Chapter forty-two

Kayden

I stared at the name for a few seconds and felt the immediate rage in my chest. I wasn’t sure if I was more shocked or pissed the fuck off that Aaliyah would even converse with someone like him. Marik. This prick of all people.

Why would he have her number?

Why would she have his?

What could they possibly talk about?

"What are you doing?" I turned to Aaliyah who was stood by the doorway in all her naked glory. Her body still glistened with sweat and a smile formed on her face. She noticed I was holding her phone. "Tryna be nosey?"

I glared at her angrily. "Get over here."

Her expression changed; she was taken aback by my sudden command. She hesitantly clambered on the bed and slowly crawled toward me, her nude body reflecting the bedroom light as she approached. "What’s wrong?"

I watched her baffled expression. "Why is he texting you?"

She gazed at me in confusion and frowned. "What?"

I gripped her arm firmly and pulled her closer, now with a screw on my face. "Don’t ‘what’ me, answer the question. You think I wouldn’t notice the fucking text on your phone?"

She winced as I clutched her wrist tightly. "I don’t even know what you’re talking about...I wasn’t in the room."

"Why’s Marik chattin’ to you, Aaliyah? Why do you have his number?" My grip tightened and she hissed at the pain. "What, you two are big fren’ now? What do you chat about?"

"You’re not making sense," she muttered.

I watched her silently for a few seconds before pushing her down into the mattress. I hovered over her and felt the anger increase. "Don’t bullshit me! Show me the fucking text."

She peered up at me with slight fear in her eyes. "Calm down."

I sneered. Her clueless behaviour was starting to piss me off. "Show me the text, Aaliyah. I’m not telling you again."

She blindly reached for where I had dropped the iPhone in my brief outburst and unlocked it. She read the message and shook her head. "It’s just my cousin, Marik. The one from North."

I narrowed my eyes. "What do you think this is?"

"I’m being serious, look." She showed me the text and I quickly scanned it.

— Yo cuz, what u on tomorro?

Havent seen u in time. Call me

I blinked and felt the vexation leave my body quickly. My hearts palpitations slowed and the tension in my chest vanished. I was ready to do something dangerous if she had not shown me the message. I shifted away from her and sat at the edge of the bed, putting my head down and sighing deeply.

It was silent for a moment before I felt her supple body press against my back. Her hands encircled me from behind and she rested her head on my shoulder. "Did you think it was someone else?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," I answered truthfully. "Our dads’ friend from back in the day."

She nuzzled her face closer and kissed the nape of my neck. "That big one with the scar?"

"Mm."

Another soft kiss. "I’d have no reason to talk to him."

She gently pulled me back and hovered over me with an expression I didn’t recognise. I watched as she straddled me and began to rock her centre against mine as she leaned down and kissed around my face.

I held her waist and sighed. "How’s your wrist?"

"Kinda aches. Doesn’t matter," she muttered laconically before pecking me on the lips. "I’m still in the mood for that round," she whispered. Her lips trailed down my neck and I stared at the ceiling blankly.

"Aaliyah."

"Yeah?" she asked softly between kisses.

"You ever spoken to him?"

She suddenly stopped and peered at me. She knew exactly who I was referring to. "No. He’s my dad’s friend, not mine." She leaned back and ran her hands down my chest sensually. "I’ve never even met him before, I just know about him." She gently kissed my cheek and gave a little smile.

"I’ve just been hearing a lot of shit lately; plus Rebecca and her friend-..."

"Don’t say her name," she cut in firmly. "I don’t wanna hear about her." Her hands continued to trail my body and I instinctively thrust against her. "She’ll be dealt with soon."

I gave her an inquisitive look but paused when she grabbed the base of my dick and shut my eyes. She kissed and licked my neck and soon the question in my brain fizzed out. I soon forgot what we were talking about as she stroked me in her palm and positioned herself. She eased onto my piece and threw her head back as I sank deep into her...

Becca

I stared out the window absentmindedly as Javon continued chatting. I had no idea what he was talking about, but it must’ve been important since he was going on and on for a good half an hour. It amazed me that no customers had come by in that time to order or complain, cos so far we haven’t done anything worthy to call ourselves workers. I was busy cleaning the surface, subconsciously nodding and giving the occasional “uh-huh” and “hmm” as Javon continued his story-telling.

A full week had passed since the incident and Chanel was still on my mind. It was already February 18th and there was no sign of her. Police say there has been no trace of whereabouts as of late, and it worried me that I didn’t know whether she was safe or not.

Scenes of that day flashed in my mind, and I shivered at the memory of blood and hair on the floor. Even though Caffe Nero was closed down briefly for the forensics team to investigate, nothing has been discovered. I missed Chanel and her sassy behaviour, her dry humour and the way she would always force me and Javon to play Truth or Dare while on the job. She was a fun person to be around, and I found it hard to believe that she was being put through such torture.

The conversation with Kayden that time rang in my mind aswell. The way he deduced the situation and managed to figure out who was behind this bullshit stunned me.

“They’re probably after a girl for something. It’s clear they know her occupation, but not sure of what she loos like, which is why they’re random attacks. If the girl was definitely known, she would’ve been taken by now...”

Would’ve been taken by now, huh?

Then who was the main target? It made no sense to me.

This kind of cryptic mess was hurting my brain the more I thought about it.

"...and Levi was being a prick about it, you get me?" I looked up at Javon who was staring at me, expecting some kind of response.

"I don’t even know what day it is," I muttered.

He realised I hadn’t been listening the whole time and rolled his eyes. "You’re movin’ slow today, Becc’s."

I shrugged and threw the cloth down. "I don’t wanna be here."

"Gotta get through it. Only a couple hours left," he assured. I turned away from his gaze and fiddled with the cutlery by the coffee machine. "Still worried about Chanel?"

I sighed at the mention of her name. Javon was beginning to know me so well. "Yeah, obviously."

He gave a grunt. "S’been a while. Hopefully she’s alright init."

"If she was alright she would be here."

"She could be taking time off work."

I gave him a sideways glance. "I’d know if she was taking time off. I can’t even call; her phone’s been off since last week."

"Phone might be broken."

I gave him a look. "Really, Javon?"

He folded his arms. "I’m just saying try not to be pessimistic. Think positive or you’ll just upset yourself."

I scratched my head and rested against the counter. "Can’t help it, I’m that type of person."

"Mm. Come lets get back to work. Smith will be back soon."

"Smith can suck a dick, he’s lucky I’m here."

He chuckled and hopped off the counter. "Don’t say that to his face, he might fire you."

"Surprised I ain’t been fired already to be honest."

Javon suddenly glanced up and nudged me gently. "Customer," he said, nodding in the direction behind me before grabbing a cloth to clean up.

I spun around and was greeted with chinky brown eyes and a wide smile. I stepped back in shock and scrutinised the familiar face. "Nathan?"

His smile widened and I stared at him in awe. It was as if he found my reaction amusing. The sight of him stood before me seemed surreal. Nathan stood clad in a blue checked shirt and denim jeans with white Airforces. His wavy black hair literally gleamed in the light, and his chocolate skin appeared healthy and smooth. Suddenly I was brought back to all the fun times we shared while working in Footlocker, and a sense of nostalgia washed over me.

I suddenly pulled him closer to the counter and hugged him. He gave a deep chuckle and held me in a tight embrace. I hadn’t seen him in over a year, and we never shared a phone call. It was a shock to see him again; I thought something had happened to him.

"I can’t believe you’re here," I muttered.

He pulled away and gave a warm smile. "Long time, Becc’s."

"Clearly! You look different." My eyes scanned him once more. I couldn’t miss the growing facial hair.

He seemed to be studying me aswell. "So do you."

All the other workers and customers seemed insignificant at this point; all I could focus on was him. I leaned on the counter. "Where’ve you been all this time?"

"Moved to New Addington with my girl."

My eyes widened. So that explains it. I remember him telling me a while ago that he found someone new, which was a shock to me at the time because I thought he was banging Stacey. I just didn’t know he intended to move, but I was happy for him. He seemed to have his life on track.

"That’s nice then. How’s that going?"

"Not too bad. I just came to check you init, finished work not too long ago."

My eyes widened in surprise. "Oh really? Where do you work?"

"Costco in Purley Way."

I smiled and couldn’t help but coo. After what happened to Footlocker, I thought everyone was having trouble finding work again, but I was clearly wrong. I had Caffe Nero, Stacey had Superdrug back in Manchester, Kayden was a football coach, and now Nathan had Costco. Even so, he wasn’t so far away, so I’m surprised I haven’t seen him around recently.

"Not gonna lie, I thought you was just being anti."

He shook his head. "Never, just been busy and that. Tryna get in touch with everyone again cos I got a new number. I spoke to Kayden and Mohammed a few days ago, and now I’m here."

That took me by surprise. I should’ve known Nathan would never ignore everyone for no reason. I was glad that he proved me wrong. "That’s good then. I forgot all about Mo. I’m guessing Kayden told you I worked here?"

"Yeah. You seem to be doing alright yourself."

I gave a shrug. "Well I’m alive."

He chuckled. "Good point. You seen Stacey lately?"

I noticed Javon stiffen from beside me. "Yeah, we met up not too long ago. She’s back in Manchester now though."

"Ah, alright. Well tell her I said hi."

I nodded. "Will do. Infact, lemme give you her number and you can call her."

He nodded and I brought out my phone to search for her. I then handed my phone over for him to copy it down. Then we exchanged our own numbers, and he tucked his iPhone away, still with that friendly wide smile on his face.

"How’s she finding Manchester then?" he questioned in curiosity.

"She likes it up there but she wants to come back. I told her she should rent a flat."

"Yeah, there’s a few in Wandsworth she can check out." I nodded and he ran a hand over his wavy hair. "Anyway since I’m here I might aswell buy summin’."

I smiled warmly. "Go ahead."

He scanned the display and then looked up at the board to view the menu. After hesitating for a few moments he pointed to the chocolate muffin resting on the shelf. "That looks promising."

"Why do people always go for the muffin? Even Stacey chose it." He laughed and I turned back to Javon, who was obviously listening in, but still cleaning. "Hand me a napkin, Jav."

He reached over to give me one and I used it to retrieve the muffin before passing it over to Nathan, who thanked me in return.

After that we spoke for quite a long time. It was nice to catch up with a former work colleague, although we were sometimes interrupted by new customers coming in. I noticed he kept asking about Stacey a lot, but I figured it was only because they were so close before she moved away, so it was only natural he was concerned.

Apart from that Javon was being unusually quiet. Each time I turned back to look at him he would be in the same position on the other side of the counter, cleaning mugs and facing the other way.

Nathan checked his watch and sighed. "I gotta get going, meant to pick up Hannah in abit."

"Hannah?" I raised a brow.

"My other half."

"Oh," I nodded slowly. "Well it was nice to see you again. Seriously, don’t be a stranger."

He shook his head. "I won’t. I’ll come check you another time." He pulled me into another gentle hug and said his goodbyes before leaving.

As soon as he left I spun around to Javon, who was cleaning the same mug from ten minutes ago. "It’s rude to eavesdrop, y’know."

"Who’s eavesdropping?" he asked, still with his back to me.

I folded my arms and watched him. "Just say what you wanna say."

He finally turned to face me, and I noticed the deep snarl on his face. "I have nothin’ to say."

I smiled at his expression. "He’s not interested in Stacey so I dunno why you’re screwing."

He briefly turned away to put the mug down. I couldn’t help but laugh.

"You’re a jealous bastard ain’t you?"

"Who’s jealous?" he muttered.

"Stop doing that. Admit you wanna know who he is."

"I don’t care."

"Really?" I chuckled and walked right behind him. "You don’t care about the boy I just gave your girl’s number to?"

"Nah."

"You sure?"

"Mm."

I laughed and decided to leave him be. Jealousy really didn’t suit Javon, neither did stubbornness.

After my shift I decided to head to the yard shop. I had cheered up a little thanks to Javon and his childish attitude. If I’d known taking the piss out of him would make me feel better, I would’ve done it a long time ago. I passed the usual perverts outside the bookies, who all fell silent when they saw me.

"Ey gyal, c’mere!"

"Lookin’ good, sweetness."

"Yuh ‘ave a name?"

I ignored the elderly peasants and entered the shop. After buying some cornmeal porridge I headed home. I was going to do everything in my power to keep my mind off of Chanel. I had to occupy myself and keep busy. Javon was right for once, there was no use being pessimistic and dreading the worst. Instead I should be thinking positive. I needed to have faith that I would see Chanel soon.

I retrieved my phone from my pocket and text Stacey.

— Guess who I saw

I didn’t even take three steps before she replied.

— Some1 frm work? x

I chuckled at how spot on she was.

— Begins with n, rhymes with bathen

Straight away my phone vibrated.

— OMG no way! I’ll call ya later x

I laughed at her response and tucked my phone away. I eventually reached home and was greeted by Diamond, who by the looks of it, had been sat by the front door waiting for my return.

She jumped up excitedly and hugged me. "Hi Becc’s! How was work?"

I smiled and patted her little head of hair. "Crap as usual. You seem happy."

"Daddy’s takin’ me an’ Clay out soon."

"Oh?" I raised a brow. "Where to?"

"He seh it’s a surprise."

I nodded and dragged my jacket off. "Where is everyone?"

"Uncle and Andre garn out, Daddy tek Claycia shop, an’ Kieran’s upstairs wid some gyal."

I hung my jacket up before peering at her and asking, "Did you go in his room?"

She shook her head vigorously. "Why?"

"Just checking. Don’t go in there." I walked into the kitchen with her following close behind.

"Are dey doin’ somethin’ dirty?"

I grabbed a spoon and opened the container for my porridge. "Diamond, you’re young and I don’t wanna corrupt your mind but...yeah. He’s probably on top of her now, marking her skin while she scratches his back. They’re doing all kinds of things in that bed, completely naked and making the room smell of sweat, lust and shame."

She cringed and stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Ew! Dutty Kieran!"

"That’s it; call him that from now on." I smiled and pinched her cheek then hopped up on the counter to eat.

Diamond slowly sat at the table, looking completely scarred at the thought of Kieran doing the unthinkable upstairs. I laughed at her expression. That’s what children get for being so inquisitive.

"Want some cornmeal porridge, D?"

She shook her head, her eyes still wide with shock. I ate in peace while she stared into space, and then my phone rang. I checked the caller I.D before answering with a grin on my face.

Me: "You alright, MILF?" Suddenly I heard heavy breathing and short gasps through the phone, followed by a whimper. I raised a brow at the weird sounds, but then I realised she was crying. "Grace?"

Grace: "B...Becca... I need s-someone to...to talk to." She sniffed moistly and I put my spoon down.

Me: "Grace, calm down for a sec. What’s wrong?"

Grace: "Chris," she blubbered. "The baby...h-he doesn’t...he said...he..."

I hopped off the counter and left Diamond still staring at the wall to head upstairs. I sat on the bed and listened to her ramble on.

Me: "You’re not making any sense. Take a deep breath."

She inhaled and sighed, and then I heard her blow her nose.

Grace: "I told Chris about the baby."

I straightened up and felt my heart thud.

Me: "And?"

Grace: "He didn’t say anything. He hung up."

I found myself scowling at the wall. "What?"

Grace: "I couldn’t tell him in person, Becc’s, I was scared. That’s why I called him. I told him how far gone I was and everything. He locked off straight away."

Already I was clenching my hand into a tight fist. No wonder Grace was so overwhelmed. Of all the things to expect, this definitely wasn’t one of them. I never imagined Chris to ignore Grace in such a way, and the thought of him upsetting one of my closest friends angered me to no end.

Me: "He’s taking the piss," I growled.

Grace: "I tried calling him back b-but...he busied the call. He obviously doesn’t want anything to do with me."

Me: "Why, cos you’re carrying his fucking child? He’s the reason you’re in this state. I swear I’ll cut him up y’know!"

Grace: "Don’t Becc’s... It’s...it’s okay."

Me: "No it’s not okay! How can he treat you like that? What about all that bullshit he was saying before about you being the one?"

Grace: "He said that?"

I froze and shut my mouth. Chris had told me a few times how much he loved Grace, claiming she was the one for him. At the time I thought it was cute, but now this just proved that he was chatting shit. I was really beginning to hate him. I took a deep breath regardless and decided to calm down.

Me: "Anyway let’s think rationally about this. From his point of view it’s a lot to deal with over the phone. Just leave him for a while and give it time to sink in. He might be panicking. You never know, he might call you back soon. In the meantime you focus on what you need to do. Try not to stress yourself; it’ll all work out eventually." I heard her exhale and she began to relax.

Grace: "You’re right. I need to prioritise and focus on the baby first. Thanks, Becc’s. You always know what to say."

Me: "Not really. I feel like kneeing Chris in the balls." She laughed quietly and I smiled. "I’ll give you a while to relax and calm down. Text me later."

Grace: "Yeah I will. Bye."

Me: "Later, MILF."

I locked off and sighed heavily. The last thing I wanted was Grace putting stress on herself and the baby. It was best that she forget about Chris for the moment and focus on what’s more important. He was acting like a bitch anyway. I had the strong urge to march to his front door and elbow him in the eye.

It got me thinking about relationships and the troubles that couples face together (or don’t). Tyreece crossed my mind briefly and I smiled weakly. What if we were in that predicament and I was carrying a mini Ty? Would he be glad, indifferent, or regretful? Would he want me to keep it?

My heart thudded.

A baby with Tyreece...

Ty would make a great dad. He was loved by all of his younger cousins and he was good with children.

Me on the other hand? I can’t even look after myself let alone a newborn. Besides, I didn’t see myself as a motherly figure. I love making Andre’s life miserable, I rarely get along with children, and I laugh in baby’s faces when they cry.

I shook the thoughts out my head and laid back. These things can wait till later. I’m still young after all...

It was late evening when we finished eating our Chinese food. Dad and Kieran began to gather all the plates and cutlery while Uncle Clayton slurped down the last of his chow mein. I was busy texting Brooklyn, and Claycia was pouring some juice for Diamond.

"Why are we even at the table?" Andre questioned.

Dad gulped at his cider before facing him. "We used to eat at the table all the time. It was something your mum enjoyed doing. Instead of everyone goin’ bout their business and being antisocial, we sat down and talked as a family while having dinner."

"I don’t even remember that," Andre grumbled.

"Your memory is crap. You used to throw food at Kieran and break the plates," I told him.

"And your mum would slap you up afterwards," dad chuckled.

"Eee! Yuh see Rut’! Rut’ was a good woman y’kna!" Uncle chimed.

"Mm." Dad nodded in agreement. "Ruth was never hard on them, but as soon as they stepped out of line..." he motioned a backhanded slap to demonstrate.

I laughed and shrugged. "Mum never hit me, I was the good one."

"Nah I was," Kieran piped up, scraping all the food into one plate.

Uncle Clayton snorted. "YUH? Ah lie yuh ah tell!"

Kieran rolled his eyes and stood up. Diamond was busy staring at him as he walked around to pick up her plate. He noticed her watching him and raised a brow. "What?"

She suddenly pointed a finger at him. "Yuh nuh ‘ave no shame! Dutty Kieran!"

Everyone fell silent and his eyes widened. "What?"

I burst out laughing and Claycia choked on her Gingerbeer. Andre looked completely stunned, while Uncle Clayton and Dad stared right at Kieran.

"Wah she ah chat ‘bout?"

"Diamond?" Dad spoke hesitantly.

"Dutty Kieran, dutty Kieran, dutty Kieran," she chanted over and over, still pointing directly at him.

I rolled around on my chair, still coughing and choking from laughing too hard. Andre palmed his face and shook his head.

"Diamond stop," Claycia said with a chuckle, slapping her sister’s hand away.

"But he’s dutty! Him an’ dat gyal ah mek baybih upstairs!"

Uncle suddenly sat up straight. "WAH?"

Dad instantly glared at Kieran, who quickly left the table and headed to the kitchen. Dad and Uncle stood up straight away and went after him, while Andre slowly left the table to laugh about it in his room.

"He was wid a girl in his room?" Claycia asked.

Diamond nodded quickly. "She ah scratch him back, while him mark up ‘ar skin. Mek di whol’ room smell ah sweat, luss, an’ shame-..."

I had calmed down by now and leaned forward to quickly cover her mouth. "You can stop now."

She laughed and nodded. Claycia looked between the two of us before shaking her head and excusing herself from the table. "Well he’s in trouble now. Feel sorry for ‘im," she said.

"He’s always been that way, Clay. You get used to it." I turned to Diamond who was sipping at her juice. "And what do we call him now, D?"

"Dutty Kieran!"

"Exactly."

I stood up and said goodnight to the others before going upstairs. Once in my room I changed into comfortable nightwear and tied my bushy hair up before slinking into bed. I switched the TV on and decided to watch a bit of EastEnders, but soon fell bored and picked up my phone instead. Brooklyn had not replied, which meant she was either busy with coursework or sexing Charles. I rolled my eyes and scrolled down to Chanel instead.

I frowned.

Suddenly all the madness at the dinner table was forgotten and the thought of my work friend left me feeling distressed again. I didn’t mean to be so negative, but just knowing that she was currently missing made my chest ache. Stupidly I pressed call and waited to hear something...anything...

But her phone was switched off.

I sighed and put my phone on charge before closing my eyes. I decided to reflect of something else instead, like the Valentine’s Day I spent with Tyreece. The memory made my heart thump and images of our naked bodies writhing on his bed caused me to open my eyes. That night was so intense, but I didn’t want to think of it right now. I shut my eyes again and forced myself to think of something else instead.

"Moan for me, Ree. Don’t be stubborn. I wanna hear you."

"You’ll stay with me. Even through the worst of things you’ll stay. No matter what either of us has done, you’ll still be there."

"That’s it, ride it out. I’ve always wanted to feel you...right here."

"You know how I feel, Rebecca. You can’t lie and say you don’t feel the same."

"You can trust me...I’d never hurt you, Ree."

I turned on my back and opened my eyes again with a frown. "Why am I thinking about that now?"

I kissed my teeth and stared at the ceiling. I could literally picture his face and remember all the times he said those things. It was something I was trying to repress, something I didn’t want to recall. Each statement of his left my chest aching, and I hated myself for thinking of him.

He was the past.

Tyreece is my current and future.

Suddenly my phone began to vibrate. I checked the caller I.D and swallowed hard. Talk about coincidence.

Me: "Hey."

Tyreece: "You alright, Becc’s?"

Me: "Mmhm, just lying down."

Tyreece: "Nice. I was gonna pass through and surprise you but something just came up."

Me: "Awrh man! Who died?"

Tyreece: "No-one. My trainer needs to see me about something so I’m meeting him at the track. Might even train for a couple hours."

I imagined a sweaty Tyreece running on the track with no shirt on while pouring water on himself from an Evian bottle.

Me: "I say you go for it. I know you have another race coming up soon."

He chuckled and I sighed at the deep rumble of laughter.

Tyreece: "Good memory. I’ll be training tomorrow afternoon aswell if you wanna come watch?"

Me: "Is this your way of inviting me?"

Tyreece: "Maybe."

Me: "Then I’ll come tomorrow. Make sure you fill up an Evian bottle with water."

Tyreece: "Hm?"

Me: "I’ll see you tomorrow...drifting off."

He laughed again.

Tyreece: "Sweet dreams, Becc’s."

I hung up and turned on my side before closing my eyes. Now that my mind was focused on thoughts of a half-naked Ty, I managed to quickly fall asleep with a small smirk on my face...

Ty had picked me up from work the next day in the late afternoon. I watched the grey clouds floating in the sky and sighed before looking back towards the race track. An hour seemed to have gone by very quickly. I was amazed by how much he had improved these past few weeks. His speed had increased and he was handling his breathing quite well, so now he rarely grew tired during his run.

He had been instructed to run 400m: one lap around the track on the inside lane. According to his trainer he had near enough perfected the sprint, so his next task was to master being a middle-distance runner. Right now he was trying to beat the record of 43.18 seconds. Each time he failed, he was ordered to run another lap and try again. I found his trainer to be too strict, but Tyreece said it was good for him to be assertive, otherwise he wouldn’t be the good runner he was today. I didn’t care though, I felt like kicking his almighty instructor in the balls.

My eyes scanned his muscular body as he past me once again. His broad chest glistened with sweat, and the muscles in his legs contracted as he continued round the bend. I noticed how strong his calves were and found myself licking my lips at the look of concentration on his face. Thank God he wore shorts today; I could practically see his round ass he ran.

I then noticed the same light-skinned bitch from the last time eyeing him up aswell. She was sat a few chairs down from me, but I could see her watching Ty like a hawk. I was instantly reminded of her flirting with him a few months back. It was so long ago but I remembered things like that. I then recalled Tyreece telling me that she wasn’t his type, and how relieved I felt. It was that same day of Chris’ drink up, the day I got drunk and asked him to make love to me, the same day he used his tongue and fingers to...

I cleared my throat and focused back on Ty. He had already run the whole lap, and I watched as his trainer nodded in approval. Then I saw Tyreece smile, and my heart warmed instantly. I got up and walked down the steps to his bag to wait for him. Sure enough Ty approached, using his vest to wipe the sweat off his forehead. I got a peek at his abs and felt the extreme urge to run my hands over them.

"Coach said I beat the record," he chimed merrily with a grin when he got closer.

I held his bag up for him and he took it. "Congrats. That didn’t even take you long."

He opened the bag and pulled out an Evian bottle. I watched closely and waited in anticipation. He noticed my expression and chuckled. "I’m not pouring water on myself, Becc’s."

"But why man? It would make me happy."

He shook his head and began to gulp at it instead. I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down with each glug and found myself staring. He then took a deep breath and began to stretch his leg out on the bench.

"If you really wanna see me wet then wait till we get back to mine."

I raised a brow at that. "What?"

He glanced up at me with dangerous narrow eyes. "We’ll take a shower."

My heart thudded and I smiled. Us two in the shower? I was squirming just thinking about it. My smile quickly faded when I realised that I had something else to do.

"I can’t...I’m heading somewhere after."

He stood up straight and peered at me. "Oh, where?"

"My uncle Richard’s for dinner."

He nodded in understanding and pulled me flush against his firm chest before whispering, "Next time then, yeah?" I nodded and he pecked me on the lips. "I’m gonna do another lap. Wait right here for me."

"Okay, I’ll watch."

He lightly tapped my bum and walked off to get into position at the starting block. I watched as the light-skinned chick stood in the lane next to his and smiled flirtatiously at him before getting into a 4-point stance.

I scowled at seeing that. Stupid bitch, with her squeaky voice and unnecessary layers of makeup. Who the fuck wears makeup to train anyway? She needs to get flung into the deepest end of the sea.

The trainer blew his whistle and they all took off, all eight of them. I watched as they went round the bend and was shocked to see the girls keeping up with the boys. Every single one of them had their own unique running style, but Tyreece never once lagged behind. As suspected he won the practice race, and I cheered loudly before giving him a soft lingering kiss...

I had told Ty to drop me by the corner shop and waited for him to drive off before continuing down the road. I eventually reached his and rang the doorbell, waiting patiently. Behind the door I could hear a familiar sweet voice, and the door flung open to reveal a very happy Sha’riah.

She saw it was me and her smile grew fractionally. "Hello Becc’s."

I stepped in and gave her a warm hug. "Hi mum, how are you?"

"Not too bad, dear." She stood by the front door and I noticed she was wearing her coat, scarf and boots.

"Going somewhere?" I asked casually.

She nodded. "Just with Anita and Trey to visit Tanisha’s grave. We need to change the flowers."

I smiled at the fact that she seemed to be in an upbeat mood. If it were anytime last year, Sha’riah would be depressed and refusing to leave the house.

"That’s nice, is Marcus going with you?"

She shook her head. "He’s at work I’m afraid. I’ll be meeting Anita at the bus stop."

"I hope it doesn’t rain while you’re out there."

"God forbid. That wouldn’t stop me though." She gave a warm smile and stepped outside. "There’s food in the fridge if you get abit peckish, but I’m sure Kayden will sort you out. He’s upstairs by the way. I gotta go now."

"Alright then. Bye." I waved to her as she walked out the gate. When she was out of sight I closed the door and sighed deeply. I really loved Sha’riah, she was literally like a mother to me...it’s a shame her son is such a prick.

I removed my jacket and hat then hung it up before slowly trudging upstairs. I briefly wondered if Sha’riah knew that we were no longer together. Well if she knew she would’ve mentioned it. Maybe Kayden still hasn’t told her?

Well if he doesn’t soon, I will.

There was no way I’d lead Sha’riah to believe such a lie. She and Marcus deserved to know exactly what was happening between us. I didn’t want them to get any wrong ideas; it would just make things awkward.

I reached his door and gave a deep breath. There were no sounds from the inside, but I had to be cautious now since our relationship had changed.

"It’s Rebecca, I’m coming in," I announced before turning the handle and pushing the door open.

Kayden was sat at the edge of the bed with a wad of money in his hands. I saw another neat pile of notes on the side table, accompanied by some change. He looked at me with an unreadable expression and continued tying the notes together with a rubber band. I closed the door behind me and watched as he slipped the notes into a crisp white envelope, then picking up the other pile from the table and beginning to count it.

"That’s a lot of money," I noted as I stood by the door. I didn’t really want to be near him, and it was even worse considering there wasn’t anywhere else to sit apart from his bed.

"From coaching," he said, now tying the second bunch of notes together. He put them in a separate envelope then stood up and placed them both in the drawer. Our eyes locked right after that and we both remained silent for a few moments. "Didn’t think you’d come," he muttered.

"Why wouldn’t I? This is important." I leaned against the door and already began to think of her. "It’s been a whole week," I mumbled.

"You ain’t heard from her since, have you?" he questioned, referring to Chanel.

I shook my head and glanced down at the floor. According to my call log I’ve tried calling her over nine times, which didn’t even seem possible because I only recall trying once. Either way her phone has been switched off since the week of the incident.

"Why did you wanna see me?"

He took a seat back on his bed and began to fidget with his phone. "I spoke to Chris... He has a couple links; says he knows where she might be."

My eyes lit up at the sudden discovery. I pushed my body away from the door and stepped closer. "But how?"

"Do you wanna know or not?" I sneered at his tone and rested back on the door. "There are three possibilities. Marik usually spreads out, but he’s been spotted near Milton Keynes. Last week he was seen in Portsmouth, but just yesterday my ones saw him in Reading."

"This prick gets around," I grumbled quietly.

He seemed deep in thought. "If I had to guess, I’d say she’s in Portsmouth since it's the furthest of the three."

I raised a brow. "What’s that got to do with it?"

"He’s a sick cunt. He’d get as far away as possible to avoid feds."

I sighed and scratched my head, already feeling distressed once more. "So what happens now?"

He suddenly glanced up with cold brown eyes. "We find him."

I found it hard to keep eye contact and quickly looked away. "It’s hard to believe you’re actually doing this for me."

"It’s not for you; it’s to finally catch that dickhead and get him in pen."

I faced him again and narrowed my eyes at his cold demeanour. He was being unusually snappy, which made me slightly angry since he had no reason to be. What gave him the right to be so snarky? He’s lucky I’m even talking to him on a calm level. I kissed my teeth and crossed my arms.

Just then his phone vibrated, and I watched the small smile creep up on his face as he replied to the new text. I raised a brow at his swift change in behaviour. Already he seemed cheerful, just by one text.

I then noticed a few scratch marks near his collar bone. He suddenly stood up and padded to his drawer. As he searched for something I noticed even more scratches on his back through his string-vest.

"Not that I care," I muttered, "but what are those marks about?"

"It’s the result of good, back-breaking sex."

My eyes widened at how coolly he said that. He didn’t even turn to face me. I quickly looked to the wall. For some reason my heart throbbed in angst and irritation. I felt my fists tighten. Even then I could feel his eyes on me.

"What?"

"Nothing."

He shrugged and fished some rizla and dro from the drawer. "You shouldn’t ask if you don’t care." I watched as he went to the windowsill and began to crumble the weed into the thin piece of paper.

"I’m guessing it was the same girl who text you," I mumbled with a slight snarl in my tone that I wasn’t even intending to use.

"You don’t care."

"You’re right, I don’t."

He leaned against the windowsill and licked the edge of the paper. "Then why should I tell you?"

"Simple questions deserve simple answers."

"You really wanna know?" I glared at him and he began to roll up the blunt. He retrieved a lighter from his pocket and lit it up then took a draw. When he exhaled the smoke his eyes rested on mine. "I go round to Aaliyah’s couple times a week and we fuck. That a simple enough answer?"

My heart stopped for a moment.

Aaliyah? As in...Kayden’s childhood friend Aaliyah? The same Aaliyah he lost his virginity to? The one who hated me?

I felt the tenseness of my jaw and the clenching of my fists. I didn’t even know why I was so affected by his words, but it seriously felt like he was taking the piss.

"So you and her have fun?" I asked sarcastically with a scowl.

What pissed me off even more was the fact that he smiled. "More than."

With that I pushed away from the door and turned around to open it.

"Where you goin’?"

"Home."

"In the middle of conversation?"

I glared back at him and noticed how smug he looked. Damn prick was messing with me. I was ready to cuss him when suddenly a pair of hands grasped me around the hips and hugged me tight. I faced ahead to see Zaine grinning up at me.

"Hi Becc’s, I didn’t know you was here."

I smiled down at him and patted his large bushy afro. "Hey ragamuffin. Your hair’s growing."

He nodded gleefully. "Dad said it needs doing." Suddenly his eyes lit up with an idea. "Can you do it for me?"

"Right now? I can’t, I was just leaving."

He pouted. I couldn’t help but coo at his cute face. The pout never usually worked on me, but with Zaine it was a different story altogether.

"Alright, maybe you can come round in a few days and I’ll do it for you then."

His expression morphed and he was smiling again. "Can I see Diamond aswell?"

"Yeah, she’ll be moving back to Jamaica soon so it might be the last time you see her."

Suddenly I felt a presence behind me and I heard Kayden’s low voice. "I’ll bring you round on Friday and she’ll do your hair."

I turned back to see he was stood directly behind me. He had left the blunt in the ashtray by the window and was now watching me closely with bottomless eyes. How dare he step in and make promises without even asking me first.

He noticed my expression and raised a brow. "Is that a problem?" he asked.

I knew he was challenging me to see if I was childish enough to restrict him from coming to my house. He was literally using Zaine as an excuse, the conniving bastard.

"No. No problem," I stated firmly.

"So you’ll do my hair?" Zaine questioned with a hopeful smile.

I faced him again and ruffled his curls. "Yeah, course. I’ll come and pick you up or something."

"I’ll drop him round," Kayden intervened from behind.

"Your car’s in repair," I mentioned.

"It’s fixed now."

I narrowed my eyes and we battled in the stare-war. I knew what he was up to, and I didn’t like it.

Zaine watched us both with a curious brow. "So am I coming or not?"

"Yeah," we both answered in unison before glaring at eachother again.

"Sure you don’t mind?" Kayden teased.

"Why would I mind? I don’t hold grudges."

"Then maybe I should stay round aswell," he proposed.

"Maybe you should."

His brows rose slightly. I could tell he was surprised that I didn’t give in so easily. Truth be told I didn’t want to seem childish so I said the first thing that came to mind. I immediately regretted it afterwards though. He infuriated me to no end, I just felt like kicking him in the throat.

Eventually I left his room and marched down the steps with a screw face. He followed me to the front door and watched with folded arms as I slipped my jacket on. I opened the door and heard him step even closer to me.

"See you on Friday," he whispered in my ear.

I continued to face away from him and stepped outside. He shut the front door after me and I scowled thin air.

Fuck you, Kayden.

* 

The next day was chilly and bitter, but it still didn’t stop me from staying out. I had decided to drag Natalie and Brooklyn out straight after 6th form for a change of scenery. Brooklyn had forgotten her house keys, Natalie lived too far, and my house was full of yardies, so anywhere else was better to relax for a bit.

I noticed them two looking around at our surroundings.

"Erm, Becc’s..." Nat began.

"Yo."

"Why are we here?"

I peered around at the amount of Caucasian business people and the occasional black fellow before turning back to them. "Because Starbucks is the shit."

Brooklyn raised a brow. "Since when?"

"Since a friend brought me here one time." I slurped on my Caramel Frappuccino. "They have the sexiest drinks."

Nat sipped at her Mocha and nodded. "Not even gonna lie, this is banging."

"Any of you heard from Grace lately?" I asked. She had crossed my mind a few times today and I needed to know if she was currently doing okay. I just haven’t had the chance to text or call.

"Spoke to her this morning. She couldn’t come in," Natalie reported.

"Yeah same. She told me she felt rough. Morning sickness init," Brooks said.

"I still can’t believe she’s preggs," Natalie whispered.

"I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner to be honest," Brooklyn muttered. "Her and Chris were always beating."

"How can you even chat?" I asked her with a quirked brow. Brooklyn and Charles were forever sexing. Nine times out of ten whenever we’re on the phone, he’s busy fucking her. I never understood why she would even answer the phone during sex. They were a messed up couple.

Brooks glanced at me. "What do you mean?"

"Don’t gimme that shit. You used to preach about no sex before marriage, yet now you’re constantly on Charle’s dick. You used to love off God but since your man came along you’ve been too into cock to even pray at night. Heathen. You should repent for your sins, you slag."

Brooklyn choked on her muffin while Natalie snorted with laughter.

"Ah shit, she’s right," Natalie screeched with tears in her eyes.

"Have you ever called her in the evening, Nat? Every minute she’s panting. Too hooked on cocky."

Brooklyn had sunk in her seat by now. "Allow me, Becc’s!"

I shrugged and sipped at my Frap. "Don’t chat shit next time. You and Charles are exactly like Grace and Chris, if not worse. You’ll be the next one to fall pregnant."

"That’s dead," she mumbled. "We use protection."

"And? Do you think condoms work 100 percent of the time? You better get an implant mate." I turned to Natalie who was busy drying her eyes. "What about you, Nat? Who you fucking?"

Her eyes widened and a few people turned to our table.

"No-one. I don’t even have a man."

"That doesn’t mean you can’t have sex. What’s his name?"

She chuckled and shook her head. "There’s no-one Becc’s, trust me."

Brooklyn instantly turned on me. "You can’t be getting at us when you beat Tyreece on Valentines Day."

I became stiff and Natalie gasped dramatically. She leaned forward on the table with a gaping mouth. "Rebecca! You never told me!"

I quickly looked down and fiddled with my straw. "It’s not important," I mumbled.

"And you were there interrogating me," Nat scoffed. "You should be the one getting an implant. Anyway how was it? Gimme details! Can’t believe you’re not a virgin anymore."

"I’m not talking about it," I grumbled, still looking down at my glass. "And I’m not pregnant so don’t even bother."

Brooklyn laughed. "How do you know? Did he cum inside?"

I shoved a middle finger up at her and her laugh grew louder. She was enjoying this far more than she should. I regret telling her anything.

"We used protection," I snapped.

"Aww, watch Becc’s getting all shy though," Nat cooed and I screwed her playfully.

"You two can piss off. I’ll be the last one to have kids. Brooklyn will probably have ten of them by the time she’s 30."

"Rate me," she muttered. "Me and Charles are careful. I won’t end up like Grace."

"Oi, don’t say it like it’s a bad thing. We need to support her cos she feels like shit right now," Nat defended. "And she told me that Chris disappeared again, apparently."

As soon as I heard that all the humour vanished from my body. "Seriously?"

Natalie nodded. "She said his phone is off. When she went to his house his mum said she hadn’t seen him. It’s been a few days now and no-ones heard from him, not even Gavin."

Brooklyn sighed. "Not this again."

I crushed the straw in my hand, now frowning deeply. "That prick needs to take responsibility. He’s the reason she’s fucking pregnant."

"Takes two to tango," Natalie reasoned with a light shrug.

"But he knew the consequence. Anyone with sense would’ve wrapped their tings."

"It’s Chris, he doesn’t have sense. He doesn’t even believe in contraception," Brooklyn muttered, taking another bite of her muffin.

I sighed heavily. "And now Grace is gonna worry, which will put more stress on the baby." I rubbed my temple. "When I find Chris I swear I’m gonna break his neck."

It was silent for a few minutes before Natalie asked the question we were all thinking. "Where does he go?"

Brooklyn fiddled with her snack, seriously contemplating this. "Maybe to another girl’s house."

I shook my head. "He wouldn’t do that to Grace."

Brooks looked at me sceptically. "You sure?"

"Mm. He’s a prick but I know how he feels about her. He probably goes to a relative’s house or something."

Natalie realised how serious I was being and drank the last of her beverage. "I hope you’re right, Becc’s."

I nodded confidently and slurped at the rest of my Frap. "I am."

Aaliyah

It was late evening when I went to see him.

As usual the place stank of weed, and it was packed with the usual workers. I spotted Kenneth in the kitchen with Rider and a few others. Clapz was busy hauling a few cardboard boxes upstairs with Nicholas. Everyone was busy doing some kinda task, while Marik remained seated, going through his phone.

Ever since the scare I had in Kayden’s room when he saw the text on my phone I’ve been extremely nervous and on edge. I was lucky that my cousin, Marik, had been the one to text me instead of the one he assumed it to be. I was scared to think of how Kayden would react if it did turn out to be him. I never want to be put in that predicament again.

"What do we do now? People are getting suspicious," I muttered.

Marik scratched the scar on his cheek absentmindedly before standing up from the office chair and leading me to the main storage room. He retrieved the keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. When it opened I saw a whole horde of girls inside, each of them half naked and tied to wooden single beds.

"You tell me," he responded in a deep, bellowing voice. "So far I haven’t been able to snag the bitch."

"Where’s the latest one?"

He nodded towards one particular girl in the corner of the room. A single rope connected her wrists to the bed post, and her faced was bruised. Thankfully she was still fully clothed, but I noticed she was gagged with cloth stuffed in her mouth and cellotape keeping it in place. She was currently staring at the ceiling as we approached but I noticed the fierce look in her eyes. No doubt she put up a fight on the way over here, hence the bruise on her cheek.

"Nicholas thought she was Rebecca. Apparently they look alike, so that was his mistake." Marik snarled and kissed his teeth. "He wasn’t even sure if he was in the right café. What a prick."

The girl continued to stare aimlessly, her chest heaving as she remained silent. The more I looked the more I realised how much she resembled the bitch. Almost everything was identical; the facial structure, hair colour, eyes, nose and figure. The only differences I could see were the hair length and the fact that this girl had a more mature face. Apart from that the similarities were uncanny. I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her though.

"Why don’t we just let them go one by one so it doesn’t seem suspicious?" I suggested. "I mean, none of them deserve to be here. The only one we need is Rebecca."

He looked at me and chuckled. "You really are naïve init?" He took a seat at the edge of her bed and dragged the girl up by the hair. She screamed at the pain but the sound was muffled by the cloth in her mouth. "If we let them go they’ll only snake us to the feds." He turned back to me. "And we don’t want that, do we?"

I looked to the girl who was now staring at me with malice and hatred. I could tell she was desperate to escape, and the first thing she’d probably do is try to murder Marik. She just seemed like that type of reckless person. Had she not been tied down she would definitely pose a threat, I could tell from the look in her narrowed eyes.

"No," I finally muttered, clenching my fists and looking away. "I’ve been patient though, Marik. I didn’t pay you 8 bills for you to make mistakes. I need Rebecca to disappear quickly."

He released the girl’s hair and stood up, looming over me threateningly. "If I could step outside and deal with her myself then I would, believe me. I have to depend on them man downstairs. They work for me. I own them. Anything I need, they run and get it for me." He gripped my arm and I winced at the tight hold. "Stop bitching and learn to fucking wait. When I said I’d get the job done, I meant it, no matter how long it takes. In a few months she’ll be gone." He pulled me closer and leaned down to my ear. "You just stand there and look pretty for me, yeah?"

I swallowed hard at the low tone and quickly pulled away from him. The only one I allowed to be so close to me was Kayden, and even he wasn’t fully mine. I was happy to be with him again, and I admit we were much closer in the past, but it still pissed me off the way he mentioned Rebecca sometimes. If she never existed we would’ve been together by now, but she always got in the way somehow.

I hate her. I hate her for stealing him away from me. I hate her for taking his heart and crushing it beneath her foot. I hate that...I wasn’t her. I used to watch Kayden’s face every time he spoke of her, when they first met. His eyes would glaze over and he would sigh happily like he was in love. He never once looked at me that way, and I immediately hated the affect she had on him.

She didn’t deserve him. She didn’t deserve anyone. She didn’t even deserve to be alive.

I wanted her gone...

A knock suddenly came at the door. Marik and I turned and he bellowed for them to come in. The door opened and a boy stepped in, bearing a livid expression and standing with squared shoulders. He looked around my age, mixed-race with short cut hair and expressive brown eyes. He didn’t seem very happy at all, and I was surprised I had never seen him before. He stood just above 6ft, and he appeared quite threatening.

I saw a smile appear on Marik’s face as he approached him. He grabbed the boy and pulled him into his chest, chuckling and beating a hand on his back.

"What’s got you so vex?" he asked.

The boy pulled back and shook his head. "Just got a lot on my mind, uncle."

"Mm. I got some purple haze that might cheer you up. But fix your face; you look like someone fucking died."

He rubbed a hand over his face and kissed his teeth. "I got a call a few days ago that messed me up. I had to come down here and get away for abit."

"Then you came to the right place, young buck." Marik turned to look at me. "Oi, come ‘ere."

I hesitantly stepped forward until I was stood opposite them by the door.

"This is Aaliyah, my likkle sweet dumplin’."

I gagged at that and Marik smirked, knowing just how revolting I thought he was. He then gestured towards the boy.

"Aaliyah, this is my nephew, Chris."