“Get out. Now!” Sydney screamed through tears as she poured a pot of ice-cold water onto Shawn in his sleep.

“What the fuck, Sydney!” Shawn yelled as he scrambled out of the bed and flopped on the floor like a fish out of water.

Sydney tossed the empty pot to the side as she leaped over the bed and lunged at Shawn. She balled up her fists and began to deliver blows to whatever she could reach. She attacked his back, his side and head furiously with her fists.

“I hate you,” she said through tears as she began to tire out, “you’re lucky that water wasn’t boiling!”

“Sydney, why are you bugging?!” He yelled as he laid cowardly in the fetal position on the floor.

She climbed off of him and reached for the cellphone she stole earlier while he was asleep. Clumsily she entered the password and threw the phone hard at Shawn’s face, causing for the force of his phone to bust his lip.

“Your dumbass still ain’t learn from last time I see,” she yelled through snot and tears, “Who the fuck is Tia and why is she saying that the ‘baby is yours’?” 

“Syd… babe,” he said holding his lip and walking over to her, “it’s not like that—”

“Get the fuck away from me,” she said pushing him away, “get out!” 

She wiped her face with the back of her hands as she looked over at Shawn. He was dumbfounded and caught; just like a kid with their hand in the cookie jar. 

“Get out!” She repeated as she pointed to the door.

“I’m not going nowhere,” Shawn said now raising his voice and clenching his jaw.

He held his lip and looked around the room desperate for something to stop the bleeding.

“You are buggin’, you need to calm down you fuckin’ busted my lip!” He yelled getting angrier as he placed an old t-shirt from the floor to his bloody mouth.

This wasn’t the couple’s first time at this rodeo. Over the years, Shawn would always tend to slip up and have Sydney discover a new girl he had on the side. She still felt the pain that she felt the first time he cheated on her, to this day. He was untrustworthy. And Sydney was more upset at herself for allowing it to go on this long.

“We are gonna talk about this. Can you get me something for my lip, please!?” He pleaded sitting back down on the dry side of the bed.

“Fuck your lip Shawn! There is nothing left to talk about. I’m sick of this shit and it’s over. I should’ve kicked your ass out last time when you slept with Casey! Now get the fuck out!” 

Her heart was racing so hard that she could hear it in her ears. She knew mentioning Casey, a mutual college friend of theirs; would trigger her even more. But she was too far gone to care. 

Sydney went to the closet and grabbed the nearest gym bag of his that she could find. She stormed across the cramped studio apartment to the dresser where Shawn kept his clothes.

“Syd… babe!” Shawn said walking over to Sydney as she threw clothes in the bag, “We decided to leave the Casey thing in the past. Besides, college was years ago…what the fuck are you doing Syd, stop touching my shit!” 

She ignored him and continued on her rampage. She loudly threw everything of Shawn’s into the duffle bag and sobbed while doing it.

“Syd, please calm down they gonna call the cops. It’s two in the morning,” he said trying to soothe her as the neighbors banged on the paper-thin walls.

“Good, I hope they do. Your ass ain’t on the lease! I’ll them that your ass is trespassing,” she said as she zipped the bag up and threw it at his head.

“Syd, in this climate right now, you know that shit ain’t even funny. They’ll kill me before they even reach the door,” he said clenching his jaw and taking off his wet beater and boxers.

“You’re right, it’s nothing to play with so I suggest you leave,” she said folding her arms across her chest, “go over that bitch Tia’s house and go play family with her. This shit is over. I mean it,” she exasperated. 

“You know, you real fucked up for this Sydney,” Shawn said as he put some dry clothes on from off of the floor and picked his bag up.

“You wanna know what’s really fucked up Shawn?” She asked as she pulled her waist length box braids up to sit on the top of her head. 

“Yea, what’s that?”

“Your baby mother once she realized she’s stuck with your triflin’ ass for life. I almost feel sorry for her,” she said through gritted teeth, “get out of my apartment. NOW!”

Shawn clenched his jaw again. He looked as if he had something to say, but then changed his mind and turned away. They both knew she was right, and by the look on Shawn’s face, Sydney could tell the baby was his.

“I’ve wasted five years of my life with you. Five fuckin’ years of this abuse,” Sydney said as tears continued to roll down her face.

“Then if it’s like that, give me my fuckin jersey then since you so ‘abused’,” he spat back at her.

Sydney frowned and looked down and realized that she was in Shawn’s high school basketball jersey. She walked to the front of their small and junky apartment and opened the door. She wasn’t surprised to see her nosey neighbors all hanging in their open doorways enjoying the show. Some of them ducked behind their doors when they heard her open the door. But most, continued to watch for the next scene.

“Nigga this ain’t ATL and you ain’t T.I,” she said as she pulled the jersey over top her head and stood there naked in the doorway. 

She threw the jersey in his face and switched her weight to the other hip. Shawn looked around irritated at the show she was putting on. A few of their nosey neighbors had made it outside to the hallway to get a better earshot of the fight. Now they got a peepshow, too.

“Bye nigga!” Sydney yelled after him as he stormed out past her down the hallway.

Sydney slammed her door shut and locked the door, being extra sure to lock the deadbolt as well. At that moment she was grateful that she had enough sense to not give him a key to the apartment they shared. She headed towards her bed and laid down, being careful to avoid the soaked wet spot from Shawn’s unexpected bath. 

She took a deep sighed and stared up at the ceiling as she heard her neighbor’s one by one suck their teeth and talk shit before going back to their respective homes.

The tears rolled down the side of her face and left little puddles in both of her ears, and she couldn’t do anything but just to lay there. She was numb. She had kicked Shawn out numerous times in the past, only to take him back a few days later. But this time was different, she finally felt freed of him. She sat up and wiped her face as she looked at the state that her raggedy apartment was left in. It was normally a junky-cluttered mess of clothes, books, and empty take-out containers. But now it was a total disaster-zone, with everything drenched in water and there was blood on the carpet.

“Bitch, now what?” She asked herself looking around the room.