“Some of ’em real quiet too,” Blaq added. “Them be the sneaky ones.”
Renza exhaled smoke. “Taffy cool, but you can tell she can get real crazy if her feelin’s hurt.”
I cut my eyes at him. “Man, why you even bring that big-ass woman to my house?”
Renza held his hands up, tryin’ to keep a straight face. “She got personality!”
I stared at him. “Nigga, do it look like I’m tryna marry a damn linebacker?”
Blaqson started coughin’ from laughin’ too hard.
“Nah, for real though,” Renza said, still grinnin’. “She might be a lot to look at, but I bet she fun as hell. You ever had a big girl ride you like she on a spin bike? Nigga—that shit’ll change ya life.”
Kay’Lo damn near choked on his drink. “This nigga stupid as hell.”
Renza wasn’t done. “And I know she can cook. I seen the way she looked at them shrimp skewers. She was already pickin’ out what she was gon’ plate for breakfast.”
I shook my head, tryin’ not to smile. “You wild.”
Renza pointed his blunt at me. “But you laughed, though.”
I did… just a little.
Kay’Lo smirked. “I like her though. She loud, but she own it. That confidence real.”
Nobody brought up Pluto or Kashmere, but I caught the look Blaq gave me when their names hit the screen. He ain’t say nothin’, but he saw me lookin’ at them, especially Pluto.
“She the only one ain’t tried nothin’,” I said, more to myself than them.
“Who?” Renza asked.
I just shook my head. “Don’t worry about it.”
We sat there a while longer, laughin’ low, talkin’ shit and pickin’ up on the little things—the girl that rolled her eyes when she thought nobody was lookin’, the one who only smiled when we looked her way. The ones who was tryin’ too hard, and the ones who wasn’t tryin’ enough.
I took one more pull from the blunt, tapped the ash in the tray, then leaned back in my seat.
“I’mma sleep on it,” I said. “I’ll have an answer in the mornin’.”
Then I stood up, slow and easy, like I hadn’t just flipped the entire night upside down.
Tomorrow, somebody was gettin’ they asses sent home.
It was eight in the mornin’, and I was already up and burnin’, The God Smoke curlin’ off my blunt.I was posted in the livin’ room, one leg stretched out, leanin’ back, a cup of Saka coffee in one hand and the blunt burnin’ in the other. I had on achocolate-colored two-piece from Casablanca—some slick silk shit with gold accents, buttoned halfway down my chest.
Renza, Kay’Lo, and Blaqson were sittin’ around too—half-woke, half-watchin’. The Diamonds was all gathered again in the foyer, grouped up in little clusters like high school girls before a fight. Some of ‘em still had scarves on, others fully beat to the gods at damn near sunrise. They hair was laid, lashes flappin’ and perfume cloudin’ up the air like it could save ‘em from gettin’ cut.
Renza stood first, stretchin’ like he had somethin’ real important to say. “A’ight ladies. Hate to break it to y’all, but one of y’all gotta go,” he said, smirkin’ like it was a damn game show.
I took a slow sip of my coffee, then spoke without lookin’ up. “Nah… we gettin’ at least five up outta here.”
Renza blinked. “Five? Nigga, what?”
I finally looked over at him and nodded once. “Too many bodies walkin’ around this house. I can’t even think.”
Kay’Lo laughed under his breath. “Nigga said we got too much estrogen floatin’ in the vents.”
Renza shook his head. “Damn, bro. Five though?”
