Page 11 of Tension

VEL

“What’s good, Vel?” LL said when I answered. He sounded like he was moving around.

“Take a break from your girl for once and come to the gym with me.”

“I never need a break from my girl,” he replied. “But we’re actually on our way to check on Chris.”

I sat up. “What's wrong?” I asked.

It had been about seven or eight days since we had handled our little situation.

“Jasmine went to see her a few days ago, and her man was at the apartment saying he didn’t know where she was. She hadn’t been online or answering Nia or Jasmine. And… she kinda has a history of deep depressive moods.”

“Don’t be telling my friend’s business unless he plans to come help,” I heard Nia say in the background, sounding like she was moving around, too.

“I’ll meet y’all at her apartment,” I said, hanging up to get ready.

I knew this wasn’t technically my business. But if that nigga put his hands on her, I was ending his life. Simple.

I didn’t like the vice-like grip that I felt around my heart just thinking about it.

I was about fifteen minutes behind LL and Nia. I told them to wait for me before they went to the door. When I pulled up, they got out of the car.

“How do you know where Chris stays?”

“Why I gotta wait on you to talk to this nigga?”

Nia and LL asked at the same time, already knowing why I wanted to be there. I wasn’t about to explain myself to them.

“Man, let’s go,” I said, heading to her place.

“Oh, he even knows which building it is,” Nia added.

A guy, probably her boyfriend, answered the door. “What the hell y’all want?”

Nia pushed past him, going to search the apartment, which was full of smoke. LL and I stared the nigga down, daring him to say something.

“Where is Chris?” Nia yelled from the back.

“Man, like I told the other one, she left. We're on a lil break.” Brian said, defensive already. “She’ll be back."

“Then why is she not answering her phone?” Nia asked, making her way back to the front.

“I don’t know.” He shrugged, picking at the dirt in his nails. “She not answering for me either," Brian said, sounding like the bitch he was.

“If I find out you did something to my friend, these niggas right here gon’ take care of you for me," she said, walking out with LL behind her.

I looked the wanna-be Snoop Dogg-from-Baby-Boy-ass nigga up and down, then walked out.

“What now?” I asked once we were outside.

“I don’t know, but I’m not leaving without laying eyes on her.” She didn’t need to say it.

I felt the same way.

“Y’all don’t have that share-my-location shit?” I asked.

“She turned it off,” Nia said, defeated.