Chapter 7 #2
Tya had been the only person besides Moo, who Orielle allowed to touch her hair, and it’d been that way for years.
Though she wished she could’ve taken credit for managing her real hair over the years, that’d be a lie.
No one could lay her wigs like Tya could.
The most Orielle could do was apply a little spray to the lace and melt it with an elastic wig band.
There were a nice number of women in the shop for a Friday afternoon. One was waiting on the couch for her turn, two were getting sew-ins, one was flinching while she got her hair pressed, and another was getting knotless boho braids past her waist.
“Y’all heard what happened with Renae and Najee?” Charity, a tall caramel-skinned stylist with a red bob, asked.
Messily, she waited until one of the girls who was getting her hair done came in to start gossiping. Charity knew she used to talk to him back in the day and wondered if she knew more about what had happened.
Orielle had her head in her phone checking her emails but stopped once she heard Najee’s name.
She didn’t expect him to take his role as her friend seriously, but he did.
While Orielle preferred to text, Najee liked talking to her on the phone.
Hearing her voice and seeing her face made the conversations ten times better.
He’d called while on his way to work this morning, wondering what she had going on for the day.
Casually, Orielle let him know her plans, including her trip to the salon.
Without any pressure, he sent her some money through Apple Pay that was enough to cover her hair and lunch, plus a little more to pocket.
Had she known he was going to be the topic of discussion, Orielle would have warned him.
Najee had basically paid for her to hear women throw dirt on his name.
“Girl, yes. His speech went viral on social media,” a younger girl said.
To further embarrass Renae, one of Najee’s cousins posted the video and put a caption on it that said ‘ POV: When your cousin’s girlfriend thinks he’s proposing, but really he’s calling her out for cheating while he was locked up .’ Although the party was weeks ago, it was still being discussed.
“Y’all think she really did all that?” Charity asked.
“Yes. Did you see her face? She wasn’t up there crying for nothing.”
Orielle didn’t know who had said that, but she had a point.
“My thing is, why cheat on a man who I know for a fact has been solid since they got together?” the woman who used to mess with Najee said.
“And how would you know that, Symone?” Charity asked, smirking.
The shop laughed.
“Don’t worry about it, sweetie. Just know that nigga is very faithful and spoils the hell out of his woman when he’s in a relationship,” Symone shared.
She wasn’t going to tell them how she tried spinning the block with him a few years ago and got turned down.
That wasn’t her business, nor was she the subject of discussion.
Well, that’s good to know , Orielle thought.
“Girl, just because Renae was getting spoiled doesn’t mean that nigga Najee wasn’t out here doing his thing, too,” another woman chimed.
Mhm s and rights murmured throughout the space.
“Right. ‘Cause according to Renae, he left her the crib and moved out. What nigga you know gon’ move out of a house he was paying bills at and leave it to a cheater?” another woman asked.
Orielle’s listening skills turned all the way up hearing that.
As embarrassed as she’d been, Renae didn’t miss the opportunity to give a story time to her followers.
She was real vague about what had happened, and it was nothing new for her to share details about her life, but this situation had her real hush-hush.
Anyone who had common sense could read between the lines.
“A man who wants no attachments to her, that’s who,” Symone said. “I would’ve put her ass out if I were him.”
“Girl, me, too. But I get it. She was probably fucking that other nigga all through the house,” Charity said, laughing.
“That’s what she gets,” Tya finally chimed in and said, smacking her lips. Orielle’s brows dipped as she listened. “You can’t play in a man’s face like that. Especially not one that held it down while he was gone.”
“Exactly,” Charity said.
“Y’all think Renae can do enough pleading for him to take her back?” the younger girl asked. She was so invested in other people’s lives, and for a reason. It was more entertaining than what she had going on.
Symone scoffed before saying, “I doubt it. The way he embarrassed her in front of all them people, I wouldn’t even want him to. He probably hates her ass.”
“No, for real. Because if I cheat on you and you take me back, one, I’ma do you even worse, cause ain’t no way you’re that weak. Or two; I might as well get ready to be crying all mothafuckin’ night cause you’re getting your lick back.”
The shop erupted in laughter at Charity’s analysis, knowing that it was nothing but the truth.
Some people could shake back from their partner cheating and try the relationship again, but this situation wasn’t one of them.
Orielle didn’t say a word. She just let the conversation happen around her.
Inside, she was wrestling with emotions she hadn’t completely sorted.
Maybe it’s too soon to take anything with him seriously, she thought.
Orielle knew how she felt right after her breakup with Bobby, and the last thing on her mind was entertaining another man.
Had Najee been privy to the thoughts she had, he’d tell her to stop letting these messy ass women get in her head.
If she wanted to know anything, especially how he was feeling, all she had to do was ask.
He had nothing to hide or prove. His relationship and everything tied to Renae were over, and that was it.
Before anyone could respond or change the topic, the door chimed, and in walked Renae.
Heads turned, and the vibe immediately shifted.
She could sense it, too, as she tried hard not to look bothered.
She was rocking high-waisted jeans, a cropped sweater hanging off her shoulders, and long weave parted down the middle.
Her makeup was flawlessly done, but her energy was off.
She scanned the room, and her eyes stopped briefly on Orielle, who didn’t break eye contact.
Yes, it’s me, Orielle said to herself, hoping she said something to her.
Renae rolled her eyes and quickly moved on like she wasn’t sitting there.
That was her best bet. Orielle may have given off sweet, shy girl vibes, but she wasn’t a punk by far.
Nor would she be disrespected if Renae decided to talk out of the side of her neck to her.
She wasn’t going to argue, though, especially over or about a man who didn’t belong to either of them. That was so beneath her.
“Hey,” Renae said, giving a general greeting to everyone. Although she felt the weird energy, she would never enter a room and not speak.
A few mumbled hello, including the women who just had so much to say about her. Symone didn’t offer a thing, just like Orielle didn’t. Renae took a seat in Kee, her stylist’s chair, and yawned.
“Hey, girl. Thank you for squeezing me in,” Renae said.
“You know it’s no problem. This sew-in is only two weeks old. You must be about to go out of town since you only booked a touch-up.”
Renae nodded. “Mhm. Need a quick change of scenario. It’s starting to feel real fake around here.”
Charity coughed and chuckled lowly, while Symone smirked. From where she was sitting and the way her chair was positioned, Renae saw them both.
“Is something funny?” she asked, looking right at Symone.
She glanced around and asked, “You can’t be talking to me.”
“I’m talking to whoever thinks something is funny.”
“Well, you’re talking to the entire shop then, goofy. You’ve been clowned enough for the year, so you might want to hush and get that weave touched up, boo.” Symone didn’t feel like going back and forth with her, but she would. Unlike Orielle, she loved to give a bitch a good read.
Renae crossed her legs and smiled. “Or what? Y’all made it so obvious that I was the topic of discussion before I walked in, and now everyone is on mute. Don’t get quiet now.”
Charity laughed. “Renae, just stop. You know how the shop is when someone’s business gets aired out in the town. You’ve been in here plenty of times and gossiped with us, so don’t act brand new.”
“I’m not acting like anything, but don’t be weird because I’m sitting here. Clearly, some people don’t like me because they couldn’t get back what they lost, and that’s why I said something,” Renae said, looking directly at Symone.
“Girl,” Symone said through laughter. “Just let it go. You fumbled a real nigga and that’s that.”
“Yeah, okay. But I’m still put up and taken care of. You wish you could say the same.” Renae smirked, feeling like she’d won.
“Baby, I’m married and faithful to a professional baseball player. Let’s not discuss put up and taken care of. My lifestyle is one you’ll never know shit about. And even if you did, you wouldn’t know what to do with it.” Symone popped her shit, while slickly showing off her wedding ring.
The entire shop was silent as they waited to see what Renae had to say next. Unfortunately, all she did was suck her teeth, pull out her phone, and text her group chat.
“Sooo,” Charity dragged out. “How about those Chiefs?”
Everyone erupted in laughter, breaking the thick tension in the air. Giggling, Orielle took a sip from her water bottle. She’d just heard an earful and was thankful that she did. She no longer felt the need to ask Najee what was up, because obviously it was nothing at all.
“You good, boo?” Tya asked. She’d just finished oiling her scalp after braiding it down to secure her wig.
Orielle nodded. “Yes. Couldn’t be better.”
She wasn’t sure what this thing with Najee was becoming, or where it was going, but one thing she knew for sure.
.. she wasn’t about to let anyone with a guilty conscience steal her peace.
Orielle looked at herself in the mirror and smirked when she caught Renae staring.
Just as quickly as their eyes met, Renae’s gaze faltered.
Sometimes, there wasn’t much to say.
The silence did all the talking for her.