Something About Milan: A Complicated Love Story (10 page)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Wise

Both Sasha and Keem really thought that I was stupid. They had to know that I wasn’t going for that bullshit. It was the way that they did it. They knew I wasn’t supposed to be at the crib, so for them to just pop up, it had me looking at them funny. What the fuck were they snooping around in my room for?

“They fucking.” Milan whispered into my ear, before going to the bed and plopping down. It was like she was reading my thoughts.

I waved her off, not wanting to think about Keem betraying me like that. I had always kept it 100 with him, so I hoped like hell that he didn’t have me looking stupid.

“Milan, shut up talking to me with that bullshit.” I sighed, looking at my phone as it vibrated. It was Carter calling. I waved Milan off, answering the phone. “What’s up bro?”

There was a brief pause before he spoke. “Aigh, what you say that nigga name was that shawty used to fuck with?”

My brows furrowed in confusion. “Who Jabari?”

“Yea, that’s what I thought it was. I’ll holla’ at you in a few.” He hung up on me and I had to wonder what the fuck he had up his sleeve.

“You’re in denial, Wise. Seriously, Keem is up to some bullshit and Sasha is a scandalous whore. Watch. You don’t want to listen to me, but I bet you any money that their sneaky asses are up to something.” Milan said as soon as I hung up.

I hopped on the bed next to her. “And how you figure that? I know you ain’t fucking with Sasha, but she looked out for me and Melanie. And if she’s carrying my baby, then you gone have to stop going so hard on her.” I chuckled, looking at the scrunched up look on her face. “Nah, I’m fucking wit’ you. Fuck them. I don’t give a fuck what that girl do with her pussy. It ain’t mine to worry about. As Long as Milan Smith keeps it 100, I’m good.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m down to ride until the wheels fall off.” She assured me, giving me a peck on the lips.

“Yeah, ‘cause you know I’ll fuck yo’ little ass up.” I shot, staring into her eyes. “But look, I need you to help me handle our problem. Are you ready for all of this? You know I love you, Milan. I did fucked up shit in the past, but I always loved you. I’m gone hold you down; always and forever.”

She nodded her head. “Yes, I know you do. I just hope that you keep your promise. And, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I mean, I’ll hurt for my kids, because they love their father. But, at the same time, Jabari isn’t in his right mind and I’d rather him go than for it to be me.”

I just nodded. I already knew that I would have to step up and be the man that she needed me to be for her and the kids. I had no problem doing that though. I loved those kids.

“As long as you know. But, that’s not until later when,” My phone vibrated again, alerting me of a call. I pulled my phone out and looked at the screen. It was Carter calling back.

“What’s up Carter?” I asked, answering again.

“You got another car, right?”

“Yeah, what’s up? I know you ain’t fucked up my whip.”

Carter let out a sigh. “Stop crying nigga, and meet me on 23
rd
and Warren. Now!”

He hung up and I looked at Milan. “Carter needs me to meet up with him, I don’t know what this nigga wants. Are you going to stay here, or do you want me to drop you off to your car?”

Milan decided to go back to her car, so we left out. I dropped her off, then sped off. Carter had me wondering what the fuck he was up to. There wasn’t no telling with him.

***

The spot on 23
rd
was a rundown brick house that our family had owned since we were kids. No one stayed in it, but we kept the taxes paid, and the windows boarded up. The block was a  mixture of empty fields and abandoned houses. What used to be a thriving neighborhood with close-knit families was now deserted, and home to a weed house, and a couple of neighbors that weren’t fortunate enough to move out of the hood.

Carter was sitting on the porch smoking a blunt when I pulled up. He had this sneaky ass look plastered across his face when he saw me. I shook my head, knowing he was up to some bullshit.

  I hopped out, making my way to the porch. He smiled. “It’s about time. You taking all fucking day and the party couldn’t start until you pulled up. Come on lil’ bro, let me teach you something.”

I followed him into the house, and damn near threw up. Adonnis was in there, and they had a nigga tied to a chair, and he had all types of deep ass cuts and gashes on his face. I squinted my eyes, getting a better look. I think it was Jabari. The nigga’s face was so fucked up that I honestly couldn’t tell.

“Well, we got it poppin’ a little before you got here. This nigga got too much mouth.” Carter chuckled, mushing the man’s head, causing it to jerk back. He was barely hanging on to life, and I stood there stunned. Carter had been back to the city for less than twenty-four hours and already he was getting shit together.

I just shook my head. “Damn, nigga. How the fuck,” I couldn’t even get my sentence out. I was baffled.

“Come on bro, you should already know how I get down. I ain’t got time to be playing with these niggas. Now, how you want to finish this fuck boy? You want to torture him or you want to do it the easy way?”

“Fuck this nigga!” I shot, as I thought about all the foul shit Jabari had been doing. The nigga didn’t deserve to live and I decided to end his misery.  Pulling my gun from my waist, I squeezed a shot off. It hit Jabari dead in his head, ending his life on site. He had done so much fuck shit that I didn’t want to waste anymore energy on him.

Carter began to clap. “That’s what the fuck I’m talking about, lil’ bro. Now  we got some shit to handle with yo’ crew. You better keep these squares out yo’ circle.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Milan

I had this eerie feeling that washed over me, and it just wouldn’t go away. I looked in my rearview mirror, just to see if someone was following me, but there wasn’t anything unusual, so I calmed down a bit. Jabari had really messed up my head.

I loved that man for eight long years. We’ve went through the worst, yet it wasn’t all bad between us. I think that a part of me was still holding on to the good times, because knowing that he would probably be taken away from me any day now saddened me. You couldn’t just turn off your feelings for a person overnight, and he just so happened to be the father of my kids. Jabari Jr. loved his father.

I let out a sigh, getting angry at him for putting us in such a fucked up predicament. Why couldn’t he just move on and let me be? He had a whole new family out here.

A tear actually fell from my eyes. I didn’t want things to end this way. I was emotionally drained. My heart was aching. Gosh, I hated him so much right now. I wished that I could talk some sense into his thick ass skull. I knew the real Jabari, and this ma’fucka running around like some lunatic wasn’t him. He must have been getting high off of his own supply or some shit. That was the only reasonable explanation.

I reached for my phone, needing to call him and try to figure out what was going on in his head. I wondered if he knew how real he had just made things. Wise had flew Carter out, so I knew that he was walking on borrowed time.

Carter had plenty of enemies before he left, and I was worried for him and Wise’s safety. I knew that he had made most of them disappear and that it had been nine whole years since Carter had been back to the city, but there was no telling who was still lurking in the shadows, ready for the chance to get their payback. A lot of families were crying over a casket at the hands of him.

Jabari’s phone rang two times. “What the fuck you doing calling this nigga’s phone, Milan?” Wise’s voice scared the shit out of me! I pulled he phone away from my ear to look at the screen and make sure that I dialed the correct number. “Hello?” He yelled.

He had caught me off guard for a second. “I-I-I,” I stumbled over my words.

“You was what? Let me find out you playing both sides.”

“Really Wise? This nigga is doing everything in his power to ruin my life and you think I’m playing sides? I was just calling him to see what his problem was. I was calling him to see why he’s doing this. I deserve a fucking explanation! Wait a minute… why are you answering Jabari’s phone?” I growled, hurt that he would think that I was on some bullshit.

“Well, it ain’t no getting explanations. It’s a wrap.” Wise hung up on me, and my hands shot to my mouth. Jabari was dead. My kids’ father was gone. It hurt. I had to pull over to the side of the rode because the tears were starting to cloud my vision. I knew that it was coming, but I hadn’t really prepared myself for it.

Chapter Twenty-Eight
 

Carter

I couldn’t understand why Wise allowed the bullshit to go on for so long with that fuck boy. Finding out where he was and luring him to me was easy as hell. I still had eyes and ears in the city looking after my baby brother. So once I mentioned ol' boy's name, they were on it. Wise could play with his own life, but I wasn't about to have nobody running up on me, nor was I about to be looking over my shoulders.

After having the cleanup crew come and make the mess that we created disappear, we headed out and made our way back to Wise's crib to chill for a minute. I was back home and I wanted to hit the city.

A lot had changed since the last time that I was in Detroit. The hood wasn't the same anymore, neighborhoods weren't neighborhoods. Most of the blocks were filled with abandoned, or burned down houses, and the people even had a harder look.

"Are we going to fuck with some hoes tonight or what?" Adonnis tapped me on the arm, snapping me from my thoughts. I swear, hoes were going to be his downfall one day. I just looked at him, shaking my head.

"I mean, I know we here to handle business, and I'm gone put in that work. But, it ain't got to be all business and no fun with yo' square ass. Ever since Selena dipped on yo' ass, you been acting like a square." He chuckled, but I didn't find it funny.

When Selena left, it really fucked with me. I knew that I wasn't no angel. But, she was my heart and I treated her like it. After two months, I still wasn't over that broad and I just wanted her to go away. But how could I not think about her when we was together for nearly a decade? 

Damn, this nigga had me getting all soft and shit, thinking about her, like I'm some sucka ass nigga. Fuck Selena! I told myself, pulling into the driveway right behind Wise.

"You a horny-ass nigga. It's always about a bitch." I shook my head at Adonnis, as we hopped out.

"But, chill. We gone hit the club tonight." I assured him."Lil bro gone show us the city now that we got room to breathe.” I turned to Wise. “And I want you to invite the crew. I need to see who the fuck little bro got surrounding him. I heard it's some snakes slithering in yo' grass. We might as well mow the lawn while I'm here." 

Wise nodded, I looked at my brother, knowing that I would paint the city red if anything happened to him. Outside of my mother and my ex, they were all that I had.

"Alright, well I need to hit the mall before we go out." Adonnis shot, and I agreed. I left my fly shit at home, anticipating handling business then hopping on a flight back to Atlanta. But, I did need to get out to get my mind off of Selena. Being back in the city reminded me of her.

Damn, Selena had a nigga head gone. I thought we were good, then she just disappeared. I had even stopped fucking around with most of the other bitches to keep it 100 with her.

I was going to ride past her mother's house tomorrow to see if she was there. Her mother tried to act like she didn’t know where Selena was, but that was the only other place I could think of that she would go. On second thought, fuck that. If she wasn't thinking about me, then I wasn't thinking about her. I tried telling myself.

***

Thirty minutes later, we ended up at Summerset Mall. We were headed to Saks fifth Ave. when I saw her. I thought that my eyes were playing tricks on me. But, I knew that walk, and that pearly white smile from anywhere.

There Selena was with a big ass belly, walking with some muscle-head nigga that I didn’t remember seeing before. I had to do a double take. Pregnant? Selena was pregnant with my lil’ one and she didn’t even tell me. Wait, was it my baby? She was walking around the mall, smiling in the next nigga’s face while I’m stressing over her ass. All types of thoughts began to crowd my head. Then suddenly I got pissed! The fuck she doing walking around with another nigga? I'd kill her ass dead if she was cheating on me. Selena was mine and she was always going to be mine, whether she liked it or not.

Adonnis tapped me, pointing in her direction, but I was already on it.  He gave me that look, like ‘what you want to do’. But, I just waved him off. I didn’t need any help. Selena didn't even notice me until I was right in her face. The look in her eyes said it all. She was shocked to see me, live in the flesh. I can’t front, it was fucking with my pride to see her all happy. I woke up in my feelings every day, and I’m not even that type of nigga.

She got to stuttering. "Carter, I...I" 

Muscle Head stepped forward. "Who is this, Selena? You good?"

He eyed me, and if he knew what was best for him, he'd gone about his business. I had no problem fucking him up in this mall.

Selena nodded, her eyes became glossy. "Yes, I'm fine Troy. Let me talk to him, please?" 

Troy looked at me all funny and I made it up in my head that I was going to slap his punk ass and make him show me some respect.

Adonnis and Wise stood off to the side, and that Troy cat stood across from them. I pulled Selena closer to me. I was mad but I missed her so much that I was scared that she would disappear if I let her go.

"I couldn't do it anymore, Carter. It was just too much. I didn't want to bring a baby into the bullshit that you have going." She got to rambling before I could say anything.

I just stood there, looking into her hazel eyes, and I was stuck for a second. When everything registered my face formed a frown.

"You couldn't do what? Damn, so you carrying my baby and wasn't going to tell me?"

"I wanted to, Carter. But, I would never be able to get away from you if I did. I'm tired; the street life, the cheating, the stress. I asked you to get out the game. I begged you." 

Damn, I was fucked up. I wasn't expecting to actually find Selena. I wasn't expecting for my heart to beat for her and my body to yearn to touch her like it did. And I wasn't expecting for her to be pregnant with my baby. Wasn't this some shit.