Page 61 of Perfect Rhythm

“I don’t know. But I’m done with his ass. I’m not about to let no nigga play in my face. That’s for silly hoes.”

Suddenly, the silence became loud. I looked at Skye, realizing that I’d probably struck a nerve. “Damn, my bad, girl. I’m just?—”

“No, it’s fine. You have every right to say what you want and do what you feel. This is your situation, not mine.”

But itwasher situation. Hell, hers was much worse. But how was I going to tell her that? My mind couldn’t even fathom what her reaction would be once she found out that Mecca had a baby on the way.

Maybe now isn’t the right time.

But would there ever be a right time?

Dropping my shoulders, I cleared my throat, trying to prepare myself for what I was about to say. “You should sit down. I have something I need to tell you.”

I avoided her gaze, not wanting to witness the anxiety that was slowly taking over her face.

“What’s going on?” She sat down across from me.

“So...okay, while I was at Groove District last night...” I trailed off, biting my lip. I didn’t want to tell her. But what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t? “I...I ran into Brookia.”

“Okay...and?”

I swallowed hard, the torturous look in her eyes making me feel like I was the one who had wronged her.

“Nyx, what is it? You’re scaring me.”

“I don’t know how to tell you this.”

“Just tell me.”

Fuck it. There was only one way to get this shit out, and it was all at once. “Apparently, Brookia and Mecca messed around at some point, and now she’s pregnant with his kid.”

She leaned forward, her lips parting slightly.

I waited for her to say something, but nothing came out.

I was nervous. A silent Skye felt much worse than a loud one.

“Where did you hear this?” she finally spoke.

“I overheard the two of them arguing on the phone when Brookia stepped away from the class.”

“And you’re sure it was him?”

“I mean, I couldn’t hear his voice. But she called him by name and made it pretty clear that he was in the industry.”

“What all did she say?”

I exhaled sharply, not wanting to go into too much detail. “Skye, you don’t need to know?—”

“What the fuck did she say, Nyx?”

I dragged my hand down my face. “That he needed to move on with his life, and act like the baby didn’t exist,” I replied. “From the sound of things, he wants her to have an abortion, and she’s refusing. She wants to pretend like the baby is King’s.”

“What the fuck? You can’t be serious.”

I shrugged. “That’s what she said.”

“Wow, I always knew Brookia was a grimy bitch when it came down to some dick, but I never expected her to do this.”