Page 13 of The Hood’s Finest: Jersey & Mylani

Tasha

I was ten days over my deadline that Shanna had given me. I was furious that she would put her sister out over a few dollars, but I shouldn’t have expected less from her. I had just got in from work when I tried to use my key to get in and it didn’t work.

“The fuck? I know she didn’t change the locks on me,” I said to myself as I banged on the door.

“Jerz, where is your mom?” I asked when my nephew opened the door.

“She’s in her room.”

Before I could make it to her room, she was headed in our direction.

“Tasha, was that you banging on my door like that?”

“Yeah, I was. Did you change the locks?”

“I did. Your deadline is up, and I told you I wasn’t about to stop having Jersey paying my bills because you’re using my home as a shelter.” The audacity of this bitch.

“Are you serious right now? I’m your sister, and you’d put me out over a nigga that ain’t even thinking about you?”

“I’m not even worried about that. He’s Jerz’s father, and that in turn makes me his obligation. He pays all the bills while I sit on my ass. So, if he says you gotta go, then you gotta go. Simple as that,” she justified, like any of it made sense.

“You’re full of shit. You have a whole nigga that can pay your bills, but you wanna stay in Jersey’s pocket.

How long you think his lil’ girlfriend gonna go for that?

” I knew that would ruffle her feathers because she just knew that Jersey was holding off on relationships because he was gonna be a family with her.

“What girlfriend?” she asked with a shocked expression on her face.

Instead of responding, I pulled out my phone and went straight to the girl’s Passion page.

She had tagged Jersey in the picture. That’s how I was able to see it.

I didn’t know how Shanna missed it. They were all hugged up and dressed in all black.

Her caption read, Thugged Out By The Hood’s Finest. ????

“This nigga can’t be real right now. He wifed up that stripper hoe, while I have his whole fucking son!

Oh, we’ll see about that. Fuck Jersey. If he wants to play house, then you can stay here as long as you want; just understand that it’s not permanent.

I need to go see my baby daddy.” Satisfied with the pot that I had just stirred, I retired to my room and relished in the fact that I had bought myself a lil’ more time.

***

I picked up an extra shift at the hospital so I could make some extra money.

I knew I gave Shanna hell for letting me continue to stay with her, but I didn’t plan on letting her put me out before I was ready either.

That’s why I was working more hours. I needed all the money I could get so that I could move.

“Hey, Tash. Can I talk to you for a second?” I looked up from my phone and saw my ex-boyfriend, Eric, standing in front of the information desk I was sitting behind.

“I’m working, Eric. What do you want?”

“I came to see when you’re coming home. You’ve been gone long enough.”

“Do you still have your lil’ problem?”

See, I was living with my sister because I got tired of paying for Eric’s drug habit. He stayed high more than he was sober, and that in turn resulted in black eyes and busted lips I got tired of hiding.

“Damn it, Tasha!” He slammed his fist on the counter, drawing unwanted attention. “Stop this bullshit and come back home. I need you,” he pleaded. He looked so vulnerable, I kinda felt bad for him. Sighing deeply, I looked into his regretful eyes.

“I’ll think about it. That’s all I can promise right now. Give me a lil’ more time.”

“You got that, but don’t make me wait too long, and I have to come back up here.

” He turned on his feet and left just as smoothly as he had come.

On top of finding a place to stay, I had to find another job too.

I refused to go back to Eric and his erratic behavior. That was definitely not an option.