“You think I want to fucking touch you? Not that I really give a fuck about the dude, but how could you do something like that? You come off as this wounded girl who needed love, but you’re a coldhearted bitch to involve me in something like this. If you wanted me to handle him, I would’ve fucked him up, but murder is something totally different. I ain’t trying to go to jail behind some shit you did; and I ain’t no snitch, so you don’t have to worry, but I don’t want to see your face again, ever.”
But Joy didn’t give up. She moved closer and tried to massage his dick, which was noticeably hard, through his pants. Kevin only got madder and smacked her hand away. She climbed on the bed behind him and began to play with herself, moaning loudly. He tried to ignore her but he got harder as her moans grew louder. He pulled his dick out, grabbed her leg and flipped her over. He entered her from behind and pumped hard, grabbing a fist full of hair and pulling her head back until she screamed out. He then let go of her hair and smacked her ass hard. He pulled out and busted all over her back.
“You can get your shit and leave now. I can dump the gun myself,” he said as he picked her shirt up off the floor, wiped his dick on it and threw it at her. He then went to the bathroom, picking up the bag with the gun on the way there. “Just in case you decide to accidentally shoot me,” he said, slamming the door behind him.
Chapter Fourteen
Joy sat there for a minute; she couldn’t believe he had treated her like that. She jumped up and ran to the kitchen, grabbing the first knife she found, then went back to the bathroom door and listened. She didn’t hear anything, neither running water nor any movement. She waited to see if he was going to come out, not knowing if the door was locked and not wanting to alert him to her presence by trying it. Sticking the knife in the door, she popped it open, thanks to the cheap lock.
At first glance, the bathroom appeared empty. She looked at the shower curtain, but before she could say anything Kevin jumped out.
“Right here, bitch,” he said, grabbing her and holding her from behind. “You didn’t think I heard you out there, hun? I waited, just to see if you would try something,” he said as he dragged her back into the bedroom.
“Kevin, wait, I was just trying to come in there to talk to you,” she pleaded.
“You think I’m going to trust you? You must be crazy.”
“For real. What you think I was going to do with a butter knife? I didn’t even try to stab you,” she said, lifting the knife only high enough for him to see. “I only used it to get in the bathroom. I want you to understand everything. I didn’t really want to hurt Josh, I just wanted to get him to leave me alone. I’m not sorry, I guess, because of all the shit he put me through.” She dropped the knife to the floor.
Kevin let her go and sat on the bed, shaking his head. “I must be the stupidest nigga alive, because anybody else would have beaten the shit out you and threw you out.”
She sat next to him and grabbed hold of his hand, but he snatched it back and moved further down the bed, away from her.
“I’m listening,” was all he said.
Joy told him about how Josh took her virginity and the incident in the hallway afterwards. Kevin didn’t say anything, just shook his head.
“When we first met he was sweet and patient. Then one day he just change,” she continued.
“Why did you stay with him? It wasn’t like ya’ll was married.”
“I felt like he was all I had; he at least showed me love, at first. That’s more than I can say for my parents. I thought if I just stay with him, no matter what, he would realize that he didn’t need to treat me that way, because I would be there.” She turned away from Kevin and laid across the bed. “He started controlling everything I did. I mean, I didn’t do much, but I wasn’t allowed to talk to anybody at school; not even females. He checked my cell phone every day to see if I was talking to anybody other than him. He would hit me every time he was mad, no matter if I did something or not. Sex was always violent. I did everything he liked. I even had sex with one of his friends. He watched the whole time. When his friend was finished, he called me a whore and spit in my face. He dragged me in the bathroom and made me take a shower, with the water hot all the way up. After he pulled me out, right there on the bathroom floor he choked me as he fucked me. I thought he was going to kill me. I was stupid and I held it all in. I didn’t have no one I could talk to; I felt so alone.” Kevin pulled her to him and held her as she cried. “You must think I’m stupid and a whore,” she said, refusing to look at him.
“No I don’t. I think that you stayed with him out of hope. You never received love from your parents; they showed you that it was okay to be treated as if you don’t matter. What you need is to know that you should love yourself and that you don’t need anybody else to, even if you feel you do.” He held her face with both his hands and looked into her eyes. “When I look at you I see a beautiful woman who isn’t stupid or a whore. I was mad at you but I still shouldn’t have treated you that way. I’m sorry.”
Joy nodded and they kissed. They then both laid on the bed, face to face, looking into each other’s eyes while both thinking they had met for a reason.
Chapter Fifteen
Joy woke up and looked into Kevin’s face. It felt good to wake up in his arms. It was like the first night they spent together. Kevin was awake. He reached behind him to look at the clock. It was a little after midnight.
“We have to dump the gun,” he said, getting up and smoothing out his clothes.
“Okay, but where?”
“I know. Come on.” He reached out to take her hand.
They drove for 15 minutes, with Joy still having no clue where they were going. She looked out the window and was able to read the street sign, Godfrey Ave., even though it was dark. Finally, Kevin pulled into a dark road. There weren’t many people out. They came to a little intersection just past an apartment complex. Joy looked out ahead of her—all she could see was grass. Across the road was another forest-like park, but she couldn’t make anything out, really, because there was very little light. Chills ran through her body; but instead of being scared, she felt excited.
“Where are we?” she asked, still looking out the window.
“Tacony Creek,” Kevin replied, getting out of the car.
Joy opened her door to get out but quickly closed it again when Kevin hollered for her to stay in the car. Three minutes later, he was back.
“Do you think anybody will find it?”
“No. I ran down a ways and threw it in away from where people swim at.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
“Well, I figured that this was the safest place to dump it.”
“Yeah, a few cars drove by, but they probably think we were fucking or something.”
“The only other place I could think of was Kelly Drive, but it be people out there and the cops be down there a lot. Besides, if it is found, it’s no prints on it, so fuck it. I brought it from my cousin last year, so it’s not in my name or nothing,” he explained, pulling back onto the road and going up the hill.
Neither spoke for a long time as Kevin drove. Joy didn’t even say anything when she noticed they were going towards her house, though she dreaded going home. Kevin stopped the car in front of her house; Joy still didn’t speak as she opened the door. When she put one leg out onto the pavement, Kevin grabbed her arm and pulled her back in the car. He kissed her soft at first but then stuck his tongue in hers. The kiss was wet and sweet. Joy got out of the car, feeling lightheaded as she made her way up her steps and into the house. She waved to Kevin as she stepped through the door, happy he had kissed her that way.
Chapter Sixteen
Joy closed the door behind her. Her mother was at the top of the stairs.
“Oh, I thought you were your father,” she said, frowning. “He hasn’t been home since he walked out when he found out Curtis was here.”
“Is he still here?”
“No, I told you, not since he walked out,” she said, looking at Joy like she was stupid.
“Not daddy, Curtis.”
“Yeah, he’s upstairs, sleeping,” she said, smiling.
Joy walked up the stairs and passed her mother. She went into her room and closed the door behind her, hearing her mother’s footsteps return to her parents’ room. Kicking off her shoes and taking off her clothes, she went to the bathroom to take a quick shower.
After her shower she couldn’t sleep, so she decided to get something to eat. She threw on some pajama pants and a wife beater then walked down the back stairs to the kitchen. When she reached out and turned on the kitchen light, she screamed.
“Why are you naked?” she asked, turning her head away.
“I … I … I, um, sorry,” her uncle said, shielding himself behind the refrigerator door.
They heard footsteps and looked at each other. Joy turned and ran back up the stairs before her mother walked in the kitchen. She closed the door behind her, hoping her mother hadn’t seen her. She wanted to leave so badly but had nowhere to go. Her own father could care less about her. She wished she had a different family. She laid back on her bed and closed her eyes. She thought of Kevin and wondered if he was thinking of her. Sleep wouldn’t come, so she just laid there until the sun came up. She got up and threw some clothes on, knowing she had to go to school but really not feeling up to it. There didn’t seem much point. She just didn’t care about anything.
The front door opened. She looked out her bedroom door and watched her father come up the stairs. She couldn’t even remember the last time they had a conversation.
“Hey, Dad,” she called out to him.
“Hi Joy. How’s it going?” he asked as he continued walking to his bedroom, not waiting for a reply.
Joy didn’t bother to answer because he had barely looked at her and didn’t slow down. “Fuck you, too,” she said under her breath.
She closed the door and grabbed a duffle bag, stuffing in some underwear and a few sets of clothes, along with her toothbrush and other toiletries, making sure she didn’t forget anything she would need over the next few days. She would beg Kevin to let her stay with him.
Joy moved to open the door and heard a whole bunch of commotion. She stood with her hand on the knob, not sure whether to open the door or not. Waiting only a second longer, she opened the door and saw her father dragging her mother out of their bedroom. Her uncle was trying to pull him off her, but with one hand, because the other was holding the left side of his face, which was already swollen.
“You nasty bitch,” her father cried.
“Let her go, man.”
“Don’t fucking touch me.”
Joy went back into her room to grab her bag. She just wanted to get away from them. As she walked out the door, her mother flew into her, causing her to fall back against the door. The back of her head felt warm. Blood trickled out. She couldn’t move and her vision blurred. Her eyes became heavy and everything got dark.
Chapter Seventeen
Joy woke up to a beeping sound. When she tried to move she felt severe pain. When the nurse helping a patient in the bed next to hers noticed Joy moving, she ran to get the doctor. A white man in his forties walked into the room with a goofy smile on his face.
“Hi Joy, I’m Dr. Greenspan. The nurse is going to bring something for the pain. I know your head hurts; you have five stitches in the back of your head,” he said after looking into her eyes with a light. “We only had to cut away a small portion of your hair.”
Joy pointed at her throat and made a drinking gesture with her hand. Dr. Greenspan poured some water into a cup and helped her drink it.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice still somewhat hoarse.
“You will have some pain for the next few days, but I prescribed something to help lessen it. You should be fine in a week or so. You will have a MRI before you leave, just to make sure everything is still okay, and then you will be able to leave after that.”