10 Mesan

As Xanax marched up the stairs I thought about all the possible ways to kill him. 'Would strangulation or stabbing be more painful?' I jumped out of my thoughts when I crashed onto the headboard of a bed. Before I knew it he was hovering above me and I felt as if I couldn't breathe. His hand pulled my braids and bile rose to the back of my throat.

"You know, at some point you have to take out these... things." He finally voiced harshly tugging on two of my box braids. My scalp ached and my eyes squinted.

"No." I replied quietly, but sternly. His hand flew back and collided with my face. I blinked and ground my teeth together again. 'N. O. NO. Never. About as likely as me ever marrying you willingly." I repeated and his face tinged pink.

"Why do you make everything so difficult?"

"You're not gonna force me to fit your racist ass standard of beauty. If you wanted a white girl you should've kidnapped one."

"I'm not a racist, stop victimizing yourself. Did it ever occur to you that maybe that's the standard because it looks best?"

"First of all, read a history book. Second, again, if you think that looks better, find a white girl and leave me and my braids alone."

"I don't want anyone else. Black, white, blue, brown, or purple. I want you for reasons that transcend race and appearance. I want you for who you are, and you're gorgeous on the inside and out regardless of your race." It took all my strength not to visibly cringe.

"Can you even tell me why you think you want me?"

"Because I do."

"I'm nothing but a challenge to you. If I wasn't, you'd actually accept and love me for who I am, not what you're trying to force me to be. Braids and all."

" Look, you can never expect to be looked at as my equal with dreads. Literal homeless people wear them. It's unprofessional. I'm looking out for you. I don't want people to treat you differently because I know some of them might not see the queen I see when I look at you. " As eXcrement rambled a bunch of barely coded racist nonsense, I began to tune him out and think about Ade. He said under the bed. What could he mean? Xerophytic's speech seemed to be more directed towards my boobs, not me, so while he concentrated on my tits, my hand inched down the side of the bed and grasped at air until I found what felt like my pepper spray. I pressed on what felt like the nozzle and began to feel my lungs squeezing. It was the pepper spray! Xylobe sniffed the air, smelling the pepper spray and looked at my face realizing I wasn't listening. When he gripped my chin hard enough to leave a bruise I brought my leg up to kick him away and sprayed it into his eyes. When I tried to get up and run, I realized my head was still woozy from being slammed and I yelped as the room spun. Before the sound could even leave my mouth fully, Ade dove in and knocked Ximenes out from behind with his hand so effortlessly that it looked like a flick of the wrist.

"Well you took your fucking time bitch." I spoke and glared at the worst best friend ever.

"Shut up. I was behind the door the whole time, who do you think placed the pepper spray and knife?"

"Wait there was a knife?" My face lit up excitedly and I tried to wobble back to get it but bobo lifted me with one arm and began walking.

"Sorry Nki, but if I leave you to your own devices you'll kill him." He said it like it was a bad thing.

"Yes, I will. And I want to. Put me down now, I won't even stab that hard, I promise."

"Don't lie to me."

"Fine."

" I didn't want you to use the knife, but when I placed those things under Ximenes' bed it was a precaution in case I wasn't here when he tried something and you needed to take drastic measures. I was hoping in X's cute little racist rant he'd expose himself before touching you, which is why I didn't knock him out immediately. Sadly, the only thing he exposed is the fact that he's a bigoted douche. Which I knew already."

"Oh yes, because hearing him expose himself is more important than my safety."

"You're my friend, and I luv ya, but kinda."

"Fuck you, your love, and your friendship."

"Nki don't be mad -"

"nKi DoNt Be MaD aT mE" I mocked. By this time Ade had gone down the stairs and across the mansion with me seated comfortably in his arms like an infant with my arms crossed. With anyone else it would look ridiculous because I was tall and long legged, but bobo's weird freakishly tall ass was able to contain my limbs which were swinging every which way to try and escape. Finally he opened the huge front door before walking outside and shoving me into the passenger seat of the car we just left an hour ago. I tried to open the car door and run only to realize the child lock was on. I huffed turned around slowly and stared at Bobo holding in a laugh.

"Well since you wanna be childish." he snorted.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

After pressing him for a while I realized he wasn't going to tell me and turned to the window in protest. Eventually I slipped into a deep sleep.