The Other Side of the Pillow

Jemistry glared at Winsome as she disappeared out of sight and then turned her look of utter disappointment toward me.

“Baby, I promise you, this is not what you think.”

“Not what I think?” She pointed in the direction that Winsome had gone. “I come home, catch the two of you rushing out of my bedroom, your belt unbuckled and your pants unzipped, and it’s not what I think? It’s exactly what the fuck I think!”

I tried to move toward her and take her into my arms. She pushed me away.

“Don’t even think about touching me! I trusted you. It took me years to let the walls of my fortress come down, and you do this to me. You’re like all the rest of them.”

“No, I’m not. I promise you that—”

“Stop saying promise!” Jemistry screamed. “It’s a lie! Everything you ever told me was a lie!”

“Baby, when you said you were running late, I went to lie down.” I pointed to her bedroom. “I woke up with my dick in your roommate’s mouth and immediately pushed her off me.”

“You are so full of shit! How did she manage to get your dick out of your pants and into her mouth without you noticing?”

“I thought it was you. My eyes were closed, but the second she started . . . when she put it in her mouth, I could tell the difference.”

“I don’t believe a word coming out of your mouth. You need to get the fuck out.”

“I’m not leaving until we get this straight . . . until you understand what happened. Ask her what happened. Can you at least do that?”

“I don’t even want to look at that bitch in this moment! She’s—”

Winsome must have been hanging on to every word. She yelled, “Don’t call me a damn bitch because your man wanted some of this!”

I couldn’t believe that things were going down like that. I couldn’t believe that the love of my life was about to reject me for something that I didn’t do. How could a life already so fucked-up and plagued with disappointment take another fucking blow?

Jemistry went around the corner and I followed her. Before I knew it, she was on top of Winsome on the floor, pounding her fists into her face. Winsome was screaming for dear life and trying to protect her head.

I pulled Jemistry off her. “Baby, stop! It’s not worth going to jail!”

“You filthy bitch!” Jemistry screamed, and started trying to kick Winsome as she got up off the floor. “It’s not enough for you to fuck every Tom, Thomasina, Dick, Daisy, Harry, and Henrietta! Now you want to fuck my man!”

Winsome wiped the blood coming out of the right side of her lip. “Actually, your man came onto me.”

“That’s a fucking lie!” I said. “You came in there when I was asleep and tricked me. Admit it.”

“I ain’t admitting shit because it didn’t go down that way!”

I was still holding on to Jemistry from behind. She grabbed at my wrists to try to free herself. “Let me go, Tevin!”

“Only if you promise you won’t attack her again. I don’t give a fuck about her, but I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Jemistry started breathing heavily; she was in a blind rage.

“No, I’m not letting you go. I’m taking you out of here before you end up hurt, or in jail. You’re a principal. Think about it.”

Jemistry started to calm down some. One thing was for sure: She didn’t want to jeopardize her career. She had worked too hard for it.

“Let me go. I’m going to leave, and so are you.”

I released. “Good, we can go back to my place. You don’t ever have to come back here. I’ll get all of your things by tomorrow and—”

“I’m not leaving any of my shit here, and I’m not going to your place.” She glared at Winsome. “As a matter of fact, you get the fuck out.”

“I’m not going anywhere!” Winsome proclaimed. “Ain’t no man coming between us! He needs to get the fuck out so we can talk!”