Chapter 8
Jackie looked glum as she walked aimlessly home. Her eyes caught Pete sitting on the kerb wall. He giggled at her sight and blew a sound at the startle girl.
“It is ungodly, to talk to boys,” the cold shrilling sound slowly soaked into my ears. The terror of Francis’ voice came back to me.
“Why?” I pondered.
“Hey, wait up,” Pete sounded.
“I can’t, I got to get home fast,” I said and walked faster. I reached the apartment ten minutes later. The man standing against the door greeted me with a whisper, “try get some rest, I need you later.” Tear broke and I nod my head to the man Cherry called husband and ran to my room.
“When will this end?” I asked. A knock came from the door and a head emerged with a smile.
“Hey, sugar, how are you doing?” asked the curly hair well-sculpted woman. A sob erupted and a woman drifted closer to the tear-stricken girl.
“What’s?” the driver’s voice frightened us and the woman  jumped.
“Ah! dear I was coming to see you before this silly prick started crying,” said the woman. She poked Jackie in the chest and stepped backward and hugged the driver.
“I hate you, I want to get away from here. I want to get away from him,” I screamed.
“What’s the heck!” the woman chuckled and shrugged, “shut up unruly child.”
“I hate him, he is hurting me, every night he pushed his private part in me,“ I screamed.
“Shut your mouth! You lying child, stop speaking those dirty things,” the loud sound soaked up her tears. Jackie breathed heavily: “I hate him, he is hurting me. He pushes his private part in me.” The woman shot a look at the trembling man. He jumped and grabbed a cross around his neck.
“Excuse this trouble child, an evil spirit has gotten her,” the trembling lips said. She grabbed Jackie and shook the stricken girl. She raised her hand to slapped her and stop short of doing it. Tears cracked and she embraced her daughter and ran from the room.
“Go to your lover,” snapped Jackie. Cherry stopped and she looked steadily at her daughter with strangled eyes. The woman  kept hitting Jackie although a man held her arm. I only remembered waking up between slaps and a male voice saying, ”stop, stop, are you going to kill her?” The woman thrown her to the bed.
“Fuck!” Cherry flushed angrily.
“That what you will be doing to him,” Jackie thought. The house was quiet. She did not know what to expect next if she would be abused physically or sexually.
“J, are you in there,” Jackie recognized the boyish sound of Bert and dried the tears and ran to the door.
“Hey, baby how are you doing?“ Jackie greeted sweetly.
“What is going on? I am hungry,“ Bert murmured.
“Take something from the frig,“ Jackie said.
“Ok!“ a voice added. Jackie jumped and turned and startled by the man who snaked quietly into her room without being notice.
“Are you afraid J,“ Bert cracked into laughter, “I better go get some ice-cream.“ Bert drifted to the door.
“I better go with you,“ said Jackie and she followed. A hand stopped her and rubbed her shoulder.
“Just a word dear,“ the sound froze any movement.
“Make it quick,“ Jackie scoffed and slapped the hand off her shoulder.
“You, will not speak to me in that tone, as long as you live under this roof,“ the words were cold.
“I will spit on you grave,“ Jackie scream.
“You are under my roof and you will do as I says,“ the man shouted, “be careful what you say.“
“ Da…da….da,“  sung Jackie softly, “you can’t hurt me.“
“Yeah! Let’s see where you will get food to eat, and money to eat,“ the man said feebly. Jackie sung, “da…da…da” and her eyes studied the man hurriedly leaving the room. Jackie heard laughter but the tears came quickly. She stopped staying home and started smoking. She skipped the streets and she spent more time with Chin at her house.
“I am angry,” says Jackie. “No one believe that man Cherry called husband was hurting me with his private parts. My world was sex, drinking, smoking and not thinking for days.”
“Me too,” Chin said as I related my story. She reached for Chin’s guitar and started playing  as song.
“You sing and play too, cool,” Chin said.
“That comes naturally,” Jackie said sadly.
“You could be one of them stars you know, you got to take your craft more seriously,” Chin advice. Jackie laughed and said,
“Come on, you mean thrashing the guitar and boring people with the lyrics of my wretched life,”  Chin poke her tongue into my mouth.
“Oh shut up,” She said.
“No, you are missing my kiss,” I breathed. Her lips spelt something.
“Good, can I,” the caressing sounds serenaded the air. I had given her license to bring me to sweetness. “Go do that I don’t care what you do,” I pulled out the short knife and plunged it at Chin‘s throat. Blood came but she did not move.
“Watch it, are you sick or something?” Chin shouted. The short chubby girl trembled in fright. Her coloured dress stole my eyes.
“Am just letting you know to leave me alone,” Jackie cried.
“I will hun,” Chin said staring in the dark looking vessel, “babe, I really misses your lips though, when can I have them? Friday.”
“Ok then, well I will go home now,” I said with the knife gripped to my cold fingers.
“What are you doing?” Chin asked, “hey, I am good with it,”  Tears broke and the knife fell to the ground. Her dyed-hair danced with the picturesque motion of fear beneath her skin. In rage Chin flew at Jackie and filled up one of  her eye with a slap.
“Oh,” the sharp sounds gripped the air. Jackie reached for the knife and stabbed violently at the angry woman.
“What is wrong with you?” Chin shouted as grief overcome her expression. “Are you going to kill me?”
“Really, how could you have asked me that, you may never know well you are giving me problem, I can’t deal with this,” Jackie cried. Chin’s hands snaked her neck strangling her.
“Be with me,” Chin begged.
“Ok then, well I think I can manage a serious relationship ok cause I’ve been through one and it was pretty serious and not to lie I enjoyed it and I go by what he said…Well I don’t know its your call ok, you call the shots them,” I lied. I want to trap her to my knife or the dark.
“I got to go,” I said and pulled the knife from her neck
“Babes stay now, we need to get some food, you must be hungry like hell,” Chin begged.
“Yeah I know,” Jackie whispered.
“Well I will get you something,” Chin said.
“Ok then, I need to get away from this girl,” I thought.  Chin had her hands up my thighs. My hand clenched the knife tighter and my blood turned cold.
“Babes, what you doing?” I said seriously.
“Just enjoy it,” Chin breathed.
“You need to drop it ok,” Jackie grated.
“You want me,” Chin beckoned.
“You just get on my nerves,” Jackie said, “why are you pressuring me to be with you?”
“Ok then. If there is no strings attached why you say I should ask you for anything?” Chin breathed.
“Yeah,” Jackie said,
“Between you and me, what does Cherry said about all of this?” Chin asked.
“Anyways I don’t talk to her,” Jackie murmured, “ so is not like she is going to listen. From the week start I’ve been going hungry. She is too annoying and I can’t stand it anymore, yeah and yes I’m going to go after my goals and achieve all the things I’ve dreams of having yes”
“What about the money?” Chin asked.
“I misplace it,” their bodies wrestle to unwrap the knife from the fearful neck and hands pried around Jackie’s throat.
“Yeah, so what are you doing?” the unfamiliar sound escaped the weak lips and a frightened look eased the fingers from the stifling neck. She bolted out a cough and collapse to a chair.
“You almost kill me,” She said between sobs.
“I am not, stop it. I am not all that up to kill anyone,” the words grasped her ears under the dark clouds.
“Oh ok then that’s good to hear, I got to go before Cherry come looking for me,” Jackie said. She ran from the house toward Cherry’s apartment with a knife clenched between her fingers.
“Don’t kill anyone,” Chin managed to say.