Chapter 10 Please Don't

• NADIA
• Since it was the weekend the next day, Jasmine had asked me to come help her with the house chores. “I’ll pay for your services,” she said playfully over the phone, her tone light as if it were a casual conversation about the weather. I chuckled even though I had said nothing about being paid. The truth was, I desperately needed the money to keep up with my college expenses, but I wasn’t entirely convinced about going over to her house. The thought of seeing her husband, Hardin, made my stomach turn.
• Hardin was known for his over the hills temper, and the last time I saw him, his mood had been anything but friendly. He seemed to take special pleasure in making everyone he felt he could control feel uncomfortable when he was around. “I’m sorry,” I said to her, cutting the conversation short and hanging up the phone before I could dwell on it too much.