𝙸𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚒 𝙱𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕y
𝙾𝚛𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘, 𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚊
➪𝙾𝙼𝙽𝙸𝚂𝙲𝙸𝙴𝙽𝚃
𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙞 ➪ (𝙞-𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮)
"We're closed" Imani says as she hears the doors close from the entrance of the C.R. Chicks. "Girl now why is you lying?" She knew the voice sounded familiar but she couldn't put a face to it.
She looked up and instantly ran from behind the counter. "Bestieeee!" Imani dragged and jumped on poppa, her long term best friend, She made sure to wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck for support.
"Girl get off me, thank ya." poopa said as he pulled her off him. "What are you doing here?" Imani asked, she hasn't seen poppa in a long time. When they were little, they grew up in the same schools, despite the fact that Imani moved away, poppa didn't have any friends beside her so he made it his duty to drive any distance so they could go to the same school.
He had separation anxiety. He grew up around her and they were practically siblings, she helped him with all the struggles he went through as a young black, gay male. And he helped her with her struggles as a skinny, young, black female.
"I told you I was gone come and pick you up every time yo momma can't pick you up. People that work ubers be weirdos." He scrunched his face up in disgust.
"Oh well, i'm covering for Sophie, My co-worker. She should be back in a few, she was supposed to be here like 5 minutes ago." Imani said, she was very proper even though none of her family were easy with words like her.
"Why you 'gotta be so nice? you know if it was the other way around she wouldn't do that." poppa hated how Imani always let other people get over on her. Especially white people.
"Ok but it's not the other way around." Imani rolled her eyes, clearly irritated by Poppa already.
"And why would you say you'll cover for her until she get back when all you doing is telling people y'all closed? it's not giving.."
"Who the one working? me or you?"
"Apparently neither of us."
"Ok Poppa." She gave him a tight lipped smile and tried to distract her self by cleaning off the counters but Sophie soon came in.
"Oh my gosh, i'm so sorry about that. My mom kept telling me to do things. I swear I hate her." Sophie grumbled. Poppa scrunched his face up and stared at her.
"Oh no it-" Imani started but was interrupted by Sophie. "And thanks for covering for me until I got back, I just realized I never said thanks."
"Not her silencing black voices." Poppa said under his breath and looked at Imani. He decided to not make a big deal out of the minor situation because Imani just got this job, but he knew Sophie would be a problem.
"It's really no big deal. I'll see you at work tomorrow." Imani smiled at her while her and Poppa made their way towards the door.
"I owe you one pal." Sophie shouted over the counter. "Never did she call you Pal." Poppa said as they walked towards his car.
"Why must you always have something negative to say, my love?" Imani asked while getting in the passenger seat.
"Best i'm just telling you the truth." He gave her a side look before backing out of the parking lot.
"You still talking to that boy you was telling me about?" She smiled at him.
"I low key fell back from him. We was going to the talking stage but I feel like he dl. I'm tew grown to be with a negro who not out yet."
Imani nodded and looked out the window.
"I still can't believe you actually moved down here. And you still ain't go no where yet, I feel like i'm not doing my job right as your boyfriend, best friend, and bother." Poppa frowned.
At a young age, Imani would always hear her mother calling her friends 'bae' on the phone. She soon picked up the habit.
"Bae I only lived 2 hours away. And I will go places once i'm settled down. it's been a month."
Imani and her mother had actually moved down here because her mother was struggling with the high rent back in Tampa. Orlando wasn't no cheaper but her family was down here, so her mother had help with the bills if she ever needed extra money.
Yes, Imani could've helped, But her mother was too stubborn to accept 'her daughters money because she didn't ask to come into this world. It's the mothers duty to take care of the daughter not the other way around'
Imani's father was in and out of jail. He was no help. The last time she saw her father was two months before he went to jail. The last she remembered was her father and her brother getting into a fight. Javari, her brother, put ideas in her head about her father. She couldn't help but think the things he was telling her was true.
Her father was a coke user, an abuser, an alcoholic, a user, and most importantly, a disappearing act, especially when she needed him the most.
Javari, also could've helped with the bills. But their mother ain't want no 'thug money.' Javari joined the game to help his mother with the bills but, she refused to take the money & refused to have a victim of society living with her.
She kicked him out and instantly regretted it. He ain't talk to her since, and Imani ain't seen him since.
It's been 3 years.
Imani remembered the last thing he told her. He told her he was sorry and that the hustle was speaking to him. He said he was hungry and he wanted to take care of his little sister and his mother. He said what the game spoke was real.
Keyvon, was his name. He was the biggest dope dealer in Tampa, Florida. He ran the streets. He preyed on little boys and manipulated them to work for him.
Javari was a brother and a best friend to Imani. They told each other everything. When he told her the 'hustle' was speaking to him she didn't think he was for real. She more so blames herself for his disappearance.
He told her what Keyvon was telling him. She told Javari to keep his head up and ignore him.
You can tell someone to do something but, no matter how much you motivate them if there heart isn't willing to do better for themselves then there's nothing you can do.
Javari was at the park with his friends when Keyvon had approached him and tried to gaslight him. Keyvon had ears all over the streets, he knew who was struggling and who wasn't.
'What kind of man sits by and let his mother be worked to the bone? slaving at a nine to five. A real man carries his own weight or at least pushes it.'
'That's what I do, I turn D boys into made men. Give them bricks so they can build something of themselves.'
'You could be running this whole block by now.'
'You're young, you're black, you're male, don't you know all you gone ever have is the hustle?'
'Yo father was a user and your auntie was too. You got hustle in yo genes nigga.'
Javari soon decided he'd had enough and decided to walk away from Keyvon and go back towards his friends.
Keyvon followed close behind.
'What you gon ignore me even though you hungry boy? Knowing that light bill due and that water bill too. Ain't you tired of being bullied? don't you want a new pair of shoes?'
'Don't you know you can't ignore me nigga? i'm bigger than God.'
Keyvon stopped following him and turned around to walk away with a smirk on his face, satisfied knowing he'd gotten to Javari.
It was true, Javari did become a victim. But it wasn't his fault.
Imani pulled out her phone and Facetimed her cousin, Kyia. She'd let her borrow flat irons a week ago and Imani was always busy so she couldn't get em back.
"Heyy babes." she cheesed in the camera.
"Hey love, where you at?"
"I'm at my homeboys house. I brung the flat irons, you can come pick it up whenever."
Kyia has always been the type to hang around boys. Not because she wanna be the center of attention or anything, it's just cause she was a tomboy. She grew out of being one but she still acted like a boy sometimes. Therefore, boys treated her like she was the 'homie'.
"Okay, Send me the address."
"That's poppa ass?" she asked looking all in the camera.
"mhm" Imani nodded.
"Hoe you still ain't buy me more ice cream since you took yo stank ass in my house and ate my shit."
"Baby who stank?" poppa asked her taking the phone from Imani.
"Cause one thing about it, this punani fresh! and ya mans said I taste like candy, i'm sweet like fruit, and wet like water!" He added rolling his eyes.
"Well shit was he talking bout a mango? cause he hate mangos." She stuck her tongue out and poppa hung up in her face.
"Hate that hoe." Poppa said as Imani laughed. Kyia soon sent the address and Poppa drove her there. "I hope it ain't a lot of niggas in there." Imani sighed.
"Shit, I do. Let me know if you see niggas who look dl. Might just give them the cat to see if they'll come running back." poppa poked his lips out twerking a little in his seat.
Imani scrunched her face up confused by Poppa. "Best you just said youn want to fuck with a nigga who dl."
"I know but you know the dl niggas be fine. And if he dl when we first start talking that's cool, but after a while he gon need to come out."
"Bae, you can't keep messing with dl niggas. Know yo worth. You worth 50 cent babes not 10. Don't let these niggas play you." Imani said quickly getting out the car so Poppa wouldn't say nothing.
She went up to the door and knocked on it. After about a few seconds the door opened and Imani was face to face with a tall brown skin. He cheesed and his braces started showing.
"You Kyia cousin?" He asked.
"Yes."
He opened the door wider and she took that as her que to walk in. Once she stepped in she saw sitting on the couch was three males, a girl, and Kyia.
"Hey babes." Kyia said walking up to her and cheesing.
"Hi." Imani said.
Imani has a habit of going mute when she's around a lot of people she doesn't know.
"Im going to run up stairs and get the flat iron out my bag. But that's Lucky." She said pointing to the dude who opened the door for her.
"fats." She pointed to a light skin dude with lots of tattoos. He looked at me and nodded then placed the blunt he had to another dude.
"Milky." She pointed to the dude fats passed his blunt to. Milky was a light skin with diamond grills.
He was cute.
"And kimora" Kyia lastly pointed to a thick brown skin girl. Imani's was shocked when she looked at kimora. She was the beautifulest person she'd ever seen.
oh to be her..
"Everybody this is Imani."
"Hi." She smiled and waved at them.
"Hey" kimora smiled brightly.
"Wassup." The boys all said and nodded.
"You're so pretty." kimora complemented me.
"Oh my gosh thank you. You're very pretty." Imani smiled.
"Thank you, it's cool if I call you mani?"
"Yea it's cool." I nodded Kyia finally ran up stairs to get the flat irons.
"You the one who moved down here that Kyia was telling us about?" fats said.
She nodded.
"Youn gotta be shy round us." Milky said while hitting the blunt he had.
"My bad."
"Where you from?" The Lucky dude asked smiling, his deep dimples showing.
"Tampa, Florida."
"Oh that's wassup." fats nodded.
"You should hang out with us sometime." Kimora smiled.
"Umm, I'm not sure. I got a lot of unpacking to do."
"'Umm, i'm not sure.' Yo ass sound like a white girl." Lucky said laughing.
"No, Im just proper." Imani said scrunching my face up at him.
"Whew girl here go the flat irons. I had forgot where I put my bag." Kyia handed her the flat iron.
"It's cool." Imani hugged her and said her good byes to everybody then headed out the house.
As soon as she stepped on the porch she speed walked to poppa's car and got in the passenger seat.
"Girl tell me why all the niggas she introduced me to fine and it's this one really pretty girl and my draws almost got wet for her." She told him as he drove off.
Poppa looked at her and busted out laughing.
"Well damn let me find out the cookie yo favorite treat." Poppa side eyed me with a smirk.
"Anyways.. I don't think none of em down low. Probably that dude lucky, he seem off."
"How he look?"
"He got dreads-"
"Oh yea, I got to hop on that."
"Girl I ain't even finish my sentence."
"If he got dreads then he fine baby."
"I guess." Imani said sitting back in the chair and sighing.
"Bae are you gay? like all jokes aside."
"No, why would I be gay?"
"I meannn.." He dragged.
"No im not gay hoe, I like dick."
"You sure bae?"
"Girl."
"You know what, you just ain't find the right nigga to jump on yet. I got a couple people I can hook you up with."
"Girl I don't want no dl nigga that's gon try to fuck on you when i'm not around." She said rolling her eyes and looking out the window.
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