I'm Fine

Part 2: Chapter 38

"Hello?" I answered the phone half sleep.

"Oh good, you haven't left yet."

"Briana, what do you want?"

"Why you still sleep? It's 7:15."

"Everyone's not a morning person like you. Plus, I was restless all last night. What do you want?"

"Have you heard from Penny?"

"No, not since Thursday, why?"

"She not answering my calls or texts."

"Maybe she's just busy with family stuff or something. You did say that she told you she had a family emergency; maybe she's still dealing with that."

"I thought so too, so I called her sister up to see if everything was okay, and guess what?"

"What?" I mumbled.

"She didn't know what the hell I was talking about. She said that there was no family emergency."

"Well...maybe...I don't know Briana I'm half sleep. What do you want me to do?"

"I gotta be at my residency in fifteen minutes. Can you go by her apartment and see if she got some company up in there with her? She'll answer the door if it's you."

"Briana, I doubt she's laid up with some girl. I think you're reaching. She wouldn't do some stupid shit like that."

"It won't hurt to go see—"

"Hold up," I interrupted her. "Even if Penny was nose deep in some coochie right now, why would it matter? Did y'all finally get together and have the audacity to not tell me?"

Briana started stuttering, trying to come up with excuses. It's not often that you can make this girl flustered. I had fun mocking her and then laughing when she hung up in my face. I called her back.

"Okay, I'll run by her apartment since you got me up now."

"I appreciate it."

"Mmhmm." We hung up and I went to go throw on something real quick. I made sure Imani was still sleep, and I told Robyn I would be gone at most an hour—before either of them even got up. Hopefully, I would be back in an hour.

On the ride to Penny's place, I called her twice and she didn't answer. If she's not answering the phone, I doubt she'll answer the door for me. I got to Penny's garden-style apartment complex, and the front gate was broken like always. Penny mentioned that the management refused to fix it. I pulled up outside her building and some woman was talking on the phone hella loud. I passed her, walking up three flights of stairs. I knocked on Penny's door and waited. No answer.

"Penny!" I was trying not to be too loud since it was early. After knocking for a few minutes, I sent Briana a text. Maybe she wasn't here. I was about to leave when the door across from me opened. A girl came out dressed in a Walmart employee vest. She looked up and saw me, then she noticed where I was standing.

"She ain't home," was all she said.

"Do you know by any chance when you last saw her, if you saw her?"

"Uhhh, I do actually. Today's Sunday, so I think it's been two days. I think the last time I saw her was around this time Friday," she said popping her gum.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yea. I got a camera, and I get notifications when there's motion outside my door. I check it often cuz I be ordering hella stuff from fashion nova, and people like to steal shit around here."

"Oh okay. Thanks." She nodded and walked off. I was actually starting to get worried now. I knocked on the door one more time and left when I got no answer. I jogged down the stairs and made it my mission to find Penny before I had to leave today.