Page 127 of Certified To Handle You 2

“Because you had her around me!” She answered. “You had me sittin’ across from a bitch you wanted, and I ain’t know shit about it!”

“I ain’t want her like that when we was together,” I replied. “Whatever happened between me and ‘Nelle happened after us.”

“You expect me to believe that when she got videos and pictures of y’all all over each other?” Reni asked. “She sent me videos of you kissin’ her, holdin’ her hand and talkin’ about marryin’ her. Then she told me you was with her while I was pregnant.”

I let out a breath and looked toward the wall ‘cause I could already tell there wasn’t no answer I could give that was gon’ make her feel better. She had decided the whole timeline was a lie ‘cause Sha’Nelle had dropped enough shit in her lap to make everything look ugly.

“A’ight,” I said while reachin’ for my pants.

Reni stared at me. “A’ight?”

“I don’t know what else you want me to say,” I replied as I pulled my pants up. “I’m tellin’ you I ain’t cheat on you. If you decided I’m lyin’, we gon’ keep goin’ in circles.”

“You always do that,” Reni said while wipin’ more tears away. “You act like somebody crazy when you don’t wanna deal with what you did.”

“I ain’t call you crazy.”

“You don’t have to. You stand there calm while I’m cryin’ like none of this got shit to do with you!”

I looked at her and felt a lil’ guilt sit in my chest ‘cause I knew she was hurt. At the same time, I wasn’t gon’ take blame for cheatin’ when I ain’t do it. I also wasn’t finna fall all over her apologizin’ for bein’ with Sha’Nelle after me and Reni broke up.

Reni folded her arms across her chest and looked at me for a few seconds before asking, “Do you love her? Is that who got you actin’ like this with me? That bitch? That nothin’ ass, bum ass bitch?”

I stopped with one hand near my waistband and stared at her. Then, I shook my head and looked away. “I’m not answerin’ that, Reni.”

The answer hit her harder than everything else had.

Reni’s lips parted, but for a second, no words came out. Then she nodded slow like she was forcin’ herself to accept somethin’ she already knew.

“Yeah, you love that bitch. That’s why you could fuck her raw, but you come over here actin’ like you can’t touch me without a condom,” she said, her voice crackin’ while she tried to keep it together. “I really can’t believe this shit… like woah…”

“Me and you ain’t together,” I reminded her, keepin’ my voice level. “I’m single, and so is you. I’m so sorry she came at you with that dumb shit, but it was all after you. You took yo’ key back and broke up with me. What the fuck, Reni? You act like Sha’Nelle was yo’ friend. Yeah, I’m wrong for bringin’ y’all around each other, but I ain’t know it was gon’ play out like this.”

Reni started cryin’ harder, and I watched her turn away from me while she covered her mouth. The sight of it bothered me, but I ain’t know what she expected me to do. I could hold her and tell her everything was gon’ be fine, but that would’ve been another lie. Shit between us wasn’t fine, and neither one of us knew what the hell we was buildin’.

I sat down on the edge of the bed with some space between us and rubbed my hand over my face. My mind was jumpin’ between Reni cryin’, Sha’Nelle goin’ through her phone lookin’ for proof and the fact that both women was now arguin’ over shit I had done.

That reality hit different once I had to sit in the middle of it.

I had spent all this time movin’ like I was single ‘cause I was. Sha’Nelle had that other nigga. Reni wasn’t my woman and I ain’t promise her nothin’. Still, somehow both of ‘em was hurt and ready to tear into each other ‘cause of me.

I looked toward Reni again. “Did you post me or somethin’?”

She snapped her head around and gave me the nastiest look she had given me all mornin’. Then she rolled her eyes so hard that I already knew the answer before she refused to give it.

“Reni,” I said, watchin’ her face. “Did you post me on yo’ page?”

She wiped her face and looked away. “It don’t matter.”

“The fuck it don’t,” I replied as the pieces started fallin’ together. “Sha’Nelle ain’t just wake up knowin’ I was here. You posted some shit, she saw it and then she came at you.”

Reni ain’t answer. I stood up put my shoes on. “That’s what happened.”

“Oh, now you mad because she saw you?” Reni asked, turnin’ back toward me. “You wasn’t mad when you came over here.”

“I ain’t mad she saw me,” I said while adjustin’ my foot in my shoe. “I’m tryna understand why you posted me when you know we not together no more.”

Her expression changed at that, and I could tell I hurt her even though I wasn’t tryin’ to. I bent down, adjusted the tongue to my shoes and grabbed my keys from the floor near the bed.