I told you to stay in the car

The movie is complete, everyone exiting the room, satisfied. "I can't wait to watch the next release", Myla tells

"Me too" Tiffy answers

"Unfortunately it won't be on NetFlix" Brehilda grumbles as they walk to Jamal's car.

He opens the door for them. They get in and he closes it and walks over to his side where he hoops in. He starts the car and puts on the AC. The girls sink in their seats like carcasses.

Silence fills the atmosphere as they take off. Her friends don't embrace this tranquility throughout as they worry Jamal with all sort of questions.

He doesn't mind though. He loves their company and how flexible they get in putting on a conversation.

Myla chuckles occasionally trying not to involve her self, scared that they'd open a chapter about her and Jamal.

Jamal pries over at her through the rare view of the car, wondering why she doesn't say anything.

He still hasn't told her about aborting his marriage. He doesn't deem it important.

His mind flutters on her proposal and he remembers that he has not given her a responds yet so he decides to surprise her now. They are few meters and away and she sees ice scream shop.

"Um . . . Jamal?"

"Yes?"

"Please stop. I want to get that ice scream."

He looks through the window and stops the car. "Let me get it for you"

"No need. It's on my side. I'd just get down"

"I insist. It's late at night and dangerous"

"Then I'd go with you" she ends waiting for him to steps down. He looks at her "Do you know you're stubborn?"

She blinks her eyes and he jumps off the vehicle. She does the same as they walk towards the store.

The man is closing up as they approach. When he sees them he stops, "Good evening Sir. I need four cups of ice scream" Jamal speaks.

The old man nods, "Ok son. I'd be right back in a minute" he leaves and comes back seconds after.

"Here you go. I was about closing up. Hopefully you came at the right time. You must be very careful. This street is not a good one", the old man advises and Jamal nods receiving the package.

"Have a wonderful night" the old man blesses, his eyes moving from Jamal to the lady next to him and she sends a sweet smile at his direction.

"Thanks. You can keep the change", Jamal says and the old man bows a little, his eyes filled with gratitude.

They turn to leave and a young man passes by Myla who is ahead of Jamal, his hands almost griping her butt "Damn those curves!"

She gasps. She hates being looked at lustfully. Her cloth is very protruding as it makes her come out extremely sexy. Still, she can't help it. It's her nature and she loves feeling elegant.

Jamal clenches his jaws, which come out more chiseled. The young man observes Jamal shooting daggers towards him, his eyes as dark as the night.

The boy walks close to Jamal "Nigga watcha lookin-at?"

Jamal narrows his eyes, his blood rushing faster through his veins and he opens his mouth, ordering in grit "Turn to her and apologize now right"

The boy chuckles "You must-be trippin-man. She ma-sister. And I can do with her whatever I want to."

Jamal makes his hand into a fist, ready to aim as the boy but Myla rushes towards them.

She holds his hand, gently but firmly "Please, Jamal, Don't. He's an illiterate. Violence is not an option", she whispers to him and his hand relaxes.

She sighs, "Let's go"

He holds her hand possessively and they walk towards his car. The young man strolls to the old man at the shop, pretending to want to buy some ice scream. The old man deems something strange about him after seeing what he did to Myla.

So he says, "I'm closed" gesturing to lock his shop and the young man shifts his shirt up showing a gun.

The old man stiffens, feeling as if his blood becomes warm and his hair contracting.

"What was the-f*ck was that?" Brehilda questions as Jamal and Myla put on their seat belt.

"Nothing important. Just some bad dude" Myla replies

Jamal is still recovering from earlier. He wishes he could teach that young dandy a lesson.

"I told you to stay in the car"

"This is not going well" Tiffy whispers to her neighbor as they watch they them.

Myla is squinting her eyes towards Jamal. "Don't put the blame on me Jamal."

"If you were not out there, you won't have been a victim. So, why wouldn't I put the blame on you"

"Wow!" she exclaims shaking her head "Did you see the way he looked at me! He's just a pervert! There's absolute nothing you can do about people like him, because anywhere he's going to see me or any other girl, he'd behave the same. It has nothing to do with the fact that I left the car! I know you're mad because I stopped you from hitting him, but if I didn't hold you back, maybe he would have brought out a gun. Don't look for whom to throw the blame on because we all went wrong in this. And . . . yeah, I should've stayed in the car"

He exhales and she looks ahead, her face twisted. Jamal ogles her softly "I'm sorry. I'm just really mad right now"

She looks at him and he sends her a faint smile. Suddenly they hear the trigger of a gun.

Everyone turns to the side. And Myla sees the old man from the store in a pool of blood, while the young boy is on a run.

She gasps about to the open the door but Jamal locks it and starts driving away. Her eyes grow wide towards "What the F. Fuck are you doing?!"

"We can't help him right now. It's too dangerous."

"You must be kidding me!" She screams, smacking his arm "Get me out. Jamal!"

He tightens his grip on the stirring trying not to loose control by the force she exerts on his biceps.

"Myla, he's right. You . . . can't save him." Brehilda confesses.

"No! We need to help him. We can't let him die" tears slipping down her cheeks.

Jamal doesn't look at her because it hurts him to see her this way.

"No . . . this is not fair." She sobs, her lips quivering as stares behind through the window.

She sinks in her chair, and covers her face in her palms. She feels guilty. If she didn't have to stop by to buy ice scream, this old man would be closed and won't have to deal with that bastard of a human being!

She lets out in a shaky tone still not taking her face off her palms "This is all—my fault. I shouldn't—have bought ice scream"

Jamal comforts, sending his hand over on her tights and massages, "Don't say that. It's not your fault"

Tiffy sends hers over her friends' shoulder, trying to make her feel better "I pray he'd be fine. The police will come to get that . . . murder"

"Hopefully" Brehilda answers

Silence fills the vehicle after sometime and Myla has stopped crying. But she's absentmindedly staring at the car's louver, looking at lightening striking.

They arrive her substructure, as Jamal wheels in the open lot. He dies the engine but doesn't unlock Myla's side of the door. Her friends think of living them all alone.

"We'd be ahead", Brehilda tells and Jamal nods while Myla remains silent.

The girls jump out of the vehicle and stroll away.

"You ok?" he knows she's not but he wants to hear her say it.

She shakes her head. That's better.

"We're going to check on him tomorrow first thing in the morning. Is that ok?"

She looks down at her nails "What if he's dead?"

"Then we'd pay his family a visit and make sure he has a beneficial burial"

She darts her eyes towards him "That won't be needed. What's the need of losing your life and having a beneficial burial? If he's gone his gone. But if we saved him, he wouldn't have died"

"If you went out there, someone else would've shut you. And you wouldn't even know where it came from if ever you survived. I didn't want to lose you or anyone else. By the way, we don't know if he's dead or not. That's why we'd try finding out about him. Okay?"

She sniffs her tears, nodding. "Let me take you in" he says unlocking her door and getting down to open it for her.

She waits as he rounds the car and comes to her side, helping to get her down. They match in together and as soon as they're under the shelter, the rain starts falling heavily, with thunder sounds.

To be continued...