Page 2 of Tangled Hearts

PART I: STRINGS ATTACHED

Knycole stood beside her best friend, Noir, her weight tilted to one side in a stance that wavered between impatience and unease.

Her expression was caught in limbo between eagerness and anxiety, her eyes flitting over the rain-slicked streets, where puddles shimmered beneath the dim glow of streetlights.

Just minutes ago, the downpour had roared against the pavement, a chaotic symphony that mirrored the storm inside her—unsettled, unpredictable, and teetering on the edge of something unknown.

“Bitch, stop looking around like you scared or something,” Noir whispered, using her sharp elbow to dig into the side of her friend.

Paul, a local dope boy and one of Noir’s potentials, eyes bounced between the two of them. “What’s up with your girl? She acts like she’s working for them people or something.”

He wasn’t too familiar with Knycole, which meant his guard was already up.

Add that to the way her eyes were wandering, and Paul was ready to place a cold slug between them.

When the light brown beauty, Noir, hit him up and told him to slide through to see him, he didn’t hesitate.

Even if it meant going to a hood he wasn’t from.

Being young and dumb, he was willing to risk it all for a whiff of what was between her legs.

Feeling the sting of Noir’s elbow for the third time, Knycole finally spoke up.

“I ain’t working with the Feds. I’m just tired of standing out here trying to give my girl a cover just in case her mean ass mama come looking for her.

But since you want to be all snappy and shit, I ain’t with it no more. ” Her neck twisted and her eyes rolled.

Noir kissed her teeth and waved her off. “Girl, you just scared that nigga gonna see you out here.”

Her statement couldn’t have been more true. Still, Knycole wasn’t going to look like a fool in front of an outsider.

“Bitch, please. Ain’t no body worried about that boy. I can move how I want to. Plus, ain’t nobody trying to get caught in the rain again,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“Yea, whatever.” Noir scoffed at her friend. “But what’s good with you? You got a few dollars I can get?” she directed to Paul.

Before Paul could say something fly and break his little boo off with a few dollars, a blue Cutlass cruised onto the block, stopping all movement.

Knycole’s leg shook because she didn’t know what was about to happen next, and no matter how truthful her words about Paul being Noir’s friend would be, she was sure she’d still get handled.

Always ready for drama, Knycole watched the car pass her like a hawk watching its prey.

“Oh, this nigga got me fucked up,” she mumbled as she watched a head full of weave, bob up and down while Rock cruised his hood without a care in the world. The sloppy head he was receiving made him overlook his girl and her friend standing to the side with the perfect view of his betrayal.

Noir knew it was about to be some shit, so she asked Paul for some money again, needing him to get the hell on.

“Look, this ain’t your hood, and I’d hate for you to get caught up in some shit that has nothing to do with you.

So, do you have a few dollars for me to pay my phone bill so I can call you tonight?

” Usually, she would turn on her young sex appeal, but in this moment, she knew time was of the essence.

Paul watched her cute lips with thoughts of them being wrapped around his dick. “Yea, you know I’m gon’ make sure you’re straight.” He reached in his jeans pocket retrieving a wad of money to count out a few twenties. “Is this enough?” he asked, passing her one hundred dollars.

“Um, can I get a few more? I want to get me a new phone case too.” Noir fluttered her long false lashes.

In all honesty, her no good ass father paid her phone bill faithfully if he didn’t do anything else.

But like most women, she loved money. Plus, why give him her time if he couldn’t break her off a few dollars here and there?

Proudly, he flipped five more twenties and passed them to her. “Make sure you call me as soon as you get in the house,” he demanded before kissing her lips and squeezing her ass. Once he got done feeling on her how he wanted, he trekked over to his car and pulled off leaving dust behind.

“Damn, bitch. Are you ready to go whoop this nigga’s ass with me, or do you want to continue to sweet talk that nigga?” Knycole rolled her eyes but didn’t wait for a reply before she was stomping off in the direction of Rock’s spot that he shared with his best friend.

Knycole was what people considered a good girl but she was still from the hood. She was book smart but could also throw hands with the best of them and right now, that was all she wanted to do because Rock and the girl he just couldn’t seem to stay away from had her so messed up.

Rock had just come up on a nice little play when he ran into Shakeisha at the liquor store.

The way she poked her ass out and pushed her breasts into his chest before she spoke to him, he knew he was about to have a good night.

He was a young nigga with too many responsibilities, so whenever he had a little free time and extra money, he enjoyed himself a little too much. Much like now.

The way Shakeisha sucked his dick made his eyes close, almost swerving off the road.

Knowing that her mouth was vacuum-like, he knew he needed to pull over but also knew it was best to wait until he made it back to his hood.

Jack boys were always looking for an easy come up, and he’d be damned if he became a victim.

“Damn, girl. Slow down ’cause I ain’t got shit for you.” He grunted, easing his car over to the curb in front of his spot.

Shakeisha’s head popped up, and his dick popped out of her mouth. “Wh?—”

“I don’t understand why you keep playing with me!” Knycole yelled when she snatched the door open, grabbing Shakeisha by her clip-on ponytail.

Rock’s eyes doubled in size. “The fuck?!” He tried to put his dick up and hop out the car but wasn’t quick enough.

“Get her off me!” Shakeisha pleaded to anyone listening. She was from the hood but wasn’t much of a fighter, especially when compared to girls like Knycole and Noir.

Noir wanted to get tagged in so bad but knew it wasn’t even worth it. Knycole was handling Shakeisha like a ragdoll. “Upper cut that hoe!” she chanted, spectating from the sidelines.

A crowd started to form on the street. Old and young were crowded around taking in all the foolishness. Rock’s best friend, Hov, stood on the porch hitting his blunt, unbothered because it was all too familiar to him. Rock would do some foul things, and Knycole would show her ass.

“Bitch, get the fuck off me!” Shakeisha tried to break free from her assailant but Knycole gripped her hair tighter.

“I told your dumb ass to stay away from him, but it seems that you have a fuckin’ hearing problem! After I beat your ass, I bet you remember then!”

“Let that girl go, Knyc. You ’round here making the block hot,” Rock fussed, trying his hardest to break the fight up.

“Keep your hoes in check and out of my girl’s face, then she wouldn’t be making the block hot!” Noir chimed in. She liked Rock but loved Knycole, so she was always on her side.

Rock cut his eyes at Noir but didn’t say anything.

Finally, he pulled Knycole off Shakeisha, and the three of them huffed and puffed, too young to be out of breath.

Commentary from the onlookers was heard as they all agreed that Knycole had, once again, beat ass and took names.

To the older people, it was ridiculous and shameful for a young girl to be fighting in the streets about a boy, but to the youngins’, it was a rite of passage and well deserved.

“If you would do right by me, I wouldn’t be out here acting up!” Knycole directed to Rock, minutes away from hauling off and punching him in his mouth.

He knew it too and knew he needed to calm her down. With his hands in the air, he protested. “You always jumping to conclusions. I was just giving that girl a ride from the store, since it’s too late for her to be walking by herself,” he lied through the thin gap in his teeth.

She stepped into his face, neck rolling with balled up fists.

“Do I look that damn dumb to you? Rock, for one reason or another, you just keep finding your way to this street walker. I need to make sure I get checked because we all know that hoe will fuck anybody... you are so damn stupid.” She mushed him upside his head with her index finger as her words shot out like venom.

“Bitch, I’ll break your fuckin’ face if you even think about hitting her with that brick.

” Hov’s calloused voice rang out from the curb.

He’d just put his weed out and was keeping a close eye on Shakeisha while Rock and Knycole argued in the streets without a care.

That was who he was. He always sat back and observed.

She froze mid-swing, dropping the brick immediately. Shakeisha knew better than to go against Hov. He was the mean friend and didn’t care one bit about her being a girl. If she even thought about hitting Knycole with the brick, he was bound to do exactly what he said.

Knycole turned around shocked that she was about to get hit with a brick. Even more shocked that Rock didn’t notice it. “You see what you’re doing to me?” She swung on him while her eyes swelled with salty tears.

Rock hated when she cried. He knew he wasn’t doing right by her but wasn’t equipped with the knowledge to do so. For him, making sure she was straight was how he showed his love for her, and even though he could see his flaws, he wasn’t going to change anytime soon.