Page 11 of The Coldest: Stay Dangerous Part 2

My energy is depleting rapidly as I continue to scream. I scream until my throat is hoarse, my throat bleeding from overexertion.

Why the fuck am I here?

Why am I here with him?

Knowing Rico, I’m probably in Belize. Thousands of miles away from anyone who actually gives a fuck about me.

“This nigga’s gonna kill me,” I sniffle, my hand almost too shaky to wipe my face.

The door opens, and a little old lady shuffles in.

She looks just like him. A shorter, darker version, with thick white locs hanging like curtains around her face. Her eyes are shrewd, but not like his. And her mouth is set in a line, not from judgment, but from something that may be even worse.

Her gaze shifts to the top of my head, prompting me to run my fingers on my scalp.

Scalp?!

When I turn toward the windows, I catch a glimpse of my reflection.

Skee bald.

I’m completely bald!

“What the fuck,” I whisper, my throat burning.

The woman snaps her fingers before talking a mile a minute in Spanish.

“I… I don’t…”

But she just keeps going, turning around in fury as she leaves, muttering in Spanish.

Locking me back inside this bedroom.

I curl onto my side. What the fuck could have happened for me to end up bald, in Belize, with Rico and… was that Nan?

A shudder runs through my entire body. Soon, I’ll be needing to take the edge off. Weed doesn’t help. Not even a line or two. Those are appetizers. Something to wake me up.

The real demon, she’ll scream and fight and eviscerate my mind if she doesn’t get her medicine.

I wasn’t ready.

Angry tears build rapidly. As soon as I ask myself who in their right mind would think this is a good idea, I answer my own question.

Auty. Now she wants to be a good sister. Now she wants to open her eyes.

I’m not ready. I don’t wanna raw dog life. I don’t wanna answer to my sins.

I wanna be numb.

I slam my eyes closed, but tears still leak out onto the pillow. I sock the soft bedding twice before the last of my energy melts out of me.

Rehab. I barely survived the first time.

I know I won’t survive this time.

Rico

I have a minute of downtime so I catch up with my cousins in our family groupchat on Worldchat.