Within (2 page)

“Call her coward ass back; you aren't about to take the fault for her or anyone else. Like you said earlier, you are guilty of calling him and telling him to meet you, but you didn’t kill him, right?”

She just nodded her head yes, remaining quiet the whole way to the car and the ride home. I don't know what it was about these particular girls that makes her come so outside of her character, but I know I was going to find out soon, even if it takes me picking her up every day until she told me the whole story.

Chapter Two

KRYSTLE

After my aunt dropped me off, I went straight upstairs to my room. I didn't wanna talk to anybody, I just wanted to lay down. When I reached my room, I thought I may have had enough energy to take off my clothes and shoes, but I didn’t, I just lay across my bed and thought about Akira and FiFi.
How could they let me take the fall for all this
? I thought we had a bond, a forever friendship. The next couple of days, I did nothing except sit by my phone and wait for one of them to call and say something to me. Apologize… Turn themselves in, but no calls came until my phone rang today.

“Hello?”

Silence

“Hello” I said, putting my cell phone on speaker.

“Krys? It’s me, FiFi.”

“So now you call? What was all that shit about the other day? I know you were on the phone when Akira called me, why would you let her do me like that?”

“Look Krystle, you know she meant no harm. Akira wants us all to meet up in the next couple of days, at that park in the Medical Center, over by the water fountain. Can you come?”

“I don't want to wait for a couple of days to get my answer, FiFi! I need answers today. Why don't y’all just turn yourselves in? I been calling y'all, needin’ some help and y'all just turn your back on me? Fuck you, FiFi, and fuck Akira! Give me the got damn answers to my questions, both of y’all owe me that much!” I yelled in the phone.

“You’re right we do. Hold on.”

It sounded like she covered up the phone to talk; then there was silence for a second. After what seemed like all of five minutes, she came back to the phone.

“Krystle, are you still there?”

“Of course I am, I know that was her in the background. Are y’all gon meet me or not?”

“Yes, that’s the least we can do to tell you where we stand.”

“I’ll see y’all in about an hour at the waterfall.”

“Okay, oh and Krystle, don’t tell anyone you’re meeting us, okay?” FiFi whispered.

“Whatever FiFi,” I said, before hanging up as my dad came walking in. He just stood inside the door, leaning against the frame, as I put my phone down on my white nightstand, and then walked to my closet to pick something out.

“Are you okay?” he asked, taking a couple of steps towards me.

“I’m fine, Dad, what is it?” I said, not making any type of eye contact.

“I thought I heard voices coming from in here.”

“Of course you did, Dad, I was on the phone and had the call on speaker.” I walked past him, placing some clothes on my full-size bed, and walking back to my closet.

“Are you about to go someplace?” My dad asked, sitting down on the left corner of the bed.

I glanced over at him and rolled my eyes, still fumbling through my clothes in the closet.

“Krystle, come and sit by me for just a second.”

I did as he asked, and then sighed before asking him what was it he wanted to talk about.

“I know this whole situation has to be horrible for you, and I can't seem to think that I am the reason you are acting out the way you are. Everything I did…terminating your pregnancy, the making you move back home from college, was all because I was trying to protect you. Your mom and I just didn't want to see you like how we were, do you understand that?”

“Well, I guess that’s one thing y'all don’t have to worry about no more, huh? I’m worse off,” I said, sucking  my teeth.

“Sweetie, we are proud of everything you’ve accomplished, and still are going to accomplish.”

“You don’t have to lie about that, Dad. I know you and Momma are not proud that your only child went to college, got pregnant, had an abortion, and is now  a suspect in her fiancé’s death. I see how you looked at me when you bailed me out after taking out another mortgage on the house; something y'all could not afford. I see the way Momma is distant from me, disappointment shows in both of your faces. I’m sorry I let you guys down and I plan on making it up to you guys, I promise.”

“What do you need us to do to help you, Krys? As your parents, what do you need us to do?” he asked, putting his hand across my shoulders.

“To let me handle it, Dad. I have to get dressed please, I got it.” I kissed his cheek, stood up, grabbed the clothes and proceeded to walk out my room door while he still sat, looking around at the little things in my room. I followed his eyes as they stopped at the medicine bottle sitting on my vanity.

He stood up walked up to them and picked the bottle up, “Have you been taking these?”

“Yes, every day like it says on the instruction label.”

“This bottle is still full and this prescription was given to you over a month ago; you can’t fall behind on these Krystle and you know it. Do you want to get sick again?”

“It’s not that serious! I am nineteen years old; I left this house and I have been out on my own for a year, I know my body better than anyone else does. Don’t talk to me like I'm that same little girl I used to be. I’m grown now. Something you and your wife will one day have to understand!” I yelled, storming off to the bathroom, slamming the door.

*****************************

Because of the conversation with my dad, I was running late. I sat on the bench next to the waterfall, waiting on Akira and FiFi to show up. I found myself gazing off at the different people that walked past me seeming to live without a care in the world. Meanwhile, I’m feeling stuck and lost some place where no one could reach me.

“Krystle…” I heard someone say, knocking me out my thoughts.

“Yeah?” I said, taking my hand placing it slightly above my eyebrows to shield the sun. Through the brightness, I could see two figures moving towards me, I knew by their walk and body form that it was FiFi and Akira. I turned around to my original seating and waited for them to approach me. Akira sat down first, and then FiFi, we were all quiet at first, but not for long, I was getting ready to break this ice and get some answers.

“You know at first we were all at odds, we didn’t like each other because of Bishop. But in some way or another, we became tight and unpredictable, for y’all to leave me hanging on some shit y’all did was just fucked up!” I began.

“We didn’t leave you hanging, Krystle, we’ve been right there with you every step of the way,” FiFi said, leaning in.

I looked around, pretending as if I was looking for something, and then responded, “Bitch where? Because when things went down, you hoes caught ghost! I didn’t even know y’all were going to kill him!”

“Shut the fuck up, Krystle, you knew; you had this planned. We just executed it for you and now, you wanna play the blame game. Let’s be honest here, I let him go, shit, I wasn't even in love with him like that and neither was FiFi, but we were there when you needed us the most and we did what you couldn’t do! Cut the shit!” Akira yelled.

Two passersby walked past us, looking at us weirdly, which caused us to get quiet, and when they walked off, I picked the conversation back up where we left off.

“I took the fall for both of y’all, not you, or you, but me! I didn’t know shit and y’all know it. What the fuck is it about me that makes people want to throw me down in mud and shit, huh? Ever since I was forced to get that abortion, y'all have been on some shit, I promise, and I know exactly what it was! Both y’all was jealous! I shouldn’t have trusted y'all! I should have never trusted someone that fucked my man!”

FiFi shook her head in disbelief, as Akira laughed in my face, “Is that what you think? You so far gone you don’t even see fake from the truth! When was the last time you took your meds, huh Krystle?”

“Akira, don’t go there,” FiFi whispered.

“Why the fuck do you wanna know? And who told you any of my business?” I asked.

Another person walked by with her two dogs, just staring at us and it pissed Akira off even more. “What the fuck you looking at bitch? You and ya stupid ass dogs get from out of our mouths!” she said, standing.

“Just like always, you are causing a damn scene,” I said, placing my hand on my forehead.

“If you don’t see it by now, Krystle, you will soon enough. You called him over there; everything happened because of you and no one else. When you come to grips with that, then you know how to holla at me. Until then, I’m gone. Come on, FiFi,” she said, walking past us still sitting on the bench.

I began to cry as FiFi stood up. “So I’m in this alone, huh? Y’all kill Bishop and I get this? I…I thought y’all were my friends, but I guess I was wrong about y’all, just like I was wrong about him.” I wept.

She looked back at Akira still walking away, then back at me, and kneeled down in front of me. “I am your friend and if you know anything you know I love you, you are a part of me and so is Akira. We’re all wrapped in this together. I can’t help you right now, Krys, but I will in due time, okay? I promise.”

“Fi, let’s go!” Akira yelled.

“Nobody’s promises mean shit to me no more,” I said, looking off to my left. She stared at me for a couple more seconds, before tapping my leg and following behind Akira. As soon as I turned my head in the direction they were walking, they were gone. I sat back, wiped my tears and started to think about what I had gotten myself into, and wondered,
how do I get myself out
? I need to talk to my aunt to help get some understanding on what to do next, because I’m taking on more than I can handle.

Chapter Three

COURTNEY

“Something’s just not adding up and for the life of me, I can’t put my finger on it,” my brother, Tony, said to me.

“She came to see me the other day, she’s not as consistent as I would like, but we’re making some progress. She told me her mom left the house and hasn't been back since. When did you plan on telling me?” I asked, watching him shift himself on the barstool beside me. He cleared his throat, while motioning for a bartender.

“Another Hennessy and Coke please?” he asked, as soon as the bartender leaned in.

“Me as well.” I smiled, at the same time positioning myself on the barstool I occupied to look him in the face. “Well? When the hell were you planning on telling me that shit, Tony?”

“Courtney, no disrespect, but some things that goes on between a man and his wife should just stay that way, between them. I’m not obligated to tell you everything that goes on in my personal life!”

I watched as the bartender sat our drinks in front of us, soon after walking away to wait on other customers. Tony took a huge swallow of his drink, and then put his head down.

“I just don’t know what to do anymore, my daughter, my wife… That’s all I got and I'm losing it,” he said, taking another drink.

I wanted to chime in, but it seemed like he just needed someone to be that listening ear for him, additionally, I was willing to do that. At the end of his hour-long rant, we both ran through four glasses of Henn and Coke a piece, “Excuse me ma’am?” I asked, slurring a bit, “Can I have the ticket please?”

“No problem.” she smiled, grabbing my keys, placing them inside a glass dish across the way behind the bar.

“You know she just took yo keys right?” Tony said, slurring just as bad as I was.

“Shhh, whisper… I know it,” I said, blinking hard in her direction. “She is not a great thief; don’t they normally wait until you turn your head or whatnot?”

“Hell yeah! Hey lady bartender… ma’ammmmm?” Tony said, waving his hands in the air.

“Yes sir, here’s your ticket, did I take too long?” she inquired, sliding the receipt towards him.

“No… Yes, wait… Don’t confuse me. What did you say?”

“Ma’am, we were just wondering; why did you take my keys off this bar, if you’re tryin’ to steal, you are doing a horrible job and should probably stick to making these good ass drinks.”

“Oh that…” she laughed, “sorry about that, here.” she took a laminated piece of paper off the bar, suddenly handing it to me.

“You have had too much to drink and I hate to have something happen to you. Me being your bartender, I feel it is my duty to help protect you and others on the road.”

“Umm… So this meaannnsss?” I asked, handing her back the laminated paper.

“I have called the Tipsy Taxi Service, they will be here in about two minutes and they will take you home, free of charge. I have already put a number on your keys, here’s the stub to it you can come get it in the morning. No one will bother your keys or your car, I promise you. Ahh, there is your driver right there, Myron!” the bartender shouted past us, waving her hands in the air.

I didn't know how I felt about leaving my car there, but she was right and knowing that she was, I didn't put up a fight. I guess it was better than my brother or myself driving and killing someone, or getting pulled over, so off we went with Myron
in the Tipsy Taxi to Tony’s house.