17. Legacy
Legacy
“ I don’t even know why you let Nobi get you all hyped up like that, boo.”
“I wasn’t trying to go there, but you know how my big sis gets, Josi.”
“She’s protective of your ass. She doesn’t play when it comes to you. Hell, neither do we,” Mauri chimed in.
We were at Groove Theory having drinks. This was the Saturday night when I would normally be with Legend, but since we still weren’t speaking a week and a day later and had broken up, I had to cry into my drinks with my girls.
“It was just a brutal reminder of that shit that Regal pulled on me,” I explained.
“Speaking of Regal, I heard his ass got jumped about a month ago,” Mauri stated.
“Not again,” I replied, thinking about Bam. I knew Bam had got his ass after we first broke up, but this had to be someone new. “What happened?”
“He was in the studio again, freaking on somebody’s girl. Well, somebody happened to be the wife of Mak D,” Mauri stated, referencing a famed rapper who lived in Cherokee Springs.
“Ohhh shit!” Josi and I exclaimed at the same time.
“Somebody leaked word to Mak, and he rolled up in there with his boys and beat the shit out of ya boy.”
“Mauri, that ain’t hardly my boy. He’s somebody’s but definitely not mine.”
“Used to couldn’t tell her shit about that ugly ass nigga,” Josi cracked.
“Mm-hmm.” Mauri agreed, twisting her lips.
“Whatever. Finish the story.”
I frowned, preferring not to recall those times.
“Anyway, he caught him going up in ole girl, and they dragged that nigga. They beat the shit out of him until he couldn’t speak or move.
When they came back inside after kicking him out of the studio, she was crying.
She kept saying how she was sick of Mak D cheating on her and shit, but he always got jealous when someone looked her way.
She kept asking him how it felt now and that it was no fun when the rabbit had the gun. ”
“What did that nigga do?” Josi asked.
“He broke down crying like a bitch, talking about how much he loved her and how could she do this to him.”
“So, I guess they’re breaking up,” I muttered.
“Girl, no. Before they left the studio, he was begging her to forgive him for all the times he’d done that shit, and then he promised her he would never cheat again but begged her not to leave him.”
“That shit is ludicrous,” Josi mumbled.
“You’re telling me,” Mauri stated, shaking her head. “It was wild.”
“Who told you all this?” I asked.
“Girl, I saw it.”
“What were you doing at the studio?” Josi asked.
“That new guy I told y’all about? Cyrus?”
“Yeah, what about him?” I asked.
“He’s got a new record deal, and he was there recording with Raahinya. He took me with him to show off his little skills and whatnot,” Mauri stated, tugging at her hair.
“Look at your little ass up here, blushing. You like your new boo, doncha?” Josi asked before sipping her drink again.
“I do. He’s sweet and good to me.”
“How long have you been seeing him, Mauri?” I asked.
“About six weeks. That’s all.”
“Well, I hope it works out for you, sis. What’s going on with you, Josi?” I asked.
Although my best friend and I talked several times a week, she had been hush lately about her private life. All we talked about was work and our families, and I had been talking about Legend, until we broke up.
“Nothing,” Josi stated, waving her hand.
“Uh-uh. If you don’t spill the tea, sis, I’m going to.”
“You told Mauri and didn’t tell me? Bitch!” I shrieked, shoving my best friend’s arm.
Josi shrugged and replied, “Well, you’ve been so deep in Legoland and shit.”
“Legoland?” I asked, thinking she was referencing when she called me one day while I was building with Kayson.
“Yeah, she calls everything surrounding Legend ‘Legoland,’ because your ass let go of everything when you’re under him,” Mauri explained.
I spit out my drink, laughing, and shook my head. “Heffa, you’re stupid.”
“Girl, you know it’s the truth,” Josi countered.
“Whatever.”
“She really be letting them panties go,” Mauri chimed in.
My face fell, and my heart took a major plummet.
“Oh, boo, don’t cry. We were just teasing you,” Mauri stated, jumping from her seat and sitting on the other side of me. Both ladies wrapped their arms around me and kissed my cheeks.
“We love you, boo. Don’t cry. I hate that y’all broke up, but I’m glad you lego of that man and found your girls again,” Josi teased and hiccupped from her drink.
I elbowed her hard and replied, “Fuck you.”
“Ouch.”
“We are glad to have you back. And when you two make up, make sure you don’t forget your girls again,” Mauri stated.
“We’re not getting back together. He’s found someone new.”
“Somehow, I doubt it. I think there’s more to the story,” Mauri stated wisely.
I shrugged. “Okay, heffa. Back to you. What did you tell Mauri that you didn’t tell me?” I asked Josi.
She dropped her head on her forearms on the table and groaned.
“Tell her or I will,” Mauri warned.
Josi mumbled something, but with her head down, I couldn’t understand her.
“What did she say?” I asked, turning to Mauri.
“She said she’s fucking Khalan.”
“Ohh shit. Her sister’s ex-fiancé?”
“One and the same,” Mauri confirmed.
“Does Eliana know?”
Josi shook her head.
“She’s gonna beat your ass,” I shrieked.
Josi’s shoulders shook as she cried.
“Baby, what were you thinking about getting involved with that man?” I asked.
She shook her head and once again mumbled something that I could not understand.
“Bitch, get out your feelings and talk to me. You were grown enough to spread them legs for that nigga; now be woman enough to own what you did.”
Josi sat up, and her eyes were blood red. She had genuinely been crying. I knew that she and Eliana hadn’t been the best of friends growing up, but they hadn’t been enemies either.
She wiped the tears from her face, and then something clicked in my mind.
“Is that the same guy who’s been stalking you?”
“Stalking her?” Mauri asked in shock.
“Yeah. Some guy shows up in several places that we’ve been in the last few months.”
Josi slowly nodded.
“Why is he stalking you, sis?” Mauri asked.
Josi cleared her throat and sniffled. “He’s not stalking me. He would ask where I was going, I would tell him and ask him to meet me there at a certain time. We would grab a hotel near wherever I was to make it easy.”
“I know like hell Eliana doesn’t know about this shit,” I chimed in.
Josi shook her head.
“How long has this been going on?” I asked.
“Seven months.”
“Oh, hell no! Say it ain’t so, boo. That’s right after . . .”
“I know,” she whined again and broke down crying.
“Damn. This is fucked up,” I muttered.
“Girl, you’re telling me. I’m just glad that I’m not the only one carrying this secret anymore. These last three weeks have been rough on a bitch,” Mauri grumbled.
“You have to break it off, Josi.”
“I can’t. I love him.”
“What happened to you stalking Raahinya?”
“I was just messing with that man. I’m not in his league.”
“Your ass should’ve switched sports, because you damn sure shouldn’t have been playing in the same league as Khalan.”
“I know.” She sobbed, rubbing the heels of her hands into her eyes.
I signaled the server, who came over immediately.
“Would you please bring us two more rounds of drinks?” I ordered.
“Damn, why so many?” Mauri asked.
“Ladies, we’re about to get shitfaced. Because when Eliana finds out about this shit, and she will, our girl is about to be dead. So, let’s celebrate one last time before the shit hits the fan,” I explained.
Josi broke down crying again. I looked at Mauri, who stared at me, and we both broke down laughing our asses off.