Lighter Shade of Brown (Urban Fiction) BWHM

Chapter 31

A week had passed since Cleo overheard Liberty's conversation with Max, but she'd never given a damn about who her sperm donor was before she knew his name and it really didn't phase her now. Especially since she hadn't talked to Tech in a week. Where the hell was he, and wherever the hell he was didn't they allow pagers?

Upset, she eyeballed the cordless phone on her fake ass coffee table. The urge to call C's took her under all the reasons she shouldn't. Without thinking, she snatched the receiver from the cradle. She punched in his house number. Rubbing her sweaty palms down her jeans, she tapped her foot against the worn out carpet. The roaring in her ears competed with the purring on the line, while anxiety played double dutch with her intestines. What would she say if he answered? Damn it. Why the hell hadn't she thought of something to say before she called? 

A half a ring later a feminine voice answered. "Hello?"

"C's there?" She asked, rolling her eyes. When the hell had Ant's randoms started answering the phone.

There was a pause. "Um...who's this?"

"Why? Who's this?" Now see, this mess was getting way out of hand. She couldn't wait to let Ant have it about this nosey bitch.

"This is his girlfriend, why?" The voice replied with an attitude.

For the second time in Cleo's life her world crashed landed and exploded on impact. Taking a deep breath, she gave the voice the benefit of being hearing impaired. "I said C's not Ant."

"I heard you the first time," The girl snapped. "And like I said before, I'm his girlfriend. So who the hell are...wait...are you that foot dragger I saw him in the mall with a few months back?"

"Ay, who the fuck is that on the phone, yo?" C's yelled somewhere from the background.

The phone line clicked off, and the dial tone buzzed in her ear. Shocked, she sat there until the fast busy signal pierced her ear drum. Slowly pulling the phone from her ear, the receiver slipped from her hand. His girlfriend. After only three months? She couldn't believe he'd replaced her. After only three months! Son of a bitch! For the last few months, she'd been around there on life support. Too damn hurt to do anything other than sit around reliving every moment of there relationship, trying to figure out what the hell she'd done so wrong to lose him. And now here he was on to the next chick.

"The hell wrong with you?" Liberty asked, her face twisted in a frown as she glared at the phone on the ground. "Who was that on the phone? Another got damned telemarketer begging for shit, I bet." She tugged a pack of Newports from the back pocket of her jeans. Sticking a cigarette between her lips, she patted her front pockets for a lighter and shook her head. "No couldn't have been. You sittin' over there lookin' too stupid for it to have been a worse-um ass operator or a bill collector. They only piss me off ." Giving up on finding a lighter, she reached for the box of matches on the coffee table. "Tried to call that damn boy again, didn't you? What lie they tell you this time?"

A stream of smoke from Liberty's cigarette invaded Cleo's nostrils and tickeled the back of her throat. Almost hacking up a lung, she swiped the smoke away. "No lie," she mumbled. "Just found out he's got another girlfriend." Why in the world did she tell Liberty that mess?

"So what? Don't you got another boyfriend?" Liberty asked, tapping ashes on the coffee table.

A frown twisted her mouth. "Who? Tech?!" Had Liberty lost some more of her damn mind. Her and Tech weren't together. Not like that!

"Yes, owl." Liberty strutted over to the screen door to peer down at the parking lot, before opening it to flick out the cigarette butt. "He damn show don't come over here to see me."