3 MONTHS LATER

"Nigga you good?" Jodie questioned as he sat beside me on the couch. I nodded my head yeah as I continued to scroll through Instagram on my phone.

"You sure?" He asked again and I simply nodded my head again, he let the conversation go as he focused on the TV.

I'd been in a funk the past couple of weeks and everybody knew that shit. Wasn't shit going how I wanted it to in my life at the moment and I wasn't used to the shit.

After Aria and I's little disagreement I just knew she would come around, but she didn't and that just further bothered me. We really only talk when it concerns the baby. I just knew we would be good by now. I still tried but was definitely doing me.

I was fucking girls I ain't have no business fucking and part of me blames it on Aria. Call it childish, stupid, whatever. The other part of me know I'm just being immature with how I'm handling shit. But it is what it is. I was really about to try and do right by that girl. That's the problem, as soon as we try to act right girls want to up and be done or do some stupid shit. Off that tangent though.

"Nigga, you gotta get out of this funk." Jodie spoke again as he looked over at me. "I don't know what the fuck your problem is but it's time to let shit go, whether it was that fuck shit with Giselle or the Aria shit, man let it go and focus on that beautiful baby girl y'all about to have." Giselle was a girl I started fucking with who did some foul ass shit, I didn't even want to think about that shit but I knew he had a valid point.

I was excited to be having a little girl, Aria and I found out what she was having about a month ago, she was now seven months and the belly was popping out like crazy. The shit was cute on her. I was hype as hell though, that was the one thing that kept a nigga going.

"You coming out with us tonight." Jodie pulled me out of my thoughts, he had his eyes focused on the TV, flipping through channels.

I looked over at Jodie for the first time, "where?"

"We just hitting a bar, one of my niggas coming this way so we getting up."

"Who?"

He smacked his teeth, "you don't know the nigga. His name Jason."

I nodded my head, "bet, I'll come." I needed to get out.

"Nigga, you ain't have a choice. If me and Chris had to drag you out we were going to," he said with a laugh.

———

"This my shit! Aye, you remember when we tagged team them bitches to this song?" Chris yelled over the music as we headed to the bar.

I smiled, thinking of all the crazy shit we use to get into, "hell yeah."

"Y'all hell," Jodie said with a shake of his head and a smile on his face, he didn't participate in that but Jodie had done his fair share of wild shit too.

"Mannnn, I had shawty screaming so loud." Chris bragged.

"Nigga, that's cause you was hurting her," I chimed in, "that girl was in pain she ain't like that shit."

Jodie busted out laughing as Chris turned and looked at me, "fuck you nigga" he said with a laugh "your hating ass."

"I'm just stating facts, she said I was way better." I smiled as he flicked me off. We were pulling up to Sands, and could easily see it was getting a little packed. It was a popular bar for a little bit of an older crowd, always had good drink specials and shit though.

"Let me see if this nigga here," Jodie said as he parked the car and pulled out his phone.

"You know the nigga?" I asked Chris while Jodie was on the phone. Chris shook his head no. "I'm just here to get drunk, and pull some bitches." I shook my head, typically Chris.

Jodie hung up the phone as he let us know his boy was there, He grabbed his keys and then opened the door to get out the car. Chris and I followed suit, we went followed Jodie in as he walked towards a table a nigga was already at. The nigga stood up as we approached with a smile on his face, dapping Jodie up talking about how long it had been.

Jodie introduced us after their little pow wow, then Chris and I headed to the bar to grab some drinks before deciding to take a seat with them.

"Yeah, baby girl getting big," Jason was saying as we got back to the table with drinks in tow.

"Aye, Landon, he has a little girl." Jodie said hitting my arm before I fully sat down.

I picked up my beer taking a swig from it, "oh word? What's it like? I got a little girl on the way."

He smiled, "man, she the light of my life. They grow up quick, so cherish every fucking moment man."

I smiled just thinking about baby girl, I nodded as I took another swig from my beer as Jodie asked him another question leading them to another topic of conversation. I looked at Chris seeing him all in his phone before getting up, "where you going?"

He looked at me with a sly smile, "pussy calls," he picked up his beer chugging it before telling everyone at the table he'd catch up with us later. I decided to jump in Jodie's conversation to entertain myself, there weren't any girls catching my attention or anybody here that I knew so it was my best bet.

"Where you from?" I asked Jason.

"The west, about forty-five minutes up." I nodded my head, "what got you here this weekend?" Jodie got up heading to the bar as we engaged in conversation.

"I came to see my girl, she live out this way." I nodded my head, "that's what's up. How it work with the distance?"

He shrugged, "I ain't the biggest fan of it. But we make it work. You said you got a baby on the way right? Meaning your girl pregnant?" He asked me.

I nodded my head, "she ain't my girl, but yeah."

"Word, my girl got one on the way too."

"Oh, so you have another one on the way?" I questioned.

He chuckled a little, picking up his beer, drinking it. "No and yeah, the baby ain't mine. But I'mma treat her like mine."

I looked at him wide eyed, he was a good one. Don't think I could be one to get with a girl who was pregnant and she wasn't pregnant by me. Hell nahh. "Respect, you a good one for that."

He nodded, "yeah, I fuck with her though," he started smiling, "I'm lucky to have her, she one of them, you know?"

I nodded my head in agreement, "I feel you man. Something you have to hold on to."

"Exactly," he said, "something you don't want to lose, or miss out on." I nodded, knowing exactly what he meant.

"Y'all niggas being soft?" Jodie asked as he sat back down with a beer in his hand. Jason laughed, "nahh, we was just talking about the girl I'm with."

Jodie shook his head, "that's love right?" he directed the question towards me, making it clear he knew the situation.

"Hell yeah," I said with a laugh that Jodie joined in on.

"Who is she? We might know her. I know you like to keep shit private, but shit, let us make sure she ain't a ho." Jodie said with a laugh.

I tried to think back to all the girls I knew that were pregnant right now, weren't many, unless they weren't showing or hadn't announced it.

"Her name is Aria," he easily replied as he picked up his beer. "I know she isn't like that."

"Her name is what?" I asked a little louder than I meant to. Jodie looked at me wide eyed, probably in just as much shock and disbelief as I was in.

Jason looked from me to Jodie, "Aria." Wasn't no fucking way he was talking about my Aria, "what's her last name?"

He looked lost as he replied. "Stills." He said with his eyes on mine. I laughed, not cause shit was funny though. I picked up my beer chugging the rest of it before getting up to head to the bar to grab another one, I wasn't even about to act out in this bitch. I pulled my phone out, texting Aria back to back.

I was pissed, like what type of shit was this?

———

"You good?" Jodie asked as we rode back home. Chris was still with whoever he left to meet up with, saying he'd catch a ride home.

I nodded my head, still hot from the situation. "Did you tell him that she was my baby mama?" Once I left from the table I didn't go back, I knew I'd cuss the nigga the fuck out for even thinking he was about to play daddy for my child. Fuck outta here, I was her only daddy. So out of respect for Jodie I took myself out of the situation.

Jodie sighed, shaking his head. "Man, this shit messy as fuck."

"Nigga, did you tell him?"

"Yeah."

"And what the fuck he say?"

"He said he didn't know."

I waited for him to say more but he didn't, "that's all? That nigga ain't have nothing more to say. Matter a fact turn the fuck around, fuck that, head to Aria's that's where that nigga staying right?"

Aria had yet to text me back and that shit pissed me off even more.

"Nahh, man you hot right now."

"Fuck that! Go to Aria's Jodie!"

Jodie ignored me and kept driving, I reached over turning the wheel steering us into the next lane.

"Yo! Chill the fuck out Landon! You trying to fucking kill us?" He yelled.

"Jodie, go to her house." I asked once again trying to sound calm. I know I was seeking crazy as fuck, but this was a respect thing at this point for me. And fucking a nigga with my child in you was disrespectful as fuck.

"Landon, you pissed the fuck off right now. Ain't nothing good going to come out of this shit if we head over there tonight, I ain't bout to let you catch a charge for no stupid shit. Mad about a girl who don't want you? Man chill the fuck out."

I really ain't give a fuck about nothing he was saying, "Jodie," I stated calmly. "Bring me to Aria's, I ain't gonna ask you no more."

He laughed, "and if I don't Landon? You wildin' the fuck out right now."

I reached over grabbing the wheel again, not giving a fuck. One way or another we were going there. "Alright man, chill the fuck out. I'll take you!" I knew he was annoyed by me but I didn't give a fuck. I'd apologize later for acting out or character.

I let go of the wheel as he merged into the next lane to head to Aria's, my head was spinning, all types of bullshit going through my mind. I just prayed I ain't fucking lose it tonight.