His Side Chick III (But I Love Him To Death)

Chapter 21 (Tori)

Chapter 21 (Tori)

I sat in the nail salon getting the finishing touches on my much needed pedicure. Thanks to my uncle Shawn, I had a few extra dollars in my pocket. I was in the process of looking for another job, but I hadn’t had any luck yet. I never went back to the club after the incident with Janaé and Bentley. Besides being too embarrassed to face Janaé, I knew she wanted to pay me back for what I’d done to her. Besides, she worked at the club long before I came along. Knowing her, she would have probably had me fired anyway. She and Donna were known for doing that. Donna's brother was the bouncer, and he had a lot of pull with the owner. It didn’t matter though because that was water under the bridge since I didn’t plan on going back. Thanks to Bentley, I was living with my cousin Tyra and her mom in the house that belonged to Jay. Ty lived there too when he wanted to lay up with one of his many women. My living arrangements weren’t bad, but I was so use to having a place of my own. Even though the apartment we lived in belonged to Bentley, I still considered it mine. I still couldn’t believe he did me dirty like that behind Janaé trifling ass. All the years we were together obviously didn’t mean anything to him. Then there was a conversation with Jay that I couldn’t get out of my head. As much as I didn’t want to believe it, I knew it had to be true. Bentley had to be having some kind of dealings with Lee. That was the only way to justify his attitude the night they were released from prison. That also explained Bentley's attitude towards me when we got home. I went through a lot to give him the perfect night, but I still ended up spending my night alone. I pulled myself away from my daydream long enough to put on my slippers and head for the door. My phone rang just as I left the nail salon, but I ignored it when I saw a familiar face coming my way. “Congrats on your soon to be step- child ,” I said when Courtney approached the nail salon. “I swear New Orleans is too damn small for me. That’s exactly why you couldn’t keep your man, you’re always in somebody else’s business,” she said while shaking her head. She looked much better than she did the last time I saw her. Of course, the last time I saw her I’d left her in a bloody heap in the parking lot of a store. “Apparently he only likes coke whores like you. I’m drug free boo ,” I replied smugly. “Maybe that’s why he left you,” she shrugged. “And maybe snorting coke is why Jay left you.” I laughed hysterically as I made my way to my car. “Enjoy your laugh bitch, but I promise I’m going to have the last one ,” she yelled. I gave her the finger as I backed up and drove away. I was starving, but I didn’t want anything that was too heavy. Tyra and I were going out to eat later, and I didn’t want to ruin my appetite. I decided to get a fruit smoothie to hold me over until later. When I pulled up to the drive thru , I almost changed my mind. There had to be about seven cars ahead of me. I looked through the window of the lobby, and only one person was in line. Parking my car, I decided to go in to avoid the long wait. I stood in the lobby, looking over the menu until I was ready to order. “Hey Tori,” the cashier said when I stepped up. “Hey Tiffany,” I spoke back to her. “You look so different.” Tiffany worked as a dancer at the club. She only danced three nights a week due to her hectic college schedule. Most of the time she wore long wigs when she danced, but that wasn’t the case today. She had on her work uniform, and her long ponytail was pulled through the back of her hat. “Girl how many jobs do you have?” I asked after I placed my order. “Only one now. I had to let the club go. It was getting too crazy in there,” she replied. “Yeah, I'm not working there anymore either,” I told her. “I know, I asked about you a few times, but nobody knew where you were. I know you heard about what happened with your friend,” she said looking at me. “If you’re talking about Janaé, I don't fuck with her anymore .” “Well girl, apparently the owner caught her shooting up in the bathroom,” Tiffany said shocking the hell out of me. I knew that Janaé snorted coke because I’d see that with my own eyes, but shooting up was a horse of a different color. “Are you serious?” I asked. “Yep, and then Donna beat her ass because she stole some of her tip money from her locker,” Tiffany continued. She handed me my smoothie, but I was nowhere near ready to go. Janaé was wilding out for real. She and Donna were tight, so I was surprised to hear what was going down between them. “So they fired her?” I asked Tiffany. “I guess so. Some of the other dancers said that Janaé's boyfriend came up there with a gun. I quit the same night they told me. That little money is not that serious to me. I’m almost finished with school anyway,” she said. I knew she had to be talking about Bentley's stupid ass. If he did have a gun, his scary ass wasn’t going to use it. “I hear that, but she deserves everything that she’s getting. Karma is a bitch,” I replied. “Well, I’ll see you later. I have to get back to work,” Tiffany said. We said my goodbyes and I was on my way. As soon as I got into my car I called my cousin Ty. I needed him to come with me to get the rest of my things from Bentley's house. If Janaé was shooting up and stealing, I’m pretty sure he was probably doing the same thing. I didn’t want them trying to sell the rest of my stuff before I had a chance to get it. “Yeah, Tori,” Ty said when he answered the phone. “I need you to come with me to get the rest of my clothes.” “Girl forget those damn clothes, I’m busy,” he yelled. “Please Ty, I need to get the rest of my stuff before they do something with it,” I begged. “I can’t do it today. I have a lot going on right now,” he replied. “Call and ask Jay.” That was out of the question. I was surprised that he came with me the first time. “Okay,” I said before hanging up. Next, I called my cousin Tyra to see if she was willing to accompany me. To my surprise, she agreed, and I was on my way to pick her up. I don’t know why, but I was nervous when I pulled up to Bentley's house. I never knew what to expect, so I had to be careful whenever I came over. “You need me to come in with you?” Tyra asked when I was getting out of the car. “No, I’m good. I got my protection with me,” I said holding up my Taser. I grabbed the garbage bags I brought with me and made my way to the front door. I was about to knock, but I decided to use my key instead. After today, I would be leaving it here anyway since I wouldn’t have any more use for it. When I opened the door, the stench almost made me throw up the smoothie I’d just drank. It almost smelled like the sewer had backed up in the house. I looked around the living room, and it was hard to believe that I once called this place home. There were wires hanging in place of the sixty inch flat screen that once was on the wall. It didn’t take a genius to know that it was probably sold to buy drugs. The leather living room set was also a distant memory as it had been also replaced with a twin sized blow up mattress. I held my nose as I made my way to the back of the house. Before I got to the bedroom door, I heard talking coming from the other side. I put my hand on my Taser just as I opened the door. I saw Lee laying across the bed talking on his cell phone. “Girl let me call you back. This heifer just walked in here like she’s still paying the bills,” he said to whomever he was talking to. I didn’t come for the drama , but I was damn sure willing to entertain it if he brought it to me. “Baby, please respect my house. Just because you have a key doesn’t mean you came come and go as you please,” he said with his hand resting on his hip. “I know you don’t call this fucking dump a house,” I replied with a frown. “What the hell do you want?” he asked me. “I’m coming to get the rest of my stuff. Oh, and you can have this key,” I said as I threw the key at him. “I’m not Janaé! I will fuck you up in a heartbeat, please believe me.” “I bet your punk ass would. You think you’re a woman that’s why you don’t mind fighting one,” I replied. “Bentley thinks I’m a woman too. He definitely fucks me like I am,” he snarled. “Ugh, let me get my shit and get out of here,” I said walking over to the closet. Besides a few hangers and extra blankets, there was nothing else in there. I pulled the blankets out just to be sure, but I still came up empty. “Where the hell is my shit?” I yelled. I went to the dresser and opened a few drawers, but they were empty as well. I knew this was going to happen, which is why I wanted take everything in the first trip with Ty and Jay. “They probably sold my shit to buy drugs,” I screamed. “I know you better stop making all that all that damn noise. I saw your stuff, so they probably didn’t get too much for it. You basic bitches kill me sometimes,” Lee said. “Fuck you!” I yelled in frustration. “It’s time for you to go boo. I don’t know what Bentley sees in y’all badly built bitches, but I don’t have time for this.” “I don’t know what he sees in your punk ass,” I replied heated. “Obviously, something he likes. He left your dumb ass in here alone many nights to be with me, including the day he came home from jail,” he smirked. He hit me below the belt with that one. I knew something was up with Bentley, but the thought of him being with Lee never crossed my mind. “Every dime you sent to that jailhouse was used to make sure I was straight. Every time your car pulled away from the curb it was me who rode in the front seat. What is it going to take for you and that other dummy to see he’s just not that into y’all,” he said laughing. I’ve never felt so small in my life. It was one thing to be cheated on with another woman, but how was I supposed to compete with another man. I don’t know how this got past me for all of these years. Bentley didn’t have a feminine bone in his body; at least none that I’ve ever seen. I wondered when it all started, and how many other men had there been. I had a million questions running through my head that would probably never get answered. I didn’t have a comeback strong enough to dispute what he was saying. Obviously, he knew a side of Bentley that I clearly didn’t know existed. “You can have him,” I said as I turned to walk away. “You can’t give me something that already belongs to me boo,” he replied. He followed me to the door and held it open like he was waiting for me to leave. “Oh and I’ll need to get that mailbox key from you as well,” he said with his hand extended. He then stood in the doorway like he was preventing me from leaving. “Get out of my way,” I said trying to push past him. “When you give me what I asked for I’ll be happy to move,” he replied. This time I wasn’t gentle when I pushed him, and he almost lost his balance. “Bitch you must be crazy,” he yelled as pushed me back just as hard. I didn’t even have time to get my Taser from my pocket before the licks started flying. I couldn’t believe his punk ass was actually hitting me. He didn’t hold back either. The door closed when we started fighting, so I didn’t know if Tyra saw us or not. I was trying desperately to hold my balance and keep up, but it was hard. I was looking around the living room for something to defend myself against this wild animal that Lee had become. The living room was a mess, but nothing immediately caught my eye. I was feeling weak, and I didn’t know how long I could go on. Just then, I looked behind the door and spotted the perfect weapon. Bentley didn’t live in the best neighborhood, so we always kept a board behind the door to give it extra security when it was locked. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, I ran over to the door and grabbed it. When Lee came at me again, I swung it hard and caught him in the top of his head. He stopped in his tracks and touched the spot where he was hit. When he looked at his hand, it was covered in blood. He was no longer coming after me, but I swung the board and hit him a second time just for the hell of it. He pissed me off with the things he said earlier, and I was taking that anger out on him now. This time the board connected with the side of his face. He dropped to his knees and pulled his shirt over his head. “Bitch you better run,” he said as he wiped away the blood that was streaming down his face. I dropped the board and opened the door, preparing to do just what he said, and run. Tyra was still sitting in the car, so I guess she didn’t see what was going on. I stepped onto the porch, but I didn’t get far before I felt my hair being pulled from behind. I turned around preparing to swing, but excruciating pain to my face stopped me. I felt warm liquid pouring from my face as the stinging got worse. I put my hands up to shield my face and suddenly they was pain in my hands as well. “Tori! Oh my God, no!” I heard Tyra screaming. I fell to the ground while Lee stood over me. When he bent down, it was then when I realized he was cutting me with something. I saw the silver instrument in his hand as he crouched down to finish the job. I vaguely heard Tyra on the phone calling for help. I was getting weak, so I knew I had to be losing a lot of blood. The pain was so unbearable I couldn’t fight back even if I wanted to. “Hey, get the hell away from her!” I heard a male voice screamed. It was only then that Lee stopped his attack on me. He got up and ran away, but not before spitting on me. I couldn’t believe as I lay there on the ground tasting my own blood in my mouth; he spit on me. I tried very hard to move, but I couldn’t. It was like some parts of my body were numb. The only thing I was able to see was the pool of red blood I was now lying in. “Tori, please don’t die on me,” Tyra cried as she ran over to me. “Help is on the way, just hold on. Please don’t die,” she continued to cry. “Don't touch her,” the man that ran Lee away said. As bad as I wanted to keep my eyes open, I couldn’t do it. When I closed my eyes, Tyra started going crazy. “Tori open your eyes, don’t do this to me!” She screamed. “Don’t worry. Her pulse is still very strong. She’s probably weak from losing so much blood,” the man said. His voice and the sound of the sirens were the last things I heard right before I passed out.