Page 15 of The Stepbrother 2: Noah

"Fine."

Two hours later we were in the mall. And yet again my patience were being worn thin.

“I’ll be back,” cutting into the middle of Maines rant. I turned and walked in the direction opposite of them.

"Where are you going, Creed?" Maine yelled behind me.

I heard Noah say, "Leave her alone for a while."

I picked up my pace, walking away from Maine, Ashley, and Noah. I didn't want to hear Maine's mouth anymore, talking about what my parents thought or how I should be more considerate. I was grown, and if I wanted to leave the house, I could.

"Fuck them," I muttered to myself.

I had already planned on getting matching Jordans for myself and Mommy. That was our thing. When I was younger, randomly we’d pick a day and we'd wear matching outfits and she'd take me to get ice cream all by myself. She said it was so I didn't feel like the neglected younger child. Somehow, I still ended up feeling that way. But I didn’t harbor any resentment towards my momma. She was being pulled into so many directions. I understood I could not be the center of attention all the time.

I wandered through the nearly deserted mall in search of a Foot Locker.

When I found it, I headed straight for the Jordans they had on display. My browsing was interrupted by the scent of someone's cologne and I immediately thought about how good it might smell on Noah’s skin. I looked to my right and found an older man, about thirty, with dark skin and brown eyes, standing about twenty feet away from me. Being me, I decided to ask him what cologne he was wearing. I liked the fragrance and thought I might wear it myself.

"Excuse me," I said, putting on my fake friendly smile. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what cologne are you wearing? You smell good."

The man looked surprised by being approached, then all his thirty-two pearly white teeth went on full display. "It's called Midnight Noir by Blackfire Fragrances," he replied.

Just as I was about to thank him and return to my shoe shopping, a voice interrupted from behind him. "Seriously? Are you flirting with my man right in front of me?"

Flirting?

I turned to see a woman—I guessed it was the man's girlfriend. Her arms were crossed, and her face was all frowned up.

"Oh, no, not at all. I was just asking about the cologne he's wearing," I explained.

"Don't play fucking innocent with me. I saw you looking at me. You Black bitches stay hating," the woman accused.

My face flushed with embarrassment. Everybody in the store was looking at us now. "Hating for what, lady? I don’t want him. " I retorted, letting my attitude seep into my tone.

The woman had clearly lost her mind. She was a heavy set girl with a cute face and blond hair, but her piercing blue eyes held nothing but hostility.

"Save your lies," the woman sneered, clearly not believing me. "You Black bitches can't stand to see a Black man with a white woman."

The situation was escalating too quickly for me to stay in my right mind. I snapped, "Bitch, are you out of your mind? My daddy's a whole-ass white man. I don't give a fuck about who you're fucking. Move the fuck around and let me buy my fucking shoes," I shot back, ready to punch her in her mouth.

Her boyfriend tried to calm her and usher her out of the store, but she wanted to keep going. We kept yelling back and forth, and the space between us closed. My fist was balled at my side. I was ready to swing.

"Creed, what's going on here?" Noah stepped in between us, his voice firm with concern. Ashley and Maine were standing next to him.

"She called me a fucking Black bitch," I said.

Noah shot a look at the woman. "You called her a Black bitch?" The anger in his voice calmed me down a little.

Maine stepped in. "Maybe she didn't mean it like that." Ashley cosigned her bullshit.

I lost it. "What the fuck do you mean she didn't mean it like that? A Black woman raised your ass. You know what the fuck she meant and should be just as angry."

Maine sneered at me. “You’re just playing the victim yet again,” she accused.

What did that even mean? She had been talking a lot of nonsense recently. Before I could respond the lady that started the entire thing chimed in again.

"I mean what the fuck I said. She's a hating Black bitch," she declared.

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