Page 9

M oney is cool but nothing throws me off more than to see Ben on his Instagram with his wife.

It shouldn’t irritate me but the fact that he was just laid up with me less than five hours ago, made me feel worthless.

The fact that I pissed Perc off a few days ago and he wasn’t fucking with me made me feel useless as well.

My desire for men really went deeper than I liked to admit.

My father was different than Blessyn’s. We had the same mother but different fathers.

I claimed her father as mine because our mother always ran back to him, no matter what he did.

My father was a fucking dope fiend son of a bitch that only fucked my mama because she was weak for some damn attention.

She had no idea that nigga was a junky. He hid the shit so well that he fucked with her for years without showing any signs.

All the times she would make me go with him because he wanted to spend time with me wasn’t what was going on.

That nigga was letting all the dope boys fuck me for some dope.

The shit fucked my head up. It went on for a while until Merci’s dad caught me up on the block with my daddy and saw one of the dope boys touch my titty.

He beat my daddy so bad the ambulance had to come and get him.

He did a little time in jail for it and while he was away, I capitalized off the dope boys and started making me some money.

Blessyn caught wind of it and shut it down before I could really get out of hand.

With her being older than me she made me move in with her and my brother-in-law.

Neither of them would let me do anything but go to school and bring my ass back home.

It was only when I turned eighteen that she let me move around more.

I started popping about two years ago when I downloaded Instagram and then used to tell me how I pretty I was.

I took that shit and ran with it. You had to pay me to even have a conversation.

It was bad to a normal person’s eyes but to me, I was set for life.

Just to be petty, I liked his picture with his wife and put heart eye emoji under it just so he’ll know I saw the shit.

Yea, the nigga had just given me money to pay all my bills for the month.

The crazy shit is, I didn't need it. My bills were already paid. I had money in my account from doing hair and the money Perc would give me just because he felt like it. I wasn’t fucking with Perc for his money.

What we had was genuine but Ben, he was my come through dude when I needed him to and right now, I was mad and jealous of that nigga.

“You cool?” My client asked, lifting the dryer up.

I had forgot that I had a client under the dryer. I’m sure her shit was dry by now but I got away from the time looking at those pictures. I hope he at least washed his ass before he went to hugging on his wife. Niggas was no good and that why I couldn’t settle for their shit.

“My bad girl. Jump in the chair let me get you out of here.”

As I did her hair, I could hear Perc and my sister having a conversation about her opening up another shop and letting him run this one.

See that was another thing. My sister didn’t have the confidence in me that I felt like she should.

She had no idea that Perc was a whole dope boy out here and was selling shit out her shop.

She was too busy being his fucking friend instead of his boss.

It wasn’t my place to say anything since she trusted him so much.

Besides, I fucked with both of them. If I told Blessyn what he was doing, then he was going to be without a job and push him further into the streets.

If I didn’t say anything, and she found out that I knew, she would kill me.

I told him he better be extra careful. I wasn’t losing my sister over no bullshit.

After I finished my last client’s hair, I decided to join the rest of the barbershop.

My section was away from all the men because I didn’t want my clients to feel a certain type of way around the men.

Some of them didn’t care but I cared about our privacy and some of them came in with the hood gossip and the nigga would be sitting in the barbershop that they would be talking about.

I hadn’t stop to eat or see what was popping on the other side.

Perc locked eyes with me as soon as I walked over.

“I bought you some lunch but you were busy so I put it in the kitchen,” Blessyn told me.

“Thank you.”

For the first time, my sister’s chair wasn’t occupied.

Perc was cutting and she was sitting down on her phone, smiling.

She had a beautiful flower arrangement sitting next to her and that explained her smile.

That shit set somebody back because I’ve had a few delivered and I knew the price.

Blessyn was keeping secrets and I wanted in.

“Who the hell got you over here grinning at your phone?” I asked, touching the flowers.

“My one-night stand,” she said low enough for only me to hear.

“Bitch I know you lying. You holding back information from me?”

“No, I haven’t you been busy and I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

“Blessyn you’re my best friend I ain’t never too busy for my sister. Now come on in the kitchen with me and tell me everything.”

“Nothing really to tell but I’ll come back there with you because I need to talk to you about something.”

When Blessyn wanted to talk, it was either business or she was about to get on to me about something.

I led the way so I could see what she bought me to eat.

Not only was I starving but I was craving for something spicy.

I smiled as I busted the box open to see jerk oxtails and cabbage.

I warmed it up and took my seat, waiting for Blessyn to start talking while I ate.

“I want to open another shop but I want to make you over it. I was thinking more so of a salon and a partial barbershop. I don’t really want a bunch of niggas in and out of the new one. What you think?”

“You want to make me a manager over a shop?”

“I do but you gotta grow the fuck up. All that coming in late and shit not it. It takes a lot of work to run a shop and you gotta know what to do when someone is unhappy.”

“Who’s going to run this one?”

“Perc does a great job.”

“So, what the hell you going to do?”

“Honestly, I’m going to run between the both of them. I’ll cut out of here a few days a week and then come over to the other a few days. I need a vacation before I start this new project. I’ve been so occupied with the shop and the death of my family that I haven’t took any time for me.”

“I agree you need to take you some time. Maybe Mr. one-night stand can take you,” I winked.

“Girl bye. Since I’m done for the day, I’mma about to head to mama house and check on them before I go home.”

“Okay. I’ll call you tonight and see what you doing.”

I picked up my phone and checked all my messages while I ate.

Ben wife was in my DM’s but I had learned a long time ago not to admit that I fuck with him.

I didn’t have to explain shit, he did. The last thing I was going to do was mess up my money by responding to her message.

What I was going to do was read it and screenshot it so I could send it to him.

Perc came into the kitchen without saying shit to me. He washed his hands and grabbed a bottle of water. Usually, I acknowledged him but I was going to ignore him to let him know I was not about to play with him and his childish ass games.

“I need you to come to the crib tonight,” he said with his back still turned to me.

“Who me?”

“Ain’t nobody else in this muthafucka. I’m talking to you.”

“Nigga we haven’t spoken all week and you want me to come to your house? Nah, I got something to do.”

“Don’t be there and see what happens.”

“Do what you gotta do but I won’t be there. The last time I was there your baby mama showed up and busted my car windows. Fuck I look like?”

“Didn’t I pay to get the shit fixed? You can park in the garage.”

“I got something to do so don’t look for me.”

“Cool.”

I rolled my eyes at his back as he walked out of the kitchen. He had me fucked up.