September 2006
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"So... while Maya is out there living her best life, we're stuck here cleaning up her mess? And you mean to tell me that's right?" Maleah asked the girls as she watched them count their money.
"Chill MV." Catalina spoke up for her best friend. "You know what happened to Maya."
"Well duh." Maleah sighed heavily and sat next to Cat on the couch. She shook her head. "But I don't think this is honestly necessary."
"I don't know how they do things around your way," Milan spoke next, chewing loudly on her bubblegum. "But around this way we help out our friends? Ok?" She snapped the rubber band over the thick stack of 20s and plopped it down on the glass table in front of her.
"Like be for real. Have y'all even seen Maya in the past.. I don't know.. 3 weeks? What if she didn't even get beat up for real? What if she got out?"
Cat rolled her eyes and Milan kept her eyes on her money. The rest of the girls didn't talk, it wasn't their business or their place. They were just doing what they were told to do.
"I know my friend ok. Been knowing her for over a decade. She wouldn't just lie about Jamir- out of all people- beating her ass, then up and leave. That's not like her." Cat said. She was tired of this conversation and her best friend wasn't there to defend herself.
Maleah was cool and all but sometimes she could be a bully.
"Just because you've been knowing her for 10 years doesn't mean shit. People can switch up on you like that." She snapped her finger to emphasize what she meant.
"Oh my God, Maleah do you have anything else to do? Don't you gotta pick up your kid from the daycare?" Milan spoke next.
"Keep my name out your mouth bitch." She pointed her finger at Milan who simply just laughed.
"Or what?" She challenged.
"I'll whoop your ass like yo daddy did." Maleah retorted back.
"Yo..." Milan turned to Cat who was looking back at her. "Get yo' friend before I do."
"Can y'all chill out? Damn! We have a serious situation on our hands and y'all wanna bicker. Y'all gone pull 20 thousand dollars out y'all ass?" She looked between the two whom didn't speak a word. "Aw okay. So please, shut y'all ass up and get y'all money in order." Cat spoke and the room instantly got quiet.
Maleah rolled her eyes and dug into her Chanel bag. Pulling out the stack of money she threw it on the table. "Don't bother calling me again. About a damn thang." She said before getting up and leaving out the room.
"She's so dramatic." Cat said as she put her last stack of money on the table. She looked amongst the girls and then back at the money. She didn't know if it was enough but she damn sure hoped so. She was tired of trickin' honestly , and she knew the girls were too.
The table was full but you never know unless you count, right?
But something had stuck with both Cat and Milan. Maleah was right. They hadn't spoken to Maya since that night she came home bruised and bloody. Which was also the same night Maya mentioned anything about the money. They hadn't seen her since.
