Chapter 15
Rich knew something was up as soon as Diamond walked in the house. She contemplated on telling her father because he gave specific orders for her to stay far away from Duke. The last thing she wanted to do was disrespect him again.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as she stood there with steady eyes.
“Nothing,” Diamond lied, buying herself a little time as she mentally prepared herself.
“We lying to each other?”
Her eyes went low, she had to tell him, “Duke told me something and I need you to hear all of it, not just the parts that make you mad.”
Rich folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his seat. “Go ahead.”
Diamond took a deep breath and briefly closed her eyes. “Ace approached Duke and offered him money to use me to get to you.”
Rich’s eyes got dark as a blackout on a summer night.
“But he gave it to me after he told me what was up,” she replied and tossed the bills on the table.
“That’s supposed to make it ok? He still took the money.”
“But he came to me when he didn’t have to.”
Rich studied her face.
“You defending him?”
“I’m defending the truth. He could’ve let me walk into something blind. He didn’t.”
Rich’s jaw tightened, “That don’t erase the fact that he took the money. He agreed to the bullshit.”
“I know, but it counts that he stopped it.”
Rich stood to his feet, “You have a soft heart.”
“No, I got a sharp one. I know the difference between someone plotting on me…and someone choosing not to.”
He exhaled slowly, “He was weak as hell for taking the money, but he was strong enough to tell you. I guess that counts for something, but you’re still done with him.”
Diamond didn’t argue.
“I know, but I’m not done respecting him,” she said in a low tone.
Rich stared at her for a long moment then nodded his head once.
“Fair.”
Diamond blinked, shocked by his response.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it,” Rich said. “Ace got a problem and Duke saved himself from one.”
Diamond let out a sigh of relief.
“You did right, both of you did, but still…stay away from him. Don’t confuse honesty with safety. Feelings don’t protect you in this world.”
She swallowed hard.
“I know.” She nodded before walking to her room.
She realized something heavy and true… liking Duke didn’t make her weak and protecting the truth didn’t make her blind. Just like choosing her father didn’t mean she had to erase the fact that she liked Duke…a lot.
“We gotta go look for Momma,” Diamond said to her sisters as soon as she walked in the room.
Sherry would always leave and stay gone for hours until they came and found her. Kayla rolled her eyes, but Diamond didn’t care, they were going to get their mother.
“I got plans,” Kayla shot back with too much attitude for Diamond’s liking.
She noticed the change in her sister in pieces at a time, but she noticed. It was the little things like Kayla missing curfew, more attitudes and less smiles, and the careless ass comments. At first, Diamond thought she was tripping because Kayla had always been the spicy one.
Diamond cut her eyes at her sister as the smell of weed filled her nostrils.
“You been around somebody that smoke weed?”
Kayla rolled her eyes. “No.”
“Then why I smell weed?” Diamond pressed.
“Girl.”
“Girl my ass, who you been around?”
“Friends.”
“Since when you don’t use names?”
Kayla smirked. “Since you started acting like my momma.”
That stung Diamond because she had always looked out for her sister, and it was never a problem before.
“What the fuck does that mean?” Diamond questioned as worry covered Mia’s face.
“Look, I’m tired of being your shadow, I’m gon’ hang with my friends and do what I want,” Kayla spat before walking out of the room.
Diamond’s chest tightened; she could feel herself on the verge of putting hands on her sister. She was lost for words, her baby, her sister, the girl who slept in the bed with her when she feared the storms was really slick talking.
“I told you she changed,” Mia finally spoke as Diamond stood there stuck and confused.
For the first time, the danger didn’t feel like it was coming from the streets but from inside their house.
“This shit is crazy.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet, wait until you see her when she’s with those girls. She cussed me out so bad trying to show out for them. Everything seems like it’s falling apart, Mommy in the streets, Kayla losing it, Daddy seems like he doesn’t care anymore, and why haven’t he been at work?”
Mia was spitting nothing but facts, Rich got a little taste of his past life and jumped back in headfirst. The money was flowing as he promised and Diamond barely had to do anything, all she did was occasionally go to the storage with him to count money and inventory.
“He cares, he’s just trying to keep us above water.”
“What about Momma? I’m scared she gon’ die.”
Mia’s words hit Diamond like a two-ton brick, the thought of losing her mother hurt. Outside of that addiction, Sherry was the best mother a girl could have, and Diamond loved her, no matter what.
“Don’t say that, Momma is going to be ok. Everything is going to be ok.”
“I hope you’re right. I’m going on the porch,” Mia said in the saddest tone.
Diamond fell back on her bed and closed her eyes so that the tears welling up wouldn’t fall.
She had the weight of the world on her shoulders, she had to be the strong one, she had to save her family, it was how she was raised.
Her father always told her that she was her sisters’ keeper, and she wore that protector cap proudly.
She needed an outlet and the only person that came to her mind was Duke. She pulled her phone out and shot him a text in hopes of him being available.
Diamond: Hey.
Duke: What up, beautiful?
She couldn’t even force a smile.
Diamond: You busy tonight?
Duke: Nah, what’s up? You cool?
She wasn’t used to people asking her if she was ok because she was always the strong one who hid her feelings. Like always, she lied.
Diamond: Yeah, I’m good. I just don’t want to be in the house, can I chill with you for a little while?
Duke: I’m on your block talking to the guys. Come on.
That was like music to her ears.
Diamond: Ok, give me a minute to get dressed.
She hopped in and out the shower, threw on a pair of black leggings and a wifebeater, grabbed her keys, and was out the door. Mia was right on the porch like she said she would be while Kayla was nowhere in sight.
“You good? I’m going out for a while.”
“I’m good, just watching to see if I see Momma anywhere.”
Diamond rubbed Mia’s head, “She’ll be home, don’t stay out here too late. I’ll bring you something to eat when I come in.”
“K.”
Diamond took her normal routine and walked down the street where Duke’s car was, only that night, Cam and his guys were out, too, and all eyes were on her.
She didn’t care, she fell back from Cam when the rumor of them fucking hit the streets.
She still spoke, but she stayed away. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought he was a little jealous, especially when he mugged her as she climbed in Duke’s car.
“Ya lil boyfriend mad,” Duke joked, hopping in the driver seat, pulling off before he could completely close the door.
“I don’t have a boyfriend.”
He looked over at her but didn’t say anything.
He turned the radio up and she closed her eyes and caught the vibe.
The warm wind hit her face and blew her high ponytail in every direction.
She opened her eyes when the car stopped.
She thought they were going to his house, but from the looks of the million people crowding the street and sidewalk, Duke had other plans.
“I’m not dressed for a party,” Diamond said, sitting up in her seat.
“You look better than any hoe out here, come on.” He unlocked the door as she smiled.
Diamond couldn’t lie, she wasn’t in the mood to be around people, but she followed Duke as everyone dapped him up and sized her up.
Popularity wasn’t something that Duke lacked, it seemed like everyone knew him.
He grabbed her hand and led her into the house, he dismissed every female that tried to hold a conversation with him.
It was still surreal to her that she was talking to her childhood crush, she would’ve never thought.
Once inside, bass rattled the dingy walls, bodies were packed tight, and smoke hung heavy in the air.
Duke’s hand stayed on the small of her back as her eyes scanned the room and landed on Kayla.
She sat on the arm of the couch with a group of girls Diamond had never seen.
A blunt passed from hand to hand, when it landed in Kayla’s and she took a pull like a pro, Diamond’s heart dropped.
What about their pact? They promised to never touch a drug!
She didn’t say a word, she pulled away from Duke and walked right in the middle of their little crowd. She snatched the blunt from Kayla’s mouth and broke it in half.
“Man, who the fuck is this bitch?!” one of the girls yelled, but Kayla quickly jumped up and stood in front of Diamond. Her eyes were wide, not out of fear, but embarrassment.
“Chill, she’s my sister.”
“Well, yo sister buying some more weed.”
“What the fuck is this? You out here smoking and shit. Have you lost your fuckin’ mind?”
Duke made his way through the crowd and stood next to Diamond, she loved that he was protective, not possessive.
“Diamond, please ok. I’m really not in the mood.”
Diamond tilted her head to the side and gave Kayla a stale look, “Let’s go outside and talk.”
“I’m not going nowhere.”
“You wanna do this right here?”
One of the girls laughed loudly, “Damn, Kayla, she controls you?”
Kayla’s face flushed, that comment was all it took.
Kayla’s chest caved in before she pushed Diamond hard in the chest. Diamond stumbled back a step, stunned by her actions and audacity.
“Kayla…” Diamond said through a slight giggle to mask her anger.
Kayla shockingly swung and missed as Diamond smacked her hand down, she didn’t want to fight her sister.
“Stop,” Diamond warned.
Kayla yanked free and swung again, that’s when Diamond reacted, she tried not to take it there but fuck that.
If Kayla wanted to fight, then they were going to fight like they were in their front yard sparring.
Diamond gave her a quick jab and sharp push to back her up.
Kayla hit the couch hard, falling in her “friends” laps.
The room exploded with noise, yooo…damn… fight, was all she heard.
Duke immediately stepped in and stopped them. Kayla grabbed her purse and stormed toward the door. Diamond took a step forward, but Duke grabbed her arm.
“Let her cool off.”
Diamond nodded, but her eyes burned, she had to get out of there. The noise level crept back up and the party continued like nothing happened.
“I need some air.”
“We about to go anyway.”
As soon as she stepped outside, she looked for Kayla, but she was nowhere in sight.
Diamond felt like shit, “I shouldn’t have put my hands on her,” she whispered.
“You did what was necessary. She was tweakin’.”
“I don’t know what to do. I keep telling myself that everything is ok when it’s not. I’m losing my sister, my momma out here bad. It’s fucked up!” Diamond felt herself on the verge of finally breaking.
Duke didn’t say a word, he just wrapped his arms around her and walked her away from the crowd. That broke her, she cried like a baby in his arms, no matter what her father said, Duke was her safe place, and she wasn’t letting go.