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“That’s right, Forever. Get on his ass,” Pat chimed in.

“Stop trying her, Zurich,” Jugg mocked Forever in his best proper tone.

Blue chuckled the moment she rolled her eyes. “You got to put on your ghetto girl voice up in here, baby.” He joked with her before grabbing her hand in his again and leading her further into the throngs of people.

With a multitude of more people waiting to greet him, Forever rolled her eyes beneath her glasses. All she wanted todo was find some food and sit down, but Blue refused to let her go and felt the need to introduce her to everyone they interacted with. Not saying that she didn’t appreciate it, but she was starving and on the verge of getting lightheaded. That would be no fun for anybody.

“Forever, what you doing down here, girl?”

Blue and Forever’s heads turned toward the feminine voice at the same time. Forever smiled when she saw Azayna.

“She with her man where she’s supposed to be,” Blue told her playfully while pulling her into a one-sided hug. “The question is, what you doing down here? Don’t you live in Atlanta now?”

“Brought Zon down here to stay with my daddy for a few weeks. Don’t worry about me, nigga. Forever, come on girl. Blue ain’t going nowhere. Leave him here to have girl talk with his friends.”

Forever had never been happier for something a day in her life. She released Blue’s hand and was already walking away when he grabbed her back by her wrist. He leaned forward with his lips poked out. She pecked them softly and pulled away.

“Where y’all going?” he directed his question to Azayna, but looked at Forever.

“To the cabana,” she told him, already knowing he knew where it was.

Blue nodded before watching them walk away, his eyes glued to Forever and the attention she got. Like he’d known she would; she drew eyes without even trying. He could see the lustful stares of other men while women looked on in what was either envy or amazement. Forever had it like that though, and it was crazy how she seemed not to notice.

She hadn’t broken her stride nor turned her head to the left or right, only kept the pace behind Azayna the entire way to the food tables and again on their way to the screened in Cabana with the string lights outlining it. Blue couldn’t really make out who else was in there with them, but it looked to be another two or three women. He looked for a few moments longer, trying to make out who the women were. He didn’t need Forever around no messy shit, because his girl wasn’t like that.

“Azayna got her. She good.” Pat nudged his arm and handed him a red cup filled with a liquor so strong he could smell it.

“Got to make sure. You know my baby really a white girl dipped in chocolate.”

Pat and Blue carried on laughing with him, giving Forever one last look before partying with his friends.

“I’m so happy you saved me,” Forever gushed to Azayna while watching Blue across the yard, laughing dramatically with his friends.

“I saw you as soon as y’all came in. I was like, let me go get this damn girl,” Azayna snickered while drinking from her cup. “My best friend, Zebrina is just like you. It took her forever to learn how to act around the hood niggas,” she laughed while nodding her head in the direction of the other dark-skinned girl sitting with them.

She was a beautiful woman with the skin color of Forever’s and a thick body with a small baby bump. She was sporting a middle part sew-in with a knee-length black strapless bodycon dress. Next to her was Nova. She, too, was in a dress with a much larger baby bump, only her dress was pink with spaghetti straps.

“If it wasn’t for my husband, I’d still be out here bad,” Zebrina reassured Forever.

Azayna smiled. “BB got this hoe, thinking she can go anywhere and do anything.”

“She can, though. Who’s going to play with Zebrina on BB’s watch?” Nova questioned, while munching on her plate of ribs.

“Tell her something friend,” Zebrina high-fived Nova.

Azayna shook her head in laughter while looking toward Forever. “Baby, y’all don’t have to tell me nothing. BB being here said all that it needed to say. What blood you know invited to a Crip cookout?”

“Trust me, girl, we’re not staying long. He told me he’s going to say what’s up to Blue, let me talk to y’all for a minute, then we're leaving.”

The girls all laughed and made their own commentary until Forever interrupted with a mouth filled with pasta salad. “Which one is BB?”

Zebrina pointed at a tall, slim man standing near Pat and Blue. He had one hand in his pocket and the other holding a little girl. On his head was a bright red hat, while the rest of his clothing was black. Next to him stood a frowning face Egypt. He didn’t look the least bit entertained in nothing going on around him. He actually looked to be two seconds from shooting the party up, using the gun tucked beneath his arm. Similar to BB, he wore all black as well, but instead of a red hat, he wore a red bandanna tied around his neck.

“And look at the little troublemaker standing there like BB’s bodyguard,” Azayna joked on her husband. “Ain’t nobody scared of his little ass.”

“Lie again,” Nova corrected. “You know, like I do, we got the two craziest niggas in Dade. Everybody scared of that fool.I dare somebody to try BB while Egypt standing there. It’ll be blood everywhere.”

Forever cracked up at the women talking about their men. They were so welcoming and friendly that she felt comfortable enough to make her next statement.