“All the time, though? Like, do these hoes take a break? I’m scared to eat carbs because the way these bitches treat landing a baller like an Olympic sport, I must stay ready at all times.” Tanisa pouted.
“This is just what comes along with the life,” I said more to myself than her.
“Well, damn, we can’t all make it look good like you,” Shantel said through a laugh. I detected some shade.
“Right!” Tanisa said genuinely.
“Take notes, then.” I shot back and walked inside the store to finish shopping.
We went through a few more stores. They kept their bags cute and small, while I rode home with more than my trunk could hold. I picked up a badass dress that I knew Terror would not approve of. It showed off every bit of sexiness that I possessed. I was sure to turn a few heads and make him jealous. That was one thing about him when we were messing around heavily. He did not like me showing these other niggas what he was getting. He was possessive, not in an overboard way, but in a way that let you know he wanted what was for him to only be for him.
I didn’t love Terror. Honestly, I loved no one but MJ, but Terror was my meal ticket. He was good to me. He never put his hands on me, so anything else I could deal with. I laid out my dress and started thinking about how I could finagle an invitation to show up with him, instead of separately. Everyone would know something was off if that happened.
My phone buzzed in my bag, and I quickly reached for it, unlocking the screen. I saw I had a text message, and when I read it, I froze. Three simple words:How is he?I felt like I was about to shit a brick. It was always a different number, but that didn’t matter; it was only one person who texted me like that.
I didn’t make many, but this one mistake was always threatening to come back and bite me in the ass.
Why would he be pulling this shit now, and what did he want? The phone rang in my hand. I was so damn shook, I dropped it onto the floor. No way this man was calling me. It stopped ringing, and it rang again. Slowly, I fell to the ground topick it up. When I saw Shantel’s name on the screen, I let out a sigh of relief.
“Hey girl,” I said, fighting to keep my voice even. Fuck I needed to calm down. No, what I really needed was a strong fucking drink!
“Why the hell is your man in here with some chick on his arm? I’m outside Hurley, and your nigga is kissing all over this girl. It looks like they having lunch together.” She whispered.
I couldn’t even think about what she was saying. I was already in my liquor cabinet. I was going to pour myself a glass of henny, but instead I turned the whole bottle up.
“Did you hear me? Terror in here with some chick, and they playing real nice. You know I had to call you and put you up on this shit. I ain’t about to let this nigga play in yo face like this,” she was talking fast.
“I’m not worried about what he's doing with that bitch. She ain’t nothing but a plaything to him. He knows where he lays his head every night. Don’t worry, I will be shutting that shit down promptly. Remember what I told you less than an hour ago.” I said, trying to regulate my breathing.
“You better, and if you do, I’m going to have a front row seat. Girl, you're better than me because, whew!” She was still talking, but I disconnected the call mid-conversation.
Right now, what Terror was doing was the least of my worries. Shit, I needed to calm down. I looked at my phone and read the second message.
I asked you a question.
I replied and put my phone down. I knew that at some point this shit would catch up to me. It had just been so long since he had reached out. I just pushed it to the back of mymind. I knew I was wrong on so many levels, but I had a life to maintain, and I can honestly say I didn’t know what the hell I was getting myself into at the time. All I could do was pray like hell this secret didn’t come out.
Chapter 10
Dyami
Iwas sitting on my couch, looking at all the flowers that Jay’s ass had sent over to me. I knew his game and his angle, and usually it would be enough to make me succumb to his advances, but not this time. After that nigga flipped out on me that night, there was no coming back. I was flying high and feeling good about myself, and I damn sure didn’t need him to ruin it. Not that it was what mattered, but the flowers Jay bought looked futile next to the stack of money Marcos just dropped off for me. He’d been coming up and having lunch with me every day this week, and it came up in conversation how I had to buy Trina’s dress. The same day I mentioned it, he came by and dropped $5000 like it was nothing, and you damn right I took it. With that money, I could buy her a dress and replenish my savings. I was tired of being a fucking Superwoman, and if my man wanted to take some weight off my shoulders, I would allow him to!
My man.
That and Marcos being in the same sentence was crazy. Smiling, I picked up Jay’s flowers and threw them away. There was no comparison.
Knock! Knock!
Who the hell was coming over here? I wasn’t expecting any visitors. No one ever came over, and I knew for damn sure it was too early for Jay to be pulling his bullshit. When I got to the door, I looked through the peephole and tensed up immediately. It was my mother, and she looked like a damn mess. Her shirt had stains all over it, and it looked like it hadn’t been changed in weeks. Her long, black hair was tangled and a mess, and her clothes hung off her due to her being so thin. It was a damn shame looking at her now and remembering how she looked once before. Her once brown skin looked grayish and pale. Her bright eyes had no light in them. But what was I supposed to do? That was my mother. I hid my money first, and I opened the door.
“Hey, baby!!!” she said, rushing in for a hug, which I side-stepped due to her smell.
“Why are you here, Mom?”
“Well, excuse me, Ms. High and Mighty. I just came to check on you.”
“I went by the house last week, and the lights were off. Trina wasn’t even home and hadn’t been for a few days,” I scolded her.
