Chapter 11 #2
“Hey girl, you’re good?” Nia asked remembering her from the other night. It’d been hard to forget her, actually. “Cyn, relax, it’s just coffee, you’re being dramatic.”
Nia turned her attention fully to Reign who’d made her way back to the table to clean up her mess and retrieve her phone. She wasn’t as flustered as she was the night she’d ran in front of Nia’s car but it was evident that Reign was consumed with trying to get away from KC.
“I have to go,” Reign muttered, trying not to linger or draw any more attention to herself. Mere minutes ago, she was a speck in this place, insignificant, someone no one would remember and everyone who did would quickly forget. Now, all eyes were on the commotion and dramatics from Nia’s friend.
Nia gently placed a hand on top of hers, guiding her to stop for a moment.
Tears danced at the brim of Reign’s eyes.
She trembled and Nia picked up on the signs of panic.
She knew it all too well. Willed off by keeping people away from her.
But there was Svyn, always lurking in her shadows and swooping in to catch her every time she fell, and when she got back up, she sent him away.
Nia studied her. Face free of the makeup, bruises fading but the pain was still evident. Still tattering her soul. “Where you going?”
Reign rolled her dry lips over one another. “Just around. Thanks.”
She took her phone and the rest of her trash.
While Reign was drawn to something in Nia that felt safe, she wouldn’t risk it.
Especially not after hearing Javier’s voice.
That alone was sure to wreck her throughout the day if she didn’t keep herself busy.
Nia would pry her open, position herself as a friend and then offer her up as a sacrifice.
Reign had gone through that before. Friends turned trick when Javier snapped his fingers.
Reign left Nia and her rude friend in the café and hurried down the block to the hair store she spotted with the help wanted sign earlier. She roamed in over the worn tile floor in search of a manager or even the owner.
There was a woman no older than her in the far corner hidden by the rows of hair products, packs of weave, wigs and accessories. Hanging from the ceiling were headless mannequins wearing cheap outfits making the hair shop a true staple of the block. The name on the door: One Stop Hair Shop.
The woman barely lifted her eyes from her phone and popped her gum, “you need somethin’?”
Reign blew a dry coil out of her face and looked up at the woman. “The sign on the window says help wanted. Is there an application or something I can fill out?”
The woman took her long braids and flipped them over her shoulder. “Ain’t no application. If you fit the vibe.”
Reign slightly frowned, unsure of what that meant. “If I fit the vibe?”
“That’s what I said. Look around,” the woman motioned, her long nails serving as the pointer. Reign barely looked around at the people shopping; some stealing edge control a few aisles over and a group of girls giggling as they tried on wigs and JoyChatted it.
“I see someone stealing edge control three aisles over, those girls with the wigs are about to run out in a minute and three people walked in and out behind me. Is that the vibe you’re going for? Loss?”
The woman rolled her eyes and popped her gum. “Nah, sorry, we ain’t hirin’. Either get something or get lost.”
“I know you little bitches ain’t trying to steal my shit!
” Nia’s voice bellowed through the crowded, yet neatly stocked hair store.
Everything was laid out in an order that made sense, there was just so much stuff.
They could’ve used a better system. And they clearly needed help. “Uh uh, bring your ass back here!”
“We were just playing, Nia,” one of the girls said. “It’s a trend on JoyChat.”
“Don’t let that trend remind my damn belt what ass feels like!” Nia shouted back, holding on to one girl firmly. “I already told your momma if I caught your ass stealing again I was tearin’ yo’ ass up. Give me a reason why you and your dumbass friend shouldn’t be playing thirty-two pick up.”
One of the girls frowned in confusion. “What’s thirty-two pick up?”
“It’s when I knock your muhfuckin’ teeth out your mouth and watch you pick them bitches up.
All thirty-two of them,” Nia informed, letting the girl go and snatching the wigs from their heads.
“Bring your asses back in here on some bullshit and your momma is gonna have to come drag your ass down the block because I’m knocking you dumbasses out. Get the fuck out my face.”
The trio scurried out of the shop and the woman Reign had been in exchange with straightened up.
“Fawn! What you got going on that niggas is cool with stealing from me?” Nia’s voice carried throughout the aisles before she came fully into view.
“We need help, Nia. I can’t watch the whole damn store all day,” Fawn replied, making Reign twist her face.
“That’s literally why I walked in here,” Reign grumbled. “The sign on the door says help wanted, apply inside.”
Nia looked at Reign and then at Fawn. “She came in here to apply?”
Fawn shrugged. “I mean, yeah…she just don’t fit the vibe, though.”
Nia’s eyes narrowed in irritation. “What’s the vibe, Fawn?”
“She ain’t a baddie. She look like she’s on the run. What you want more of? Little girls stealing or some Blair Point niggas running through here looking for her hiding ass?” Fawn pushed back, making Nia’s eyes twitch.
“Fawn, go home.”
“I just got here.”
“And you’re just leaving,” Nia shared. “The only vibe here is money. I thought your ass was stealing out the register but you letting my shit run out the door for some vibes. Vibe your ass home.”
Fawn frowned, popped her gum and curled her lip. “I don’t need this shit anyway. Have fun with little Annie.”
Reign offered her a deadpan expression and a middle finger to accompany it.
Fawn had a horrible attitude and had this been another place or time, Reign would have gladly cussed her out.
However, being that she was in desperate need of a job she refrained.
Plus the cuss out the was building up in Reign didn’t need to be directed at Fawn.
She hadn’t truly done any harm to her. Insults weren’t anything compared what she was running from.
Both Nia and Reign watched as Fawn collected her knockoff designer bag, knocked a few displays of lip gloss, derma blades, and edge brushes to the floor as she walked out. She got to the door, spun around with her braids spinning around her, flipped Nia a birdie. “Fuck this place.”
“Bitch, fuck you too,” Nia shot back. “Talkin’ shit from over there like I won’t touch you.”
Fawn huffed, waved her off and continued onto the bustling sidewalk.
“I never liked her ass anyway. That’s what I get for letting my wayward brother do the hiring,” Nia muttered before turning back to Reign. “Do you have any store experience? And also a name might be nice, too.”
Reign nodded. “I ran a salon and boutique back in Por-” She cleared her throat. “I have experience. My name is…”
She paused for a second before finding Nia’s eager eyes. “Reign, my name is Reign.”
Nia slowly nodded, sure to not press too much. Pressing too much caused Reign to sink further into herself and there was a nagging need to know her story, not because she was nosey but because there was a tug.
“Self-employed or?”
“Self-employed at both. I’m twenty-six but running a business has been something I used to do in my sleep,” Reign spoke, a light flickering in her eye.
“That and hair. Although that part is behind me. I’m just trying not to live off of someone else.
I appreciate you but that hotel is too much a night. ”
Nia waved it off. “Don’t mention the hotel. What other option do you have?”
“None. At least not yet,” Reign muttered, dropping her eyes.
“Oh no, ma’am, eyes up. I know you’re not from here so you don’t know how the niggas in this city operate. They see that, they ready to eat you alive. If you’re going to be running this store, I need to make sure you won’t let these niggas break you.”
Reign scoffed and muttered. “That’s men everywhere. Not just here.” She straightened up. “You won’t have to worry about nothing walking off. I’ll be here on time every morning to open up. I can close, I can receive shipment.”
Nia tilted her head slightly. “If you can do all of that-”
Reign offered her one second of a glimpse into her tightly guarded world. “Because what they give, they can take away. All the time, no warning, no remorse. Just control.”
Nia nodded, catching what she was putting down. “You can start now?”
“I have nothing else to do. But there’s one small thing that’s probably not good for your taxes.”
Nia snickered softly with laughter. “What is it?”
“What’s funny?” Reign’s brows knitted.
“I’m not worried about the alphabet boys. What is it?” Nia posed again.
“I don’t have any identification. All that I left behind when I ran. And I don’t know how to get any without alerting some system of where I am. I just want to work, stack money, lay low and figure out life. I don’t know if that’s going to be a problem.”
“It’s not going to be a problem, Reign. I assure you it won’t. How does nine to nine work for you?”
Reign shrugged again. “That’s fine, I have nothing else to do.”
“Alright. Listen to me though, I got a soft spot for you. I typically don’t have soft spots for people. Don’t fuck this up. Don’t leave me hanging. Don’t lie to me or steal from me. We don’t take easily to thieves,” Nia warned.
“I hear you. You don’t have to worry about it.”
“You know how to do a schedule?”
Reign nodded. “Yeah. How many employees do you have?”
“Three, young girls who need part-time work or discounts. Typical shit. If you want to hire an assistant manager, just run it past me. Other than that, it’s all on you. I’ll handle the shipments.”