A Girl From Flint (5 page)

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Authors: Treasure Hernandez

BOOK: A Girl From Flint
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“I hate that stupid-ass bitch! She had the nerve to talk shit about me? That's why I beat her ass,” Mimi said.
Honey had no clue why they were fighting. The only reason she'd jumped in was because Mimi was her cousin. She looked at her swollen knuckles, shaking her hands to stop them from throbbing. “Who in the hell were they?”
Mimi shrugged her shoulders. “These nobody-ass bitches named Keesha and her friend Kia. We been beefing since high school. They're jealous of me, and always trying to jump somebody. I started fucking with Kia's man about a month or so ago, and ever since then, it's been beef every time we see each other. It ain't my fault she can't keep her man.”
“Shit! Let me know when you about to scrap. I didn't know what you was about to do.”
“Sorry. You know how it is when you on a mission. I saw you over there beating her ass though. Your ass fight like a nigga,” Mimi said.
They both laughed and entered the car.
“Damn! Those bitches done fucked up my night. If Tasha and Amra were here, they would have really felt it.” Honey put her hands on her hips.
Mimi frowned. “Who are they?”
Honey laughed to herself. “Oh, they just my girls from back home. They cool as hell, and they always got my back.”
Mimi reached out her hand. “Thanks for having my back, girl.”
Honey replied, “You know I got yo' back, girl. We family. Fuck them hoes! If they want it again, then they know where to find us.”
When they arrived at the house, Mimi put the car in park. “Honey, you my girl, you know that?”
Honey nodded her head yes, and gave her a wink. Mimi turned back the ignition, and they began to listen to her Lauryn Hill CD.
Mimi reached in her purse and pulled out some weed. She rolled a blunt and sparked it.
“Damn, bitch! I thought I smoked a lot!”
Mimi giggled. “After fighting those hoes at the club, I need one.”
The girls sat there, smoking and reminiscing about their childhood, and how they would get out of the ghetto.
“Where do you see yourself in five years?” Mimi asked.
“I'm going to have a big-ass salon with a Lexus—paid for, not leased. I can't wait until I can sit back in my own shit, you know? Just chill and enjoy life and sit back and count my own money, not money that a nigga done gave me, but my own shit.” Honey looked at Mimi to see if she could relate. “You feel me?”
“Hell yeah. That's what's up.” Mimi always thought about get-rich-quick schemes and was always on the look out for that big lick. She was what you called ghetto fabulous. She had grown up in the 'hood, knew all the right people, and was determined to be paid within the next five years.
That next morning around eleven o'clock, Honey awoke before anyone else. She realized she hadn't talked to her girls in a while, so she called Tasha's cell phone. When she got no answer, she left a message: “Tasha, where the hell is you and Amra at? This is Honey. I miss you, girl. Call me.”
Honey went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She began to brush her teeth and saw a man pass the bathroom, startling her. Her aunt Tammy followed him, and they headed toward the door, never noticing Honey in the bathroom. Honey overheard their conversation and began to eavesdrop.
“How much do I owe you?” the man asked.
“Two hundred, baby! This pussy is well worth two bills.”
Honey heard the shuffling of paper and assumed it was money being peeled off.
Damn! Aunt Tammy's tricking? That's how their house is so plush and shit. She doesn't work, and she ain't on welfare. Fuck that! She out cold!
Tammy snapped Honey out her thoughts. “Hey, Honey. I didn't know you were up. Want some eggs?”
Honey thought about where her aunt's hands might have been. “No thanks, Aunt Tammy. I'm not that hungry.”
Tammy smiled. “Okay, baby.” Then she walked into the kitchen and began to cook breakfast.
Honey shook her head and continued to brush her teeth.
Fuck that!
Chapter Five
T
asha and Amra returned to school a week after Honey had left for the Midwest. “It feels funny being here without Honey,” Amra said as she walked with Tasha down the hallways of their school. Everything seemed different. Instead of a trio, they were now a pair.
“I know, shit ain't the same. At least she called to let us know that she made it there safely.”
Tasha and Amra parted ways, and Tasha headed to her homeroom. She knew her senior year would go by quickly, so she wasn't stressing it. She had taken most of her required classes during her other years, so she only needed to take three classes. Tasha was focused on graduating from high school. Her grades were good, and she wanted to keep them that way, to secure a good future. She hadn't really thought about what her future had in store for her, but she wanted to have a better life. She wanted to go to Flint after high school, but after that, she had no clue.
Maybe I'll go to college,
she thought to herself.
At lunchtime, Tasha and Amra sat down at a table.
“I hate school.” Amra said, and bit into the cold fries that the cafeteria served.
“Just stay on your shit this year so that you will graduate,” Tasha said, reminding her friend of her stint in summer school.
Amra wasn't trying to hear that though. “So, you want to come to this little get-together with me Saturday night?”
Tasha nodded her head. “You know I'm coming with you. Who's having it?”
“Oh, this nigga name Tariq. I got his number over the summer. He invited me to a little party at his house.”
Tasha was down to go. She'd been partying over the whole summer, so she figured going to the party tomorrow wouldn't hurt.
Saturday came, and Tasha called Damon to tell him she was chilling with Amra for the weekend. He'd gotten used to seeing her every weekend and sounded disappointed, but Tasha didn't care.
That nigga getting too attached anyway. I hope he knows we're just friends.
Tasha looked in the mirror in the room and turned around to make sure her panty line wasn't showing. She had on a red dress that slit open at the top to show a little cleavage. She knew that she would be fresh to death when she put it on.
Amra came out of the bathroom wearing tight white pants with a white sleeveless shirt that barely covered her breasts.
Tasha applied bronzer to her already brown face. “When is your boy coming to pick us up?”
Amra looked at her cell phone. “It's eight fifteen. He'll be here at nine.”
Tasha put on some gloss and shook her head to drop the curls she had put in. “It always looks better when Honey does it,” she mumbled to herself as she looked in the mirror. Tasha's cell phone rang and she answered it, “Hello,” she answered, still shaking her head, trying to make the curls fall.
Damon said, “Can I see you tonight?”
Tasha frowned. “I told you I was chilling with my girl tonight, so I'm gon' have to catch up with you another time.”
Damon smacked his lips and said, “What about after you done chilling with your girl? Can I come and get you?” He asked her in almost a pleading way.
Tasha shook her head.
Damn, nigga, I said no.
“It's probably gon' be late, so I'm not gon' be able to.”
After another ten minutes of negotiating, Damon finally accepted the fact that he would not be seeing her tonight, and Tasha hung up the phone.
Amra got a call on her phone. “We on our way,” she said before hanging up. “Come on, they're in the driveway.” They grabbed their purses and were out the door. They walked down the driveway and got into the Tahoe parked in front of their yard.
“Hey, this is my sister, Tasha. Tasha, this is my friend, Tariq.”
Tasha shook his hand and sat back in the back seat.
They drove into Brooklyn and pulled up to a nice two-story brick home. Tasha knew that whoever owned the house wasn't broke. She got out of the car, shook her hair making sure it was loose, and followed Amra and Tariq into the house.
There was haze in the air when they walked in the house. People were lighting up blunts all over the house, shooting dice, playing cards, and just chilling. And the music was crunk.
Tasha relaxed. She usually didn't feel comfortable in house parties, but this one was under control.
Tariq fell into the scene of the party, and Amra and Tasha sat down in one of the chairs in the front of the house. Somebody passed around a blunt, and Amra hit it a couple times. She seemed to relax easily after she smoked, and this time was no different.
Tariq came back with a tall, basketball-player type. He pointed to Tasha. “Tasha, this is my nigga, Joe.”
Tasha smiled and shook his hand. She looked him up and down and could tell he had a little bit of money in his pockets. He wasn't bad in the looks department either. The nigga was fine as hell. “So, is this your house?” she asked, screaming over the music.
He nodded his head. “Just a little something to start out with.”
Tasha looked around and noticed the plasma TV and the black furniture.
It seems like quite a bit to me.
Joe led Tasha to one of the less crowded rooms, and she immediately became uncomfortable. He looked at her and said, “So, how old are you, Miss Tasha?”
Tasha looked at him. “Seventeen, and cut the
miss
—I don't fall for games.”
Joe laughed, rubbing his goatee. “Okay, okay. That's good, 'cuz I don't play them.”
Tasha looked Joe in the eye.
Witty mu'fucka!
“You want something to drink?”
She shook her head no. “That's okay. I don't drink. I do want to shoot some dice though.” Tasha didn't know how to shoot craps. She was just looking for an excuse to get out of the secluded room.
Joe smiled, grabbed her hand, and led her to the living room, where a group of dudes were in the middle of a dice game. He pulled a wad of money out of his baggy jeans and peeled off one of the fifties. He put it in the air. “You know how to shoot?”
Tasha rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know how to shoot.”
He handed her the money and she got into the game. Not knowing what she was doing, Tasha quickly lost his money, but Joe didn't seem to care, because he kept peeling off twenty-dollar bills for her to shoot with.
Finally, Tasha got tired of losing money, so she gave up. She turned to Joe and said, “Sorry.”
Joe smiled sexily. “It's okay, ma. Let me show you how to shoot.” He pulled out a twenty, laid it on the ground, and then picked up the dice. “You got to blow the dice, baby.”
Tasha laughed. She blew on the dice that Joe held up to her lips. He threw the dice and one landed on a four and the other on a three. “Seven means you win.”
Tasha laughed. “I must be good luck.”
“You must be.”
Joe collected his money and got up from the game. He and Tasha found Tariq and Amra, and they all chilled until the party was over.
Joe walked Tasha out to Tariq's car. He asked, “Do you mind if I take you to the crib?”
Tasha shook her head no, and they walked over to a freshly painted candy red '84 Cutlass Supreme on spinners. He opened her door for her, and she got in.
Damn, this car is too fly!
Tasha thought to herself while Joe walked around the car. He had a PlayStation 3, a DVD player, and a TV hooked up in the car. She couldn't believe how good the old car looked.
Joe took Tasha home, and they sat in front of the house talking for about an hour. He put in a DVD, and they laughed while watching the legendary 'hood movie,
Friday
. She was enjoying Joe and was happy she had gone to the party. He was cool people.
Her cell phone rang, and the caller ID said Damon. She didn't answer it, but the call ruined the moment. She turned off her phone. “Well, I better go.”
Joe rubbed his chin. “That was your nigga, huh?”
Tasha laughed. “I don't have a man. Niggas can't keep tabs on me.”
Joe nodded his head and smiled as Tasha stared at him. They just looked at each other, and Tasha blushed, feeling awkward for staring so hard.
He is so fine!
she thought to herself. She couldn't help it though. Joe was mysterious, and something about him kept her eye.
“I got to go.” Tasha opened her door and climbed out. Halfway up the driveway, she turned back and walked over to his side of the car. She unclipped Joe's cell phone from his belt and entered her number into it. “Make sure you use this.” When she clipped his phone back on his belt, she felt hard metal near his waistline and knew it was a gun. It kind of scared her a little bit because she had never actually seen a gun up close.
Joe could see that she was shaken, so he grabbed her hand softly and kissed her wrist. He started his car and pulled off.
As soon as he left, Amra and Tariq pulled up. Amra jumped out of the car, and Tariq pulled off. She approached Tasha. “Where the hell did you and Joe go?” she asked in a teasing way.
“Nowhere, so get yo' mind out the gutter. I been here for a couple hours. Where did you and Tariq go, is the question.”
Amra pulled out some money. “This is what I was doing—making money.”
Tasha could tell that Amra was high as a kite, so she led her friend up to their room, and they went to sleep before Ms. Pat came in to see if they were alright.
Tasha loved Sundays. All she did was chill and watch
Lifetime
. After waking up and eating one of Ms. Pat's big Sunday breakfasts, she checked the messages on her phone.
Damn, three missed calls!
She dialed her voicemail and hit the button to play her messages.
First Message:
“What up, girl? This is Damon. Call me when you get this.”
Second Message:
“Tasha, where the hell is you and Amra at? This is Honey. I miss you, girl. Call me.”
When Tasha heard Honey's voice, she immediately became excited.
Damn! How did I miss that call? We miss you too.
She made a mental note to call her back, and then continued to check her messages.
Third Message:
“Tasha, this is Damon. Where the fuck you at? It's two in the morning. Why you ain't answering my calls? You better not still be out!”
Tasha had never had anyone tell her what she could and could not do, and she for damn sure wasn't about to let Damon start.
I better not? What the fuck is wrong with this nigga? Why the hell is he calling me, trying to trip, and check me about what I'm doing? I told his ass that I was going out, and that's that. I don't have to explain shit to him. I ain't got no daddy. He must be out his damn mind. He ain't even my man. I'm gon' have to let his ass know.
Tasha went upstairs to find Amra. She stormed into the room. “Let me tell you what Damon's ass gon' leave on my voicemail—”
Amra was on her cell phone, so she held up her finger to signal for Tasha to wait. “A'ight, I said I'm gon' tell her. Dang! Is that all you called me for? Okay, bye.” Amra looked at Tasha and smiled. “That was Tariq. He told me to tell you that Joe wants to see you tonight.”
Tasha forgot all about Damon. “For real?” She liked Joe, but she wasn't expecting to see him again. She walked out of the room and called Joe.
Joe answered on the third ring. “Yeah?”
Tasha recognized his sexy voice as soon as he picked up the phone, and smiled. “This is Tasha.”
Joe wasn't expecting her call, but was glad to hear from her. “I was just talking about you, ma,” he said, trying to blow up Tasha's head. It was working too, because she was feeling him.
“Oh, really! You were talking about me? Damn! Why you got me all on the brain?” she asked, flirting with him.
He laughed. “Yeah, I was thinking about you. Don't get the big head. So, when you gon' come see me, you know, without all the people around and shit?”
Tasha wanted to see Joe, but she didn't want it to seem like she was jockeying him. “I don't know. You tell me.”
“Tonight.”
Joe stepped out of the car in jeans and a white T-shirt with some crispy Force One's. He approached Tasha and hugged her when he got close. He gently grabbed her chin and kissed her, and she kissed him back, knowing he wanted to kiss her the other night. Tasha felt Joe's gun in his waistline, and that made her stop.
They went to eat. When the waiter came, she ordered a salad. Joe frowned at her.
“What you looking at?”
Joe shook his head. “I know you ain't get all that ass from eating salad. You don't got to be cute, ma. You already got me interested. I want you to have dinner with me.”

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