Chapter 15
“How in the hell are you going to invite somebody somewhere but aren’t even on time?!”
Kennedy winced at Nubia’s chiding voice blaring through her car’s speaker. She hooked a sharp turn onto her destination’s street and then scanned the area, searching for a parking spot since the long row of bars and clubs didn’t have private lots. Her eyes bucked after noticing an SUV inching away from the curb beside a parking meter. After cutting Sojourney a fleeting glance, she mashed the gas, erupting into laughter when her passenger seat driver slammed her foot against the floor like she was trying to stop the car.
“Girl, I’m parking right now!” Kennedy fussed back at Nubia, easing behind the SUV as it pulled off. “I told you that I was picking up Sojourney first. Are you the only one here?”
“Savvy and Michi are already inside. I was waiting for you.”
“Why didn’t you go in if they’re here, Nu, and where is Lexi?”
“That hoe was leaving the house when I got here, and I waited since you claimed you weren’t far. Had I known that was code for twenty damn minutes, I most definitely would’ve gone in. Where the hell are you at?”
“Girl, I’m right across the street like five cars down from the bar. I can see you in that lil’ ass dress. Come on, Journey.”
Kennedy pushed open her new vehicle’s door and hopped down with caution, reaching inside to grab her purse before tugging at the clingy material of her jumpsuit. She locked up once Sojourney shut the door and trudged toward her, looking pretty as ever in a simple halter dress that showed off her distinct tattoos, sexy, toned shape and long legs. If her face wasn’t so screwed up, she’d have to beat niggas away with a bat.
“Are you going to look like that all night?” Kennedy inquired, teasing the loose curls she’d added in Sojourney’s hair after seeing it flat and bland when she picked her up. It was the real reason they were late.
“I’ll be fine once I get a few drinks, but I don’t get why I had to come out.”
“Because you can’t hide forever, Journey, and Relic is trying to get that through your head. What, you plan to duck and dodge your ex every time you have a show or club appearance?”
“If I can, yes.” Her tone was barely audible over the outside chatter; she was so shaken up. When she stuck a nail in her mouth to nibble on out of nerves, Kennedy popped her hand.
“Stop being so damn scary! That’s why that nigga believes he can threaten and control you without consequences. The second you show that you’re not scared, I bet he’ll leave you alone.”
“He won’t. I hid in the condo Relic got me, I changed my number, and I stayed off social media, but he won’t quit. Mea won’t stop mentioning me either, and Pierre checking her online about it didn’t help when Slim was already mad about getting put out the studio. Did Relic tell you that Slim was the one who stole his chain?”
Kennedy screwed up her face at Sojourney exposing Relic’s business without knowing if that information was safe to give. She made a mental note to tell him not to do or say too much around her.
“Yes, he told me.”
“If he’ll do that to Relic, what do you think he’ll do to me? And if he won’t, then Mea’s brother will. He never liked me, especially after what happened with him and my friend before we moved here.”
“Yea, I saw your Mic Checks interview about that. Look, let’s push the bullshit aside tonight and have fun. Relax!” She grabbed Sojourney by the shoulders and shook her, making her giggle. “You’re too fine to be stressed behind a nigga who’d rather see you at your lowest than doing your biggest one. If he was smart, he would’ve played his position until you came up. His loss.”
“You’re right, and I am tired of hiding. I just want to be done with him.”
“You will be, trust me. Karma is the baddest bitch, and we’re her sisters, so she doesn’t play about us. Women will always come out on top.”
“We sure the hell will.”
Kennedy pivoted in her pointed toe pumps and smiled when Nubia cosigned from behind them.
“You’re so damn impatient, Nu. We were coming.”
“Forget all that. I had to come over when I spotted you and this got damn truck because what! Is this you?!”
She nodded, and Nubia yanked at the hem of her dress before circling the sleek truck whose design was between a sports car and utility vehicle. Its orange paint job made it stand out amongst the cars lined along the street. When Nubia got to the front, the black shield emblem, with a gold bull in its center, embedded on the hood sent her slitted eyes swerving toward Kennedy.
“Bitch, you either hit the lottery, or the nigga you’re fucking is a scammer. Which is it?”
“Nubia, bring your ass! Nobody is fucking a scammer.”
“So, you hit the lottery?” she pressed as they scurried across the street. Kennedy wanted to tell her that she’d hit the Blaise lottery but held off as her friend continued. “And you have on a bag that costs the price of my damn car! You can’t just order that online, either. You need a rapport with them, so it took a minute for Los to cop me one. Let me find out, you’re holding out on the good connections, hoe.”
“Nu, I swear to God,” Kennedy muttered in annoyance, making Sojourney and Nubia cackle as they filed in line to enter the bar.
“I’m just saying! People say, when they hit the lottery that no one will know, but there’ll be signs. You can tell me, boo. I won’t tell nobody else.”
“Yea, right. Lexi will know, and then she’ll tell P ‘cause she likes to gossip, and his mouthy ass does, too. P will tell—”
“Everyone,” Sojourney finished, and they cracked up. Kennedy pursed her lips with a point.
“Exactly. So, with that being said, just know that I put in work to get all the good things, bookie. Tell your ex-husband to upgrade your car, too. There’s no reason that my purse should cost more than your whip,” she teased, sticking out her tongue before showing the door security her ID. The trio strutted inside, and she surveyed the room as she corrected, “Then again, you have four kids, so I take it back.”
“I’m glad you realized that before I had to break it down,” Nubia replied with a wave of her hand to direct them forward. “I see Savvy’s big ass hair over there at the bar. Come on.”
Kennedy linked her arm with Sojourney’s to keep her calm while they followed Nubia’s lead through the younger crowd rapping and twerking to the music blasting so loud that she could barely think straight. She preferred brunches or girls’ nights in, but her girls who had families, men, and children unlike her loved to get out. If she weren’t in business mode, she’d contemplate getting wasted with them for once and then drunk dialing Relic to put her to bed. She pushed out a sharp breath and tossed her head because Lomar would’ve been the safer, more logical choice, but she was making bad decisions when it came to niggas like she always had. It’d been that way since her first love.
“They’re taking pictures of me.”
Sojourney whispering that as they neared the bar caused Kennedy to scan the room, noting the girls aiming their phones at the up-and-coming singer. She continued her perusal until glimpsing a red cap sitting above hidden eyes tucked in a corner at the exact location she’d been told to check. Drish. Relic had sent him for reinforcements in case Slim showed his ass before she could get him outside in place. It hit Kennedy in that moment; shit was real.
“Don’t worry about them. If they try to come and bother you, we’ll gladly send them away, okay?” she assured Sojourney, who gave a disbelieving look but nodded.
Kennedy laughed and released her arm, smiling through her building nerves as she hugged Savvy and Michi, who hopped from their bar stools to greet them. She took the empty chair beside Savvy and then placed Sojourney between her and Nubia, who claimed the outside chair so that she could sit next to Lexi once she arrived.
“It took y’all long enough! We were trying to wait before y’all got here to order, but that didn’t last,” Savvy said, pointing at her wings and fries while Michi held up her drink and laughed. “Hey, Sojourney. What brought you out with Kennedy tonight? I just saw on Titan’s live that Relic and the team are out bowling.”
“Relic made me come with Kennedy because he claims I need to learn to move without the team since we won’t always be together.”
“Which is true. You can’t get dependent on them, boo. What are you drinking?” Kennedy shifted the topic while raising a hand in the air for the bartender. She needed their attention off Sojourney and on a lighter subject.
The cute, fair skinned girl behind the counter with a sleek top bun, cropped tank top, and biker shorts grinned once noticing them before holding up a finger. Once she finished the customer she was assisting, she pranced down to their end, her eyes going straight to Sojourney as she licked her lips and leaned over the bar.
“What can I get y’all?” she asked in a silky voice, making Sojourney shy away.
Kennedy sniggered before requesting, “Let me get two shots of tequila for all of us, an old fashioned, whatever fruity drink you think of for the one you’re eye fucking, and two platters of wings with fries. These hoes like to eat when they drink.”
“And do!” Nubia cosigned. Her head tipped before she asked, “You paying for all that, big money?”
“I’m not for your shit tonight, Nu. Yes, I got this round.”
“I got next,” Savvy offered, eyeing the bag that Kennedy dug in for her card. She peeped the ‘B’ charm on it and then her girl handing the bartender the exact American Express she’d seen Relic use to pay for her dress. She leaned back and sang, “Oh, bitch, you’re in there!”
“Who’s in where?” Michi asked, reaching to steal a wing off her plate.
Savvy shook her head, sending her pineapple hairstyle to and fro while Kennedy lowered her head to hide her smile.
“Nothing. Anyway, I’m glad you invited us out, Kenn, because I got some good news to share with y’all. Me and Shabu just closed on our first official home.”
“Aww, congratulations, Savvy! That’s a big deal!” Kennedy exclaimed, pulling her into a hug. “Your young ass is really doing the damn thing.”
“I’m trying. Me and Michi came from nothing, so I plan to keep striking while this iron is hot. No days off, and no complaints as much as I want to. I’m ready to finish school because that’ll take a huge load off.”
“It’ll be here before you know it. Let’s toast to that,” she said as the bartender set their shots down in front of them.
Kennedy held up her shot glass, and her girls followed suit—tapping hers before they double tapped the counter and then tossed it back. Her mouth furled downward as she winced from the harsh burn.
The bartender placed her old fashioned in front of her next and then smirked at Sojourney while sliding her drink across the bar top. When she grazed their fingers together before releasing it, Kennedy cracked up because Sojourney looked wide-eyed and unprepared for it as her face flushed crimson.
“You must give off swinging for the other team because she’s on you hard,” she kidded.
“Do you?” Michi asked. She lifted a hand in the air before assuring her, “It’s cool if you don’t want to answer. You and Tima are close, and I know how she gets down, so I was wondering.”
“I’ve only had sex with a girl once, and it was recently. I guess, I’m exploring,” Sojourney surmised with her shoulder lifting in a half-hearted shrug. “I’d only been with Slim before that. I had sex with a dude recently, too, and it was way better than with Slim, so I’m confused.”
“So, you had sex with Tima and Calm but don’t know which one you want? Got it.”
“Michi, that’s not what she said!” Kennedy shrilled, containing her amusement.
Savvy shoved a fry into her mouth while snickering, and Nubia hummed with a purse of her lips. Sojourney picked up her drink to guzzle it down because Michi had clocked her tea.
Their fries and wings came out minutes later, so while everyone was chatting and eating, Kennedy pulled out her phone to take a picture of the full counter in front of them and then made a quick video that included their faces. She posted both to her Instagram with the location tagged per Relic’s orders. The fastest way that niggas were caught slipping was through social media, so he’d come up with the bright idea to use it to their advantage. Kennedy doubted it was necessary since they’d been photographed and recorded since walking through the door, thanks to Sojourney.
Before she could toss her phone back into her purse, it lit up with a call from Lomar, causing her eyes to roll since he knew she was out. After a brief debate, she stuck a finger in one ear and picked up.
“Yea?!” she shouted over the music, squinting like it’d help her to hear better.
“You outside?”
“Nigga, you know that! I told you earlier that I was coming out. Why do you sound surprised?”
“You ain’t drive your car?”
His interrogation creased her forehead. “Yes, I drove my car. My new one.”
“Bitch, what new car?!” Savvy shouted, being messy.
Kennedy slapped her arm before laughing as she focused on her call. The line was so silent that she removed it from her ear to check the screen and see if Lomar had hung up on her.
“Hello?”
“Yea, I’m here. It sounds like y’all turning the hell up. Why you ain’t invite me?”
“Because I’m with the girls! I don’t need you popping up with your thirsty ass niggas, ruining the vibes.”
“Yes, we do! I can use a few more on the team!” Nubia leaned on the counter to shout toward the phone. Kennedy shook her head while Savvy shot her a pointed look.
“She wants Los to kill her ass. I’m convinced.”
“Or that pussy,” Michi chimed in with a smirk. “That’s why she keeps rotating niggas. The dick she’s getting is wack.”
“As fuck! I can’t believe it’s so much mediocre dick out here, and these hoes go crazy over it. I am disgusted and good dick deprived.”
Nubia threw her hands in the air before slowly slithering out of her stool and onto the floor as the girls cracked up. Kennedy bucked her eyes when Lomar chuckled, reminding her that he was on the phone.
“So, this is the shit y’all be talking about at girls’ night?”
“Yep, and it’s another reason why you can’t come. Call you when I leave. Bye!”
She ended the call and tossed her phone into her purse. When she lifted her eyes, Sojourney was staring at her with a soft smile.
“So, you have a boyfriend? Tekken might be happy about that because he was stressed, thinking you might mess with Relic since Pierre keeps teasing him about it. Aura said she thinks so, too.”
Kennedy almost asked why her name was in that bitch’s mouth, but she caught herself because beefing with a woman over a nigga was a big no-no. Especially one who didn’t belong to her.
“Next time my name comes up, tell them all to mind their business. My nephew included. That’s probably why he got me that damn ring camera, to be nosey. I don’t have a boyfriend. Lom—”
“Bitches, I’m here!”
Lexi’s dramatic entrance interrupting their conversation made Kennedy roll her eyes with a smile, spinning in her seat as her girl pranced over in a jumpsuit similar to hers except one of Lexi’s thighs was exposed with gold chains linked from one side of her leg to the other. Her entire crew had style, but she always felt Lexi’s was closest to hers.
“You look sexy, boo!” Nubia smacked Lexi’s bare thigh as she hopped onto a stool and fluffed her full half up, half down hairdo.
“Thank you, Nu, and hey y’all!” she sang, smiling down the bar. She peeped that Savvy took a bite of her chicken instead of replying, but she didn’t trip. Her eyes went to Kennedy, inspecting the wavy genie ponytail with a thick bang in her girl’s hair that swept down to the barstool. “Kenn, your hair is fire. Did your wash girl do that, too?”
“Nope, this was me. I’ll give you one once I take mine out.”
“So, in two to three business days? Cool.” Lexi clapped her hands before asking, “So, what round of drinks are we on? I need to play catch up.”
“Most of us were late, so we’re about to do our second now. Savvy is getting this one.”
“Oh. I’ll pay for my own.”
“Really, Lexi?” Savvy opened her mouth for the first time since Lexi sat because she had wanted to check their temperature before speaking. She leaned on the bar to see her face. “So, this is what we’re doing?”
“I’m just saying. I don’t want you to think that I’m waiting for handouts is all.”
“Heard. We can leave it where it’s at because I’m not forcing a friendship. Been there, done that.” She threw up both hands in mock surrender before summoning the bartender with a wave. When the girl meandered over, she requested, “Let me get two more tequila shots, and whatever they want besides the stubborn one on the end. She got herself.”
“Hoe, you really gon’ just give up and make me pay for my shit when you paid for everyone else?!” Lexi gawked, appalled.
“Oh, my gosh! Add her shit before she pisses me off!”
The bartender laughed. “I swear, y’all sound like me and my homegirls. You two must be the ones who fight all the time.”
“Yes!” Michi, Nubia, and Kennedy shouted in sync, making Savvy crack a smile.
“We don’t fuss all the time. Just one big misunderstanding that we need to work through, is all.”
“Mhm, real big. Her sister fucked my baby daddy,” Lexi snitched, causing their bartender to clutch her pearls with ballooned eyes.
“Oh, y’all shit is real messy, but I hope y’all figure that out.”
She spun around to start their drinks, and the girls glanced at one another before giggling. Savvy decided to extend an olive branch since she’d overstepped—getting up to stroll to where Lexi sat in self-reproach.
“I apologize, Lexi. We could’ve had that conversation at a better time and place, so that was on me. The delivery was harsh, but I meant what I said because I know you have potential that you’re just sitting on. I want you to be happy, but right now, I feel like you’re just doing whatever because you’re not.”
“You’re right about what you’re saying. I’m not happy, but I’ve been trying my hardest to get there again. It has nothing to do with wanting Piere either, but more so figuring out how to live without him. I’m dependent ‘cause that’s all I know. That was my life,” Lexi explained, dabbing a finger beneath her eyes to not mess up her makeup when the waterworks started. “Pierre and Promise were my world. Now, I’m forced to start over and don’t know where to fucking begin because I lost myself in him a long damn time ago. Of course, a part of me is bitter, but who in my position wouldn’t be?”
Savvy swallowed the building lump in her throat and tossed her arms around Lexi while blinking through impending tears. She felt like shit for not considering what the breakup had done to Lexi. Treasure was her sister, so Savvy’s first instinct was to hold her down and say fuck anyone that was against her. She didn’t regret having her sister’s back for one second, but she regretted not seeing the full picture.
“Aww, I love to see it! I was so tired of picking and choosing every time some bullshit popped up,” Nubia stated, sliding out of her seat. “Group hug!”
Michi stood to join them, while Kennedy remained on her stool because she had to draw the line somewhere. They were the closest she’d ever gotten to having genuine girlfriends, but she wasn’t with too much of the mushy bullshit. Her gaze wandered to Sojourney as she smiled, but it dwindled the moment she caught sight of the frightened expression on the girl’s face. Sojourney’s skin was ghost pale, while her fruity drink shook in her trembling hands. Kennedy’s stomach pitted after recalling their real reason for being out.