There is at least a 20 minute ride from the "hood" to my apartment, that is, if you speed. So I have a while before they get here. It took all the strength I had to push the dresser draw in front of the bedroom door. Just in case he found a spare key.

I continued packing my bags with important objects that I need to survive. I was rushing back and forth around the room trying to get most of my things. When I happened to walk pass a mirror. I stopped to look at myself, and noticed that I had a big purple bruise below my hair line on the left side of my head, and I had another bruise on the right side of my face in the center of my cheek. Since I was raised in "The Hood" and I have been in many fights, and even jumped on some occasions. I know how to take a punch. Even though it throbbed, it didn't hurt as bad as it could. That encouraged me to grab the makeup case kit that I hid in the closet under some shoe boxes. Marcus told me that I had natural beauty and that I didn't need to use make up. Little did he know that what he thought was natural beauty, was the result of Revlon and MAC products. I never had the heart to tell him. He is as naïve as I am was with some things or at least how he thinks I am.

It has been quiet outside the bedroom for a while, I wonder if he left yet. I guess I just have to wonder, because I'm not taking any chances with opening that door.

I have to large suit cases filled with clothes and accessories. I pulled the suit cases off of the bed and dragged them toward the door. I checked the time, looking at the alarm clock; 15 minutes had passed since I called Latrece. I'm not as worried as I was before. It seems to have calmed down, and I am starting to get bored though. While I have the time I will "put on my face" to cover up all of these ugly marks on my face.

The makeup didn't cover it as well as I thought it would. But it's better than nothing. I didn't need to put make up on the bruises on my legs or arms because I usually wear pants. And it's too cold to wear short sleeved shirts without having anything to cover your arms.

I'm getting aggravated. I pick up the phone on the night stand next to the alarm clock, and start to dial. But I don't hear a dial tone, nor do I hear the sound of the buttons being pressed.

"What the hell?" I said aloud.

I look around for my cellular phone. But it's nowhere to be found. I checked under the bed, I moved my bags around searching for my lost electronic device, and I still can't find it. All of a sudden I hear something rumbling outside the door, the sound is sort of like an electric shaver but louder and more irritating. I don't even want to know what he is doing out there. I just need to find a place to hide.

Hide under the bed? No he would surely find me under there. Hide in the closet? No that would be the second place he'd look. I'll hide in the television stand, on the count that he removed the television to replace it with a new one, that's supposedly coming in 3 to 5 days, 6 days ago. So that is where I hid for the time being. Because I know I'm going to need it, I brought the miniature table lamp. It is shaped like a roman statue and is made using copper. It has to weigh at least 7 pounds and should be big enough to hurt someone if you threw it at the person.

No less than 20 seconds later the irritating noise stopped, and now I can hear Marcus pushing the objects away from blocking the door, and out of his way. I can hear his footsteps walking around the bedroom. I can barely hear him muttering under his breath. It was extremely obvious that he is aggravated. The footsteps faded soon after he cursed my name. It would be stupid of me to leave this safe place. But I have to get out of here. Even though I can feel him standing out there, I am going to get out. I'm just going to wait for him to open the doors.

I have the lamp tightly in my clammy hand in a ready possession, for when I have to throw it. Nothing is happening. It would be stupid for me to open the doors, so I won't. My arm is starting to get numb from holding this lamp for so long.

All of a sudden the doors swung open and there I saw Marcus staring at me with evil eyes. I don't know why I loved this man. He is such an asshole.

Before he knew it I threw the lamp at him, and it hit him right above his left eye. I guess being left handed caused the angle of how it landed on his face.

While holding his eye he staggered backwards, dumbstruck and shocked at what just happened. I jumped off of the television stand and ran around all the objects. I ran out of the room and headed for the front door. While leaving the room I noticed how he tore down the door into pieces; with an electric chain saw and it was lying right on top of my luggage.

"Come here woman! Now you're really going to get it. I can't believe you had enough balls to hit me!" Marcus yelled not too far behind me. "Well, you're about to learn from your mistakes."

I am so close to the door when I feel hair being pulled. Marcus was pulling me by my hair."Get off of me Marcus. I don't want you anymore! You treat me so horrible; I don't understand how anyone can love you. Yes, I will learn from my mistakes. I'll never date another man like you ever again!" I said as I struggled to get out of his grasp.

We fell to the floor, him on top. Of course he was. He always has to be the leader. The head honcho. Not this time. "What Bitch? I fucking made you. You weren't anything until you met me. I'm God's gift on earth to you, and this is how you repay me? By throwing shit at my face, and calling me a mistake. No bitch, you're the mistake!" He yelled in my face as he punched me in the side. "Get the fuck up." He said as he pulled me by my head, up to my feet.

"Marcus, get off of me. What part of I don't love you anymore don't you understand. Why won't you just let me go, find some other 'dumb broad's' life to mess up? 'Cause I'm not that dumb broad anymore." I said while trying to get his tight grip off of my wrist. Right now he was yelling and 'yanking me up' as they would say back home. I hate to admit it, but I miss my family more than anything.

I actually felt safe there. With my mother and brothers, though I didn't miss Latrece as much, actually I didn't miss her at all. She is what you call a 'stank hoe', well what I call a 'stank hoe'. I felt this way ever since I found out that she was messing with the boy that I had the world's biggest crush on. When I say the world's biggest crush I mean it. If the Guinness Book Of World Records had a competition for it. I'm sure I would win. His name was Damien, but they called him Day-day, or Day for short. Some even called him D. I called him Damien, because that was his name, and I don't like to be like everyone else. I consider myself original. I loved when he would come over. He chilled with my brothers, doing whatever boys do.

Damien had the most beautiful eyes they were a mix with olive green and hazel. His tan was perfect. His hair was curly, and not nappy like the rest of the boys in that neighborhood. He kept his hair in perfect condition. He wasn't any regular pretty boy. He didn't accept every female that met his expectations in looks. He chose personality over anything. He was anything but shallow. But in the end he turned out to be not what I expected.

Latrece and I were like the best of friends and I turned to her for any problem.I told her things that I wouldn't tell anyone else. Matter of fact, she was more like a sister to me until she betrayed my trust, and ruined what I thought was a good thing.

One late night I was coming home from over time at the café. Ma had missed some bills and needed a little extra help and I volunteered. My tired eyes were not prepared to see what I seen that night. I walked in to see Latrece laying on top of Damien on our couch, and they were laughing, and giggling, and there was an interesting sparkle in his eye. It was the type of look when you can tell that someone has true feelings for someone else. Latrece looked up at me and frowned like I was the one in the wrong for interrupting her flirting with the boy that I loved. I just walked away. She called herself trying to explain but I didn't want to hear it.

Latrece was known for messing up a 'happy home' because not only did she have the body, she had the personality to back it up and almost every dude wanted her. She knew she was 'the shit' she was a smart girl. She was on honor roll, as was I. But I wasn't as developed as she was. Nobody our age was as developed as she was at our age. She was another reason why I didn't bring Marcus around my 'hood'

My feelings were hurt that night. I didn't bother to explain why I was mad at her, as if she didn't know. To this day I don't trust anyone because of that. Isn't there a saying that goes, "your best friend is your worst enemy" or something like that? I thought nothing of it until that day. That feeling changed the day I met Marcus, but even that came out as a lie.

"Marcus please let me go!" Reminiscing on old times has brought me tears. I didn't even notice that I had zoned out until I heard my voice shaking and felt the tears rolling. "Please…" I begged

What a random thing to think about at a time like this.

"No Miya Lynn." He said as he wiped the tears away from my face. "If I can't have you, then no one can" He growled as he pushed me into the wall by the key holder. He started choking me, and my wind pipes feel like they're about to explode. I can't get his grip off my neck I keep pulling and pulling. He just makes it tighter. I looked to my right toward the bedroom, and I see my cellular phone lying by the door. So that's where it was. I could of sworn I had it in the room with me. Oh well too late for that now.

Fighting with all of my might, I tried to fight back to Marcus. I tried pushing him slapping him. I would have screamed but that would have taken away from the air supply that I have very little of at the moment. I continued to cry and fight but I started to get light headed and faint.

"Bye Miya, baby, I love you, and I always will. I'll miss you baby" He said. Those were the last words he said to me as I started getting dizzier.

I tried to talk, but I couldn't hear myself. But I know he understood what I was saying. I'm sure he read my lips as they formed the words "I Hate You" and I know he knows that I meant it.

I felt myself sliding down the wall of the living room, to the floor as his cold rough hands loosened from around my neck, I can feel my eye sight slowly fading away. The last thing I remember is hearing a loud crashing sound, and monotone voice that reminded me of my big brother, Vaughn.

"Grab her shit, and let's go. Hurry up!"