Chapter One
It was three in the morning, and instead of Tyler resting in her California King bed, she was perched in her truck on demon time.
The brim of a Detroit fitted cap covered her red eyes, and the clear plastic cup she sipped from altered her mood.
Every time her eyes landed on the digital clock, Don Julio encouraged her to act like a foolio.
That coupled with her rowdy cousin, Bobbi, in the backseat ranting about making a move, had her irritation at an all-time high.
“So, what are we gone do?” Bobbi asked, leaning forward.
She, too, was inebriated and probably should’ve been somewhere sleeping, but Bobbi was an instigator, and she wasn’t letting up.
It was she who woke Tyler up from her sleep to watch a video that had been reposted on TikTok from Instagram.
“I know he in there with that bitch, and if I were you, I’d go tear that whole fucking studio up. ”
Tyler rolled her eyes. She loved when a bitch told her all the things she would do if she was in her position, but when in her position, they didn’t do shit.
Bobbi was all talk. A nigga could run circles around her, and she’d still forgive him if the price was right.
Tyler, on the other hand, was about action, and it had been proven time and time again.
She wasn’t the 'let’s sit down and talk it out' type of person, nor was she the 'buy me a bag and I'll forgive you' type.
Tyler was the ‘burn your car, stab you in the throat, pull up at your parents' house’ type of person. She learned from the best, and although her mother was meek at times, in her younger days, Maple was with the shits. Drama was a part of Tyler’s routine like a dose of daily vitamins, and her silence was deadlier than all the rah-rah shit Bobbi was talking.
“Girl, sit back.” Tyler’s best friend, Aria, fought the urge to mush her in the forehead. “Didn’t she say she needed to see it with her own eyes?”
“I’m just saying,” Bobbi sucked her teeth.
“And it’s not you, so chill and watch me work,” Tyler replied, lifting the cup to her lips.
The bitter taste burned her tongue and chest before settling into her bloodstream.
Bobbi sucked her teeth and sat back without another word.
If she had known they were going to be sitting in the car staking out the studio versus cutting the fuck up, she would’ve kept the information to herself.
“You ok, friend?” Aria asked her best friend. The question was redundant. The duo had been attached at the hip since ninth grade and Aria was pretty good at gauging Tyler’s mood. She knew that underneath all the anger lay embarrassment, and that pissed Tyler off more than anything.
“I’m good,” Tyler lied, still focused on the door. With every passing minute, her eyes grew a little darker and her already bruised heart grew even colder.
Tyler lowkey wished Bobbi hadn’t called her.
It had nothing to do with her not wanting to know the truth, but everything to do with the emotional setback that would come along with knowing the truth.
Tyler had a long week ahead of her. Photoshoots, rehearsals, a party, recording sessions, and more.
Drama wasn’t on the schedule, but thanks to her boyfriend Dexter and his lack of loyalty, she was hunting him down on her worst behavior.
The thought of running in the studio crossed her mind, and as soon as she swallowed the last of her drink, the studio doors opened, prompting her to sit up.
Tyler watched Dexter hold the door open for some big booty bitch and then he proceeded to bite his lip when she switched by.
The short black dress she wore cuffed her cheeks, exposing her pantyless bottom with every step.
Dexter was so engrossed with the roundness of her ass that he damn near jumped out of his skin when the bright beams popped on and blinded him.
Like a deer caught in headlights, Dexter stood there frozen in time.
The lights were so bright he couldn’t see the car or the person sitting behind the wheel.
The girl at his side slowly slid behind his back for protection.
If need be, she planned to use his body as a human shield.
They were on the east side of Detroit and shit was always popping.
The streets were cruel, and with Dexter being a C-list celebrity with a little bit of motion, jack boys would have a field day with him.
They'd snatch the Buffs off his face and rip the chains from around his neck with the quickness.
“Oh my god, I can’t die! I'm too young for this shit,” the girl cried, holding onto the back of Dexter’s shirt.
“Calm down,” he hissed, trying to see past the bright lights, but to no avail, he couldn’t see shit.
“Go back in the studio,” Dexter instructed, attempting to open the door for her, but it was locked.
Realizing that he was caught with his ass out, Dexter's heart plummeted. The thought of pushing ole girl and making a break for it crossed his mind, but even then, he didn’t have anywhere to go.
“Period.” Tyler’s voice startled them both. “Look at you out here being a gentleman, holding doors open and shit.”
“Ty?” Dexter squinted, recognizing her voice.
“Ty,” she mocked, making Aria snicker.
“B-baby, what are you doing here?” he stuttered. Getting robbed was probably better than the wrath she was about to bring. Just like him, Tyler never backed down when she felt like he was on bullshit.
“Nigga don’t act like you and this bitch wasn’t on TikTok live caked up,” Bobbi snapped. “Don’t play in my cousin's face.”
“Aye, back yo giraffe looking ass up,” Dex barked. “You let her lonely ass hype you up?” He pointed to Bobbi.
“The proof is in the pudding nigga. You was out here doing my cousin dirty and you think I’m about to sit back and watch?”
“Look, I don’t know what yall got going on, but we were working.” The girl held her hands up. “Dex, call me after you get your girl together.”
Tyler recognized the girl as Amber- a TikTok influencer who was trying to get her feet wet in the music industry.
She had a couple hundred thousand followers, a mixtape on YouTube, and a banging ass body.
Most of the time that’s all it took to make a star, and Tyler could bet that’s exactly what Dexter promised her.
“What were you working on, Dex?” Tyler quizzed, cocking her head to the side.
“Girl bye. You know that nigga wasn’t working. Clock his ass!” Bobbi clapped her hands.
“Mannnn.” Dexter wiped the corners of his mouth before slowly backing away. “You know that’s what I was doing. This was her only free time, and after I left the club, we met here.”
“Another lie,” Bobbi snorted. “This bitch was at the club with you.”
Tyler and Aria glanced in her direction and then gave each other a knowing look. While on her rant, Bobbi didn’t mention Dexter and the girl being in the club together.
“Matter fact, I think she’s on Snap wearing his chain, and if that’s not evidence enough, then I don’t know what is,” Bobbi continued to pour salt on Tyler’s heart and Dexter’s wounds.
“Damn bitch, did you leave anything else out?” Aria arched her eyebrows.
“I thought I told yall that.”
“Sure you did.” Tyler rolled her eyes. “But that’s what we on Dex? You giving her the Make a Singer starter pack? Promises of fortune and fame, late night studio sessions, a ride home, and then a quick, unmemorable fuck?”
“Man, chill out. All I did was help the girl lay a couple of tracks. Wasn’t nobody trying to fuck her,” Dex swore, but they both knew it was a lie. This was his MO, and it hadn’t changed since the time he used it on her. “I’m about to drop her off and I’ll be home.”
“This nigga,” Tyler snickered, peering over at Aria. “Is he for real?”
“I think he is, friend.”
“And if he thinks that bitch getting in that car, then he got another thing coming,” Bobbi squawked, twisting her neck.
“Girl, is you fucking this nigga too?” Amber blurted.
“Oh, bitch you got the right one.” Without warning, Bobbi ran up and snatched Amber by the hair.
The U-part wig she wore slipped off her head, causing Bobbi to fly back and fall to the ground.
With the upper hand, Amber pounced on Bobbi and started driving her fist into her face.
Tyler wasn’t surprised. Bobbi couldn’t fight, and, as always, she wrote a check her ass couldn’t cash.
“I swear I can’t stand a bitch who talk shit and can’t back it up,” Aria groaned. “If I break my nails, her ass paying for my next full set,” she complained before stepping forward to grab Amber by the hair.
“Tyler man, stop this shit,” Dexter pleaded, but from the redness in Tyler’s eyes and the alcohol that seeped from between her plump lips, he knew it was a lost cause.
“No nigga. You did this.” She jabbed her finger in the center of his forehead.
“Keep your hands to yourself man.”
“Make me.”
“Dex!” Amber cried out for help.
“I swear if you help this bitch, I’m going to claw your eyes out of your head,” Tyler warned.
“Man, they jumping that girl.” He pointed behind her, but Tyler didn’t budge. She didn’t have to turn around to know her best friend and cousin was tearing Amber’s ass out of the frame. Her loud cries and begging were proof enough.
“They jumping the bitch because you can’t keep your dick to yourself!”
“I didn’t fuck her!” Dex barked, which wasn’t a lie. Did he want to fuck her? Yes, but thanks to Tyler and her pack of wild rabbits, it probably wasn’t going to happen.
“Please,” Amber begged.
Unable to just stand there, Dexter scooted Tyler out of the way and forcefully yanked Aria off Amber, who was now curled up in a ball.
Bobbi tried to continue the fight, but it didn’t take long before Amber had the upper hand again.
This time she was on her own because Aria had a new target in her sights.
“So, you’re saving bitches now?” Tyler arched her eyebrow.