Dance For Me Read Free Page A

proceeded, Hope had no choice but to stop, Zefar pulling up behind her. He got off the car, right there in the middle of the busy intersection. He’d never done this before but then again, Hope hadn’t been stopped by a red light while trying to evade him. Hope locked the car doors as he approached the passenger’s side window and starting smacking it with an opened hand.
    “Shamayla! Shamayla get out of the car! Shamayla get out!”
    “Don’t get out,” Hope said, trying to go over his voice. She saw Shamayla’s hand on the door handle.
    “Shamayla, look at me. Shamayla…” Hope stared at the red light as Zefar became more aggressive, shouting specks of spit on the window.
    “Shamayla!” He punched the window startling the girls. The light finally turned green and Hope floored it. Shamayla couldn’t believe no one got off their car to help.
     “If he catches up to us-“
    “We need to go to the police,” Hope said, speeding on the road. “Do you hear me? Go to the police. Get a restraining order.”
    “Those never do any good,” Shamayla complained. “He’s going to kill me.”
    “No he isn’t.” Hope shot her friend a look. “No he isn’t, Shamayla. Put him in jail.”
    “You don’t understand. You don’t know him. I should go back.”
    Hope shook her head.
    “Why would you do that? So he can beat you, so he can really try to kill you?”
    “I’m tired of running…”
     “Things will only get worse if you go back.”
     Shamayla closed her eyes.
     “You don’t know what’s like. It feels like everyone hates me now, ever since I left Zefar they turned their backs.”
    “And you need people like that why? You have other family who are actually sane and not money hungry.”
     “I don’t know.”
     “He beats you, he made you get abortions. He cheats on you, he’s scum. You’re twenty-five Shamayla, you’re an adult. You need to start living for yourself.”
     “Next time if I see him I’ll call the police okay? I will.”
     Hope stopped in front of the police station, glanced in her rear view mirror making sure she lost Zefar. She asked if Shamayla still wanted to go to the police but Shamayla shook her head. Hope waited while and then started up her car and drove away.
     “Hey,” Shamayla said, breaking the silence. “Did you tell him?”
    Hope’s grip on the steering wheel got tighter.
    “Um, no. Not yet.”
    “Why not?”
    “I want to tell him tonight.”
    “Before or after work?”
    “I don’t know yet.
    “Oh,” Shamayla said with a smile, playing with her waves. “You’re making him suffer.  I bet he’s going crazy not knowing.”
    “Yeah,” Hope nodded. “I figure I’ll just make him wait a little longer. What’s the rush?”
    Shamayla smiled. “You are so bad. I love it.”
    Hope pulled up in front of the house Shamayla was staying at. The girls were pretty sure they lost Zefar but you could never be too sure. 
    “I’ll be here at six. Be ready. And hey, if you see him again, call the police.”
    “I will, I will.” Shamayla wished Hope luck and got off the car.
                                                 
      ***
     
     Hope lit up a cigarette though she didn’t smoke and sat on the hood of her car. Shamayla sat beside her and lit up a cigarette herself.
    “My legs are sore. I can’t believe what a asshole Hammer is. This double shift bullshit he’s always pulling,” Shamayla complained.
    Hope pulled her hair back with a scrunchy and puffed smoke into the clearness.
    “It’s more money.”
    “It’s that Mercedes bitch. Her and that cunt Marisol, lazy whores. They always call off weekends and Hammer lets them get away with it. So here we are filling in for them. Fuck them.”
    “It could be worse, Shamayla. I mean at least we’re not taking our clothes off.”
    Hope worried about offending Shamayla, and regretted saying that. Zefar forced her to strip after they wed.
    Hope looked at Shamayla. Her hair was