Chapter 9
Farrah hated the southside where her mother lived. The streets were dull out there, they didn’t sparkle or pretend, it was fucked up for real. Buildings stayed boarded or burned down, the air smelled like grease and old heat.
Her mother’s house looked like every other house on the block, peeling paint, loose screen door, and music that always too damn loud for Farrah’s liking.
Though she loved her mother and siblings, she was thankful she was her father’s only child.
She had a sister that was damn near her twin because her mother got pregnant immediately after she gave birth to Farrah.
Felicia was ghetto and her sister was, too.
Her brother ran the streets like he was an adult at fifteen, there was no structure at Felicia’s house.
The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree with Farrah, she was just a little bougie with hers.
“Daughterrrrr!” Felicia yelled as soon as Farrah turned her key and opened the door.
Felicia was one of those mothers that never got old, she still dressed and acted young.
“Hey, Ma,” Farrah hit the alarm on her car before walking over to hug her mother.
“Sisterrrrrr!” Pooh, her sister, yelled while walking into the living room.
“Hey, sisterrr!”
“Ouuuu, you got the big suitcase, that mean you brought me some new drip from your closet!”
“You know I did!”
The sisters disappeared to Pooh’s bedroom where Farrah slept when she came over to her mother’s three-bedroom apartment.
“Sooooo, what’s been going on in rich land?” Pooh asked as they flopped down on the bed.
Farrah didn’t even know where to start, Cam was acting weird, and something told her Diamond was the reason. She hated that girl ever since prom day, she knew she was fucking Cam and Farrah was dragging her ass to whoever would listen.
“Girl. Cam acting funny because he been hanging around with this lil dusty bitch. Me and her had a little run-in on prom night.”
“Why you didn’t say nothing and I was out there? I would’ve beat her ass.”
“I didn’t want to ruin the moment, but you can spend next weekend at my house, and we can go outside. We’ll run into her weak ass.”
“Bet. We gotta go outside tonight, you know I get to flex when you come around.”
“Girl bye,” Farrah laughed.
“I’m for real, you know everybody think I got a rich sister.”
Farrah shook her head and grabbed a new Von Dutch mini skirt and halter top from her bag before hopping in the shower.
She was ready to go outside and have some fun.
Cam had her head gone, he was all she thought about.
The way he looked at Diamond that day plagued her mind, she couldn’t understand what he liked about her.
Sure, she was pretty as hell and had a banging ass shape, but she was dirty and poor.
On top of that, Diamond had no car and her mother did drugs, so what did he like about her?
“Okayyyy!” Felicia yelled as Farrah walked to the living room.
“See what I’m saying? My rich sister! Can I driveeeee?”
“My daddy says I can’t let anyone drive my car.”
Felicia rolled her eyes deep into her head, “She’s not anyone, she’s your sister, and she has her license so to hell with Ace.”
Farrah hated when anyone spoke against her father, he was her soft spot for real.
“His rules not mine, he’s the boss.”
“He still sniffin’ up Stone’s ass? That’s the boss. And where is that bird brain bitch Stacy?”
Felicia had a vendetta for anyone affiliated with her father, she hated him because she couldn’t have him. Ace wouldn’t even take a parent’s photo at Farrah’s graduation; he hated Felicia with his whole heart.
“Ok, let’s go,” Farrah replied, heading to the door before she ended up cussing her mother out.
“You she don’t mean no harm, Momma’s ass is bitter,” Pooh joked as they walked to the car.
“I know. Where we going?”
“To the hood to chill with some real niggas. Can I drive pleaseeeee? I want them to see me flexing,” Pooh begged until Farrah gave in.
She sat in the passenger seat, sending Cam messages back-to-back.
“Girl, whoever you calling and texting does not want to be bothered.”
Clearly, Pooh was right.
“You know what, you right, fuck that nigga!”
“Okayyyyy! You about to be around some fine ass niggas anyway!”
Farrah turned the radio up and caught her a vibe as her sister handled the wheel. The block they pulled up on reminded her of out west, it was lit, she couldn’t front. Though she was a little nervous because those southside muthafuckas didn’t care.
“You can talk to any nigga out here except for that one,” Pooh pointed to a guy leaning on a Mercedes.
The crazy part was, he was the only nigga that caught her eye. She was accustomed to money, and he seemed to be the only one that looked like he had it.
“Oh, that’s you?”
“I wish, but nah, his bitch named Shika and she’s fuckin’ nuts. Don’t even look at that nigga, she’ll jump out of a fuckin’ tree like a spider-monkey on your ass.”
Farrah bussed out laughing at her sister, but she noted the warning and did as she was told.
They walked into the crowd where the guy and his boys were laughing and talking while the music played from the Mercedes.
Farrah kept her eyes to herself, but the one time she stole a glance of him, he was staring at her.
“You cool? You look scared,” he said to Farrah as she quickly nodded and looked away.
She was in no mood to get her ass beat about another bitch’s man.
“What, you can’t talk?”
“Yeah, I’m good, thanks.”
Farrah’s heart was beating fast as hell and hadn’t shit happened, but Pooh’s words lingered in her head. He wouldn’t let up, so she moved to the other end of the car she was leaning on and somehow he ended up at the same end.
“You keep trying to get away from me. I like you.”
“You don’t know me and I don’t want no problems.”
He chuckled at her words, his cologne made her close her eyes, he smelled like her father and his friends, expensive. She checked his drip and he passed with flying colors. She could tell he was older than her, he looked to be about twenty-one. She kept her head on a swivel for the spider-monkey.
“Your friend must’ve told you about my girl?”
“My sister and yes, she did. I don’t do drama.”
“I don’t either and I usually mind my business, but I saw you looking at me.”
Farrah giggled, “I was never looking at you.”
“Aw.”
He didn’t say another word, he just walked away, and she had no clue as to why she cared, but it made her a little mad. Pooh walked over to her while shaking her head.
“You just couldn’t resist the nigga, huh? I hope you can fight as good as you say you can because that bitch gon’ tear your head off your shoulders.”
“A lie. I didn’t say but a few words to that man, but let’s go. I don’t want no smoke.”
They got in the car and rode around. Cam was no longer on her mind, but that nigga with the Mercedes was.
They finally grabbed some bomb ass hood food and ended up on the front porch.
Farrah was pigging out when she heard guys laughing and talking and there he was…
she couldn’t keep her eyes off of him if she wanted to.
She was so caught up in her gaze, she didn’t hear Pooh until she yelled at her.
“Bitch! Back to earth! You gon’ burn a hole in the nigga’s face.”
As soon as those words left her mouth, he came walking in their direction.
“Yo, dead that shit. I’m not trying to be into it with that bitch Shika.”
“You won’t because nothing is happening,” Farrah shot back as he stood at the bottom of the stairs and Pooh got up and walked into the house.
“I usually mind my business, but I saw you staring at me,” he hit her with the same line from earlier and it got her. She was smiling from ear to ear.
“You got me, but like I said, I don’t do drama.”
“Me neither. Now that we got that established, I’m Harlem.”
“Like New York?”
“Nah, like Harlem Nights, my mother had a weird ass obsession with Eddie Murphy, but whatever,” he replied, causing Farrah to laugh again.
In that moment she didn’t give a fuck about his girl, the longer she stood there talking and laughing with him, the more she liked him.
“So you gon’ tell me a name to save your number under?” he asked, pulling his phone out.
She stared at him and once again, Pooh’s warning popped in her head.
“Diamond,” she lied with a straight face.