Page 49 of For the Love of City

Lyric turned to her mother and sighed to give herself a chance to calm down.

“Reina, I’m a rapper. You think this world looks at me like I should be a stand up citizen?

Never mind that I actually am. At least now.

They look at me for drama. Being a bitch won’t do shit but make my brand look better.

Especially when word gets out on how you treated me when I was younger.

Can you imagine? I’m the woman with the NFL’s Golden Boy.

If they don’t care nothing about me that PR machine will work double time to make sure that his image and his mindset going into the next season is where it needs to be.

You would get crushed in their cogs before tomorrow morning.

You’d be outed as the villain in my life story that you are.

You seem to forget that I got people now.

People that are more than just block boys.

My people are internationally known. Degreed.

Muthafuckas so deep in shit I couldn’t even tell you how it works, it just does.

And all for my good. So if you want to play with your existence like that just because you can’t shake me down, go right ahead.

You’d get sued to within an inch of your life if you tried to say anything defamatory about me or my brand.

Your reputation would be so bad you’d have to leave the fucking earth. ”

“Girl, not earth.” I couldn’t keep quiet but I was so proud of the way Lyric was reading the fuck out of her mother I wanted to clap my damn hands.

She looked at me grinning like bitch act like you know . “Shiiit, you know Billy.”

It was my turn to laugh because Billy would love to go after this lady for how she treated Lyric as a kid.

“Tuh, facts. Might need to find a whole other galaxy dealing with her.”

“So yeah, Reina, say what you want. It’s your funeral.

You say something good or bad it keeps people talking about me.

Keeps my name in their mouth and money in my pocket.

My music streaming, and driving people to my website.

What you thought? We were gonna have a homecoming?

Couldn’t have thought that. You thought that I would fly off the handle seeing you?

Just start swinging? I’m a few years from thirty, I haven’t seen you in almost fifteen years, we ain’t got shit to say to each other but bye. ”

“Lyric—”

I stepped in between the two of them because I was sick and tired of her bothering my friend. Her spirit was irritating my stomach like even the fetus knew that this bitch couldn’t be trusted.

“Girl, get the fuck out of her face. This is as nice as I’ll be to you.

See, I might not whoop your ass but my friend will.

She doesn’t have any love left for you to try to play on.

You killed it when you left her over some bullshit.

And then she’d still sue you because her hands are used to make her music.

They’re ensured and you ain’t got a pot to piss in.

So just leave. This really ain’t what you want, Reina. ”

“This must be one of the people you think you have in your corner.” Reina sneered at me like I was gone be intimidated and I just laughed at her because she was weak.

“I am. And as crazy as I am, you should be more worried about the other people in her corner. I’m sure City would love to hear that you bothering her. He don’t really fuck with you like that, does he?”

She looked at me frustrated and looked like she wanted to say something. Instead, she just glared at the both of us and walked away. I watched her until she was out of the area before I turned back to Lyric.

“I’mma have to call my mama and be nicer to her.”

“You need to. Your mama might be a lot of shit but she was there and damn good at loving you. She might not be soft like Mama Giselle but she is far better than the one I started out with.” Lyric pointed in the direction that Reina had gone.

“You want me to go push her down the escalator? I can make that shit look like an accident real quick.”

It was better than doing nothing since these folks would lose it if I breathed too deeply.

Lyric snickered and shook her head. “Bruh I thought about it like four times but Grant told me I had to act right coming back here or else he was gonna start sending me out with security again. You know I don’t want that so I’mma keep my hands to myself for now.”

“Not Grant laying down ultimatums.” I did a little appreciative clap for Choirboy because he normally let her ass do whatever she wanted to do. Actually setting rules was a big deal.

“That nigga can tell me what to do so he tells me what to do. And I ain’t ashamed about it.” She was smirking so I knew her ass was thinking about that man’s dick and it was none of my business.

“No comment.”

She gagged as we started to walk into a different department of the store.

“Yeah, please don’t. I don’t need to commiserate over anything that has to do with City and his dick.

I’m sure y’all’s geriatric asses are doing everything I don’t want to imagine.

That’s how I got a sibling baking right now. ”

I rolled my eyes but I couldn’t help but smile since she was using the same term that I had used. “Not geriatric.”

“I mean maybe not you yet, but definitely City’s ass.”

“I’mma tell him you said that. I’m glad you’re okay with this baby. Your mama already said you got step siblings—”

“Girl, I will punch you in the throat. I ain’t got a mama and I for damn sure ain’t got siblings until you give me some. But come on, I’m ready to go. If this dummy could find me by chance then that means I’m not as discreet as I wanted to be.”

“Lord that man is going to have security on your ass when you tell him this.”

“Who you talking about? City or Grant?”

I looped my arm through hers and smiled as we walked into the fragrance area of the department store. “Girl, pick one. Hell, pick both at this point.”

She was laughing like something was funny when she knew them men didn’t play about her. We’d almost made it through to the exit when we had someone else who liked to play with their lives approach us.

“You finally wanted to show your face back in the city after running away?”

Lyric turned her head like that lil white girl in the Exorcist and I reached to pull off my hoops automatically.

When I turned around I was happy I hadn’t bothered to get too dressed up to come out shopping. These designer sneakers better have enough grip because I was ready to slide this bitch across the floor. I’d keep this little one protected but I needed to get my lick in even if Lyric didn’t.

This bitch was the same one I used to warn Lyric about. Her so called best friend who was really just a full-time hater and her spirit disturbed mine something serious. She was standing next to a girl I didn’t know but would happily drag too if she tried to jump in this shit.

Trice looked like she’d gone back under the knife again in order to keep her sponsors satisfied.

Her hips were wider, her nose skinnier and her boobs much bigger than before.

She’d always been a pretty girl to me, but these newest additions had her looking really exaggerated.

As a woman who had been naturally slim with only a scoop and a half of ass, I’d learned to love what I had.

But since Trice based her self-worth on how much other people were willing to spend on her, I shouldn’t have been surprised.

“Trice, surprised they let you in here. Let me guess, still telling folks you’re my assistant to get shit, huh?”

Her eyes widened and I wondered how many times she’d had to cover Trice’s shopping sprees and shit this trifling girl took on her dime.

“I never—”

“Girl, please. You tried to lease a fucking Maserati in my name just last month. You think I’m stupid?

Dealing with a fake ass bitch like you taught me a long time ago how you moved.

You might go silent but you not the type to stay quiet.

You thought cause I hadn’t bust ya ass or put you in jail that I forgot and forgave? Wrong on both accounts, bitch.”

“Watch your back, sweetheart. This girl has a monitoring spirit and will try to destiny swap with you in a second. Hanging around her will have people after you ready to take your life.” I looked at her friend, who was absolutely gorgeous, to give her the warning.

The girl looked over at Trice like she was looking at her in a whole new light.

“And I’m supposed to be afraid of a bitch like you that does hair for a living? Doing all that yapping the toughest thing you ever lifted was a marcel weak ass old bitch.”

I stepped forward but felt a hand slide in front of me, keeping me in place. I knew who it was before he spoke a word and with the way he had his hand splayed over my belly there was no doubt.

Corey pressed a kiss to the side of my head, which prompted Trice to speak up.

“What’s good, City?”

Homegirl was doing everything she could to pop out her already wide hip and was twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

Corey ignored her and turned me so I was facing him. “Pretty P, why I’on’t see no bags and shit for me to carry?”

I motioned with my head to the new distraction in front of us. “My shopping got interrupted.”

“Oh, hell nah not you messing around with the help.” Trice was laughing like there was something funny about me having an actual skill besides sucking dick.

I went to speak up but Corey beat me to it.

“The help? Weren’t you the bitch that was fetching shit for my chap while I was away? The one who wanted to brag on her pussy and now is selling it down at Bottom’s Up cause you got put out of KOD for trying that prostitution shit?”

Her face turned red and even homegirl next to her took a step away.

She looked at me and saw that I was laughing so she tried to rebound. Trice bit her lip again and looked up at Corey like he hung the moon. “You keeping tabs on me and shit, baby? I knew you felt some kind of way ‘bout me.”

“Yeah, disgust and disappointment. And pure joy that my youngin’ saw you for who you really were and linked up with my baby so she understood what real friendship and sisterhood looked like. Dropping a backstabbing ass frenemy like you was one of the best things she ever did.”

Trice was irritated by the affection Corey was giving and looked back at Lyric angrily.

“Damn, so all this time you were plotting to put them together while telling me I couldn’t get at your brother? That’s cold-blooded. I still think you were trying to keep him for yourself. Y’all can keep that big brother little sister shit cause ain’t nobody buying it.”

She waved her hand in the air like she was waving off the idea that their relationship was platonic.

“You must be a simple bitch. Just because everyone you’ve ever met had you paying for their kindness with your pussy doesn’t mean every man is like that.

It’s a damn shame that you hate on your so-called friend so much that you couldn’t take the example of how to love yourself from her.

Here you are all these years later still doing the same shit.

” I was disgusted as I spoke with her because instead of looking inward she was so busy still trying to talk down to make herself feel better.

Her attitude toward me was clear and I knew it had a lot to do with how I handled her before she and Lyric stopped being friends. I knew that my being with Corey after she’d chased behind him for so long was also pissing her off.

“Why are you even over here? This ain’t got shit to do with you.”

Her friend spoke up in a soft voice that somehow still caught everyone’s attention. “I mean Trice we came over here—”

Trice’s head snapped to her friend and her voice got loud. “Lika, nobody asked you!”

“See, you trying to make sure she ain’t looking stupid but she snapping on you.”

I was trying to warn this girl so that she got away from Trice because she was extremely toxic. She had no issue turning on the one person who was on her side during all this.

“P, ignore this bird, baby and let’s do what we came here to do. Lyrie, I ain’t got to say too much cause your man on his way over here.” He gave Lyric that warning like he was thankful he had someone else to keep Lyric in line.

“Ain’t nobody scared of Grant or jail. I wanna slide this bitch across the floor.” Lyric’s arms were crossed and her leg was jumping angrily.

“She ain’t worth it and, Pretty P, them damn diamond hoops better be back in your ears real soon, baby. Nobody fucking with APD over this broad. She’ll get hers soon enough.”

“You can front all you want to but everyone knows you just waiting for a chance to get at me.”

Corey was laughing as he moved me behind him.

I wasn’t afraid of this bitch but with a kiss on the lips he silently communicated he wasn’t going to let anything disturb me in the state I was in.

He raised his brows until I nodded my agreement to stay calm before he turned to her.

As he stood to his full height, he towered over everyone, even me.

“Trice, you been tossing that Downtown connector pussy at me since you were a kid. I dodged it back then ‘cause you were a child and I’m running away from it now because you and it are foul as fuck. Why not use your talents to make honest money? 304 social media got the hos making big money without having to bust it open and pop antibiotics weekly. That’s the last bit of free game you’ll ever get from me.

Next time I’ll just be watching my girls do you dirty. Be smart about your next step.”

He intertwined my fingers in his before turning us toward Lyric and thoroughly ignoring Trice.

“We got a business to run. Wasting time with her wasn’t in your best interest then and it isn’t now. Leave this bitch where she’s at until it’s time to address her. We got more important shit to handle today.”