I ate my breakfast, but my mind was consumed by thoughts of Zikhona. Every time I looked at her, I saw the intense way Slavvy kissed her after telling me she accused him of rape.
"Testimony, would you like to go shopping with me today?" Mrs. Broncos asked politely.
"Uhmmmmm, I don't know..." I paused, trying to clear my mind. I needed to get out of the house before I fell more sick. I woke up with a heavy headache and was barely holding on.
"Okay, I'll go get ready," I said with a smile, and Mrs. Broncos smiled back, clearing the table.
I walked back upstairs to my room, and Ashly already waiting for me.
"I told you, Slavvy isn't the guy you think he is. He's good at pretending, making girls fall at his feet. I thought you knew better, church girl," she said with a fake smile, which instantly dropped to a death stare.
My heart ached, feeling like an idiot, but I had to say it. "He called me an hour after you kissed."
"For your information it was me who asked himself utterd and winked
"Excuse me, I have to get ready for tonight's party. After all, yes, I'll ruin his life this time. I'll make sure it seems like he actually forced himself on me," she said, her innocent
"Step away from my way," she said, bumping my shoulders and leaving.
Hot water poured over my body as I thought about what Ashly said. I got out of the shower, put some lotion on, wore my baggy jeans with an oversized T-shirt, tied my hair up, and grabbed my small purse.
I waited for Mrs. Broncos to finish, and thirty minutes later, she came downstairs looking stunning in her pale blue jeans, white top, and golden heels.
"Ready to go?" she asked, searching for something in her purse.
I nodded, and we both got inside the car and left.
"You know, this is my first mother-daughter shopping trip. I always ask Ashly but she says she's too popular to be seen shopping with her mother," Mrs. Broncos said, trying to hide the hurt in her voice, but her eyes spoke for her.
I felt bad for Mrs. Broncos.
"I didn't know that," I tried to sound more sympathetic than I was.
"No, no, it's okay. But with you, we're going to have absolute fun," she giggled.
We made a stop at an ice cream shop, and oh, I had never tasted ice cream that good. After that, we took some photos at a beautiful man-made fountain. The city mall was huge.
We first went to a clothing store, and Mrs. Broncos made me buy what I wanted. Of course, I bought dresses and skirts and some other accessories. I don't know how, but I bought this one particular shirt dress that revealed my bare back.
"You done?" Mrs. Broncos asked, and I nodded.
We were paying for our stuff when suddenly a loud alarm went off. Everybody started to panic at the sound, and before I knew it, strange guys wearing masks overtook the place.
"Put your hands up and don't move!!" they yelled at the same time, and I wanted to ask if they'd ever heard that to understand something, you should speak one at a time.
They forcefully took us out of the shop and put us on the bottom floor, where there were other people crying.
"Testimony, calm down, they won't do anything to us unless we cooperate, okay?" Mrs. Broncos looked at me, and I nodded.
"Give me your cellphones, all of you, and don't you dare try to call the police, or I'll kill you!!!" the guy behind the mask threatened, and everyone started handing out their phones.
I took out mine, and a message popped up. It was from Slavvy.
"Testimony, I'm really sorry. Please answer my phone calls," it read. "Testimony, Haze told me everything. Please answer me. Testimony, please, I'm begging you, answer me. I love you." His last message, followed by twenty more missed calls.
I was once again overwhelmed with tears.
"Hey, hey, are you calling the police?" one guy asked, and I looked up at him, speechless, not knowing what to say.
"I...I..." I mumbled.
"Come here," he forcefully grabbed me, his grip tightening around my wrist.
"No, please leave her," Mrs. Broncos cried, but the man pushed her off harshly.
"She called the police!" she shouted, speaking to the other guy, whom I was pretty sure was the leader since he was very muscular. I couldn't help but notice he looked familiar. Where did I see him...? My eyes widened when I realized it was the guy who almost saw me inside Slavvy's car. What are they doing here? Aren't they supposed to be dead?
"Little snitch, aren't you?" he said, looking at me dead serious.
I was just speechless. It was like I was paralyzed and couldn't speak or say anything.
"You know what we do to snitches, we kill them," he said loudly, and I closed my eyes in fear.
"Let her go," a deep, deadly voice spoke.
Slavvy? I looked up, and he was standing on the top, wearing a black hoodie that hid his face.
"And who are you?" the guy asked, his voice mocking.
The lights suddenly switched off and on again
The guy's eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on Slavvy. "Well, well, well. Look what we have here. The infamous Slavvy Micheal junior."
Slavvy's expression remained calm, but I could sense a hint of tension in his voice. "Let her go."
The guy chuckled, his laughter sending chills down my spine. "Oh, I don't think so. You see, we've been looking for you, Slavvy. And now that we have you, you're going to have to pay the price."
Slavvy took a step forward, his eyes locked on the guy. "I'm not afraid of you."
The guy sneered. "We'll see about that."
Suddenly, the sound of gunfire echoed through the mall, followed by the shattering of glass. The guy's head jerked up, his eyes scanning the area.
"Looks like we have company," Slavvy said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
The guy's face twisted in anger. "Take care of them!" he yelled, pointing to the newcomers.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the mall, growing louder with each passing second. The guy's eyes locked on Slavvy, his gaze filled with a mixture of anger and fear.
"You're not going to get out of here alive," he spat, before turning and running away. And everyone else screamed running for thier lives
Slavvy's eyes never left mine. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice low and husky.
I nodded, still trying to process what was happening.
Slavvy's gaze scanned the area, his eyes locking on something in the distance. "We need to get out of here. Now."
He grabbed my hand, pulling me after him as he ran towards the exit.
I stumbled, my feet struggling to keep up with Slavvy's pace. But he didn't let go, his grip tightening around my hand as he pulled me through the crowds.
We finally reached the exit, bursting through the doors into the cool night air.
Slavvy didn't stop running until we reached his car, which was parked a few blocks away.
He opened the door, pushing me inside before getting in himself.
As he started the engine, I realized that I was shaking. Slavvy's eyes locked on mine, his gaze filled with concern.
"Hey, it's okay. I've got you," he said, his voice soft and reassuring.
But I knew that I wasn't safe. Not as long as Slavvy was involved.
And yet, as I looked into his eyes, I felt a spark of attraction. A spark that I couldn't ignore.