Chapter 6
Melody sat at the kitchen table listening while Harmony recapped everything that happened in California. Between the animated hand movements and the dramatic pauses, Harmony had clearly been waiting to tell somebody about the trip.
“I’m telling you, G, when I walked into that condo and Skyy was there, I was ready to turn right back around. Like, why the fuck would he not tell me she was going to be there?”
“I know your ass was hot,” Melody laughed.
“I was, then it got worse because not even twenty minutes later, Legend’s brother called talking about some business situation, so this nigga leaves me there alone with her.”
“And you stayed?” Melody questioned.
“Girl, what was I supposed to do? Catch a Spirit flight home?” Harmony rolled her eyes before going on.
“The crazy part is, Skyy was actually cool, though. Friendly as hell like always. She offered me a drink, then started talking about how awkward she knew the situation probably felt for me.”
“And?”
“And next thing I know, we halfway through a bottle and she talking about let’s go shopping. We ended up going to Rodeo Drive and shopping until the stores closed.”
“Girl fuck all that. Did y’all fuck or not?”
“Girl, no! It was literally a one-day trip, and I don’t even like girls like that.”
“Sis, please... A part of us all like bitches.”
“Nah, not me.” Harmony shook her head.
“Yes! Especially if the bitch fine.”
“You sound ridiculous.”
“I’m just saying, if I’m drunk enough and Kehlani walk in the room, a bitch might lick a little pussy.”
That made Harmony laugh so hard she almost choked on her drink. Watching her older sister nearly cough up her juice had Melody laughing too.
“You are so damn ignorant,” Harmony said while trying to catch her breath.
“I’m just being honest.”
Once the laughter had settled down, Harmony kept talking about California while Melody listened from across the kitchen table.
“We ended up getting high, drunk, and pulled an all nighter. We fucked around and slept on the plane.”
Melody leaned back in her chair while listening quietly. Truthfully, she was happy for her sister. The entire poly relationship thing sounded strange, but in her eyes, they were young, and life was short. If Harmony wanted to explore, travel, and enjoy herself, she felt like she should.
After finishing her cereal, Melody rinsed out the bowl and grabbed her purse from the counter. She checked the time before looking over at Harmony.
“You ready?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
The drive downtown was quiet. Melody kept both hands on the wheel while weaving through traffic, but her mind stayed on the meeting ahead of them. By the time they arrived at the office building, Melody’s stomach tightened just a little.
The lawyer’s office looked expensive the second they walked in. Everything from the furniture to the receptionist screamed money, and somehow that made Melody both nervous and hopeful at the same time.
A few minutes later, they were seated across from Mr. Ellis, an older Black attorney with gray hair and a calm demeanor. The meeting started with him getting straight to the point.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat this for you, Ms. Young. The charges against you are serious,” he said while flipping through paperwork.
“Aggravated battery with a deadly weapon carries significant consequences if the state pushes this aggressively. Especially considering the victim required medical treatment afterward. But I’ve handled cases far worse than this, and I do believe we have room to work.
You’re young, you’re in school, but you do have an extensive criminal history.
My goal is to make sure this situation doesn’t define the rest of your life. ”
“So what you think gon’ happen?” Melody asked.
“That depends on several things, but my focus is keeping you out of prison and protecting your future as much as possible.”
For the next thirty minutes, they discussed court procedures, possible plea deals, trial options, and what Melody needed to avoid while the case was pending. Eventually, the conversation shifted toward payment.
“My retainer fee is thirty-five thousand dollars. That covers pre-trial appearances, negotiations, filings, and preparation. If the case proceeds to a full jury trial, there will be additional fees.”
Once the meeting finally ended, Melody and Harmony thanked the lawyer before heading back downstairs to the parking garage. The second they got inside the car, Harmony looked over at her.
“Thirty-five bands is crazy!”
“On my mama,” Melody agreed.
“Do you even got that right now?”
“Not all of it.”
Normally, coming up with money wasn’t difficult for Melody, especially when her and Major were hitting licks together.
But ever since the situation with Patty and her cutting Major off, her money flow had slowed down.
She still had a stash put away, but between moving, everyday expenses, and now lawyer fees, she could literally feel the money disappearing faster than it was coming in.
“I can help you if you need it,” Harmony offered.
“I know. But this my bullshit, so I gotta handle it.”
Even though Harmony now had money, thanks to Legend, Melody still felt like the responsibility fell on her shoulders. The case was hers, and the consequences were hers too.
Traffic moved slowly while they headed back toward their side of town.
As Melody drove, her thoughts started piling up higher and higher.
Between the charges hanging over her head and being into it with Major, she felt herself getting stressed.
Usually, she could handle pressure without letting it affect her too much, but lately, everything felt stacked on top of each other.
“You okay?” Harmony asked, noticing how quiet she had gotten.
“Yeah, just thinking.”
Melody didn’t even know what she was thinking about anymore. Part of her missed Major, another part of her was still mad at him, and now she had a case threatening her future sitting over her head, too.
After grabbing food, they finally made it back to the apartment. Melody grabbed the drinks while Harmony balanced the food bags, and the two of them headed upstairs. The second Harmony unlocked the door and pushed it open; both of them paused.
Lyric’s voice echoed loudly through the apartment.
“You think I give a fuck about you bitches? Wait until I have my babies and…”
Melody and Harmony quickly looked at each other before rushing farther inside.
Lyric sat on the couch with tears running down her face, gripping her phone while screaming into it. Her bonnet sat halfway off her head, and from the way she was breathing, it looked like she had been crying and arguing for a while.
Melody walked over immediately and snatched the phone from her hand before ending the call.
“What the fuck!” Lyric cried while reaching for the phone again.
“What I tell you about steady arguing with them hoes? You damn near seven months pregnant and high risk. Why are you stressing yourself out?” Harmony snapped.
“But they fucking with me. They on Facebook steady bragging about me almost losing my babies.”
Melody’s entire expression darkened immediately.
Ever since Lyric got jumped, she had been barely controlling her anger. The fact that Lyric and the twins survived, and she was already in trouble with the law, was the only thing keeping her from crashing out completely.
“But you didn’t lose them, and trust me, them hoes about to lose a lot fucking with me.”
“Melody!”
“No! Let them keep trolling online. Bet I get the last laugh.”