18. Lunch or punch? P.2

"The fuck you just say?" Mateo questioned as he stood up with his hands on the table, leaning over closer to Dwayne.

"Baby chill out," Sofia tried to calm him down as she quickly saw his calm demeanor disappear.

"Mateo no!" Jessica let out as she looked at Dwayne with pure anger. She completely understood that he was defending her but he was taking it too far, because had Sofia said some stupid shit like that she would be ready to hop across the table too.

Dwayne avoided the heat of Jessica's stare as he smiled  and put his arm around her chair. "You not about that shit boy, sit down." Dwayne knew Mateo was about it from their last encounter but he was going to fuck with him regardless.

"Dwayne stop," Jessica demanded as her voice was laced with anger, he was doing too much right now. Mateo sat down as their food was coming out his eyes on Dwayne, "keep that same energy when we leave this restaurant." He wasn't going to make fool of himself inside this restaurant no matter how much Dwayne pissed him off. But that statement definitely tempted him.

Jessica shook her head, she didn't want to stay through the rest of this. Nothing good was about to come out of it. "Can we get two to-go boxes?" She asked as the food was dropped off. The waiter nodded and went to retrieve them.

This caused Mateo to look towards her and Dwayne to look at her like she was crazy. Dwayne quickly shook his head. "Nahh, this nigga isn't about to mess with my good eating. We eating this shit right here. Fuck them."

"Fuck you!" Sofia yelled out, "like you rude and disrespectful as hell."

"Oh like you?" Dwayne questioned back.

"Or more like both of you," Jessica stated as she looked between Sofia and Dwayne before sliding her chair back and walking towards the bathroom. She was annoyed at this point.

Mateo quickly got up as Sofia called his name, he ignored it as he caught Jessica before she entered the bathroom. "Jessica." He called out as she stopped to face him. She deeply exhaled as she crossed her arms. "What?"

He sighed as he scratched the back of his neck, "I'm sorry, I knew this shit was a bad idea."

She shook her head as she brought up a hand to ruffle her hair. She wanted to believe this could have went another way, but who were they kidding. She knew Dwayne would react like this if Sofia started to come at her and when she invited him, she felt like she needed it. But he was stringing it too far. "It was, but at the same time it needed to happen." She sighed, "I'm just annoyed. Like this shit is stupid and I'm sorry he said that." She let out as she thought of Dwayne's last comment to him.

He stuffed one of his hands in his pocket as he brought the other one to his face rubbing his jawline. "Yeah, I'm not a fan of him. At all."

Jessica crossed her arms, already well aware of that. "I know, you two aren't a fan of each other."

He shook his head as she continued, "but at least I know he has my back at the end of the day." She paused for a second as they both watched a lady walk by as she said excuse me and headed to the restroom.

"He's kind of right," she continued, "granted his delivery isn't the best. You let Sofia get away with murder, like what type of shit is that? I did tell her to ask away so I'm not upset, but at any point would you have ever stepped in to defend me? You know the situation just like I do Mateo, and it's nothing like she's trying to make it seem. Did you even tell her anything when it pertains to me or this situation?"

"Yeah I told her! But I guess she wanted to feel you out for herself. I tried to stop the shit before it even started but you told her to go ahead. Was the shit too much? Yeah, but so was your dude."

"Of course I told her to go ahead! I'm the other woman! We're seated at the same table, she should be able to ask her questions. And I can admit that he was doing too much I actually tried to stop, actually told him, well shit both of them to stop!"

"And I told her to kill the shit too!" Mateo let out as he got louder. "Just because I'm not childish as fuck like your dude doesn't mean I was just trying to let the shit go on Jessica. He egged that shit on just as much as she did."

Jessica rolled her eyes and dropped her arms. "Yeah okay, cause defending me is egging shit on. He's so fucking right!" She stated loudly as the same lady from before left the bathroom looking between the two with curiosity seeming like she was trying to walk slower to listen.

"You aren't ever going to have my back when it comes to her."

Mateo sucked his teeth. "Because I don't respond how he responds that means I'm not going to have your back? I'm not about to go back and forth like some fucking high schoolers throwing blows Jessica."

She rolled her eyes, "whatever Mateo. You don't fucking get it."

"Then fucking explain it!" She ignored him as she turned around heading into the bathroom leaving him standing there.

—

Meanwhile Dwayne and Sofia sat at the table eating in silence before Dwayne broke it. Sofia had her eyes on the bathroom area, her thoughts getting the worst of her. She knew not to follow him since he was checking on Jessica and she was one of the causes of her leaving the table.

"Where I know your stupid ass from?" Dwayne questioned as he chewed causing her to focus on him.

She rolled her eyes, "you don't know me," she let out. He kept his eyes planted on her as he started to nod. "Nahh, I know you from somewhere. You from LA?" He went to school in LA and he felt like he knew her from those days.

She swallowed hard, "yeah." He started to smile as it started to dawn on him. "Yeah, I know you." He let out as he took another bite of his food. Mateo came back to the table before the conversation went any further.

"Oh now you two know how to act like you have some sense?" He questioned as he came back to a quiet table. Shooting daggers at both of them.

Sofia just put a forkful of food in her mouth not about to get into it with him with Dwayne sitting there. They were to act like a team in her mind. Dwayne continued chewing on his food as he looked at Mateo, not talking until he swallowed. He shifted his gaze for a moment, waiting to see when Jessica would appear. He knew she was mad at him which is why he didn't get up. He knew he would hear a mouthful when they left.

"So you got you a little freak?" Dwayne questioned as he focused on Mateo.

"What are you talking about? Matter of fact it don't even matter, I don't fuck with you, so shut the fuck up to me." Mateo let out as he cut into his pork chop. Sofia looked at Dwayne as he sat with a smile on his face. It was clear she hadn't told him. Before anything more could be said Jessica came back to the table, she quickly sat down grabbing one of the boxes that was on the table. She didn't even take a bite as she transferred all the food from the plate into the box. "I'm ready to go," she stated as she looked at Dwayne. He took another bite as he looked at her. "Give me a minute to finish."

She rolled her eyes as the waiter came over to make sure everything was good. "Can I get my check?" Jessica questioned.

"No, just put her on my check." Mateo let out as he shifted his gaze to Jessica, who completely avoided it. "No, she's on mine." Dwayne let out as he wiped his mouth, eyes focused on the waiter who didn't know what to do. "Put her on mines." Dwayne states sternly as the waiter walked away.

"Jessica, just chill." Dwayne let out. "Everybody eating, it's not even no crazy shit going on right now." She didn't say anything as she just sat there realizing the all the nonsense had truly calmed down however she was still upset about her and Mateo's conversation.

She exhaled as she sat with her face against her fist. "We got off on the wrong foot," Sofia started. "And I will take blame for that." She paused for a second as Jessica shifted her gaze to her."But you have to understand how I feel being the girlfriend and my man getting a random girl pregnant."

Jessica removed her fist from her face as she leaned back in the chair. "I get it, but I'm not anything like what you want me to be, so you need to realize that. I wasn't even offended because I expected some of that. You asked all your off the wall questions and I won't deal with the unnecessary shit or disrespect after today, period."

Sofia nodded in understanding the bitch in her had a smart ass response for it, but she decided against it as Dwayne spoke up, "she might not have been offended but I was. She a bomb ass girl and nobody is going to take that away from her."

Jessica gave a small smile at the comment. "And I'll go back and forth with you two stupid asses all day about the shit." Jessica's smile dropped as she gave him a 'really?' look and laughed slightly. They were trying to get past the bullshit.

"No need," Sofia let out as her eyes were on Dwayne's it was clear she was trying to plead with her eyes for him not to say anything to Jessica about what he knew. She was trying to keep the peace for a reason right now. He peeped as he smiled a little. Something Mateo caught.

The waiter returned with all the checks instead of just one. "I just brought both just in case," she let out with a small smile before leaving the table.

Dwayne and Mateo picked up the checks as they both pulled out their cards to put with the bill.

—

"Now what was that shit you was saying?" Mateo questioned as he stood with his hands in his pockets outside the restaurant. Sofia and Jessica might have tried to keep the peace in the restaurant but Mateo meant what he said.

"Nope!" Sofia easily said as she tried to grab him to pull him to where they parked. "We're letting all the bullshit go." She reminded him.

Dwayne laughed and Jessica rolled her eyes, her annoyance building back up. "What the fuck you gon' do?" He questioned. "I was just being real. I'm going to see the little nigga more anyways. You hours away my nigga. Go kiss your girl ass like you been doing."

That was the last straw for Mateo. He quickly threw a punch at Dwayne's face catching him completely off guard as he stumbled a little giving Mateo even more momentum as he threw several more punches.

Sofia and Jessica's screams of stop fell on deaf ears as Dwayne gained back some of his composure throwing blows back as they went at it. Luckily two men walked up pulling them apart as someone from inside the restaurant let it be known the police were called.

"Pussy!" Dwayne let out as he spit blood out his mouth. One of the men still holding him back.

Mateo laughed, "shut the fuck up bitch. We can go again."

Sofia was shaking while Jessica was just shaking her head. "Mateo, stop." Sofia let out as she neared him, "please, this isn't even you. Fuck him. You're a pro athlete and we don't need media catching wind of this, let's go."

Mateo and Dwayne stared each other down for a minute. "Come on, chill out. You got your girls out here. Just let it go, at least handle that shit somewhere else. The police on the way and you don't want this shit going left like that." The guy holding Dwayne back stated.

"I'm good," Mateo said as he easily got out of the guys grasp he was in. He broke his gaze from Dwayne as he looked over at Jessica. Her face unreadable as he started talking. "It'll be like this every time if he keep coming out his mouth with slick shit pertaining to my son." He then looked over to Dwayne, "I'll beat your ass every time."

"You ain't beat nobody ass," Dwayne let out as he walked towards him. "Aye now!" One of the guys said as he got in front of Dwayne.

"Dwayne stop!" Jessica yelled, at her wits in by this point. "I just want to go the fuck home. Just take me home. You know what, fuck it I'll call and uber." She started to walk off as Dwayne quickly turned around to catch her.

"Mateo what was that?" Sofia questioned as they walked to his car. "He was disrespecting me and that shit isn't a joke to me. That's my fucking child." He let out without even looking her way. He quickly unlocked the doors as they got in and made their way to the hotel.

Sofia had heard of Mateo fighting but she had never seen it so she was in shock. "Media could have caught wind of that Mateo, that would've been a bad look. Think about your sponsors and the kids that look up to you."

"Who gives a fuck," he let out. He was pissed. He didn't care about none of the shit she was talking about. "That's your money Mateo! All of that over a stupid ass comment a dumbass made? And then people don't even know you have a child on the way! Is that the way you want it to get out!?"

"I don't give a fuck, it's going to get out regardless."

"Well I care Mateo!" She yelled, "I fucking care. This isn't just about you!"

"And it's not about you!" He yelled back. "You make every fucking thing about you! I have a fucking child on the way! It's going to get out, the world is going to realize the baby isn't yours and that's what the fuck you're worried about. You worried about how you're going to look! And I'm sorry but that shit just doesn't matter to me."

He paused for a second. "I'm at odds with Jessica and just fought a dude and you're really sitting here still making shit about you. Not to mention you're the fucking reason we're at odds right now."

He shook his head as Sofia sat quiet, "I'm over your shit yo. I gave you the benefit of the doubt with this whole situation cause I knew it was fucked up but that shit is dead now. You know what's up and you chose to stay. But realize this shit isn't revolving around you anymore. I cradled your feelings thus far and I'm not doing it anymore."