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Chapter Six:
SNAKE CHARMER
"I can't wait to run it back. She can't wait to throw that neck. I can't wait until you tell me I'm the best and have you stressed. I can't wait to take you shopping, get you popping, have you fresh."
KATYA ROSALYN TOKEN : "🐱"
(kuh•tee•yuh)
"Mama talking about naming the baby after Daddy ... who knows if he gonna fuck a bitch by then?"
"He is, I know my daddy. He gonna be kicked out by next week, that's why I wasn't taking y'all asses serious when y'all was sitting in the car with him tryna play family." I answered Kiyomi.
"Girl I'm not saying no to free ice cream. What I look like?"
"Bitch grow up" I frowned playfully, pulling into Sidney's driveway like Kiki and I lived here.
Know he sick of seeing my face but oh well! A bitch gotta smoke!
"Ain't that yo' nigga car?" She pointed in the direction of the Charger, making me slap her hand down. "Bitch?"
"Why you pointing? And stop saying that, that's not my nigga." Following her out of the car, I stayed back a few feet as she knocked on the door. "Hurry up, I gotta work on a routine with Mell."
"Girl I—" The opening of the door cut her off, revealing Sidney. "Hey, babyyyy" The two hugged each other as soon as the door opened, making me suck my teeth.
I heard a car door shut from behind us which made me look back quickly. I watched the familiar girl hop out of the Charger, switching over.
Almost fell to my knees.
"Hey girl" She greeted me, smiling.
"...... Hey" I replied lowly, trying to match her happy persona.
"Sidneyyy, this the girl you was telling me about?!" She exclaimed once she saw Kiki, making me and her lock eyes immediately.
Walking inside, I left the three of them at the front door — plopping down on the couch once I walked into the living room. I grabbed the large zip-lock bag that was full of blunts from the table in front of me and grabbed a bunch, trying to find a lighter that someone left lying around.
I stood up from the couch, about to walk into the kitchen when I heard the familiar voice talking.
"I'm just telling you, he said he won't goin' for it. He a grown ass man he do what he want."
Stepping in, I spotted a lighter a few seconds before I spotted Von leaned against the counter on the phone. I grabbed it up, doing my best not to look his way as I left right back out.
"I'on get what'chu pissed fa'. You soundin' like a bitter ass nigga. That's what you is?"
I took a seat on the couch again, picking the blunt I wanted to smoke the most. I put my attention on the TV in front of me, sucking my teeth lowly at the music video playing.
My phone started ringing with a call from my daddy, stopping me from lighting the blunt. "Hello?"
"Babygirl, y'all sister coming sooner than we thought!" He exclaimed, a whole bunch of beeping and what sounded like my mama screaming in the background meanwhile.
"She in labor?" I asked, standing up. I put the lighter down but kept the blunts I took. "Now? It's kinda early isn't it?"
"Only two weeks! Me and yo' mama was outside inna garden and her shit broke! We here now, I gotta call your sister and tell her."
"She with me" I answered and made my way to the door. "Ma having the baby" I nudged her shoulder.
"You'n look happy, you mad she gon' get all the attention or sumn?" —Sid tried kidding with me, getting ignored. "Damn, my fault?"
—
"Where Daddy at?" Kiyomi questioned our mama, eyes stuck on our sister.
"Left to go to the house and get some more stuff we gon' need over night."
"How long ago?" I looked up from my phone, watching her frown as she tried remembering.
"A hour ago or so, he left not too long before y'all came."
Me and Kiyomi locked eyes, a deep ass sigh threatening to leave my lips as I looked back over at my mama. "Taking him a long time ain't it, ma?"
I wanted to be happy, I have a baby sister and I can actually do stuff with her. But I knew how my daddy and mama was with us. Just the thought of her having to deal with the way mama sulked around after she caught daddy being a dog and kicked him out.
And it was a frequent thing, it never stops.
Ever.
I'll be twenty soon and the longest my daddy has went without cheating on my mama is only two years. Lord knows how long he was cheating before he got caught.
She waved me off, chuckling. "You know yo' daddy slow as molasses."
Humming in response, I stood up. "I'm finna go outside and call Porsha real quick. I know her and Mell wondering why I ain't show up." I lied, leaving out of the hospital room and pulling my phone out once I was out of there sight.
I took a seat in the nearby chair that was in the hallway, dialing my daddy's phone. "Hello?" He answered, just as I was opening the Ring camera up to their house.
"Hey, daddy. Where you at? Ma told us you left a long time ago, we just making sure you okay."
"I'm fine, I'm at the house right now."
Running my tongue over the front row of my teeth, I kept a blank face. "Daddy"
"Huh? What's wrong babygirl?"
"I'm looking at the Ring camera right now and nobody in the driveway. It's literally empty. Where are you?"
"I just left, I'ma stop by Walmart." He answered, some feminine sounding whispering sounding real close to the speaker.
I sighed, wearing my irritation on my face like he could see me. "You doing this now?"
"Kitty, girl what the hell is you—
My mama may be dumb as fuck but me? Definitely not. I knew my daddy like the back of my hand.
Hanging up on him, I got up — the chiming of my phone making me pause in my tracks and read the digits of the familiar number.
— Gon name my sister-in-law
after me?
— Von stop playing on my phone.
He put the laughing reaction to my message, making me suck my teeth and cut my phone back off. I went back into the room, going back to my original seat.
"Girl she over here mugging the fuck outta me. We got a problem or sumn? You think you better than me just cause you ain't got responsibilities?" Kiyomi joked with the baby, mugging her playfully.
"Ma"
"Hm?" My mama looked away from the Law and Order episode playing on the TV, smiling at me.
"You wanna stay with me for a little while? So I can help you with the baby during the day?"
"Girl this ain't my first rodeo, I'll be fine." She said dismissively, chuckling.
"Just during weekdays or a few days a week, I wanna help you out."
"Maybe, I gotta talk to your daddy about it first. You know how he is."
"Mhm" I nodded, looking back over at the baby and Kiyomi.
———
"You know this bitch selling pussy now?" Lesley asked me, snapping me out of my daydream with the random vulgar statement. She grabbed the blunt we were rotating from me, putting it to her own lips.
"Who?" I furrowed my eyebrows, following the direction her long curved acrylics pointed to.
Charmell shrugged, still trying to get the routine down pact so that she could show me. "Been doing it, y'all just ain't know."
"That's how you bagged Darius dumbass ain't it? Paying for pussy when you got a bitch at home, I'm starting to think that nigga death was his karma."
"What'chu doing that for?" I asked Mell, genuinely confused. "We make a good ass amount here."
"The nigga that's pimping kinda lit, it's giving dream nigga."
As soon as that left her lips, I got up from my comfy seat on the floor of the stage — shaking my head, not even needing to hear anymore context. "Bitch you out of your mind."
"What? Me and this nigga like each other and I'm his favorite so—"
"Don't tell us nothing else unless it's serious bro, cause we gon tell you some shit that's good for you to hear and you ain't gon' listen." Lesley told her, making her shrug her shoulders.
"Whatever" Charmell chuckled, watching me approach the pole. "What? You ready?"
"Mm... I guess"
Mumbling along to the Future song, I started. I almost got halfway through the dance before I heard Porsha's voice calling my name as she waited for me to get down safely. "You was supposed to go down into a split, are you late on the split or do you just not know the routine?"
"I thought this was a strip club, not Abby Lee Dance Company." I frowned. "My fault"
"It's a business establishment, but if you wanna shake your ass for four minutes instead of actually doing something of substance then be my guest."
"Porsha I like you but girl, I saw one of the security guards paying a bitch for pussy in the Blue Room last week. Let's not talk like this the most lavish club inna city." Lesley mugged her, getting a chuckle from me.
"That baby got you stressed out, don't it?" I asked her, watching her keep her permanent annoyed face. "It's fine I get it, I know somebody who had a baby by a cheating ass nigga too. You will prevail, my black sister!" I saluted her jokingly, hearing her kiss her teeth as she went off to her office.
"She not feeling the empowerment, can't tell black folks shit!" Lesley exclaimed, getting up from the table with my phone in her hand. "Phone ringing"
"Hello?" I huffed, sitting down on the stage, hearing Took Her to the O playing in the background obnoxiously—definitely giving everything away.
Here he go y'all.
"I thought I told you to quit playing on my phone."
"This our phone, you tweakin."
"Oh you must be gone off bars or something." I mugged like he could see me. "What do you want?"
"What y'all name ha?"
"They still deciding, what do you want?" I repeated, leaning back on the palm of my free hand. "I'm working"
"At 6 inna evening?"
"Our boss is making us do routines, not that it's yo' business or something."
"What? She tryna entertain that dead nigga spirit or sumn?"
I turned the volume down on my phone a little. "That's mean"
"You mad?"
"Mad at what?"
"...." He kissed his teeth, "Saw yo' face when you came inna kitchen."
"I'on know what you're talking about." I lied with a shrug. "Wrong bitch, maybe?"
"Why you tryna play me for a goofy?" He questioned me, with some movement in the background. "I'm not fuckin' ha."
"Okay? I didn't ask... what that gotta do with me?"
"Just don't want you bringing up a bitch I'on want when I pull up on you."
"Pull up on who?"
"Yo' ass" He retorted.
"For you to not want her y'all sure do be giving me Bonnie and Clyde. Whitney and Bobby too."
"You tweakin. Shit strictly drill shit with ha."
"Drill shit?" I chuckled lightly, the smirk on my face wiping away once I saw Lesley and Charmell watching me and giggling between each other like a bunch of school girls.
I cannot stand them.
"Drill shit," He repeated. "You'n even gotta worry 'bout that."
"I don't?"
"Hell nah, I'm tryna drill you. Not drill wit'chu."
———
"How old you is?" The man questioned as we sat next to each other in the club, staring right into my red eyes like I was crazy.
"I'm 20, I'll be 21 in a few months." I answered, looking him over. "How 'bout you?"
"You a yungin', I'm 28."
"28?" I repeated, going a little wide eyed. "Sheesh"
"But aye," He called, making my eyebrows raise. "Know yo' homegirl over there? Wit' the red hair??" He pointed out Mell from across the club as she conversed with Lesley at the bar. "Tell her to come here and give her one of these, you can keep the other one or whateva."
Taking the two bands from him, I held back my eye-roll and got up. I grabbed my half of the money as I walked over, "Mell!"
"Yeah?"
"Nigga in the white told me to send you over there and give you this."
"Thanks, Kitty" She took the leftover band, leaving over quick as hell.
"She selling the fuck outta her pussy. Wow." Lesley shook her head as we watched her switch over there. "I never thought I would see the day."
"Girl you sooooo..." I trailed off once she nudged me, waiting for me to follow her line of sight. I kissed my teeth at the sight of Sidney and Von walking in, turning my back to the crowd before they spotted me out.
"He do not give up, like that's crazy to me."
"He was talking about fucking me on the phone earlier. I was like woah."
"Kitty!" Hearing Sidney yell my name loudly over the music playing in the club, I finally turned around. "Whea' the bitches at?!" He threw his arms up.
I got a good look at the group of niggas with the two, frowning.
"It's too many of y'all walking up at once, I'm scared." Lesley took the words out of my mouth. "Y'all got a section?"
"Mhm" One of the dudes answered, looking us over. "Y'all dancing?"
"No, we just dress like this for fun." I answered.
It didn't take long for the group to spread out, some going to watch the dancers on the main stage, while others went to the section with Sidney or did their own thing.
Von wasted no time taking a seat beside me once everybody started separating, looking over at me. "Told you I was pulling up."
"I believed you"
"Where that shit at?"
"What?" I asked, practically staring a hole in his face.
God really took his time with him like that's soooo crazy.
"Lil room y'all be in." He told me, kissing his teeth once I stayed quiet. "Why you acting like you'n know?"
"Bitch, he want you to take him to the blue room" Lesley told me, shaking her head. "Girl your head full of weed and Skittles."
"Ohh, I'on got time for that no ways. I'm off in a few." I shrugged, spinning around in the stool so that I was facing the bartender. "Hey Lexxx"
"Hey boo," She smiled before putting her attention on Lesley. "Is Charmell doing what I think she doing?"
"Girl, what you think she doing?"
"I think she sel—
"What'chu mean? You'n got time fa' me?" Von took my attention off the two's gossiping. "C'mon 'fore some bitches see me or sumn. Getting to sneaking pics."
"That's why you came in here masked up like you running from the cops? Nobody can hardly see in these blue ass lights anyway."
"Weirdo hoes gon' find a way." Getting off the stool, and leading the way he waited for me to catch up. I watched him dap up Roscoe, telling him something in his ear before he nodded.
"When I get in the blue room it's gon' be some bitches in there ready to jump me. Isn't it?" I asked Von, cutting my eyes at Roscoe as I walked past him. "I can't even let my high wear off before I get my ass beat?"
"Yea', them bitches innere ten-deep, yo' ass better find a corner and windmill."
"I'm not dancing for you by the way, it's gonna be weird."
"Ain't ask you fa' a dance."
"I'm just saying" I shrugged, practically collapsing on the couch once we reached the blue room.
"Why everytime I see you, you high?" He took a seat beside me, the two of us sitting thigh to thigh. "I know niggas that smoke more than you that don't be high as much as yo' ass. I'm tahm'bout the biggest smokers eva."
"If they ain't high as much as me, they ain't the biggest smokers. Are they?" I retorted, looking him over. "It's giving I'm the biggest pothead you know."
"Why you smoke like that?"
"I feel like you judging me, you should be the last person judging me. I used to vape but I stopped and smoked weed instead. It's still not that good but it's better."
"Ain't answer my question"
"I be stressed" I told him while moving my hair out of my face. "That's really all it is to it."
"How much you smoked today?"
"Uhmmm..." I dragged out, blowing out a long exhale as I tried to think of an accurate answer. "I had a blunt when you called me and I had one before I went on stage."
"On stage? I missed the shit?"
"Yeah, you gotta do better. Any other nigga wouldn't have missed it. Where's the pressure at?"
He kissed his teeth, chuckling after. "Whea' you going when you leave hea?"
hey , bye
— mya🫧