August 25th 2014
Dallas, Texas
9:45pm
"So you just gone choose this bitch over me?" Amina yelled, her eyes were full of tears that cascaded down her face and made her vision blurry. She honestly couldn't tell what she was packing, she was just throwing clothes into the Victoria secret PINK duffle bag she'd gotten a few Christmases ago. Her adrenaline was rushing, so although she'd been fighting for hours, her body didn't feel it. "I'm your daughter! Your blood!" She vexed as her hand hit her chest, her father Darius,stood there with a backwood hanging out of his mouth.
"You got an attitude just like yo mama Mina—you gotta go, you should've never put yo hands on an adult." Darius spoke, with no remorse. Suddenly the adult in question—Angelique appeared behind Darius, she wrapped her arms around him as a smile appeared on her face. Angie reminded Amina a lot of Lela Rechon in waiting to exhale—only looks wise though, Lela was poise and gracious. Angie was an old ass weirdo.
Amina was only 17 years old, the closest heartbreak she could compare to this was her mother's passing when she was 11 years old. Her father was sending her out on the streets for a woman. Amina was a baby, still in high school—she didn't even have a driver's license, only a permit. To make matters worse, she had school in exactly 11 hours. Amina threw the last article clothing into the bag before zipping it up and throwing it over her shoulder.
"You're smart..you'll figure it out." Angie voiced, Amina shot her step mother a look that could kill. "Fuck you." Amina spoke, she no longer had an ounce of respect for Angie or her father. Darius was housing Angie's kids who weren't blood to him, but kicking out his only biological daughter.
"Fuck you too lil girl—hurry up and get yo ass out my shit." Darius fussed, pointing toward the front door of the one story house. "Do what ya daddy say." Angie butted in with a smirk on her face.
"Both of y'all stop fuckin talking to me, she a loser and you dope dealing weirdo." Amina vexed before heading out with nothing to her name but the duffel bag. She sat the bag in the backseat of her of her best friend's Chevy impala before hopping in the front seat. Victoria secret's love spell was pungent through the car, probably because it was her best friend's favorite body spray. Along with the smell of Outre's purple pack, since her best friend's hair was freshly done. She was sporting a quick weave with minimal leave out.
"You good girl?" Her best friend, Niecey questioned as she pulled off. Amina shrugged in response, not to be rude but she was numb and her mind was all over the place. I Luv this shit by August Alsina began to play from the aux cord connected to Niecey's phone before she pulled off.
Thankfully, Niecey's mom—Miss Tasha was allowing Amina to stay with them. After hearing what happened Tasha quickly opened her home up to Amina and assured her that if she needed anything, she'd be there. Miss Tasha was gone a lot of the time, at night mostly because she was an exotic dancer. She danced at Dallas Cabaret, a popular club in the city. Niecey was an only child, just like Amina, so once Tasha left it would only be them in the house. The girls would spend their time going out, getting into shit they had no business doing. Some nights they'd chill in the house, scrolling through tumblr while simultaneously enjoying each other's company.
Tasha never cooked, so she'd leave them cash and let them decide what they wanted. Amina could always tell when she had a good night at the club, because she would leave $300 and suggest they get fine dining instead of fast food.
Amina ended up staying with her best friend during the beginning of their senior year, she'd always been good at taking hints so overhearing Tasha ask her daughter "So when you think yo lil friend gone find her way out my shit?" Or Tasha asking Amina "So what's your plan?" Made her uncomfortable. Once Amina turned 18, It was no secret that Tasha wanted her out of her house.
The icing on the cake was when Tasha accused Amina of stealing her money, she'd strip all week and go to the bank to deposit it on Saturdays, right when Navy Federal opened. Tasha would always leave large amounts of rubber banned money around the house. Her routine was to manually count it and then put it through her money counting machine. Amina knew this was all apart of the plan to make her leave, Amina wasn't gonna stay anywhere she wasn't welcomed—so she left. Her friendship with Niecey also ceased, she couldn't fuck with anyone that had a mother like Tasha.
Amina packed her bags once again, this time with no clue on where she was going. Tasha called her all kinds of "bitches" "poor ass thieves" and "hoes" on her way out of their home.
Yet again, Amina was being dealt the short end of the stick. After a few weeks of practically being homeless, she ended up staying with her uncle for the last 5 months of her senior year. This was a major scene change for her, she went from staying in South Dallas to staying in Frisco. Her uncle Travis was her mother's brother. She always heard her father say him and her mother were from different walks of life, but now she could see it with her own eyes.
Travis stayed in a high rise since he was a bachelor, the space was always super clean and neat. In his kitchen you could find everything with a designated spot and all his spices were labeled. He listened to Jazz and enjoyed the finest of dining. He wore designer suits on his way to his law job, he drove a foreign vehicle that cost more than her father's monthly rent. When they rode in that vehicle, Travis would listen to Sade and D'Angelo like it just dropped.
This was everything opposite of the life she lived with her father, in a sense Amina felt like she'd started a whole new life—and she did. Although she was still that young girl from south oak Cliff at heart, mentally and physically that was far behind her.
★
August 7th 2022
Dallas, Texas
1:15pm
"Fuck!" Amina cursed as her gas light came on again, it was just bad timing. Like most people would say "I know my car." And she knew she didn't have long before she was stranded. She'd always convince herself that she'd get gas on the way home, but that was always a lie. She kissed her teeth as she pulled into the nearest gas station. It was a texaco and to make matters worse, she was in the hood. All kinds of crackheads and random men stood outside this gas station—she hated it.
Amina sat the strap to her Louis Vuitton crossbody bag over her body before hopping out her car, she made sure it was locked by pressing the lock button on her keys a few times. Instantly the men that were standing outside the convenient store began to swarm her, announcing their drug dealing specials and offering to pump her gas.
"I'm good." Amina sternly spoke, ducking eye contact. She wasn't scared—she was in the heart of it for the early stages of her life, but now that she had a choice, she chose not to deal with it. Shortly, she made it into the gas station and snagged a spot in the short line. She kept her head on a swivel as she stood in line, awaiting her turn.
"Can I get $100 on pump 5 please?" Amina spoke as she grabbed a crisp hundred dollar bill from her purse, this interaction made her not want to stop for the rest of the week so she decided to fill her tank up. The Arab man nodded his head as he grabbed the money Amina was handing him.
"I got it." A male voice spoke from behind her, Amina furrowed her eyebrows as she turned around. A man she'd never seen before stood there digging into leather his Fendi wallet. "No thank you." Amina immediately shot down the gesture, she didn't let people do things for her, especially people she didn't know.
"Cmon ma—keep your money, spend it on something else." He pushed, Amina quickly grilled him. She couldn't lie like he wasn't handsome. His deep and sorta raspy voice definitely matched him well. He stood at about 6'2, mahogany skin, dreads that had a nice amount of hang time to them—he was a carbon copy of the rapper Offset
"Thanks but no thanks, keep your money and spend it on—whatever." Amina replied before turning back around, it seemed as if he neverminded her and slid the money on the counter anyway.
"I don't have time for y'all to be playing big bank take lil bank—I got a line of people who already knows who's paying for their gas." The Arab man spoke in an annoyed manner, he punched a few keys on the register before handing Amina a receipt. Amina left the man's money on the counter and walked out the gas station.
She silently prayed he didn't come up to her while she pumped her gas, the interaction inside the gas station was honestly enough for her. Amina stuck the gas nozzle into her car, and continued to keep her head on a swivel. She noticed the man coming out of the gas station, he made eyes with her but didn't approach her. Instead he stood at the entrance, parlaying with the boys who ambushed her when she pulled up.
"Ew." Amina thought to herself, it was no way in hell he stood outside the gas station all day and thought he could ever have a chance with her. Amina was no fool, she knew how most men operated. They were only nice and did nice gestures if you were attractive to them, or they wanted to shoot their shot.
She rolled her eyes before returning the nozzle to the pump and hoping in her car, making sure to immediately lock her doors. She removed her crossbody purse from over her and sat it in her passenger seat before pulling off.
★
August 21st 2022
Miami, Florida
3:15pm
Amina was fresh off a first class flight, and ready to slip out of her airport attire. A skims outfit and a pair of yeezy foam runners that was. She removed her sunglasses from her face and sat them at the top of her fresh wig install as she scanned around the parking lot in search of a AMG GT 4Matic Coupe Benz. With no luck, she kissed her teeth and brought her phone up to her face. She couldn't believe this nigga had played in her face, as soon as she pressed the text thread she heard her named being called.
"Bring yo mad ass on!" Cain called out before a smile took over his face, that same smile appeared on Amina's as she rolled her luggage to the matte black Range Rover. "Let me get that." Cain spoke as he popped his trunk to put Amina's luggage in.
"I was finna cuss yo ass out." Amina truthfully spoke, it wasn't like he hadn't felt her wrath before—but that was another story for another time. "Ain't no need for that." Cain replied as he pulled Amina in by her snatched waist, he crashed his full lips into hers which shortly led to a full blown French kiss. Amina pulled away and eyed him with a smirk on her face, she brushed her thumb over his lips as she eyed him.
"I was looking for your coupe." She announced, still looking up at him. "Why would I bring that small ass car when I knew you was gone bring all this shit." Cain replied, playfully hitting Amina's TJ maxx shell luggage set, they both chuckled.
Cain stood at about 6 feet even, smooth butterscotch skin and tattoos all over his arms. She would closely compare his looks to the rapper key glock. She furrowed her eyebrows as she noticed something that definitely wasn't supposed to be there, a fresh hickey sat on his neck and she wasn't the one to put it there.
"I know damn well that ain't no hickey on yo neck Cain." Amina fussed, she kissed her teeth as she adjusted her weight to one leg. "It ain't." Cain shrugged as he put her last bag in the trunk. He attempted to close it, but both of them were in the way.
"Can I close the trunk so we can go? Traffic already a bitch." Cain mumbled, Amina contemplated knocking his ass clean out but didn't want to be in a cell over the weekend. "No, but you can take my shit out so I can go back home." Amina spoke as she reached for her luggage, but Cain stopped her.
"What the fuck you mean it ain't? I'm looking at it!" Amina yelled, drawing attention to them. But she didn't care. She figured he'd need a witness anyway if she got her hands on him.
"Can you just get in the fuckin car?" Cain sternly spoke, Amina eyed him as if he had 3 heads. "No—go see whatever bitch left that ugly ass shit on your neck." She fussed, Cain used his arm to hold her back as he pressed the button to make the trunk close.
"I don't need none of that shit anyway, I'll buy all new shit." Amina spoke, she turned on her heel and began to walk away but Cain grabbed her arm. "Why the fuck you gotta be so difficult?" He asked, never raising his voice. She couldn't recall hearing him yell—ever.
"Why the fuck you gotta be so lame." Amina combated, she felt complete disgust looking at him. "And who put it there? Cause it damn sure wasn't me." She added, she couldn't help but to look at the red mark on his neck.
"Get in the car and I'll tell you." Cain reasoned, Amina let out a sigh while she adjusted her purse on her shoulder before grabbing her phone and going to her American Airlines app. Suddenly, Cain snatched her phone from her hand and quickly hopped in the driver's seat.
"Give me my phone!" Amina semi shouted as she hit his driver's side door with her hand, "Get in the car." Cain spoke again, Amina watched as he rolled the window up. Leaving her to stare back at her reflection in the 5% tint on the window.
Although she didn't need the clothes, she definitely needed the phone. Her whole life was practically on that phone, and she couldn't go more than a few hours without it—especially while away from home. She hopped on the passenger side and sat her purse on her lap, never on the floor—one of the many things her uncle taught her. It wasn't long before Cain pulled off.
One thing about Amina, is when something was on her chest, she was bound to get it off. She didn't do well with static or elephants in the room. "So what bitch put it on your neck?" She questioned, placing her eyes on him.
"I don't know what you want from me, you want me to say the bitch name or something?" Cain fussed.
"No no no, fuck who put it on your neck—when did she put it on your neck? cause it looks fresh" Amina questioned.
"You pressing me like we together Mina, we both know we ain't and we both know why." Cain replied, Amina nodded her head as she chuckled. Those words suddenly made something come over her, if that's how he wanted to play—she was gonna play, but little did he know, she played better.
★
August 21st 2022
Miami, Florida
10:30pm
Amina used her T3 curling iron to finish off her last curl, she waited about 15 seconds before releasing the piece of hair from the iron. Her bombshell curls were now complete, the last step was for her to gently comb the curls out with a wide tooth comb, giving her her desired looked.
Amina eyed herself in the mirror, knowing she looked damn good. The ceiling window let in a good amount of moonlight into the bathroom, which reflected off of her gorgeous mahogany skin. Her gold nose piercing was a statement for her, she felt gold jewelry complimented her skin best, which is why she always wore it.
"You ready?" Cain asked as he appeared in the doorframe, Amina didn't reply. She only looked up and unplugged her curling iron, she dug through her purse until she found her perfume—Marc Jacob's perfect. Travis taught her to spray on her clothes before she put them on, and then on her hotspots. Neck, inner wrists, behind her knees, and she later learned about spraying her ankles.
"I know you hear me." Cain spoke, as he snuck behind her and wrapped his arms around her body. His hands traveled from her hips all the way up to her breasts, shortly his left hand gripped around her neck. Although she wasn't too fond of him at the moment, this definitely had her feeling some type of way.
"Ion like it when you mad at me." He whispered into her ear, sending chills down her spine. "Stop doing stupid shit then." Amina snapped as she turned toward him, immediately leaving her sensual daze.
"Stop doing stupid shit then." Cain mocked her, Amina kissed her teeth but she couldn't help but to laugh. It was something about Cain mocking her that would always instantly make her laugh. Amina met Cain about 2 years ago, he's celebrity barber—so they kinda ran in the same work circles. When Cain lived in Dallas, he was crowned as one of the best barbers in the city. He moved to Miami a couple months ago to expand his clientele, with plans to take his talents to every state. "Here." He said handing her her phone.
He offered it back hours ago, but Amina being as stubborn as she was—she didn't take it then, but now she was definitely missing it. "Come on girl." Cain spoke before grabbing a handful of Amina's ass.
"Where we going?" Amina questioned as she added a coat of lipgloss on her lips, "You can't just let shit flow?" Cain rebutted. He grabbed his keys and they hopped inside his coupe. Of course Cain let the top down, usually he drove fast but not when he had Amina in the car. He drove a good enough speed to allow her hair to blow in the wind.
Shortly, they made it to their destination. From the looks of it, tonight's festivity was dinner along the water front. Amina often felt super drawn to water, she was a water sign—a Scorpio to be exact. The restaurant was called "Awa" and it was Asian, which surprised Amina, because Cain's palette wasn't as diverse. The duo sat at their reserved table and started out with drinks while they scanned the menu. Amina went with a glass of water and a lemon drop—she figured it was hard to mess up such an easy drink.
Amina looked up from the menu and caught a glimpse of Cain, even though he wasn't shit—he sure was handsome. His hair was a bit grown out, which made him look older, in a good way of course.
"You wolfing?" Amina questioned before taking a sip of her drink, she grew slightly irritated that she forgot to ask them not to add a sugar rim. "Not on purpose—doing everybody else shit got me neglecting me, you know how that is." He replied with a slight chuckle.
"I like it...it looks good on you." She smiled at him, Cain smiled as well as he slightly nodded his head, "I preciate it."
"My mama asked me about you." He announced before sipping his drink, "Aw, what she say?" Amina questioned. Miss June was always a pleasure to be around, Amina loved how she didn't automatically take Cain's side because he was her son, she knew a lot of boy moms were like that.
"She told me she miss seeing you around and you're always invited to the house." Cain answered, Amina raised her eyebrow, "Did you tell her exactly why I'm not around?" She asked, Cain was saved by the bell. The waiter came right before he could reply to take their orders. And by the time he left, Amina wanted to drop it.
"You remember our deal?" Cain questioned, Amina smirked. "How could I forget?" She replied.
"I'm just trynna see if you holding up your end." He smirked back, "I can't tell what the future holds." Amina shrugged. One drunken night led them to this deal, if both of them were single in 5 years they would x everybody else out and get married.
"I can—you and me married, a few kids, a nice ass house and we both have shops open." Cain replied, without a smirk or smile as if this was something he thought about often. As nice as that fairytale sounded, she knew niggas were good for selling dreams. Amina slightly shrugged again before downing the last of her drink, "We'll see." She replied.