15. Reese
Reese
Since Raine’s gotten back, she’d been driving me crazy.
Every time I turn around, she calls me to get her something to eat.
I’m at JoJo’s to get her soul food as we speak because she claimed the baby wanted oxtails.
She ain’t the only one on me though. Jasmine’s been calling me nonstop since last night.
The parking lot was crowded, which let me know it’s gone be mad people inside. Usually, I’m cool with taking pictures with my fans. However, I ain’t with it today. I got two guards with me just in case shit gets out of hand. It was a line when I stepped inside, which is typical for a Friday night.
“OMG! It’s Reese Rhymes!” somebody shouted in the distance.
I twisted my head to see a group of girls running toward me. I knew I should’ve sent somebody to pick this up, but every time I do, they don’t get the order right.
One of my guards blocked them, while the other had me up against the door. They stopped moving, but the look on their faces had a nigga giving in.
“Aye, let them through.” I tapped his shoulder.He stepped to the side. All of them tried to come forward at once, and I had to hold my hand up to stop them.
“I’mma speak to all y’all, one at a time, though.” They nodded their heads excitedly.
I went over to the one closest to me.
“What’s yo’ name, beautiful?” I greeted all of them the same way. I took a picture and signed a body part. Before I knew it, more people came over.
By the time I got through everybody, my hands were cramped up from signing so much. Somebody let me skip them in the line, so I quickly ordered, then went to stand somewhere else to wait.
“Excuse me, Mr. Rhymes. Can I get your autograph?” I heard from behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I smiled when I saw it was Ronnie.
“Hell yeah, Ms. Lady. Where you want it at? Here?” I pointed to her titties and her mouth snapped shut as she tried not to laugh.
“What about here?” I touched her forehead before she reached up to slap my hand away.
“You play too much.” She looked around.
“How long you been here?” I crossed my arms.
“Long enough. Sorry I didn’t get in line to take a picture. Bad hair day.” She touched her edges, smiling at me.
“Nah, you perfect.” The grin disappeared from her face at my statement as if she’d never got a compliment before.
“Oh! Thank you.” She shuffled from one foot to the other, and I heard my name being called for my order.
“You wanna sit with me for a minute while I eat?” She glanced off, and I licked my lips. I don’t know why I'm so nervous. “No pressure if you got somewhere to be.”
“No, no.” She shook her head. “That’ll be nice.”
I asked the security guard to get my food while I went to wash my hands. When I came back out, Ronnie was still in the same spot.
Leading her to a far table in the back, I pulled out her chair. She threw me a small smile as she sat down. A few people were standing around with their phones out, no doubt taking a picture of us. I frowned.
“You already ate?” She looked up, startled.
“Huh? Oh yeah. I’ve been here for a while. I wanted to eat something before I went home. What you doing here this late?” She folded her arms on the table. The server put my food down in front of me.
“My sister is pregnant. She wanted oxtails, so I thought I might as well get something while I’m here too. I gotta get to the studio soon.”
“With Sin?” she asked apprehensively, and our eyes locked together.
“Yeah, Ms. Lady, with Sin,” I answered, and silence filled the space between us. “Y’all good?”
I don’t like getting in Sin’s business, but the light I saw in her eyes the first time we met ain’t there no more. That means his ass is doing what Sin always does — fucking shit up.
“Yeah, he’s a good dude.” I laughed out loud because I know a lie when I hear one.
“What’s so funny?” she asked with a frown.
“I’ve known Sin since middle school, and that ain’t the word I’d use to describe him.” I shrugged, digging into my curry chicken.
“Maybe you don’t know him that well.” Ronnie retorted harshly, and I knew him better than any muthafucka around here, including himself.
“Nah, ma. Maybe you don’t know him,” I whispered, sipping my soda.
She huffed out a breath, and leaped from the chair, but I grabbed her arm before she could get far. “Alright, alright. That came out wrong. Sit back down, Ronnie.”
I tilted my head toward the chair, and she cut her eyes at me, but plopped her ass down in the seat.
“Well, if he’s so bad, why are you still friends with him?” she inquired, and sometimes I asked myself that same question.
“Where we’re from in Miami, real friends are hard to come by,” I explained. I had four niggas I was close with in my life. Sadly, Sin is the only one still alive and well. “We were seniors at Miami Norland just walking home from campus when somebody sprayed the sidewalk with bullets.”
“Oh my god!” Ronnie covered her mouth with her hands.
“I almost took one to the chest, until Sin jumped in front of me and took it.” I scooped rice on my spoon, putting it in my mouth.
It took Ronnie a minute to reply. “He did that for you?”
I nodded.
“We lost another brother, Dre, that same day. Sin was lucky he made it after surgery.” I felt guilty when it first happened, before I found out how it really went down.
“So, you feel like you owe him?” I drank the rest of the soda.
“Nah, I paid him back for that a long time ago.”
I sat back in the chair, studying her. “Why you with him?”
She looked taken aback. “What kind of question is that?”
“A serious one.” I know when a muthafucka was avoiding the subject, but I won’t let Ronnie get off that easily. I need to know where her head is. “I saw how he treated you in the studio. You can’t think that shit is okay, Ms. Lady.”
“He wanted me to stay with him.” She shrugged her shoulders, staring down at her hands.
“Why?” I rubbed my chin.
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Why did he want you to stay?” I clarified.
“He likes my company.” I couldn’t help it when I laughed out loud.
“Damn, baby. He’s got you so far gone that you don’t even know what to do with yourself.” With a smile still on my face, I cleaned up the rest of the food.
“I didn’t stay here just for you to insult me, Reese.” Ronnie rolled her eyes. My eyebrows raised to my hairline. She wanna jump froggy with me but let Sin’s ass run all over her.
“If I’m insulting you, what was Sin doing when he told you to miss work just to sit in the studio to watch him rap. That shit wasn’t insulting to you?” I chuckled under my breath, standing up from the table.
Leaning down to her ear, I whispered. “If it were me, I wouldn’t stand in front to block you. I’ll stand behind you, because it ain’t nothing more satisfying than seeing my girl shine.”
With that, I walked away, leaving Ronnie to think about what I said. The crush I had on her ass is gone, especially after what I just witnessed. It doesn’t mean I can’t shoot her a little knowledge. At least she knows now how a real man operated.