Bloom

19 | cutting ties

"It's a pretty girl curse, really." Lira shrugs in an attempt to seem indifferent, but I see through it. "Y'all know how niggas are."

She's being sly. She wants me to ask when she spoke to June for him to 'mention' anything to her. She set this up for me to walk right on in it. She thinks that she's got me and guess what?

She does.

"And when the fuck did you talk to June?" I throw my head back with a smile. "Because he didn't mention you at all."

"Not too long ago actually. Back at my luxury apartment complex. Oh, and in DMs." Lira bites her lip, bouncing her leg again. "But I mean, hey! No need for him to mention anything unserious, I guess."

My mind is going a mile a minute, no longer computing any further conversation. June was in Lira's apartment? Talking to her in the DM? He played in my face and in my pussy for weeks when he really liked my friend?

No, this weird bitch is not my friend.

"So that's why you been so weird lately?" I connect the dots. "Because you like my ma — June?"

She's been analyzing me, trying to see what he likes. Physically comparing us because knowing Lira, she probably thinks she's the prettier choice. The better choice.

"You desperate ass bitch, just when I be tryna give you a chance you go and do something mean-spirited." Nadi scoffs. "You not gone be satisfied til somebody slap the shit out you."

"Hold up, y'all mad at me for interacting with a single man?"

Cree sucks her teeth, leaning up to glare at Lira. "Man, you know that shit...strange to do to yo' dawg. You movin' real funny."

"You've always been a jealous ass bitch, but I didn't know that it was this bad." I shake my head, laughing bitterly as a wave of disgust hits me.

If June was at her spot, I can only imagine what happened. The usual flashbacks of the intimate moments that we've shared flood my mind, but every single positive is replaced by shame. I feel dirty, used, and quite frankly...sad.

Hold it in! You can cry later, Giselle.

"I should've realized how pathetic and insecure you were when you couldn't flourish at Pink Whiskey with other beautiful women. One day Lira, your ugliness will show on the outside too, and you'll be on suicide watch, you lame ass hoe."

"And to be honest, I might pray for that day to come soon." Nadi shrugs, pursing her lips.

"Girl, whatever. I'm leaving. Y'all sucking Giselle's asshole too much for me."

It's not possible for the conversation to return to any form of normal because I'm in my head and I cannot escape. I squeeze the back of my neck and sigh, shutting my eyes in a long blink.

He fucked her.

She fucked him.

I look stupid. I am stupid.

"G, you straight?" Cree's voice cuts through the echo chamber of sickening thoughts bouncing through my mind. "Look man, i'on know what the fuck wrong with Lira ass."

Lourdes slides off her lap and takes the empty seat next to her girlfriend, shooting a closed-mouth sympathetic smile my way.

"I...I gotta go. I'ma call y'all later on. 'Preciate y'all backing me up." I grab my purse and head out the door, letting out a shaky breath.

**********

Saturday, November 26 | 2:37 a.m.
Crystal Lake Condominiums