Page 28 of Certified Pressure 2

Trill-Land, Jungle Estate

M an, I ain’t tryna hear all that shit, Kash!

” I shouted, pullin’ her crazy rowdy ass out the kitchen.

She was still loud, still poppin’ off, still tryna explain herself like she ain’t just dump a whole plate of food and drink on Ka’mari, and then whooped on her in front of everybody.

My hand was clamped on her arm, and she snatched away like I was the problem.

“Ion give a fuck, Pressure!” Kashmere barked, her voice bouncin’ off the walls. “That bitch came at me first! She always got some slick shit to say and you know it. I don’t even know why she in this house, real talk. If you gon’ check somebody, check her ass!”

Her mouth wouldn’t quit, but I wasn’t in the mood to hear none of that. My head was hot, and the more she talked, the more it felt like she wasn’t even hearin’ me.

“You trippin’,” I told her, gettin’ close enough to make sure she saw I wasn’t playin’. “You wild as fuck, throwin’ food. You don’t handle shit like that in here, period. I don’t give a fuck what she said.”

Kashmere rolled her eyes and folded her arms. “Man, miss me with that bullshit. You know I don’t start no fights, Pressure. She jealous, that’s all it is. She mad I’m even here. And you takin’ her side? That’s crazy.”

I shook my head. “This ain’t about takin’ sides. It’s about you knowin’ how to act.”

Her mouth popped open like she wanted to come back harder, but I turned away. I wasn’t gon’ keep goin’ in circles with Kashmere. She wasn’t wrong about Ka’mari, but she damn sure wasn’t right either. I just needed a second to cool off.

That’s when it hit me. I realized I hadn’t heard Toni’s voice all through the mess.

Normally Toni would’ve had some wild joke, some loud-ass commentary, or at least some words throwin’ gas on the fire, but she was ghost. For a second, it threw me off.

I glanced around the kitchen, then the dinin’ room, but she wasn’t there.

It crossed my mind to go look for her, but I shut it down just as fast. I just needed a moment to calm down after tusslin’ with Kashmere.

Toni was probably tucked off somewhere laughin’ about the whole situation anyway.

I told myself I would catch her later, and if she was salty about somethin’, she would let me know when she was ready.

Right now, Ka’mari was the one on my mind.

As much as I hated to admit it, she had a way of makin’ a nigga feel bad for her.

I could still see the way her face looked with whatever the fuck Kashmere splashed across it, how her dress was clingin’ to her body, wet with food on it and her makeup runnin’.

Ka’mari wasn’t the type to throw hands, but she tried her best to get with Kashmere, which told me all I needed to know about how much this shit stung her.

She wasn’t tough in moments like that. And I hated that Kashmere knew it.

I dragged my feet toward the kitchen doorway, then cut back through the foyer and headed for the elevator.

I knew Ka’mari wasn’t downstairs no more, and she damn sure wasn’t gon’ be sittin’ around with salad in her hair.

I hit the button, stepped inside, and leaned back on the rail, takin’ a slow pull off the blunt I had tucked behind my ear since earlier.

When the elevator slid open on the top floor, it was quiet as a graveyard. I started movin’ down the hall, pushin’ open doors one by one, but the rooms was empty. The mansion was too damn big sometimes, and it made my patience short.

Finally, I hit the last room on the left, and when I opened it, there she was.

Ka’mari was sittin’ on the edge of the bed with her head down with her fingers pickin’ weak at her hair.

She had changed outta the ruined dress and heels, and was now in a tee and sweatpants like she couldn’t care less, but her eyes told on her.

They was red and swollen with white streaks runnin’ down her cheeks. I could tell she had been cryin’.

I stood there a second, lettin’ the door swing wider.

My first thought was how fucked up it was, ‘cause not even an hour ago she was dressed up to the nines, ready to step out with me, lookin’ like a million dollars.

I hated that Kashmere took that from her.

I hated that she let it knock her down like this.

“Man, look at you,” I said, walkin’ in and closin’ the door. “This what you on? You lettin’ that shit get to you like this?”

Ka’mari sniffed, still pickin’ lettuce out her curls. “Don’t start, Pressure. I don’t wanna hear it.”

I sat down beside her, my elbows on my knees. “You think I don’t feel bad? You think I liked seein’ my night fucked up ‘cause of some dumb shit? I was breakin’ it up. Don’t try to flip it on me like I wasn’t there.”

She looked at me, her eyes glistenin’. “You wasn’t there for me though. Not the way I needed you to be.”

I leaned back, slid my arm across the headboard, and stared at her. “I’m here now, ain’t I? All that extra shit don’t matter. What matter is we don’t let that lil’ bullshit ruin our night. You hear me? We still got shit to do.”

She shook her head, tears fallin’ again. “I don’t even feel like goin’ no more. I’m embarrassed, I’m mad, and I’m tired. Kashmere always get away with everything, and you don’t even?—”

I cut her off. “Nah, you not finna do that. You not finna let her win like that. You gettin’ up.

You was lookin’ too damn good to let it go to waste.

Best revenge is actin’ like what the next muthafucka did ain’t stop shit, you feel me?

I already paid for VIP, got the whole section waitin’.

You gon’ sit here cryin’, or you gon’ get up and show she ain’t faze you? ”

She pressed her lips tight, thinkin’.

I softened my tone, slid my hand down her arm. “Look, Ka’, I know shit been rocky between us. I ain’t blind. But I ain’t tryna see you like this, for real. You stronger than this. Wash ya face, redo your shit, fix your hair. You got thirty minutes. Then we out.”

She stared at me, blinked slow, then nodded. “Thirty minutes.”

I smirked, got up, and left her to it.

Downstairs, I poured a drink and sparked another blunt, lettin’ time roll. Thirty minutes later, I was suited up, chains on, wrist shinin’, smellin’ like Creed, ready to hit the night. I heard the sound of heels clickin’ across the marble, and when I turned, there she was.

Ka’mari had transformed again. She wasn’t in that fancy dress no more, but she was still killin’.

She had a graphic tee tucked into grey cargos, heels laced up tight and her Birkin swingin’ off her arm.

Her hair was bone straight now, sleek and sharp, makeup cleaned up, eyes still red but lookin’ more like the Ka’mari I knew—the one that always turned heads even when she swore she wasn’t tryin’.

I gave her a once-over and nodded. “That’s more like it.”

She gave me a small smile, still holdin’ back, but I saw the spark come back in her. That was enough.

“Come on,” I said, holdin’ the door. “We out.”

And just like that, we left the house together, ready to flip the night back into what it was supposed to be.

Drahma Town

While ridin’ through the city, I let the top down on the Maybach S680 Cabriolet, custom midnight blue with the peanut butter seats and the big boy Forgiatos gleamin’ under the streetlights.

I had the music knockin’ loud enough for niggas on the sidewalk to look up.

The blunt was lit, and the smoke curled out the top of the car like it was part of the exhaust. Ka’mari sat in the passenger seat with her hair blowin’ wild in the wind, smirkin’ at somethin’ on her phone, and it made me feel good knowin’ she wasn’t dwellin’ on that shit with Kashmere.

But I ain’t gon’ lie—seein’ her ride out and chill like this with a nigga was givin’ me flashbacks.

We used to ride out like this damn near every other night, no destination, just windows down and city lights reflectin’ off her skin while I smoked and she talked her shit.

That was before the bullshit, before the drama and before I even had the estate filled with women competin’ for me.

Back then it was just me, my grind, my money, and her.

And sittin’ next to her now, I couldn’t even pretend it ain’t bring that feelin’ back.

I took a pull from the blunt and passed it to her. I knew she didn’t smoke, but we both knew she needed to take a few pulls to calm her damn nerves. She inhaled, coughed a lil’, then laughed and handed it back.

The city breeze was hittin’ both of us, music up, smoke in the air, and for a minute it ain’t feel like all them years of fuck shit had even happened.

By the time we pulled up to the Velvet Note, the line outside was stretchin’ down the block, niggas and bad bitches dressed in designer tryna get in.

I ain’t even pull to the back, I parked right out front like the car itself was VIP.

The guards seen me as soon as I stepped out, and both of ‘em walked over with smiles, dappin’ me like we was family.

“Pressure, my boy, you know you ain’t gotta wait in no line. You good money in here.”

They ain’t search me, ain’t pat me down, nothin’. They just opened the ropes and waved us in like royalty. Ka’mari linked her arm in mine while we walked inside, and I let her.

The club was already lit. Not wild turnt up, but packed full of Black faces, good energy, women smellin’ like Chanel and Baccarat, niggas in Amiris and fresh cuts.

Everybody was drinkin’, vibin’ and laughin’.

I scanned the crowd and instantly spotted one of my potnas near the back, standin’ up with a bottle in his hand.

“Ayo, P!” he called, grinnin’ big.

I made my way over, gave him a solid dap and a quick half-hug. His eyes shifted to Ka’mari right after. He smiled, hugged her too, then looked at me with that nosy ass grin.

“Oh yeah? This what we doin’? Y’all back together or somethin’?”