Wreckless Read online

  Wreckless, a short story

  Part of the Lunch Break series

  Stephanie Nicole Norris

  Copyright © 2013 by Stephanie Norris

  All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described are imaginary and do not refer to specific places or persons, dead or alive. Any resemblances are purely coincidental.

  What is the Lunch Break series?

  This is a series of short stories, packed with the romance, drama, and suspense that readers are used to reading in Stephanie’s books. The Lunch Break series is only available on e-book. Once you get a taste, you will want to read again and again. Read them on your lunch break, on the train ride home, on the bus, in the back seat of a car, in a waiting room, on the beach, or on an airplane. Wherever you go you are guaranteed to feed your need to read.

  To check out more books in the Lunch Break series, visit Amazon.com or BN.com

  Dedication

  To my Lord and Savior: You have come into my life, saved my soul, and changed my heart in a major way. I love You and no amount of words can express just how much. I dedicate my writings to You in the hopes that I am fulfilling the purpose You have for my life. To You, I give back the gift You gave me. Thank You for keeping me, even when I didn’t deserve it.

  To my readers: You guys rock! I would start naming people, but I don’t want to leave anyone out. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! The ones who rock with me on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. The ones who purchase my books and/or share them by word of mouth to others. I am truly thankful for you and would never take any of you for granted!

  To my editor Jamila E. Gomez: Thank you for going over my words with a fine tooth comb! You really help my creativity sparkle and I love it! Kudos to you!

  To my hubby: I love you, boo. Thank you for always being by my side and making me yours forever to infinity and beyond! You will always be my baby!

  Part 1

  The Beginning

  “I am the happiest man in the world right now. Baby, you complete me like no other.”

  Maurice moved closer to Jasmine, seductively kissing her on the lips and neck and rubbing her body up and down -- from her soft curvy hips to the center of her back. He pulled her in and whispered softly in her ear.

  “I love you, girl.”

  “I love you too, baby,” Jasmine replied.

  Maurice laid her back on the couch and crawled between her legs, accidentally hitting the remote. The TV came on and a preacher’s voice boomed through the speakers. Jasmine searched for the remote while Maurice continued his barrage of kisses.

  “Ugh!!” she yelled, unable to retrieve the remote.

  With it finally within her grasp, she sat up with determination. Her eyes heavy, she blinked twice and her bedroom came into focus. Wet with perspiration, panting lightly, she hit the power button and turned off the TV, realizing she’d been dreaming.

  “Boooo!” she exclaimed disgruntled. Jasmine tossed the covers to the floor and slid out of bed. “We was about to get our freak on!” she said, rotating her hips in a circular motion. “Dumb TV!” she yelled, raising her fist to the 27-inch electronic beast.

  Maurice was her fantasy man. There was never a dull moment when he invaded her dreams. In real life, she stayed in the background when he was around. Jasmine would never forget the most recent time she laid eyes on him. They were on Floyd University campus where the ladies of Delta Sigma Theta held one of their many fundraisers. Today they were auctioning off seniors and the first person on the stage was Maurice Desmon Jones. In his Omega Psi Phi jacket, a black polo, blue jeans, and black Air Force Ones he posed for the crowd of women being his usual silly and playful self. His smile could brighten up a room. His chocolate complexion, low haircut and lite goatee outlined his face. He arched his eyebrows trying to get a swoon out of the crowd. It worked, all the women wanted him and so did Jasmine. She discovered he was graduating soon with his bachelor’s degree in business management. For some reason, when he was around, Jasmine admired his walk, his talk -- his presence completely mesmerized her. Jasmine was transfixed anytime he was near. She would often daydream just to get a glimpse of him satisfying her every desire.

  If he ever stepped to her, she would definitely bring her “A” game. Jasmine chuckled at that thought. “Okay, calm down ladies. We will start the bidding at twenty five dollars.”

  “I know I’m worth more than that,” Maurice said. The crowd laughed.

  “We can’t start the bidding high now chill out I got this,” Saundra said.

  “Twenty-five dollars!” Someone yelled through the crowd.

  “Thirty!” Another girl yelled.

  “Okay, I’ve got thirty in the back,” Saundra said. “Do I hear forty?”

  “Forty-five!”

  “Alright, forty-five going once, going twice.”

  “Three hundred dollars.”

  The crowd gasped and they turned to see who called out the bid. Teresa Fleming stood arms folded with a smirk on her face. No one would dare out bid her, she was the wealthiest Delta at the University, besides no one had the money to do it anyway. Most of the students were here on school loans or grants but Teresa’s family was loaded. Her father owned a country club surrounded by a golf course that sits on two hundred acres of land. Jasmine’s lips twitched, Teresa needed to back off if she knew what was good for her. They were roommates and Teresa knew Jasmine had a crush on him. Jasmine could feel her blood pressure rise; she was tempted to bid higher than Teresa. She had the money, it was no problem but before Jasmine could speak up Saundra said, “Sold!” Teresa took a bow and went up to claim her prize. She hugged him and intertwined her arm through his as they walked off the stage. The crowd of women clapped. Jasmine was furious. Following them to the car she paused when she heard Saundra calling for Teresa. “I’ll catch up with you,” Teresa told Maurice. He strode to the car.

  Saundra was Teresa’s best friend. They had known each other since fifth grade. Even though that was the case, Saundra was completely different from Teresa. Like sweet and sour. Her devotion to God always came first no matter what the circumstances, although lately she’d been slipping on her prayer. She tried to keep Teresa on the straight and narrow but that didn’t always work. As a matter of fact it failed most of the time. Whereas Saundra was a southern family girl, Teresa was a southern Jezebel. Going after any and every man she wanted. Teresa was not use to rejection, if she didn’t have her way she would make a way.

  “Why are you spending money on him, I thought you were going out with Daniel?” Saundra asked.

  “Aren’t we raising money?”

  “I’m raising money, where are you going?”

  “I just donated money to the pot now I’m off to reap the fruits of my seeds as you would like to put it,” Teresa said.

  Saundra shook her head, “You wrong for that, you wrong! Don’t you have enough skeletons in your closet?”

  “Don’t judge me.” Teresa turned and walked away. Jasmine was in ear shot of the whole conversation, neither of the girls recognizing her.

  Suddenly, the door to her room swung open and Teresa barged in bringing Jasmine back to the present.

  “Oh, I thought you were sleep,” Teresa said.

  Teresa was the kind of woman any man would fall for; at least that’s what Jasmine thought. Light skin, grey eyes, and a Coke-bottle shape pretty much guaranteed Teresa any pick of men. Short, straight hair framed her face and showcased her perfectly plump Botox-injected lips. But surely, any real man could see through that façade.

  “How ma
ny times I gotta tell you not to just open my door and walk in like you own something up in here? Are you crazy? What if I had been in here with somebody?”

  Teresa cracked a smile. “Oh, like who? Your dream lover?” she laughed. “The most I'd see in here is you playing with yourself.”

  “Well, if that’s what I was doing, you would've been interrupting! Get out my room before I put my foot in your store-bought booty! Everybody knows those are butt pads -- you ain’t fooling nobody!”

  Jasmine forged towards Teresa, backing her out of the room before slamming the door in her face.

  “Maybe you need to get a real person up in there to play with so you won’t be so moody, heifer!” Teresa said as she leaned against the door.

  “Whatever.”

  The only reason she and Teresa were roommates was because no other dorm rooms were available. Jasmine knew instantly they would not get along. Teresa’s whorish ways turned her completely off.

  Jasmine made her way to the bathroom and peeled off her clothes, dropping a piece with every step she took. After work, her body was exhausted and she fell asleep in the grey skirt and button down shirt she wore.

  Christmas left her bank account with a negative balance. That was not acceptable and she needed to have it straightened out soon. Jasmine loved the finer things in life. She would go broke trying to keep up with the Joneses.

  Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Jasmine wondered who it could have been this time. She huffed, knowing Teresa must’ve had to earn her money for the night. To her, Teresa was a top-dollar prostitute. Jasmine turned off the shower, pulling her towel off the shelf to dry her skin as she stepped out. She walked into her room and pulled out a Looney Tunes night shirt that hung down to her knees. Her bedroom resembled a modern day hotel room. Jasmine’s sister specialized in interior design. After she got her hands on Jasmine’s space it came out looking like an expensive escape. Her walls blue with a platinum head board going across the middle of the wall. She admired her space for a moment then opened her bedroom door and walked down the hallway. The apartment was warm and cozy. A fire crackled in the fireplace and an empty wine glass and beer bottle were sitting on the kitchen table. Jasmine shook her head. She knew it -- the trick was having company. Men Jasmine saw in and out the dorm room came to mind. Jasmine opened the refrigerator and saw a 24-pack of Budweiser beer and two bottles of Moscato Villa Rosa on the shelf.

  “Don't mind if I do.”

  She reached for the wine and walked to the counter. After opening the bottle with a corkscrew, the wine erupted, spilling to the floor before she could grab a wine glass.

  “Ahhh, come on!” she yelled. The bottle felt slippery in her hand. She put it to her lips and turned it up.

  To her surprise, she heard Teresa shouting from the other room. Jasmine choked at the melodies coming from her roommate’s room. She then glanced at the near-empty bottle.

  “Dang! Don’t much come in this bottle, huh? That's how they get ‘cha.”

  Turning the bottle up again, she took a few final sips. A steady knocking vibrated against the walls and Jasmine knew it was Teresa's headboard. She rolled her eyes and dumped the empty bottle. She opened the refrigerator and popped the top on a Budweiser. She would be drunk in a minute.

  “It takes a dummy to make you drink yourself stupid,” she burped and laughed.

  Knock, knock, knock, knock . . .

  The steady drumming of the headboard made Jasmine curious to see if Teresa’s door was unlocked. So she decided to check it out. The closer she got to the door, the more she could smell the scent of marijuana coming from the room. Jasmine twisted her nose. She couldn't stand weed. The musty smells were supposedly a good thing, but she didn't want her house to be fragranced with it. The thought of what was about to occur made Jasmine giggle.

  This is for busting in my room earlier, she thought.

  Jasmine twisted the doorknob and barged in, singing an old Whitney Houston song loudly.

  “And I-E-I . . . will always love you!”

  The song sounded like a train wreck coming from her mouth. She coughed and laughed, bending over and looking up to see the looks on Teresa’s face and her playboy for tonight. In a split second, she recognized Teresa’s client. It was the man of her dreams -- Maurice Desmon Jones. Seeing him sent Jasmine into a minor trance. Her breath shortened, her lips thinned, and she stood erect.

  “What the . . . ?” Jasmine yelled, looking into his eyes.

  “Get out of here!” Teresa yelled.

  “You tramp!” Jasmine exclaimed.

  Jasmine ran toward Teresa, clenching her throat in a vice grip, squeezing and pulling her out of the bed. Teresa kicked and choked up a scream, slapping Jasmine across the face. Jasmine slammed her into the bedroom wall causing blood to run from her nose and mouth. Maurice stood to his feet and quickly put his clothes on.

  “Yo!” he screamed. They were not listening. They pulled, yanked, and screamed at each other. “Yo, I’m outta here, man!”

  Jasmine reached for Teresa’s hair, but Teresa held her arms up to protect herself. Still, Jasmine was able to get a handful. Using extraordinary strength, she smashed Teresa’s head into her nightstand. A loud crack followed and Teresa fell to the floor, causing her to shed a tear. Jasmine stomped on her repeatedly, but there was no movement from Teresa.

  She grabbed a handful of Teresa's hair and yanked her head up to look into her eyes. A blank stare gazed back at her -- she was lifeless. A few moments of silence passed as reality sunk in. What had Jasmine done? She tried to catch her breath. What was she going to do now? She burped and re-tasted the wine.

  “Look what you made me do!” Now in another realm, her life would be forever changed.

  The doorbell rang again, snapping Jasmine out of her trance. The room she was standing in was a complete nightmare, but she didn't care.

  The guest at the door had the worst timing. Jasmine saw Saundra on the other side of the door, Teresa's sorority sister. Jasmine didn’t like her, either. Because Saundra and Teresa were always together, Jasmine was convinced they were two peas in a pod.

  “Can I help you?” Jasmine asked in the calmest voice she could muster. Saundra stuck her head in the door and looked around.

  “Is Teresa here?”

  “No, she's not.”

  “Really?” She pointed to the parking lot. “Her car is outside. Are you sure she's not in?”

  Jasmine's lip twitched. “You know what? You might be right. Why don't you take a look for yourself?” A small grin crossed her face.

  “Great. That’s better.”

  Jasmine widened the door to let Saundra in. She needed an accomplice and the thought of calling Maurice for help crossed her mind. Jasmine slammed the door and locked it. Saundra looked back over her shoulder. An uncomfortable expression crossed her face.

  “Why don’t you have a seat, Saundra? I’ll check in the back for you. Would you like something to drink?”

  “Jasmine, are you okay?”

  “Yeah -- why do you ask?”

  “You’re bleeding,” Saundra said, pointing at Jasmine’s face.

  Jasmine touched her lips and covered her mouth. “I’ll be right back.”

  She ran to her room and into her closet. Reaching above the shelf, Jasmine pulled down a shoebox. She grabbed two bite-sized pills Teresa tried to force her to take when Jasmine pledged to her sorority. She closed the box and put it back on the shelf, running to the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of water from the fridge. The top popped off and she dropped the two pills inside and grabbed a straw from the counter. The pills needed time to dissolve, so she sat the bottle down and let them soak. After ten minutes, she returned to the living room and handed the water to Saundra.