❛ 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍' 𝐃𝐀 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐒. ❜

ll cool j | 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩.

- PRONOUNCED (EYE•MON•EE) | 2/2 OF THE PROTAGONIST'S TRIO | PORTRAYED BY JADA PINKETT SMITH | 23

❦

1999.

"𝗜'𝗠 𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡' 𝗬𝗢𝗨, 𝗠𝗔𝗡, 𝗜 𝗔𝗜𝗡'𝗧 𝗡𝗘𝗩𝗔' 𝗚𝗢𝗜𝗡' 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗔 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗣 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗔 𝗘𝗩𝗔' 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡. 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗜 𝗣𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗢𝗡 𝗠𝗬 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘." Imani exclaimed, shaking her head, as she sat back into her seat and crossed her arms across her chest, a mug finding its way onto her face while Genesis and Harlow laughed at her rants.

"i'on even know what you saw in him anyways, 'Mani. didn't TLC tell yo' ass not to fuck with scrubs earlier this year? you don't be listenin' when muh'fuckas' try to tell you shit, sis." Genesis chuckled, shaking her head, as she pulled up at the red light and Imani smacked her lips, 'secretly' mugging Genesis while Harlow laughed in agreement.

"i'm tellin' you, G. 'Mani, you gotta' do better, girl. even my taste in men ain't even that bad." Harlow chimed in from the passenger seat as Imani groaned and rolled her eyes while she sat up from her seat and scooted forward to get closer to her friends.

"stop talkin' shit about me like i ain't right here, yo. and Gigi, you shol' got a lotta' mouth for somebody who fuckin' a drug deala'." Imani retorted, raising a brow, as Harlow covered her mouth to stifle a laugh and Genesis laughed while she turned her head to look at the short woman.

"but is he a cheap nigga, 'Mani?" Genesis asked, raising a brow, as Imani cracked a small smile and let out a laugh while she shook her head 'no', "yeah, i ain't think so, you fuckin' scrub."

"i ain't no scrub!" Imani laughed as Genesis let out a soft chuckle and turned back around, watching the light turn green while she turned right.

"they say you are what you fuck, right? or, do they say you are what you attract? either way it goes... what that make you?" Harlow joked, looking at Imani in the backseat, as a smug and playful smirk crossed her lips and Imani's jaw slightly dropped and she bursted out laughing, causing the car to be filled with laughter from all three of the woman while Imani shook her head.

"you bitches are not funny, i swear." Imani chuckled, shaking her head, as she pushed her bob-cut braids out of her face and Harlow and Genesis chuckled at her.

"whateva' you say, scrub." Genesis chuckled, stopping at another red light, as she glanced to her right and realized she was near a police station, making her discreetly roll her eyes while she gently scrubbed her steering wheel.

the vehicle filled with comfortable silence as Genesis adjusted the baseball cap on her straight black hair, Harlow stared out the window, and Imani sat back in her seat while adjusting her baggy blue jeans. suddenly, Harlow's hand shot out and gripped Genesis's right forearm, making the brown-skinned woman's eyebrows furrow while she looked over at her.

"bitch, is that J. Reid?" Harlow asked, pointing towards a dark-skinned man conversing with what seemed like the chief of Cincinnati police and a DEA Agent, as Genesis and Imani both looked out the car windows and Genesis's eyes slightly narrowed to see if she could recognize the male having a conversation with law enforcement.

as the conversation progressed, Genesis stared intensely at the man as her eyes analyzed his facial features that she could see from her car and her jaw slightly clenched, realizing that it was J. Reid like Harlow thought it was.