The Hellcat Barbies: Zora

Chapter 1

Zora ‘Zo’ Miller

“Tee, when was the last time you talked to Reggie’s weird ass?” I tossed the question out while I nursed my margarita while I waited for her to answer my question.

Tiana rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. “Bitch, don’t start. He called me last night and said he missed me.”

“Miss you?” I snorted, setting my glass down. “That nigga don’t even miss his own kids. Chy, please.”

Everybody at the table cracked up. We’d made it a habit to meet up after work every Friday evening—me, Tiana, and Nia. No kids… no men… no drama. Just too many drinks and food.

Nia shook her head, smirking because she already knew Tiana was full of shit. “So you went back, huh?”

Tiana’s face said enough, but her words sealed it. “Mind your business, ho.”

I sat back, watching them go back and forth, and I felt that familiar warmth.

This was my family—the one I chose. Life hadn’t exactly been kind when it came to parents, but I learned early that blood ain’t the only thing that ties people to you.

Sometimes it’s loyalty. Sometimes it’s laughter.

Sometimes it’s just knowing you can show up, and they’ll be right there in your corner… no questions asked.

Nia nudged me out my thoughts. “So, Zo… when you gon’ start back dating again?”

I tilted my head, looking at her like she’d lost her mind. “Dating? After the shit Malik put me through? Bitch, please.”

“Here we go.” Tiana snorted into her drink.

“Yeah, here we go,” I chided. “That nigga damn near drained the life outta me. I spent so much time pouring into him, I didn’t even realize my own cup was bone dry.

Always some new hustle, some new scheme.

I thought I was holding him down, but truth was, I was holding him up while he dragged me to hell. ”

The bar faded out for a second as the memory pulled me back.

I was standing in the middle of my townhouse at two in the morning.

Malik was nowhere to be found. He had answered none of my phone calls or messages, and the urge to pop him in his shit as soon as he came through the door was overpowering.

When he finally came through, smelling like liquor and somebody else’s cheap perfume, he had the nerve to grin like I was supposed to be grateful that he finally showed his raggedy ass face.

“Oh, you really got me all the way fucked up, Malik.”

“You tripping, Zo,” he countered, brushing past me like he just strolled in here at a reasonable hour. “I was with the homies.”

The fact that he tried to play me is what pissed me off more than anything. The homies don’t leave cheap ass lip gloss on your shirt collar. The homies don’t have you stumbling in half drunk, mumbling excuses.

That night was my breaking point. I told him to get whatever shit he could take in his car and go to that bitch or his bald-headed ass mama. It didn’t matter who or where because I was done.

I blinked, pulling myself out the memory. “I ain’t rushing back into nothing just to say I got somebody.”

Nia leaned forward, her voice softer this time. “Yeah, Malik was trash, but you can’t let one bad apple make you swear off the whole tree. You deserve somebody solid, Zo. Somebody that shows you it’s possible to love and get it in return.”

“I love myself, and that’s enough for me right now,” I countered.

Tiana reached across the table and tapped my hand. “One day you gon’ wake up and want more. And when you do, I’ma be right here to remind you that you said this bullshit.”

By the time we left, it was dark, and we were all tipsy.

“Text us when you get home,” Nia said as she hugged me. “And Zo… don’t act like you ain’t hear me. You deserve somebody who’s gon’ love you the way that you deserve to be loved.”

I rolled my eyes but smiled, anyway. “Yeah… yeah. Y’all be safe.”

The ride home was quiet compared to the bar, and I didn’t mind it at all. As soon as I got inside my townhouse, I kicked off my shoes and let my bag hit the couch just as my phone started buzzing. When I looked at it, I saw it was my brother.

“Damn, Quentin. What you want?” I muttered, grabbing the phone before it stopped ringing.

“Well, damn. Don’t sound so happy to hear from me,” he teased.

I sighed, sinking into the couch. “I was having a peaceful moment. Wassup?”

“Can’t a brother call his sister without an agenda?” he asked, but I could hear the smirk in his tone.

“No,” I said flatly. “Not you.”

He laughed, then got to the point like I knew he would. “I was just checking in. You good? I’ain heard from you all week.”

“I’m straight. Been working, and hung out with Tiana and Nia earlier. Same old… same old.”

“Mhm.” He paused. “And Malik still the excuse you hiding behind?”

I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn’t see it. “Don’t start, Quentin. I’m not hiding behind shit. I just don’t have time for nobody’s raggedy ass son.”

“I hear you,” he said, softer this time. “Just don’t close yourself off so much you forget what it feels like to let somebody in.”

I let his words hang there for a second before changing the subject. “How’s my niece? Kaia been running you ragged?”

That brought the laughter back into his voice.

My brother was a single father to my eight-year-old niece, Kaia.

Her mama died of an aneurysm when she was four.

She was all we had, and I tried to help him with her as much as I could, as well as Kaia’s grandparents.

“Always. That lil’ girl keeps me on my feet, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. ”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “That sounds like her. I miss my girl.”

“She misses you, too. She keeps asking me when you’re coming by. She straight up told me she likes you better ‘cause I was boring.”

“As she should.” I grinned. “It ain’t my fault I’m the fine, funny auntie, and you’re just her corny ass daddy.”

“Damn, that’s fucked up.” He chuckled. “But for real, Zo. I’m glad she has you. It ain’t always easy doing this by myself, but knowing she has you in her corner makes it easier.”

My chest tightened, the way it always did when I remembered we only had each other to count on. “And you know I’ll always be there. For her and you… always.”

“I know,” he said, steady this time. “And the same goes for you, Zo. You ever need me, I’m there. You know I love you, right?”

I pulled the throw blanket over me, staring at the ceiling. “Yeah, I know. Love you, too.”

After hanging up with my brother, I took my shower and got ready for bed. I had to be at the shop early in the morning, and I needed time to sleep this liquor off.

***

The blow dryer hummed low in the background, blending with the soft R&B music coming through my Bluetooth speaker, giving the shop a sultry vibe.

I had candles lit on the shelf, and the air carried a mix of coconut oil and fresh product.

“Zo, who is that?” My client, Sharice, nearly twisted her entire neck trying to look out the window while I clipped the section of her hair I was working on.

I smirked at her reflection in the mirror. “If you’on sit your dramatic ass still, I’ma burn you with this flat iron.”

“Girl, whatever. Look!” She pointed again, eyes wide like she’d just spotted a celebrity. “That fine ass man right there with Case. Who is he? You know damn near everybody in Diamond Cove.”

I leaned in just enough to glance out the window.

Case was across the street, standing with somebody I hadn’t seen before.

Whoever he is, was the kind of man that made you look twice without even meaning to.

He had to be around six feet tall with smooth caramel skin that was covered in tattoos up to his neck as I far as I could see.

With bushy eyebrows sitting above a pair of dark, yet mesmerizing eyes.

A broad nose sat perfectly above a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee that housed a pair of lips that looked like they could do some serious damage.

He was muscular, but it wasn’t over the top.

The way he moved was smooth, controlled, and commanded the attention of everyone around him.

Sharice fanned herself with the cape draped around her. “Lawd, I need his number and his birthday so I can chart our compatibility.”

I laughed, shaking my head as I brought the flat iron down another piece of her hair. “Sharice, shut your ignorant ass up and let me finish your head.”

“So you’on know him?” she continued to interrogate.

“Nope.” I popped the ‘p,’ knowing it would irritate her.

“Lies,” she blurted. “If he’s with Case, he has to be somebody. You better call and ask, ‘cause I need details.”

I rolled my eyes, but when I looked out the window again, I caught the man unlocking the door to the empty storefront across the street. He and Case were talking like old friends. You could tell that they were familiar with one another.

“Mhm,” Sharice hummed, watching me instead of her reflection. “I see you clocking him. It’s okay, Zo. A man that fine deserves to be watched from all angles.”

I kept my expression flat, gliding the iron down another piece of her hair. “You’re ridiculous. You know that?”

“Not big bad Zo tryna act unbothered, but your eyes already telling on you.” She grinned.

I brushed her off with a laugh, but the truth sat with me long after.

I didn’t know him or his story, but there was something about the way he carried himself that made me curious.

No matter how hard I tried to ignore it, I found myself wondering what his story was, and why part of me wanted to know more.

By the time I wrapped up Sharice’s appointment and cleaned my suite, the sun was setting low.

Case and the mystery man were long gone, but the thought of him still lingered.

Once I was done, I locked up, and slid into my baby.

My bright green Hellcat. I think I loved this car more than life itself.

I belonged to an all-girls car club, and we all drove Hellcats.

Since I didn’t have much family, they were the closest things to it.

***