Love Without Loyalty Read online

  Blessings heard her phone buzz again. This nigga needs to go to work, she thought as she picked up her phone. She unlocked her phone and looked at the message Priest had just sent.

  Priest: I’m outside.

  Blessings: Childish ass. Go to work bruh.

  Priest: Either come outside so we can talk as adults. Or I’m coming in and we gone fuck in the quietest part of the library. Your choice, love.

  Blessings tried to hide the small smirk that suddenly was playing on the corner of her lips. Leave it to Priest to solve their problems by fucking. Sex can only solve so much. Blessings left him on read as she gathers up her books so she can head out before Priest came into the library looking for her. He was known for making good on his promises. She noticed another girl doing the same thing. An idea suddenly popped up in Blessings mind.

  Blessings walked over to the girl and did a light tap on the table. The girl looked at Blessings suspiciously. “Would you like to grab a snack,” Blessings asked the girl. She instantly recognized the girl who was sitting in the front row in Mr. Tucker’s class. “You are in Tucker’s class, right?”

  The girl nodded her head yes. “So am I. My name is Blessings.” Blessings held out her hand. Autumn looked at her hand for a quick second before grabbing it.

  “Autumn.”

  “Beautiful name. I wanted to know if you would be interested in grabbing a bite to eat so we can discuss this paper he wants done by next week,” Blessings said as she placed her hand on her forehead. “Papers aren’t my strong suit.”

  Autumn gave Blessings a small smile. “I can help you with that. Give me a second.” Autumn grabbed her book off the table and placed it in her bookbag. She looked up when Blessings suddenly got behind her. “Um, I don’t need another ass behind me.”

  Blessings looked up at Autumn. “I’m hiding from my nigga.” Blessings nodded her head into Priest’s direction. Autumn looked and shook her head. Dude was fine to say he was light skin. Autumn noticed Priest’s tattoos that was inked over both of his arms and looked at Blessings.

  “Why you are hiding from him,” Autumn asked as she motioned for Blessings to move so they can cut through the library. “Is he abusive?”

  “Please,” Blessings retorted. “I wish he would put his hands on me. But no. He just has a shitty habit of not communicating. But let me ignore his ass, he about to do all kinds of pop ups.”

  Autumn stopped in her tracks. “So, you hid behind me cause your dude doesn’t communicate? That’s new.”

  Blessings looked down at her shoes. “People think love is what get you through the tough times in a relationship. But people can fall in and out of love every day. Once you give that person your trust, you can’t just easily lose that unless you deliberately fucked it up. Trust and communication go hand in hand then comes love. Once you break either one, what do you have to solidify your relationship on? A temporary emotion that can easily be defined by multiple interpretations of it?”

  Autumn looked at Blessings with a new-found respect of the knowledge she just dropped on Autumn. “That’s deep,” Autumn said as they walked to the front of the entrance of the library.

  They walked quietly to the nearby Waffle House and grabbed a booth. Autumn looked down at the menu while Blessings looked at the missed messages from Priest. She knew she was going to the extreme by ignoring him and treating him this way. But that’s how she felt when he didn’t come home that night with no calls or text. She was worried sick about him. It wasn’t until she went on snapchat and viewed her cousin story did, she see why he didn’t contact her. He was busy taking shots and gambling.

  “I never ate at Waffle House,” Autumn said as she looked at the menu. She glanced up at the worker and noticed how dirty the station was by the waffles. “Is this food safe to eat,” Autumn whispered.

  Blessings bust out laughing. “It’s good, trust me. Get the all-star special with a hash brown. Make sure you get it smothered, covered and peppered.”

  Autumn looked at Blessings as if she had just spoken a different language. “Get it what?”

  Blessings sighed. She could see she was going to have to school Autumn of proper Waffle House etiquette. “It’s just cheese, onions and jalapeño peppers. It’s really good.”

  Blessings was about to wave the waitress over to them until she saw Mark was calling her phone again. She let the phone rang until it stopped. She hated how her oldest brother smooched off their mother or anybody else he could smooch off of. Mark was a user and didn’t care if he pulled his childish behavior on his own relatives. As long as he got what he wanted.

  She decided to pick up on the third time around. “What,” she said shortly into the phone.

  “I need a ride home. My car won’t start, and we need to leave,” Mark said into the receiver.

  “Where are you and who is we,” Blessings asked confusingly. She looked at Autumn who was still looking at the menu.

  “I’m at Avery’s house and it’s me and Yvonne. Can you just come get us please? Stop with the twenty-one questions and shit.” Blessings pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it. No, he didn’t just catch a tantrum with her. What’s this with him and Yvonne?

  Blessings placed the phone back to her ear. “I’m on my way just because I would hate for my cousin to go to jail behind stank pussy and a fucked up relative.” Blessings quickly hung up the phone and looked at Autumn. “I’m sorry but I have to go save my cousin before he does something dumb to my idiotic brother.”

  Autumn gave her a small smile. “I understand. Listen take down my number so we can link up to discuss this paper.” The two women exchanged numbers as Blessings sent a quick text to Priest. If Mark was caught sneaking around with Yvonne, Blessings knew she would need back up.

  Blessings quickly headed to her car. She tossed her belongings onto the passenger seat as she quickly got in and started her jaguar truck. It was her birthday gift from Priest when she turned eighteen. Some people frown at her relationship with an older man. They all seem to speculate that her and Priest been messing around but that wasn’t the case. She didn’t start messing with Priest sexually until she became legal. Their bond was already there. She was always hanging around Avery and Priest because her own brother was a flunky and a lame. Mark chased after stupid shit to try to prove a point. Avery and Priest didn’t need to flash or chase. They were contempt with the things that they have.

  Avery was the one who helped mold Blessings personality and outlook on life. He was always telling her to keep her head up and never let somebody take you off your throne. She knew Priest just was used to leaving at a drop of a hat, but he was in a relationship now. He had to be held accountable for his every move.

  Blessings pulled up in front of Avery’s house and parked. She saw Priest car was already there. She looked around before hopping out. The street was eerily quiet. Blessings knew that to be a sign that something bad was about to happen.

  She blew her horn before closing her car door. She waited by the hood of her car for somebody to emerge from the house. She didn’t want to walk in on something. She heard a door close and Yvonne came walking out with trash bag of clothes.

  “How classy,” Blessings said. She knew that Avery made her pack the shit she brought with only her money. That nigga was petty like that. “Is he gone snatch that ponytail out your head? You didn’t buy that.” Blessings was suppressing the biggest laugh that suddenly hit her soul. She knew Yvonne was a snake. Ever since the boys were in high school, Yvonne Howard was one of the females that couldn’t be trusted. Avery was just your average looking kid. He didn’t play sports. He only went to school and went home. The only friend he had was Priest. Yvonne started dating Avery when rumors started circulating the two boys were making loot. Yvonne can only stay around for a man unless he was packing in both departments. Dick and money.

  “Shut up,” Yvonne hissed. “Can you pop your trunk please?”

  Blessings gave her a side eye. She hit the trunk button
on her car alarm pad and looked away. Blessings and Yvonne never got along. That was just fine with Blessings. She never held her tongue for a bitch. Especially a bitch that went from living in a five-bedroom house to now about to be sleeping in a basement of her side nigga mama’s house. Karma was truly a bitch

  Mark came walking out of the house a few seconds later, carrying another trash bag filled with clothes. Blessings burned a hole into his head by the way she was staring at her. “You proud of yourself?”

  Mark ignored his sister as he helped Yvonne with putting the clothes in the trunk. “Hello, you can’t hear me. I’m telling Mom what the fuck you did,” Blessings exclaimed as she rolled her eyes.

  Mark sighed. “Blessings, can you please shut up,” Mark asked as he finally looked at her.

  Blessings scoffed. “Shut up? This is my car. Your raggedy piece of shit is right there about to shit in the middle of the street.” Blessings pointed to the old 1988 Cadillac that Mark been driving since he was in high school. “Nigga upgrade yourself before you try to steal the next nigga bitch. She just gone leave you as soon as she finds another rich nigga. Dumb ass. Should have just fucked her and kept it moving like a g.” Blessings was heated. Her brother always finds a way to play himself. He acted like a flunky, but he was smart as shit when it came down to numbers. Somehow, he just lost his way and apparently his mind.

  Yvonne didn’t say shit as she walked to the passenger side of the car. She was about to open the door until Blessings quickly hit lock on her car alarm. “What is you doing?”

  Yvonne inhaled as she tried to keep her words in check. “I’m trying to get in the car.”

  Blessings scoffed. “Hoes sit they asses on the roof. But seeing as though if I get a ticket and yall broke asses can’t pay for it, you can sit your ass in the backseat.”

  Yvonne looked at Mark as he quietly begged her to just get in the backseat. This is what she gets for messing with his ass. He had some good dick. Was he better than Avery’s? No. But Mark did eat pussy and ass like a hungry man. Yvonne secretly wished Avery would walk out the house and tell her she can stay. She didn’t want to live with Mark. Let alone his aggravating ass mama.

  Yvonne hopped into the backseat and looked at the front door of the house. She rolled her eyes when Mark placed his hand on her thigh. She was suddenly repulsed by him. If only he stayed the fuck away from her when she told him it was over. They wouldn’t be in the predicament they were in now. If only she didn’t destroy the one thing that was stable in her life.

  PRIEST CLOSED THE CURTAIN when he saw Blessings pull off with Mark and Yvonne. He looked back at Avery who was sitting on the living room floor with a bottle of Cîroc in his hand.

  “If you gone cry behind that bitch, then you should have just stayed with her,” Priest said as he took a seat right next to his friend. “Want me to tell Blessings to bring the car around?”

  Avery shook his head. “I don’t want her back. I’m just pissed. Out of all the niggas in New Orleans, she fucks Mark duck ass.”

  Priest nodded his head. “He must have something she wanted.” Avery looked at Priest with a blank expression on his face. “She must love the skruggling life.” Both Priest and Avery laughed as he mispronounced the word struggling.

  “Hey, this was a sign that broad wasn’t meant to match your fly anymore,” Priest said as he placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You gone find that one girl that will fight for your love just as much as you fight for hers.” Avery’s mind quickly wanders to Autumn. The way she made his heart stop when he first saw her, made him wonder if she could be the one for him.

  Chapter 3

  Autumn walked inside her house and quickly turned back on the alarm. “Mom,” she called out as she walked past the living room to head to the kitchen. She saw a small note sitting on the stove. Autumn rolled her eyes at the goofy looking smiley face her mother drew on the paper. Autumn peeked in the oven to see her plate her mother had fixed was gone. “Tori,” Autumn said with a sigh.

  Autumn walked up the stairs and went towards her sister room. As soon as she got closer to the door, she immediately heard monas coming from the other side of the door. Without thinking, Autumn opened the door and flicked on the lights. “Alright get out of the pussy,” she said as she laughed hysterically.

  Jeremy quickly hopped off Tori as she tried to cover herself with the sheet. “What the fuck Autumn? Get out,” Tori yelled as she looked at her sister.

  Autumn scrunched up her face as the smell of their sex hit her nose. “Somebody needs a bath,” Autumn said as she held her nose. “Is sex supposed to smell like betrayal and desperation?”

  Tori threw her bed pillow at her sister. “If you had a man you will know what sex smells like. Now get!”

  Autumn turned to walk out but then remember why she came up here in the first place. “I need twenty bucks to order me take out.” Autumn held out her hand.

  “The fuck,” Tori said as she looked at her sister. “Mom’s cooking is not worth that much.”

  “I had to walk up here to get the money. So, consider that a shipping fee. Or should I call mom and let her know her daughter is getting plowed and might have a yeast infection.” Autumn kept her hand out as Tori looked at her boyfriend. Jeremy reached for his pants that were on the floor. The blanket that was covering him suddenly fell. What Autumn saw had her biting on her inner jaw. She is fucking that, Autumn thought to herself as she tried not to laugh. No wonder why it smells like desperation. He was desperate to hit it right.

  Jeremy quickly grabbed the cover and sheepishly kept his head down and he held out the money. Autumn walked closer and grabbed the money out of his hand. Tori kept looking at her with anger flickering behind her eyes. She was definitely mad.

  “Thank you and please keep it down,” Autumn said as she walked out. “Don’t burn yourselves out.”

  AUTUMN WALKED BACK downstairs to her bedroom. Her mother had been kind enough to give Autumn the master bedroom when she had turned sixteen. The main reason was because Dina wasn’t always home, and somebody needed to look after Tori. The alarm pad was located in the master bedroom and by the front door. But Tori didn’t know the code. Autumn didn’t know how Tori snuck her boyfriend in, but it was definitely time to change the code again.

  Autumn threw her bag down on the floor and instantly pulled up her cell phone provider website. She placed a claim on her phone, and they sent her a quote for how much it would charge to get it fixed. The quote came up to two hundred dollars. She had a good six hundred in her possession. Avery had definitely given her too much money. Autumn sighed as she scheduled an in-store appointment. She thought back to the card that was sitting in her bag. She wanted to call him, but her phone was completely shattered, thanks to him. She could barely see the screen let alone call out.

  She threw the phone back into her bag as she looked around her room. Her whole world revolved around her family. She didn’t have an outside life like Tori does. Autumn was an inside child. Books were her only escape and even then, she was still inside. She barely ventured out, let alone tried to make friends. But something inside of her stirred when Avery spoke to her. Autumn had plenty of opportunities to date. But the dudes who always asked were just not what she was looking for. They were either too street or too straight. Autumn wanted a guy who was the perfect blend of both. A hood dude who was smart and went to church. A church gangster, Autumn said to herself with a slight laugh.

  She heard her sister walking downstairs, ushering Jeremy out of the front door. Autumn stood up so she can give Tori a piece of her mind. When she opened her bedroom, Tori was just closing the front door.

  “You know I’m telling mother he was here, right,” Autumn said as she folded her arms against her chest.

  Tori rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. “Do what you do best,” she said as she turned to walk off. Being different from each other was the thing that kept them divided. Tori didn’t get all A’s in school like her big sister. She wanted to pa
rty while she still can. Autumn didn’t understand that.

  “Well, I am,” Autumn said as walked completely out her room. “You know the rules, Tori.”

  Tori ignored Autumn as she walked up the stairs. She didn’t have time to listen to Autumn’s list of rules. Dina was never home as is. When did she have time to make rules? Tori walked into her room and slammed her door loudly. She hated it here. She hated the way people talked behind her back like she was trash.

  Tori reached inside her nightstand as she pulled out a small vial. She eyed the small white rocks and sighed. Her mother is a practitioner nurse who raised two kids all by herself. Autumn was well on her way to being whatever she wanted to be. Tori was just living day by day. She is the black sheep of the family and the more Autumn succeeds the more Tori is reminded of her fuckups.

  “Fuck it,” Tori said as she reached for her lighter and the rest of the tools she would need to forget about her problems. If only just for a night.

  Next Morning

  AUTUMN CAME BOUNDING out of her room as she quickly grabbed her purse from off her bed. She didn’t have classes today, so she was going to AT&T to get her cell phone fixed.

  Autumn walked into the kitchen and noticed it was in the same condition it was in last night. “Mom,” Autumn called out. She walked right back out of the kitchen and headed upstairs. She paused when she reached Tori’s door. She wanted to knock and talk to her sister. She didn’t want her sister to ruin her life by messing with dudes like Jeremy. Jeremy was already nineteen and rumors have been circulating that he has been selling drugs. Autumn didn’t want that for her sister. But Tori was just as stubborn as ever. She would never listen to reason.