Chances

Chapter Three

Tina stood in front of the luggage she had packed and with a wicked smirk on her face, she cursed the day Leah had ever stepped into her parents' lives. She moved toward her bed and with her fingers caressing her hair, she called Jimmy; her boyfriend who was running and hiding from the law. He was a fugitive that killed three officers and injured two more on the day he broke away from prison.

Personally, Jimmy had no business with Tina and her revenge but he loved; the taste of blood, seeing someone crawl on both knees and beg for mercy, ripping of flesh, cracking of bones, and ripping of hearts. To him, the screams of his victims were the sweetest melody he could ever hear and enjoy.

Tina believed she had killed two people. One nobody but her boyfriend knew. And the other, she got arrested for and spent six years in prison. At those times, Jimmy was already in prison and when she was arrested, she learnt so many twisted games and Jimmy promised he would come and meet her the day she was going to be released.

Which when she arrived home the day she was out; Jimmy was already waiting for her, smoking and drinking in her bedroom.

And since they re united outside prison, they had been planning Tina's revenge carefully and she would be moving into their home.

Jimmy wrapped his hand around her neck and squeezing it softly, he told her he'd miss her when she left.

“I will also miss you. Just be good while I'm gone and when you kill someone, make sure you send me his or her liver. You can keep the heart. And we'll both share the kidneys," she joked as she smiled at him.

He walked around her and with a serious face, he murmured her name. He wasn't going to let her foolish mistake end him back in prison. He would also make sure helping her with her revenge would be his gate way out side the country.

“You know the rules. When you get there, do not let your hatred control your mind. Control your hatred and make them believe you have changed. The key word here is deceive. Deceive them! Am I clear on this part? If you play foolishly or smart and you fall, you will be going down alone. And let me make this clear, when it's game over, it is. Do you get me?”he explained to her as he fantasized on how their game over plan would be like.

Glancing over her closed luggage, he asked if she bought decent clothes. He again suggested she picked only three or four dresses.

She smiled at him and opened her bag to show him how smart she could be sometimes.

“Good, now you are set to leave. Remember, no double crossing. And we'll be perfectly fine my dear. We'll travel around the world once we kill them all. And the money, you know it will be ours," he said while smiling at her.

To her, she thought Jimmy was a perfect boyfriend. The one who would do anything for her. And she believed they would get married and have children of their own.

“Now, I hope those idiots are waiting for me," she sighed as she picked her bag.

With calculated walkings, she stepped out of her apartment. Walking toward the bus stop, she remembered the bus wouldn't pass by until thirty nine minutes later.

And so she sat on the bench. As she sat there, a newspaper seller came to pass by and with the enough research she'd made, she knew Marisca was Leah's friend. So she bought the newspaper.

Reading the first half of the news, she knew Marisca was going to launch her new album in two to three weeks to come. And as mighty as she thought her house was, the launching was going to be in her house.

Tina just chuckled and folded the newspaper into her bag. She thought the headline held enough and sensible news like: how she fell on stage, how she collapsed on stage, how her concert flopped or something that would make her happy.

After some minutes, she started dozing off but woke up when she heard a bus pulling off in front of her.

Pushing her hair behind her ears, she held the bar and with her final left foot, she entered the bus. And unfortunately, she had to stand. She eyed and cursed as she looked at all those who were seated.

After a few stops, she decided to take the next seat that was going to be available.

When the man stood up, she immediately sat in the seat and the next person who had wanted to sit there, tapped on her left shoulder. She ignored all the three attempts the man made and that got him angry.

He didn't want to fight over the seat. He just wanted to tell her not to do that again. If it was her habit, then she should refrain from that. Since it wasn't everyone who was OK or cool with people stealing their seats.

But as violent as Tina was, she looked slightly over her shoulders and looked at the man who had the audacity to put his palm on her shoulder.

She eyed the man as she looked him over from his hair to his shoes. She was trying so hard not to pick up a fight with him.

The man asked her not to do that again but she took it the wrong way. She ignored his cold features and waved the man's hand away and told him to mind his own business.

The man eyed her and squeezed his hands into a fist. He couldn't go about fighting in buses or else his badge would be taken away from him or simply he'd be suspended again.

Nodding his head, he told her the next time he met her doing that, he'd personally teach her a lesson.

“Who do you think you are? The owner of this bus? The head of this country? The what exactly? Do you even have a title to your name? Not even Mr. Stop talking, you are disturbing some of us," she flatly told the man. This was her best way of shutting people up without a fight. She didn't want to pick up a fight with anyone since she was going to Leah's place.

She wasn't going to let the man compromise her actions.

When she heard the bus stop she was supposed to get down at, she shouted to the driver to stop. When she got up, she looked at the man and teased, "Your highness, this lonely seat awaits you. Do you want me to clean it, or leave it like that? If you do not mind, I have somewhere important going. Do make yourself comfortable. I did too.”

He pretended as if he wasn't the one she was talking to. He just eyed the seat and when she was getting out of her line, she made sure her shoulders hit his. It was painful but he was thought better. He again pretended he wasn't affected.

“At least grow taller first before fighting over a seat,”she shouted as she went away from the bus.

Such women irritated him and he was sure and hoped they would never meet any where again.

****

Tina stood in front of the gate as the security man ignored her. Leah had not told him she was coming and to him, he thought it was one of Marisca's fans who had come for an autograph.

What is so nice about her signature?

She thought as the man told her he wasn't opening the gate for her.

Why is everyone getting on my nerves? I have to pretend for a long time and this is just what? The first day! It has not been fifteen hours and it's like everyone is getting me angry.

She silently told herself.

“See woman, I don't want to lose my job. So please, move away from here. I'm begging you," he urged her to go away.

"Seriously you'd be the first I kill when it's game over. I don't blame you. Foolish people like Marisca and Leah are important now that people like you have the guts to talk to me," she murmured, which he only heard a few of it but not everything: enough to send him calling the police.

She quietly moved to the opposite which had rocks as benches. She sat on one and looked around. The place looked nice. Adorable grasses crawled on the ground and little sand covered a little potion.

Flowers were ripping the sun on the other side of the environment. The house looked colourful; something she had to get used to.

Nice environment. It saddens me that only idiots live in it.

She was hungry but she had no food or water with her. And every time her stomach made a sound, she insulted them. She had no phone to call Leah and she didn't even write her number down.

After four hours, a car stopped in front of the gate. It blew it's horns and she knew it was time to get inside.

She pretended she was asleep. Her face was buried inside her hands that were folded on her bag. And the bag was on her laps to make her feel a little comfortable.

She felt someone approaching her and a smirk formed on her lips and a silent chuckle escaped her lips as well.

The person tapped her shoulders for some time and she wondered why everyone decided to call her attention by doing that.

She raised her head slowly, as if she just woke up from her sleep. Her eyes met Marisca's black eyes and she nervously smiled at her; which she had managed to fake.

“Please who are you? My security man told me you came here for my autograph. I don't..."

Before she could say more, Tina shook her head violently like a lost child. She was irritated by how high Marisca thought of herself.

“No please, I'm Tina. Leah's sister. She asked me to come,”she calmly reported.

“Oh sorry. Get up. We didn't know you were coming today. Did you misplace her number? I guess she also didn't tell the security man. This way, follow me,” Marisca directed.

****

Once inside, Tina looked around and the place looked extra ordinary. She smiled as she imagined herself being the boss.

She again imagined herself smoking while laying on the three seats chair as Jimmy massaged her feet.

She snapped out of her thoughts as she remembered her Jimmy would never worship anyone.

“There's food in the fridge. You can heat any of them and eat. You look tired. I'll prepare your room while you eat," Marisca offered as she climbed the stairs.

Tina rushed to the kitchen and there were so much food, she didn't know which one to pick. She could eat so much and wouldn't get satisfied. But she was just going to settle for rice and stew with fish.

Tina was contemplating on whether to call Jimmy or not. He had taken her phone away and also had warned her not to call him until she was sure everything was safe in that house. She knew he was also missing her as much as she was missing him too.

She had been there for just a few hours and she couldn't stop but let her mind wander where he could be and what he would be doing. She even dreamt about him wallowing in pain for letting her go.

She held her chest as something told her she could be dreaming but it was nothing but the truth. Her Jimmy was missing her.

But only if she knew. Only if she knew he was somewhere, with his cracked lips on another woman's neck.

Jimmy was at his usual spot. Smoking and passing on unto the girls he saw until he got one home. He couldn't settle for just a polite no but anyone or lady who dared to insult him or reject him, wouldn't go scot free. And everyone at the bar knew better than to make him angry.

He loved the way they called him king and the way people feared him. The way people paved way for him to pass through, kept him happy. And sometimes, Tina loved the way they treated her with fear sometimes.

She loved the attention they gave her when she entered the bar with her boyfriend. As sick as it made others feel, she cared less.