CHAPTER 8

So...I know it's been a long ass time since I've posted anything for this fic, but I honestly just haven't had the drive to write anything. But I wanna get back into it, so hopefully some feedback on this will motivate me. Let me know what you think, ok?


Chapter 8

He tangled his fingers in her hair as he kissed her, messing the curls that her mother took hours to put in. She ran her hands down his smooth face. He leaned her back against the cool seat of his Acura. Reaching behind her, he reclined the seat before climbing on top up her, letting his hand roam up the skirt of her gown.

“Wait.” She said, grabbing his wrist.

“What’s wrong?” He asked breathlessly.

“I don’t know about this.”

“Why not?”

“I…I don’t know. This is my 1^st time. I just…I didn’t picture it like this.”

Jermaine climbed back into his seat & sighed.

“I'm sorry, J. Don’t be mad at me. I just wanted this to be a little more special than being in the front seat of your car.” She pouted. She didn’t want to disappoint him. “I can just go inside. I'm sorry I ruined your night.”

He grabbed her hand.

“No. Don’t go. You right baby.”

“What?” she asked.

“You right. You deserve more than this.” He kissed her lips gently. “I wish I had some cheese, you know? So I could make it real special for you. Take you to a nice hotel or some shit.”

“It’s ok.” She said softly. She placed her cool hand on the back of his neck & kissed him passionately. She pulled away from him quickly & turned around to look out her window.

“What is it?” Jermaine asked.

She observed her house. All the lights were off & there were no cars in the driveway. She knew her parents weren’t home.

“Come on.” she said to him before hopping out of the car. Puzzled, he followed suit. Once he was on the sidewalk, she grabbed his hand & rushed down the block, to the far side of the house.

“Nika, whatchu doin boo?” He asked as she opened the large window.

“Shut up & come on.” she whispered before bunching up her dress in her hands, prepared to climb inside. Jermaine lifted her inside before climbing inside himself & closing the window behind him. As soon as the window was closed, she attacked his lips, pulling him closer by the collar of his tux. He reluctantly pushed her away.

“Hold up, hold up, what are you doing?”

“I know it’s not a hotel,” she said as she unbuttoned his white dress shirt. “But it’s better than your car.”

“You sure about this?!” Jermaine exclaimed. “Cuz you know if yo momma find out she goin KILL us!”

“She won’t find out. She’s not gonna be back until tomorrow afternoon. By then, you’ll be home.”

Jermaine steadied her hands & looked her in the eye.

“You sure you wanna do this baby? I'm mean, this yo first time. I don’t wanna make you do something you ain’t ready for.”

“Why you askin’ so many questions? Just a few minutes ago, you was ready. What, you changing ya mind?” She asked with a twinge of anger in her voice. He pulled her close.

“No baby. I'm ready. But this ain’t something to be taken lightly. I love you, so I just wanna make sure you ready for this.” Onika smiled. Nobody had ever treated her the way Jermaine did. All the other boys she had been with had always tried to rush her to this point & when she said no, she never heard from them again. Jermaine had been so patient & understanding. This is why she knew he was the one she wanted to give herself to.

“I love you, J.” she whispered into his neck as she kissed him. She pushed his jacket & shirt from his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. She got to work on his belt as he unzipped the pink organza gown & sliding it down over her hips.As the buckle of his belt jangled against the floor, Onika backed away.

“Gimmie 1 second.” She said before walking over to her vanity. Jermaine slipped his pants & shoes off as she took the pins from her hair, letting her locks flow down her back. After her hair was down, she climbed up onto her bed & motioned for him to join her. He walked over to her slowly, talking her in. even the most beautiful Victoria’s Secret angel couldn’t compare to how beautiful Onika was as she lay there, staring at him with her deep mahogany eyes. In her black strapless bra & bikini style panties, she was perfect. Jermaine got on the bed & crawled up to her.

“You sure you wanna do this?” He asked again. She took the corner of her plump bottom lip between her teeth as she nodded her head. He bent down & kissed her lips. Then her chin, and then her neck. Her breathing picked up as his warm lips burned with pleasure on her skin. He worked his way down her body & she closed her eyes & drifted away.

Onika woke up in a cold sweat. She tried to control her ragged breathing as she smoothed her messy hair down. She was having this dream more & more often & she hated it. She missed Jermaine so much she couldn’t bear to have these dreams, knowing that when she woke up, he wouldn’t be there. She looked over at to her bedside table at the picture of her & Jermaine from that night. Both of them smiling, standing in front of his car before heading off to junior prom. That was the last time she was really happy. Before everything changed. She grabbed the small frame from the table & curled her arms around it for dear life.

“I love you, J.’ she whispered as the tears soaked her pillow. She cried for hours until she finally fell asleep.

That morning, when she arrived at school, she headed for the library as usual. After sitting in her regular spot, she pulled a banana from her backpack as well as her vitamins. She took her medicine & finished up some homework as she listened to Frank Ocean’s “Miss You So”. She was starting to doze off when she felt someone nudge her, jolting her awake.

“Woah, hey, you ok?” Aubrey asked her.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” She sighed as she rubbed her forehead.

“You don’t look fine.” He sat a steaming cup of cocoa in front of her. She thanked him before pulling it to her lips & taking a sip.

“I didn’t sleep very well.” She sighed.

“Oh. I'm sorry.”

“It’s ok. Sleep is becoming more & more unpleasant lately.”

“I could imagine. You're sleeping with a basketball under your shirt.”

Onika smiled.

And this is how her days had been starting for the past 2 weeks. After thanksgiving, Onika & Aubrey talked every day. They texted each other & he spent time with her at the bookstore where she worked after school. The only place she ever liked to talk to him at school is in the library. She was still afraid of anyone seeing them together. But he was persistent. He had made a few friends at school but he didn’t much care for them. The only person that could hold his interest was Onika. After facing the long, stressful day, Onika got on the bus & headed to work. The holidays were her favorite time of year. Everyone was in good spirits. She even had been receiving a little less ridicule since everyone was concerned about what to put under the tree for their loved ones.  Aubrey followed the bus in his SUV to the mall & walked with her to work.

“Well aren’t you pretty today?” He said as she shrugged off her parka, revealing a glittery green & gold knit top that clung to her small bump & faux pearls around her neck.

“Thanks.” She said, blushing. She hung her coat & headed to the back of the store, greeting customers on the way. She slowly bent down, hand on her back & observed the shelf of children’s books. She scanned with her finger until she found what she was looking for. After pulling the book from its place & setting it on top of the shelf she tried to get up but fell back, balancing herself on 1 hand. Aubrey rushed over to her & helped her up.

“Whoa there. Could’ve asked for some help.” He said to her.

“I thought I could get up.”

“You ok?”

“Yeah. This baby makes my legs weak sometimes.” She brushed herself off.

“Hey sweetie pie.” Leslie said as she came around the corner. Aubrey & Onika greeted her.

“Geeze Aubrey! You're here enough. I should put you on the payroll!” Leslie laughed.

“Please don’t entice him. Then he would never go away.”

“Well, maybe that’s a good thing. You need a friend around here.” Leslie said patting Aubrey’s shoulder.

“She is right.” He smiled. Onika rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, it’s almost time. Are you ready to go?” Leslie asked Onika.

“Yes, I'm ready.”

“Ok. I’ll send them back.” She said before heading to the front of the store.

“Ready for what?” Aubrey asked as he helped her over to the rocking chair on a platform in the far corner of the room. She smiled wide as she held a copy of “T’was the Night before Christmas” in her hands.

“I'm reading to some kids today. It’s the best part of this job.” She said in a cheery tone. The smile that swept across her face was impeccable. He could tell that she was truly excited about reading to the children. But in the back of his mind, it made him wonder what she was deciding to do with her own child. He had only assumed she would keep the baby but he never saw her buy anything, or even look at anything for babies, so he really didn’t know. He pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind as he heard the loud chatter of children approaching.  

“Hiiii Miss Nika!” A girl with curly brown hair & caramel skin exclaimed as she ran to Onika, hugging her around her legs.

“Hello Ayanna.” Onika said smiling as she smoothed the child’s hair.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too sweetie.” She backed away & looked at Aubrey inquisitively.

“Who’s this boy?” She asked poking his leg.  

“His name is Aubrey. He's my friend.”

Aubrey waved.

“He's pretty.” Ayanna said in a half whisper, a light blush spreading over her small cheeks.

“Thank you.” Aubrey chuckled.

“Are you gonna read me a story today?”

“Yes I am. So why don’t you go ahead & take a seat on the rug. Hurry so you can find a good spot!” Onika smiled as she watched the little girl skip over to the carpet & take a seat right next to the platform.

“Shes cute.” Said Aubrey.

Shes leslies niece.” Onika told him.

He looked at her & nodded, noticing the resemblance.

“she doesn’t have any children?”

“No.” she said with a shrug.

Drake wanted to ask why not but decided against it.

“Well I guess I better give these kids what they came for.” She placed a hand on her belly & made her way to the rocking chair. Aubrey followed, looking for a spot on the rug when he felt a small tug on his pant leg. He looked down to see Ayanna patting the spot next to her. He turned around slowly, careful not to crush little fingers as he sat. She smiled, dimples deep, as she turned forward fixing her eyes on Onika.

“Are you guys ready hear a story?”

“Yes!” the group of 15 or so children answered excitedly. Onika began to read, her voice changing to suit every line. The kids were so engrossed in her, almost as if she was hypnotizing them. Aubrey was entranced as well, but for a different reason. He didn’t know if it was right or wrong but he was attracted to her. He couldn’t help it. She was beautiful, inside and out. Her personality was so warm despite the fact that the world was so cold to her. She was just a good person. And it didn’t hurt that she was a great story teller. When the book was over he found himself wanting to hear it again. The children applauded before standing in a line to receive Santa hats full of candy. Once every child had a hat & they had all rushed off back to their parents, Onika stood up, stretching her back.

“You know, you're really good at this.” he said to her.

“Thanks.”

“You’re going to make a great mom.” He said with a smile. But Onika wasn’t smiling. Her face fell ominously as she pulled her phone out of her pocket to check her phone. She had 15 minutes until she could clock out. She grabbed a broom & started sweeping the children’s area, preparing for the end of day. Once the floor was swept & books put back in their proper place, she headed for the front desk, filling out some paperwork. Aubrey was leaned against a bookshelf, waiting when he was approached by a slender girl with light eyes & fiery red hair.

“Hi, do you work here? Cuz I think I might need your assistance.” She said as she slid her finger down his chest.

“Uhhh, no. But she does. I'm sure she’ll be able to help you.” he said gently brushing her finger away. The girl twisted his face up at him as she walked past, 2 more girls covering her flank.

“Excuse me.” she said rudely as she leaned against the desk. Onika looked up from her paperwork, smiling, but when her eyes fell on the girl, her face fell. The red haired girl stepped back as if she was deeply offended & disgusted.

“You!” the girl screamed. Onika backed away trying to make her way from behind the counter to the back of the store. “Oh no you don’t.” she said as she reached over & grabbed a handful of Onika’s locks, violently tugging her to the door.

“Katrina, please, stop!” Onika cried as she tried to pry the girl’s fingers from her hair. She fell just before they reached the door.

“Get up & fight me bitch!” Katrina yelled before kicking Onika in the back.

“HEY! LEAVE HER ALONE!” Aubrey yelled. He tried to get to her but the two girls that came in with the red head were blocking his path. He tried as hard as he could to get past them without hurting them but they were quick. Every time he broke free, they were right back in front of him, pushing him back.

“Katrina, please, I don’t want to fight you!” Onika cried. Katrina paid her no mind. She continued kicking her. Onika did nothing but lay there, her arms over her belly, trying as best as she could to protect her unborn child. It wasn’t long before a crowd formed, which Leslie could see from the back. She raced to the front of the store, breaking through the crowd & grabbed a handful of Katrina’s hair.

“What the HELL is going on in here?!?!?!?” she yelled as she yanked the girl back.

“This bitch is finally getting what she deserves! Get off me!” Katrina yelled.

“You're getting out. Go. Now!” Leslie yelled as she flung the girl through the door. She bent down & helped Onika up. “You ok sweetie?”

“I think so.” Onika groaned. She put her hand to the small of her back, rubbing gently.

“Alright, everybody OUT!” Leslie ordered.

The customers wasted no time filing out of the store. Leslie quickly locked the door & pulled up a chair for Onika to sit. Aubrey raced to the check-out counter for a box of tissue for Onika’s tears, as well as her bloody lip.

“What the hell was that about?!” Aubrey exclaimed.

“I knew one day, she would come.” Onika said, shaking her head.

“WHO?! Who is that girl?! Why would she do this?! Does she not see you're pregnant?!” Aubrey was furious. He had never put his hands on a woman but he was about 2 seconds from walking out of that door, & chasing that girl down. He just couldn’t understand why anyone would want to hurt Onika.

“Her name is Katrina. She goes to our school.” Onika answered as she blotted at her lip tenderly. “She hates me.”

“That seems to be the reoccurring theme here! But why? Did you sleep with her boyfriend or something?”

“No.” Onika said quietly. “I killed him.”