CALYPSO

    Buzzz.. Buzzz.. Buzzz.. I opened my eyes to see I'd been laying on the floor. A wood print was engraved in my cheek after I peeled it off the ground. The taste of iron was in my mouth from a cut on my lip. Looking around me, Slim was nowhere to be found. I searched for my phone, which didn't take long because it happened to be that vibration that woke me up initially. I had 99+ notifications on Instagram and I continued to get them every second my phone was in my hand.
    I opened the app to to see I was getting DMs, tagged in posts, and worst of all there was a live video I was being tagged in besides Durk's. It was Royale's and she thought I was at the hotel with Durk, people were tagging me in the video and sending me hate messages. Then, I come across a post from The Shaderoom. It read, "Chicago Rapper Lil Durk goes live to sign a female rapper to OTF. Looks like he found more than he was looking for.😏🤫" The post had a clip of Durk & I right before he ended the live where he said he'd DM me. People were in the comments dragging me through the damn mud.

    @brazybaby: She knew damn well he was just trynna fuck. These hoes bold out here. Lol

   @kj_sheistyyy: Wow, this man just keep taking Ls. Shortie not even cute😂😭

@louloubee: Imagine cheating on Royale with THAT!🤢🤮

   @dubbmasterj: The birds come out as soon as they see a nigga drunk and ready to risk it all😂

   @durkandroyalefp: Nooooo not @lildurk too! He was our only hope left. Don't nobody even know who @calymichigan is! You not supposed to be fucking with nobody's. 😩🥺

    And the list goes on. I've scrolled through every single comment section and every one was more worried about Durk cheating on Royale with me than they were about Durk signing me to his label. Even the new comments on my YouTube consisted of hate comments from Royale's followers. My DMs were filled with people looking to interview me about the "scandal." I literally blew up over night in the worse way possible. EVERYBODY hates me.
    "Hello?" I answered the phone.
    "Girl, you okay? I seen everything, people are blowing me up too." Bria said. I sighed and crossed my legs as I sat on the floor.
    "I'm absolutely heartbroken right now. Slim found out I was with Durk last night and tried to fucking kill me. Everything else ain't making it no better."
    "Oh hell no, I'm coming to get you right now!"
    "No, I have work later on.."
    "Girl, fuck that job. I'll drive you to Chicago right now if I have to."
    "Yeah, ion think that's an option for me, anymore."
    "Have you talked to Durk?"
    "I didn't have to, if he's seen with me for even a second his whole career will be over."
    "I think you should at least try. I mean, I saw the live too. He's gonna wanna hear from you."
    "Not after Royale's live."
    "Look, I'll talk to Vinnie. In the meantime, get your shit because I'm coming to get you once I finish this head."
    "Damn, you just airing my business out huh?"
    "I'm in the bathroom girl, calm down. But, I'll be there in a couple of hours. Are you sure you're okay?"
    "Yes, I'm sure. I see you soon." I hang up the phone and get this urge to talk to Durk. Calling him just hours after Royale's live didn't sound like a good idea, so I decided to send him a text.

   
   Me: If I knew that getting on that live would cause this many problems, I wouldn't have. I apologize to you and your team for the bad press. 😒

    I was hoping he'd see my message and respond with something reassuring like, "Don't worry about the hype, none of this is your fault. Just relax." But, he didn't. In fact, as soon as I pressed send, my message turned green. Well if you know how iPhones work; you'd know that when that happens, your number is now blocked. I sat there staring at that message for a few seconds, unable to comprehend what was happening that day. The one person I needed to talk to had then became the last person who wanted to talk to me. So, I took a deep breath and set my phone down on the nightstand. The shower was calling my name, and I needed something warm to the touch. I grabbed my work clothes and my phone, then hopped in the shower.
    Have you ever been in the shower and your heart started racing, breathing got heavier, head got light, and you started to see faint stars? For some reason, this always happened to me whenever I was stressed. Although, I'm sure there's a scientific and biological explanation for it, I can't help but feel like my body loves to send me messages. The moment I got that similar feeling, I jumped out the shower. I wrapped my body in a towel and sprinted across the living room to my bedroom for the cool breeze. Soon, I was safe and slowly recovering on the edge of my bed. I laid back and spread my arms out as I performed a back arching stretch.
    "Rough day?" I jumped up and clenched my towel against my chest. Jason stood in the doorway in nothing but his boxers with his hand on the doorknob.
    "Please, get out. Shut my door." I said. How could I forget he was now living with me. Under the same roof and with a look of deceit in his eyes, just ready to prowl. Jason was a bad idea just waiting to happen.
    "My bad, I ain't mean to scare you. Just wanted to check up on you." He examined my legs and suddenly I felt exposed. I crossed my legs, his eyes followed as they were glued together. "Slim, went to the studio. He said he'll see you at work."
    "What do you mean? How am I supposed to get to work?" Jason shrugged as I frowned with confusion. So, they want me to believe that nobody thought about how a nigga left the house with our only car but expected me to meet him at work.
    "That's all he said before he left." Him and I stared at each other for almost a minute until I realized Jason doesn't know shit. I took another deep breath and laid back down. When Slim is mad, he sabotages me. That day, he was willing to risk losing my half of the rent. Then if I did lose my job, he could blame my lack of "independence." Because somehow, everything he did to me was my fault.
    "Wow.." I said. I shook my head slowly as I struggled to not let my eyes water. My lip was busted, my neck was bruised, I had a throbbing in my head that seemed to get worse the longer I was awake, and my boyfriend was busy stroking his fucking ego!
    "You okay?" I lifted up on my elbows and furrowed my eyebrows with a stank face.
    "Do I look like I'm okay? Get the fuck out!" I said.
    "I'm just trying to help."
    "I don't need your help, what I need is for you to leave me alone."
    "See, you're in a position where you don't have the luxury to make decisions about what happens in this house anymore."
    "Excuse me?"
    "Let me explain." He said as he shut my bedroom door and locked it. Suddenly, my heart dropped to my ass and I was back to clutching my towel. Only this time, I was actually guarding something."I remember that agreement we made last night, do you?" He walked around the room, made sure everything blind was close. I shook my head and raised an eyebrow. He smacked his lips and scoffed. "How about I jog your memory?"
    "Yeah, how about you don't." I stood up and shuffled to the door, but Jason got ahold of my arm. He yanked me towards him, but I snatched away. "Let me the fuck go!" My towel dropped to the floor and he swung me onto the  bed.
    "Caly, we can do this the easy way." He rubbed his hand up my thigh and I scrammed to the other side of the room. He rubbed his chin and nodded slowly. "Or, we can do this the hard way."
    "What do you want from me?"
    "You know what I want and imma get it. So, get over here."
    "Over my dead body."
    "I can make that happen." He said as he reached into Slim's shoe box behind the TV. He pulled out a gun that's bigger than my hand. My body turned into a block of ice. I was trembling so bad, I thought I was vibrating. "Bed, now." He swayed the gun in the direction of the bed. It took me a few seconds to register, but then my mind went into survival mode. I quickly climbed back onto the bed, waiting for his next instructions. "Wow, if I knew this is all it would take to get you to shut the fuck up, I would've done this a long time ago." He stepped out of his boxers and motioned me to pleasure him. Despite how obligated I felt to protect myself, I was more worried about giving head wrong. All I could think about was the fact that I don't suck dick. Therefore, I couldn't possibly be good at it. At that point, I was CERTAIN I was about to die. My future was not looking bright.
    "A-are y-you sure? Like, y-you want me to-"
    "Did I stutter?" He extended his arm to point the gun in my face.
    "I'm just asking, I wanna make sure you get satisfied. I don't know how to do it." I said, truthfully. He took a deep breath of frustration and scratched his head.
    "Fuck it, get on the bed. Turn around and bend over."

SLIM

    "I just lost it. I didn't know what I was doing. I was so angry." I said, then took a sip of my glass of  Henny & Coke. Rodney was drinking the same, apparently he had a rough night too.
    "What'd you do next?" He said. I shrugged and shook my head as I recalled the events.
    "Nothing, I just threw her on the ground and left her laying there. I went for a ride, I was out all night. I couldn't sleep... I can still smell the cologne she had on her. That shit is what really fucked with me." I kept my focus on the fish tank across the room to keep myself from reliving my anger. Rodney's place was full of distractions. I see why his parties tended to last longer than they should've. I mean, the man was lonely. Talented, in ways. But, he fucked up with a good girl. Bria. Ever since, he'd been in a place that I was headed to. I had too much respect for him than to let him go through his break up alone. In hindsight, I should've. It was only a matter of time before he'd start rubbing off on me. I was too far gone by then.
    "Nigga, you slacking." He shook his head and let out a taunting chuckle.
    "What makes you say that?"
    "You'd be lucky if she still lives there when you get back." He took a shot and poured me one. He then pulled out his phone and showed me the Instagram post that The Shaderoom made about London & Durk talking on live. My body got hotter the longer I imagined how many different ways his cologne could have gotten on her. "You see that?" I nodded and ditched my drink for the double shot of Hennessy. "There is no denying that Durk fucked her last night. And when a nigga go out they way to fuck a bitch they met on live, it won't happen just one time. It's gone happen again. Whenever he wants her, he will get her. And after what you just told me, a smart bitch wouldn't even still have a tooth brush in that house when you get home."
    "But, you the one who told me-"
    "I said make sure no other nigga can have her. That means, break that bitch down until she looks to you for guidance. You said, you choked her and threw her down. She gone wake up and come to her muhfucking senses and leave. You ain't marked yo territory yet. It's all about establishing dominance. Don't just tell her she's not going anywhere, make her feel like she doesn't have anywhere else to go. Strip her of her morals and dignity, and beat her until she's no longer able to look you in the eye anymore. Only then, will you have her in the palm of your hand."
    "I blocked his number on her phone and I'm logged into her IG account. I can see everything she does. Besides, she needs me to do anything for herself. She's not going anywhere."
    "Listen here. You're not the nigga she wanna be with. She wouldn't be online entertaining other niggas if you were. What I'm telling you is , you've lost her. If you don't apply some reinforcing pressure right now, it's over for you."
    "Sounds like you been here before."
    "The only difference between me and you is I don't want Bria and-"
    "Mm, you sure bout that?"
    "If I wanted to keep her, I could've. I just got better things to do in life other than chasing a bitch."
    "Right." I nodded in disbelief. We both took a few more shots while we changed the subject to music. That seemed to be our safe space whenever we got together.

    Sometimes when you lack certain morals, you'd allow things to get outta hand. In my case, my negligence put someone I loved in a position to pay for my own insecurities. I saw London as a threat to my manhood. Despite what damage I caused her, I used her to my advantage. My soul was gone when she crossed a boundary I'm sure she knew was there. Ever since, I lost sight of the difference between right & wrong.
     At 3:00pm, I was way past my drinking limit. I can't remember how many shots I took, but the fifth plus and an extra pint of Hennessy was gone by the time we left. We figured it would be a good idea to go back to my crib and throw all London's shit out on the curb. No matter how fucked up I am, I always remember how to drive. So, we made it to my place in no time. I stumbled into the house and all the way to my bedroom. I nearly tripped over a towel on my way in.
    "What the fuck?" I said as I kicked the towel out the way. I looked up to see London butt ass naked, bent over the edge of the bed. "What is this? An apology?" The closer I got to her, the more I noticed certain shit just didn't look right.  First off, my shoe box was open. London didn't even know about my gun, so I looked around the room searching for a nigga hiding. "Where is he?!" I shouted. I looked in the closet, snatching everything that belonged to London out onto the ground. I checked under the bed and behind the bedroom door, then I noticed that my blinds had been touched. My heart dropped and suddenly my I felt sick to my stomach. Just like the night before. "Get up." I reached for her braids to pull her up, but something else caught my attention. There was cum on her ass and it traveled up her back. Feeling disgusted, I stepped back shook my head in disbelief. Unfortunately, I don't remember what happened next.

BRIA

    You just had to experience what happened that day for yourself in order for you to know how it felt to be in my shoes. Caly, hadn't been my friend very long but we had this unspoken bond that drove my actions in the chaos. Then, there was Dayvin. Although we had broke the internet with Caly joining Durk's Live the night before, And Rodney trying to kill us, Dayvin kept in touch. I didn't understand my role in the entire situation until I pulled up to Caly's house that night.
    I had tried to call her a few times before I got there, but I didn't think much of it when she didn't respond. Since, Slim seemed to be home and he had company. Two cars were in the driveway. Again, didn't think much of it. I knocked on the front door, hoping she'd be dressed and ready to go. It was pushing 5:30pm and I wanted her to be able to settle into my place before I had to take her to work. The door opened and there stood Slim.
    "Why are you here?" He said. There was a look in his eyes that gave me the chills. I was hesitant to say anything, I was expecting him to just call Caly to the door.
    "Um, is Caly ready? I'm taking her to work today and I asked if she could stay with me for a few days. I tried calling, but I she ain't been answering her phone since we talked." I said. He furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.
    "Nah, she good. She'll talk to you later, though." He said, and was inching the door closed.
    "Can you have her come out and talk to me?" Every ounce of blood in my body was telling me something was wrong. I was doing too much talking to not have spoken to Caly yet.
    "Nah, I said she'll talk to-"
    "Yeah, see. I heard what you said," I kicked the door open and stepped inside. "CALY!"
    "You wanna handle this?" Slim said to Rodney as he walked towards the door, blocking me from entering the house. I froze, then everything clicked. Things just got tens times worse. I backed up as Rodney attempted to snatch me up. Breaking through the door way, I sprinted to my car. I sped home before whipping out my phone and calling Dayvin.
    "Vinnie, please pick up. Please." I said to myself. I tapped my foot against the floor, almost vibrating.
    "Wassup?" He answered.
    "I don't really know how to say this, and I'm not sure if this has become- I don't know. I really need your help."
    "What is it you need my help with exactly?"
    "Something is wrong with Caly. I know there's not much you or Durk can do. But, I think if-"
    "What do you mean somethings wrong with her?"
     "I talked to her a few hours ago and she said her boyfriend apparently tried to kill her last night. I just went to pick her up and Rodney's there with Slim and they wouldn't let me talk to her. Somethings not right and I'm scared they did something to her." I took a moment to breathe and tried not to get emotional. My hands were shaking and my body temperature was on sweat.
    "How can I help?"
    "I know y'all are probably are at home by now, but I need Durk to keep his word on this one. She said he told her he'd meet her at the hotel once she got out of work. I need him to be there by nine AM. Please, can you talk to him?"
    "Of course, but you know I can't make him go through with it. You see what happened this morning."
     "I know, I know. But, this might be her only chance to get out of a very fucked up situation. I've been there before. It's hard to come back from."
     "I'll talk to him. I got you. Nine AM, right?"
     "Right. Thank you so much, Vinnie. I owe you."
    "Yeah, a kiss goodbye next time."
    "Yeah, okay." We laughed together and hung up. I must admit, I felt a little relieved to know that Caly's plan could still work. I still had to do my part of the plan to make hers work. That was, getting her to my house and out of hers. Slim has to go to work at some time. Hopefully, she goes too.
    A few hours passed and I decided to hop in my car and ride pass Caly's house. As soon as I realized that both Slim & Rodney's car were gone, I parked up the street and creeped around to the side door that's always unlocked. I slowly opened the door, trying not to make a sound. And I creeped up the steps. I crawl underneath the booth in the kitchen, when I hear a man's voice coming from Caly's Bedroom. But, it's not Slim's.
    "Now, go clean ya self up." He said. He walked through the kitchen and into the guest room while fastening his belt buckle. Once the door closed behind him, I creeped to the bedroom. Caly looked like she jumped out her skin. But I would too if I seen what had been done to my face. My eyes instantly began to water and pulled her into a hug.
    "Ohh, mama. I'm so sorry I didn't come as soon as you called." She hugged me back, but she didn't say a word. Her naked body trembled in my arms. "I'm getting you outta here. Pack your-" I look around me to see clothes and shit everywhere. Packing anything wasn't an option, I had to get her out of there. So, I used my noggin. "Go, take your shower, boo." While Caly was on her way to a shower, I was in the bedroom looking for any weapon of choice. Shit, I was willing to brake a hanger if I had too. Then, boom. Lava lamp. I detached the glass part and turned off the light in the bedroom. I waited by the closet for whoever it was to walk back into the room, but I heard him trying to enter the bathroom. So, I snuck out of the room and creeped up behind him. When she open the door, I smashed the glass on the back of his head and he fell to the ground. In shock, Caly froze. But, then we seen flashing lights beaming through the blinds. And a slam of a car door followed. "Let's, go." I helped Caly jump onto the couch to avoid stepping on any glass and we rushed to the side door. As Slim was entering the house, we were exiting and on our way to my car. By the time he realized Caly was gone, we were already speeding off. Damn, that was a day.

CALYPSO

    "Here, put this on." Bria said. She took her coat off and wrapped it around me. The ride to her apartment was quiet, yet nerve racking. I could see the worry in Bria's eyes as we sped. She kept looking over her shoulder as we traveled from her car to her apartment. She held another jacket around my waist as we walked, but she kept her eyes around us. The first thing she did was locked every door and window. "I'll grab you some clothes and a bath towel. But, let me take care of your face."
    "Thank you," I said. I unzipped the coat, sliding it off my arms.
    "Anytime." She said. She smiled and rubbed my shoulder. "Come on, I'll run you a bath instead. You need some rest."
    Bria started the bath water and pulled out a first aid kit. She started with pouring peroxide on my cuts and then she cleaned off the access blood. My face was numb, so I couldn't feel much of the sting. We decided to pretend she didn't have tears falling out of her eyes. Just like we pretended there wasn't a time, when we first met, that we fell for each other and was tempted to run away together. How embarrassing is it that the first time she ever got to see me naked, it was like that?
    "Durk blocked my number." I said. I fixed my eyes on the bubble bath, looking in her eyes would've triggered her feelings for me. But, at that moment, I didn't want her to pity me. I was too vulnerable and only in the position to accept her help. Nothing more, nothing less.
    "I talked to Vinnie, he said he was talking to Durk right now. You should expect him tomorrow morning by nine. Don't worry, I'm gonna make sure you get this opportunity."
    "But, what about you?" I said. I looked her in the eyes and she wiped her last tears with a sniffle.
    "What about me?" She said. She turned off the bath water and motioned me to get in. I ignored the gesture and grabbed her hands.
    "You're in as much danger as I am right now. Rodney got some fucking screws loose. I wanna know you're safe. Come with me. Please." She pulled her hands away and shook her head.
    "You don't have to worry about me. Besides, I can't just break my lease."
    "Then, I'm staying too."
    "No, you're going to Chicago. I'll pack you a bag before-"
    "I don't care about going to Chicago. I care about you!" I said. She looked stunned, then she sighed.
    "I'll go cook dinner." She said and then she walked out.
    The rest of the night consisted of her giving me the silent treatment. We listened to music as she cooked and we ate. Besides the black eye, my face was coming back together the longer I treated it with an ice pack. When it was time to  got to bed, she didn't give me a place to sleep. So, I assumed I was bunking on the couch. But then, she walked out in a cami top and panties.
    "My bed is big enough for the both of us, you know." She said. Sharing the bed with her that night was a turning point in our relationship. We tried laying back to back, but even for us it didn't feel right. I was restless until I pulled her close and she snuggled her face into my chest. The tighter I held her, the more secure I felt.
    "I'll go to the hotel tomorrow, but I'm coming back for you once I get on my feet." I said. She looked up at me and rubbed my cheek that was more than likely still cold from the ice.
    "My bags will be packed and ready to go when you are." She said. Her eyes glanced at my lips and I nervously licked mine, as did she. A smile crept onto my face and she snuggled her face back into my chest. "You can have my spare key, I'll put it in your luggage tomorrow. That way, you'll always have a home. With me."

    The next morning, I woke up to Bria getting dressed for work at the hotel. The alarm clock read 6:30am. Bria packed me a suitcase just like she said she would, and it was a lot heavier than I expected. While she went on to work, I waited for Durk in the lobby area. She'd come out and check on me from time to time, but I was more worried about how slow time was going by. I no longer had a phone, and I was wearing sunglasses to hide what Slim had done to my face. Luckily it was turtleneck season, otherwise major red flags would've been tattooed on my forehead.
    I used to believe that love was painful. I guess that's why they say consider dating in your teens as practice for when you're more mature. If I'm being honest, I don't recommend making any commitments while you're young. You'll regret it when you're older, or wiser. I found myself getting tired, so I looked around for a clock.
    "Hey, what time is it?" I asked a woman getting ready to check in.
    "Um, Nine-thirty." She said. My heart sank and I nodded.
    "Thank you." I said. I sighed with disappointment and grabbed my suitcase. Then, I began walking back to Bria's apartment. Looks like, you can't trust everybody. I wish he would've told me that he wasn't showing up. That's what I get for putting faith in the impossible.

💭💭💭

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