Page 25

I stood there rolling my eyes at Shaina and Selene. This was the messy shit I was talking about. I dropped the mic on the table and gave Shaina the nastiest look I could.

“Juvie was my first love. We dated for like eight or nine months. He moved away, and we stopped talking. He is no longer a part of my life and hasn’t been for a long time. Anything else, Shaina or Selene?” I asked, arms crossed.

“Hm. She missed the part where she lost her virginity to him. They have matching tattoos. Y’all know that lil’ rose on her rib? Underneath says JuJu. They were in love for real. You keep tryna downplay it,” Shaina said and sipped her drink.

“Maybe that’s because it’s been over a decade. That same nigga you talking about broke up with me and moved away without an explanation. The tattoo is covered, by the way. And most importantly, I have a man. Between you, your mother, and your sister, y’all are some messy bitches,” I spat, pointing between Shaina and Selene. “Who’s next for karaoke?”

I sat beside Devyn on the couch, and Parker eased up to grab the mic. It was so quiet in my living room; you could have heard a pin drop. Shaina had a way of pushing me, then playing the victim when I finally snapped. All she had to do was leave it alone. Now she was sitting there with a long ass face. Selene stood beside her, looking just as dumb.

“Damn, Sav. You didn’t have to cut into us like that. You mean as hell.” Selene rolled her eyes and sat beside Hilary.

“Stop saying I’m mean when I finally say something. Y’all could just stop bringing up old shit. I’m telling both of y’all now, stop talking about that nigga. We both moved the fuck on. I’m just waiting for y’all and y’all mom to move on too.”

“You got it,” Shaina said. “Zay will be here in a few minutes. I ain’t gotta sit here and deal with your attitude having ass.”

“Bye! The fuck?” I snapped. “You always making shit about you.”

She snatched her purse, rolled her eyes at me, and tossed Selene her keys. “You can drive yourself home, Lene. I’ll pick my car up tomorrow. Fuck you, Sav. Bye, ladies.”

Shaina slammed the door behind her, and I poured myself another shot like nothing happened. Parker stood in front of us like she didn’t know what to do, and Selene burst out laughing.

“Don’t pay them bitches no mind, Parker. They argue all the time. They’ll be fine in a few days. They toxic like that.”

“Okay. Well, shit. A little Nicki Minaj ain’t never hurt nobody. Turn on that Itty Bitty Piggy.”

Before the beat dropped, Parker fluffed the Chinese bangs on her long pink-and-black wig and started rapping along. She didn’t even have to look at the screen; she knew that shit word for word. We all kept taking turns, and as the hours passed, everybody started going home. The last person there was Selene. We sat side by side on the couch. My head rested on her shoulder as we listened to music and smoked hookah.

“I know you mad at Shaina, but I don’t think she meant any harm, Sav. And before you say anything, I respect what you said. I just don’t want y’all beefing,” Selene said, her voice barely there.

I sighed, leaning into her. “We not gon’ be beefing. Shaina just takes shit too far and expects me to shut up and let her say whatever. Then, telling my business and shit. What if I didn’t want to share that shit with my friends?”

Selene nodded, then wrapped her arm around mine. “I get that, Sav. And you’re right. Shaina shouldn’t have told nobody your business if you ain’t want them to know. But I don’t want what’s going on between y’all to start affecting all of us either.”

“This shit with Shaina ain’t got nothing to do with you, Lene.”

“Okay. That means when I hit y’all in the group chat and ask if y’all wanna do something, you won’t ditch us? I need my sisters right now, Sav. Shit ain’t good with Khalil and me. I don’t put y’all in the middle of my marriage, but the season we’re in is ugly.”

Her voice cracked around the edges, and when I looked up at her, a tear slid down her cheek. Selene didn’t do no crying. She had all three of her daughters natural and ain’t shed one tear. I was there for all three. So, watching her cry told me whatever was going on in her marriage was deep.

“We got you, Lene. I promise. We all we got.”

“Thank you,” she breathed out. “Can I stay here tonight?”

“You don’t ever have to ask. Come on. Let’s take a shower, eat some food, and watch reruns of Golden Girls.”

I grabbed her hand, and we went into my bedroom to find some pajamas. Shaina and I would be fine. We’d cuss each other out, ignore each other for a couple days, then be right back in the group chat like nothing ever happened. But Selene’s shit was bigger than our petty ass argument. Her marriage was falling apart in real time. Selene needed us united, more than anything.

Don and Rue flew in yesterday, and I think I only got three hours of sleep in the last twenty-four hours. We were posted up in a section at a strip club called Kingdom Cum. I’d been to the one in Miami, but this was the original one. Ni was back in L.A. on business, so I wouldn’t have to worry about her clingy ass showin’ up.

The section was packed. Dancers all around us. Purple lights bounced off the mirrors linin’ the walls, and the bass was so heavy in the floor that I could feel it in my damn chest. Don had his shirt off, gettin’ a lap dance. Rue had a dancer in his arms, bouncin’ her up and down like Melvin off Baby Boy. I smacked a couple asses and threw some money around, but I was chillin’.

But somethin’ about that 1942 and the right music hit different. The beat to “Fuck Up Some Commas” dropped through the speakers, and I was up with a brand new stack of money in my hand. Three dancers were bent over in front of me. I ain’t do too much ’cause I could see the camera flashin’ through the lights flickerin’. The floor was already covered in money, and at some point, I couldn’t see my shoes.

One of the dancers turned around, lickin’ her lips at me. She peeled off her top, shoved me down in my seat, and climbed on my lap. Her chocolate skin had some gold glitter sprinkled all over, makin’ her look almost bronze. I could’ve moved her and probably should’ve. Cameras were already on me, Ni knew too many people, and I knew how fast shit made it back to her. But as fat as this bitch’s ass was, and how pretty she was, I knew right then she was gettin’ fucked.

She started bouncin’ in my lap, pressin’ her titties in my face; puttin’ on a fuckin’ show. When she climbed off my lap, turned around, then grabbed her ankles, she slid her bottoms to the side on purpose. Her pussy was already wet, glistenin’ against the flashin’ lights. I grabbed a new stack of money and let her do her thing. Every time she clapped her ass, I threw another stack. I was so locked in, I almost didn’t hear Don callin’ my name.

“Aye, man! These niggas need to open Kingdom Cum in H-Town,” he yelled from across the section.