Adrienne
Ibanged my fist on the steering wheel. I hate Hood. I really do. I can’t believe he did this shit to me. I expected a lot more from Hood. He really doesn’t want to fuck with me, after all we’ve been through. I was there for him when she wasn’t.
“Fuck!”
Charadee looked over at me. “What’s wrong now?”
I threw my phone on the dashboard. Hood got me fucked up; how am I supposed to pay my bills now? Hood cut off my access to his money immediately. I have some money saved, but not enough to maintain the lifestyle I was living while he was.
I was banking on us being together when he came home so I would still have access to his money. Givenchy isn’t giving me anything; he might give me some money for DoorDash or Juicy Crab, but that’s about it. He is not bussing down like Hood.
“Somehow... Hood knows we fucked up Fumi’s car.”
“We?” Charadee turned all the way around in her seat. “We? Girl, don’t drag me into your shit.”
I rolled my eyes. “You know what the fuck I meant.”
“No, I know exactly what the fuck you said. Bitch, you keep calling Hood. Why? Let’s be clear. You are low-key stalking that nigga. And now you’re surprised he’s putting two and two together?”
“Are you serious?”
“Dead fucking serious. Look, I helped you fuck up Fumi’s car because you, my friend, but this?” She pointed at my phone. “This ain’t got shit to do with me. You’re making shit hot.”
“You were singing a different tune last night.”
“I was. Because I wasn’t expecting your dumb ass to call Hood. I wasn’t expecting you to threaten Fumi either.” She shook her head. “Adrienne... You’re acting off-emotionally, and emotions will get your ass caught up.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “I don’t give a fuck. I love Hood.”
Charadee looked at me for a long second before laughing, as if she couldn’t believe I’d said it.
“And Fumi did too.” Silence hung for a minute; my friend was going in on me.
“You ain’t the only hoe whose heart got broke.
” I looked away. “Fumi still got him. No...” Charadee corrected.
“She still got a chance. You, you’re throwing bricks through windows that don’t belong to you. ”
I sucked my teeth. “I ain’t throwing no damn bricks.”
“You know what the fuck I mean.” She leaned in closer. “Hood ain’t just some regular-ass nigga. That nigga’s connected. Been in case yo crazy ass forgot. If the nigga says he knows... believe him.”
I laughed. “So what?”
“So...” She shrugged. “Either leave them folks alone... or be ready for whatever comes with it.”
“Oh, bitch, you’re scary.”
“I ain’t scary. I’m smart. I like my freedom and value my life. And unlike you... I’m not finna crash out over no nigga.” Charadee grabbed the door handle. “You can if you want to. But when this shit blows up... Don’t say I ain’t told yo ass.”
Charadee climbed out of the car and slammed my door. I watched her walk away. For the first time, the car fell dead quiet. Even Charadee thought I was doing too much. That should’ve meant something.
Instead, all I could think about was Fumi. I clutched the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white.
Charadee really walked off. Damn. I reached for my phone and scrolled until I found Stacey’s name. She answered on the second ring.
“What’s up, Adrienne?”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Ugh, what’s not up?”
“You sound pissed.”
“Because I am.”
“Have you heard from Charadee?”
“Not since earlier. Why? What’s wrong?”
“Hood knows we messed up Fumi’s car, and Charadee and I basically fell out about it.”
There was a pause of silence.
“How the hell does he know?”
“I don’t know. He just... knows.”
“Damn. I knew this shit was gonna come back around.”
I rubbed my forehead. “Charadee talking about me moving sloppy and stuff.”
“She ain’t lying.”
I frowned. “Damn, you too?”
“Adrienne, Hood ain’t no regular street nigga. If this nigga could afford to take care of you while he was in prison without blinking twice… He knows people, and people know him. You can’t be surprised he’s putting pieces together.”
I reclined back in my seat. “So, now what?”
“What does he expect? He’s the reason you’re acting this way. If Hood had left you alone years ago… none of this would’ve happened.”
I closed my eyes. “I just wanted him to choose me, for once.”
“I know, but you can’t force someone to choose you, especially when they’ve already made up their mind.”
I swallowed deeply. “You think it’s over?”
Stacey sighed. “I think you need to leave Fumi alone before you get us all killed. And if Hood made his choice... You need to let him live with it. Hood may not be the nigga for you.”
I laughed; it wasn’t with humor, ain’t shit funny. “So, both of y’all on Fumi’s side now?”
“It ain’t about sides. It’s about consequences. You keep chasing this nigga... You’re gonna end up losing more than he is.”
Stillness settled between us. “Well, what if I ain’t ready to let go? It’s not as easy as y’all think.”
“Then let go of the anger first. ‘Cause right now... You ain’t fighting for Hood. You’re fighting against Fumi. And those ain’t the same thing.”
The line grew quiet. For the second time today, someone had called me out. Only this time, it hit deeper. I wasn’t sure, but in a sense, they were wrong.