Hell House Page 4

  Roc let out a deep sigh and silenced everybody—for at least a minute. “And maybe both of y’all need to chill the hell out so we can watch the game. Damn. Is it that serious?”

  “Hey, that’s what I want to know,” Jada said, shaking her head from side to side. “All of this over some salty peanuts that tasted off brand. And this popcorn ain’t hittin’ on much either, but I’m still willin’ to share.”

  She reached the bag out to Jaylin. He ignored Jada and that caused her to snicker.

  At that moment, I felt very skeptical about this. Jada seemed a little off—kind of mentally challenged. Either that or she was a true attention seeker. That quickly became the case because she did not shut her mouth until a slender white man with blond hair entered the room and introduced himself as Jeff, the producer of Hell House. He apologized for interrupting the football game, but said that he was there to discuss a few things.

  “I also want to give everyone a tour of the house and we do need to go over the rules.”

  We all listened in, as he stood in front of us dressed in khaki pants, a plain, button-down blue shirt that was neatly tucked into his pants and shiny loafers. His ocean-blue eyes were breathtaking, and his overall appearance showed that he was there to discuss business.

  “First, let me say that I’m glad to see that most of you made it here. I thank you all for your willingness to do this challenge, but there are a few things that we need to go over before we get started. The rules are the most important and they must be followed. Not abiding by them can get you immediately kicked out of the house and no one wants that to happen. So for starters…no cell phones, no leaving the premises for three months, no outsiders allowed inside, no life-threatening violent behavior and no exceptions will be made for anyone. There will be a weekly schedule placed on the refrigerator for the person who has to cook and clean for the day. There are plenty of snacks, but if the person on the schedule doesn’t cook, you don’t eat. If you don’t like what they cook, don’t eat it. If they don’t clean, the house stays messy. If you want to clean of your own free will, do it. No one is allowed to sleep in the living area or outside and you must sleep in the bedroom. There is one TV and one computer. Take votes on what to watch and minimize your time to one hour on the computer so others can use it. We’ve already installed cameras in each room, with the exception of the bathroom. If an emergency happens, you will have to stand in front of any camera to signal us or you can email me. We can be here in less than five minutes, but email may take longer. The cameras will roll twenty-four-seven and everything will be recorded.”

  Chase raised her hand. “Excuse me, Jeff, but I changed clothes in the bedroom earlier. Are you saying those cameras were recording me?”

  “I’m not sure if the cameras were on then, but they are on now.”

  “What if I had a hole in my underwear that I didn’t want anyone to see? There needs to be some kind of privacy in that room, don’t you think?”

  Jaylin responded before Jeff did. “You still have on the same skirt and lugging the same panty-less ass that you told me to kiss when you came through that door. Stop with the what-if questions and let the man get finished.”

  “Oops.” Jada giggled and laughed out loudly. “That shit was direct and funny as hell, but he still needs to be put in his place.”

  Jada cut her eyes at Jaylin, and Chase shot Jada and Jaylin dirty looks. Chase knew darn well that she didn’t have any holes in her underwear. All she was doing was trying to get some attention, like Jada. I could already tell that living here with these kinds of women wouldn’t be good.

  “You need to change clothes in the bathroom,” Jeff said. “Are there anymore questions about what I said?”

  This time Jada spoke up. “I got a couple of questions. One question is, are we allowed to knock the livin’ daylights out of people who offend us? Two, are there any washin’ machines around here? I didn’t see any. And what about alcoholic beverages? Every now and then, I need a little somethin’ strong to get my adreline goin’.”

  Didn’t she mean adrenaline? I thought. I guess so when I saw Jaylin shake his head and Chase open her big mouth. She was rubbing me the wrong way already. I didn’t like her.

  “That’s adrenaline, sweetie,” Chase said with a little snap in her voice. “You really need to get it together.”

  Jada pointed to herself. “Are you talkin’ to me, little girl? I’m goin’ to pretend that you’re not. That way I won’t have to mop this floor with that damn wig you wearin’. I can already tell that it’s not gon’ work with me and some people in here. And if these so-called educated people know a little somethin’, they best to leave me the hell alone. Okay, sweetie? Ugh, so damn irritatin’ and what kind of woman calls another woman sweetie?”

  “A woman who has no problem showing you some respect, but she will beat your ass if she has to. Now, cool out and watch who you’re talking to. Please.”

  “Forget all the nonsense,” Roc said, standing up and stretching. “Where did you say we can find the vodka and yack?”

  “The what?” Jeff said with a confused look on his face.

  “Cognac,” Jaylin responded. “Top of the line, if you got it.”

  Him and Roc bumped fists and then Roc sat back down.

  Jeff pointed toward the kitchen area. “Behind those double doors over there are a compact washer and dryer. Feel free to use them. Alcoholic beverages can be found behind the second set of cabinets over there, and outside at the bar in the game room. Have at it. As for physical confrontations, we are all adults here, and I recommend that everyone figure out a way to control themselves and get along with others. That’s what this challenge is really about, so think about your actions before you do anything stupid. Now, are there anymore questions before we begin the tour?”

  “Don’t put shade on shit,” a young man said as he stepped into the living room. “Tell me what the hell is in this for me?”

  His hair was braided to the back and jeans were sagging so low that he had to hold them up. The oversized shirt was too big on him and a diamond necklace with the initials SS on it hung from his neck. I moved my purse closer to me and noticed that Chase and Jada had done the same. If he was going to be living inside of Hell House with us, God help us all.

  I said it before and I’ll say it again…I loved putting fear in the eyes of people who didn’t know shit about me. They always judged a book by the cover and were never willing to look inside of a person to see what was really up. Yeah, I was catching some heat across town. That was why I chose to come to this place. Plus, there was a note that said money might be given to the winner who played by the rules. I needed some dollars, so I was down with the program. I was late, but I was here. Had to clear up some shit with the li’l mama in my life, Poetry Wright, just to make sure everything would be good between us if I was absent for three months. She said it would be, and I was happy about my girl being down for whatever.

  All eyes were on me, but I was waiting for homeboy to answer my question. If money wasn’t involved, I wasn’t going to waste my time. Bills had to be paid, my Laundromat business was suffering and the only thing that was going strong was my liquor store. I was counting on that to pull me out of my personal recession, but if things didn’t go well, I needed a backup plan. This was it.

  “Prince,” the white man said. “My name is Jeff. Have a seat and I’ll be happy to tell you what else may be in this for you.”

  I walked over to the couch and sat next to the dark dude who I had seen a few times in the hood. I wasn’t sure if he knew me or not, but he gave me a nod before I took a seat. The other wannabe pretty nigga didn’t say nothing. I wasn’t down with the way his uptight ass had looked at me, nor was I down with the hoes snuggling with their purses. Those bitches knew better. If I wanted their shit, I would take it.

  “Pertaining to money,” Jeff said, continuing on with his conversation. “The last person standing may be in a position to win one hundred thousand dollars. There are some stipulations, but—”

  “One hundred thousand dollars!” the hefty chick shouted. “Canal Street in New York, here I come! I’mma get me an assistant Coach purse and some coochie glasses.”

  The other chick with a ponytail gave her a high-five. “I know that’s right, but you know it’s Gucci, right?” she said. “Time for a real Coach purse and a new car.”

  Obviously, these tricks didn’t know what real money was. One hundred thousand dollars wasn’t nothing to brag about, and since the pretty nigga didn’t flinch, I could tell he wasn’t moved either. Neither was the dark dude. Seeing him shaking and moving in the hood, I figured he probably made that kind of money in one week. But looking at it from another perspective, the money would come in handy. I was the real Street Soldier in the room, so I was sure that the money would fall into my pockets real soon.

  “Stipulations that require everyone to follow the rules,” Jeff said, looking at me. “I’ll say it again…if you’re caught disobeying the rules, we’ll ask you to leave.”

  “Why the fuck you lookin’ at me? I have no problem playin’ by the rules, but I need to know what they are again. I guess I missed out by bein’ late.”

  Jeff repeated the rules, and since they were cool with me, I stood up and followed along with everyone else as he gave us a tour. Before he started, he asked that we all introduce ourselves to each other. I told everybody that my real name was Jamal, but I preferred to be called Prince. After the introduction was over, the tour started in the foyer. Jeff pointed to a small sitting area that included a white leather sofa and a couple of chairs. Jada was the only person who had walked into the room to take a seat, even though Jeff said that he preferred we not utilize that particular room as much. She rubbed her hands on the leather
, claiming that her friend had a sofa exactly like that one at her house.

  “I mean, it’s just like this. We picked it up at Big Lots about three weeks ago. That thing was real cheap, and I can understand why you said you didn’t want nobody to come in here and sit. Cheap stuff never lasts for long, and I told her tail that when she bought it.”

  All of us just looked at each other, confused. This chick was weird as fuck, and when she referred to the rug on the floor as an organic rug, I almost lost it on this dumb broad. What school did she go to? Thank God that Jeff opened his mouth to address her ignorance before somebody else did.

  “I can assure you that the sofa didn’t come from Big Lots, and the rug is an Oriental Pakistan Ziegler rug that was hand knotted and—”

  Jada cocked her head back and frowned. “Pakistan? So, you tellin’ me Bin Laden could’ve made that rug before he was killed? Let me get out of here. I definitely don’t want to be puttin’ my feet on nothin’ that fool made.”

  Jeff sighed a little and the rest of us remained in disbelief. Nobody told me I’d have to be living in this house with a mental patient, and unfortunately, her bullshit didn’t stop there. While Jeff was showing us the elegant dining room, Jada had picked up a piece of china from the table and was glaring at her reflection. Using the china as a mirror, she was working her hair and shit, while sucking her teeth. You could always tell a bitch who wasn’t used to nothing because they didn’t know how to act. It was hard to concentrate on what Jeff was saying, when she was up in here acting like she had ADD.

  “Shoot,” she said, still sucking her teeth. “Is that a piece of meat in my teeth? Jaylin, come over here and look at this. Tell me if you see anything in between my teeth.”

  That nigga’s face was flat, but he walked up to her with his hands in his pockets. The suit he had on was nice, and I don’t ever think I had a suit in my possession that fit me like his did him. Either way, he squinted to look at Jada’s teeth, while she kept them on display.

  “I don’t see no meat, but I do see a stick of butter. Be sure to take care of that when you get a chance.”

  The chicks to my right laughed, but Jada pursed her lips.

  “Baby, you don’t see no butter on these teeth, and Jeff got way more on his than I do.”

  Embarrassment washed across Jeff’s face. He tried to play it off by laughing, though, but the man had had enough. Jada claimed she was only kidding, but she wasn’t because his teeth could’ve used the attention of a dentist.

  Jeff also told us to limit our time in the contemporary dining room, but I wasn’t so sure about that. I definitely had to get my mind right because there was a time when I would’ve bagged up some of this shit and taken it to the pawnshop around the corner from my house. Everything on the table looked expensive and there was a possibility that I had hit the jackpot. Then again, the new me wouldn’t even go there.

  It took about thirty more minutes for us to tour the entire house because Jada and Jaylin kept throwing snide remarks and jabs at each other. I couldn’t tell if they were playing or not, but the shit got on my nerves. Roc griped about the nonsense, too, but him and that Chase chick were very cozy with each other. While paying extra attention to my surroundings, I saw Roc taking peeks at her and Sylvia’s asses. I had checked the women out too, and I had to admit that they had it going on. Jada also, but she was too damn silly. I couldn’t imagine myself being with a chick with that much energy and playfulness.

  Once the tour was done, I asked to be excused so I could go take a leak. Jeff said he didn’t have much else to share, so I dropped my duffle bag and made my way down the hall. When I got there, I lowered the toilet seat and sat on it. Rolled up a fat-ass joint, then I lit it. My thoughts were on my headaches back at home. Seemed as if trouble had a way of following me. If I disappeared for a while, maybe things would chill. I suspected this place wouldn’t be too bad. As long as I kept my distance from the others, things would be cool.

  I filled my lungs with smoke from the joint and swallowed to get the real rush I needed. The weed was fire, and after several more hits, I was blazing. I looked around at the bathroom, wondering how in the hell all of us would be able to share it. I mean, the smell of my shit wasn’t nothing to play with. Anybody entering the bathroom after me would definitely have something to deal with. I laughed from the thought. Leaned forward to rest my elbows on my knees and chuckled some more. But as I was about to take another hit from the joint, somebody knocked on the door.

  “Speak!” I shouted.

  “You almost done?” the voice said. I could tell it was the dark dude, so I put the joint out with the tip of my finger and placed it into my pocket.

  “Hold up.” I opened the cabinets and looked for some air freshener. I didn’t want anyone to get a whiff of what I had been doing.

  “Hurry up,” he fussed. “I need to drain the big vein.”

  I quickly found the air freshener underneath the sink and sprayed it before waving my hands around and opening the door.

  “Damn,” the dude said as he came into the bathroom with his jeans already unzipped. “What took—” He paused to sniff the air. “Never mind. I already know what’s up.”

  I wasn’t trying to be caught up in the bathroom with this nigga, but I wanted to know if he had seen me around.

  “Ay, don’t you be hangin’ out near St. Louis Avenue, Newstead and Natural Bridge?”

  “Sometimes,” he said with his dick hanging out of his jeans and peeing. He looked relieved. “I have an auto body slash mechanic shop off St. Louis Avenue named after me.”

  I thought about the area in my head and it hit me. “Roc? Are you Roc Dawson?”

  “In the flesh.”

  Roc had a decent reputation in the hood and many people respected his hustle. He was definitely on the come up. “Well, I’m Prince. Heard a lot about you, and the word is, you good people.”

  “All good,” Roc said, washing his hands and wiping them on a towel. “And St. Louis ain’t as big as you think. Heard some things about you, too, Street Soldier.”

  I smiled at the thought of him even knowing me. Didn’t matter if it was bad or good; I didn’t give a fuck.

  “So, what’s been shakin’ so far with this Hell House thing? I see that Grey Poupon-eatin’ nigga out there lookin’ like he got beef with some people. I hope not with you.”

  “I don’t know what’s up with that fool, but any man that angry ain’t got nothin’ but women problems. I’mma keep out of his way because I may have to shank him for steppin’ to me the wrong way.”

  “Straight up?” I said with my back against the door. Roc seemed down-to-earth, but too bad I was going to have to snake his ass to win this money.

  “Where the weed at?” he asked.

  “What weed?”

  “Fool, don’t play. You got this bathroom lit up. That shit you got assaultin’ my nostrils in a good way.”

  I hesitated, but pulled the blunt and lighter from my pocket, giving them to him. He lit the joint, inhaled the smoke and sat on the toilet.

  “Ahh,” he said. His eyes watered after the first hit and he damn near choked on the smoke. “Dis’ shit is the truth! Where did you get it from?”

  “I never reveal my sources, but if you ever need some more, come see me.”

  Roc nodded and continued to hit the joint. “So, what’s the plan, Street Soldier? You know damn well that you ain’t gon’ be able to knock me out of this competition, right? We come from the same streets and we know how to play the game, instead of allowin’ it to play us.”

  “I feel you on that, but I do intend to be the last man standin’. By any means necessary, you will have to go.”

  Roc laughed and gave the joint to me. “I like you, Prince, but this competition you will not win. You may as well pack it up and head back to your mama while you got a chance.”

  Roc left the bathroom, leaving my heart aching as I thought about mama. Why did she have to leave me like that? It was because of her that I’d had so many setbacks in my life, but I still loved her. I wanted the best for her, but I got tired of injecting myself into fights with her men. One day, somebody was going to get killed. All I could do was hope that when that day came, it wouldn’t be me.