Free Damaged by Kia DuPree

out of hell. Her tires peeled out, and I closed my eyes and held on to the door. We both had calmed down a lot by the
     time we got to Rhode Island Avenue.
    “You want me to take you home or back to Chu’s?”
    “Just take me home,” I said, not sure what I was gonna tell the Brinkleys. I just knew I wasn’t trying to hear her and Nut
     fighting all night. I called Chu and told him what happened. He begged me to come stay with him, but I told him I wanted to
     find out what happened to Jayson first and to make sure my parents wasn’t gonna be pissed.
    We rode in a silent car for a few minutes, before Peaches turned the radio on. I looked out the window, and then I got a text
     from Jayson. It read:
I’m bunned up. Call you in the A.M.
    “This boy,” I said out loud.
    “Jayson?”
    “Yep. He’s out being a ho somewhere.”
    “I told you so.”
    Knowing Jayson, he must’ve been with whoever bought us that first round of drinks.
    “All right, girl,” Peaches said, smiling as she pulled up in front of my house. “That was an interesting night. See you Monday?”
    I laughed and said, “If not before then.”
    She shook her head and laughed, too. She knew and I knew she would be right back over Nut’s in the morning, even though she
     had more than enough reasons to leave him alone. Nut had even tried his hand with me on the sly a few times, but I shut him
     down. I saw him staring at me when he thought no one else noticed, but I ain’t call it flirting. Since he was only looking,
     I ain’t think it was enough to tell Chu.
    But one day, when Chu and Rob was out front, I came out the bathroom the same time Nut was walking down the hallway. Instead
     of him moving out the way, he made sure to stand right in front of me. He was blocking my path with a smirk on his face, waiting
     for me to squeeze by. I rolled my eyes and said, “Excuse me” twice, but he ain’t move one single inch. I tried my best not
     to touch him, though I was so close I could smell Hawaiian Punch on his breath. But we never touched as I squeezed by. Nut
     just laughed. I could hear his lips smacking together, like he had just blew a kiss behind my back.
    That made me know why Peaches had trust issues with his crazy ass and why I knew never to be in his house again without Chu.

8
    MARCH 2005
    Y ou not doing it right!” Nissa shouted, standing over me, her hands stretching my arms straight out.
    “Look, fuck this shit!” I yelled, twisting away from her. She was plucking my nerves telling me I wasn’t doing the routine
     right after I tried to do it three times just the way she showed me. “I quit this silly-ass group!”
    “Fine, quit!” Nissa said, turning away. “You act like you don’t want to be here anyway. Ain’t nobody beggin’ your ass to stay!”
    “What?” I asked, putting my hand on my hip. A few of the girls rolled their eyes and looked away from me. Shakira made a face
     and laughed. “What the fuck ever! Fuck y’all!”
    I grabbed my bag and walked to the bus stop. When I got to Chu’s block, I walked over and leaned up against Rob’s Ford Explorer
     with the two of them.
    “Hey, baby, guess what?” Chu asked after blowing smoke from his Black & Mild. “This nigga got a full scholarship to play ball
     for North Carolina A&T!”
    I smiled. “For real, Rob?”
    He nodded and smiled.
    “Congratulations,” I said and gave him a light hug.
    “All right, all right. Don’t be all up on my girl, nigga,” Chu said playfully.
    “My bad, my bad,” Rob said, grinning. “I’m about to catch up with my folks, though. I’ll holla at y’all later.”
    We watched him back his truck out the spot, and then Chu asked if I wanted to go for a ride.
    “In what?” I asked, surprised. He smiled and nodded at the navy blue Escalade sitting on big wet tires across the street.
    “Baby, that’s you?!” I asked excitedly, jumping up and down. Chu had been leaning on Rob to get around ever since we’d been