after my grandfather."He chuckled.

"I can tell. Good thing your name isn't just Ray. I don't know too many drug dealers named Ray."Joelle laughed. "Nobody would probably take you seriously then."

"I don't like the term drug dealer. I prefer street pharmacist."Dean spoke with air quotes before Joelle the blunt.

"Oh? You're medicating the community?"Joelle raised an eyebrow.

"You catch on fast."He winked at her. "I like ya style."

Joelle continued to hit the blunt, it hit hard, mixing up with the trip she was already having.
Things went silent between the two of them. 

Her mind was wondering and so was his. Their thoughts weren't the same. Dean got up from the chair that he was sitting in and walked over to Joelle. He leaned in and gave her what he felt like her lips were missing, his.

She was taken aback at the beginning but didn't protest. She allowed his mouth to explore hers.

He pulled away, biting her lip. "My bad, you was just looking good."

"It's fine."Joelle narrowed her eyes to meet his, he was a lot taller than her. They stared at each other for a good minute before he walked away to close the door and lock it.

He walked back in her direction and threw her over the chair she was sitting in. He lifted the jean skirt that she was wearing and slowly pushed into her.

Joelle's mouth fell open and she threw her head back on his shoulder. Having sex with strangers wasn't something she did on a regular, but he felt good. He was making her feel good too.

Dean held on to the back of her shirt to keep his balance with the way she was throwing it back on him. She caught on fast,

"Damn. Hold up."Dean tried to match her rhythm because he felt like she was punking him out.  He grabbed onto the small of her back and started to pound her as if her pussy stole money from him.

"Ooh shit."Joelle placed her palms on the nearest wall. Now she was the one that couldn't take it.

Dean was enjoying fucking her, so much that he felt his climax coming early and that wasn't like him. "Fuck, I'm cumming, "He pulled out and released on the edge of the seat.

Dean fell back on the small table in the middle of the room trying to catch his breath. "I don't usually – you know, but you just — Ion even know."

"Oh no. It's okay. I uh, I should go."Joelle started to fix her clothes.

"Wait a minute, am I gonna see you again? Can I at least get ya number or something?"He grabbed her arm before she was able to live. "Don't just leave like Cinderella."

"You're always here aren't you? I'll come back and see you."Joelle pulled away and ran out. It wasn't like she was embarrassed, she just needed to go before they'd be fucking all over that room. She wasn't sure if she wanted that.

Joelle ran out of the store bumping into a stranger on the way out. "I'm so sorry."She looked at him.

Her eyes burned with tears as she made eye contact with who she thought was a stranger.

"Get out my store if you not gonna buy nothing man. I told your ass about that begging."The store clerk yelled at him.

"What did he want?"Joelle quickly turned around, pulling money out of her pocket.

"Please don't feed him, they never leave when you do."The man shook his head.

"Sir, please. I know him."Joelle wiped a tear from her eyes. "What did you need?"She asked him.

"I was just tryna get me a drink ma'am and some chips."Jordan smacked his lips. "The man always tryna keep a brotha down."

He didn't even know who she was.

"Nigga I'm light-skinned."The store clerk sucked how teeth.

Joelle let him get everything that he wanted and paid for it. "Thank you, ma'am."He smiled at her and disappeared.

Joelle continued to fight tears as she walked home. It was a humbling experience. Seeing her brother had really put things in perspective for her. Is that what was going happen? Is that the path she was heading towards?

As she walked into her house, her thoughts scared her so much that she had to throw up. She stared at herself in the mirror and didn't even recognize herself.

What had she done? Who was staring back at her?

Tears fell down Joelle's face as hit the mirror. She hated what she saw. She hated the girl who was staring back at her. She didn't know her. She was afraid of her.

Joelle sat on the floor in the middle of her bathroom and screamed, she threw things and fell to the floor trying to make sense of what she had done to herself.

They were both their father all over again.