HARLYM AND BRIELLE hopped out her car as they stopped in front of a liquor store. "I haven't been this deep inna trenches in a while."
"I don't everrrrr wanna be this deep in the trenches! ever." She scrunched up her face.
"You just. . .ion know what be up wit' you to be honest." Bri chuckled as she adjusted the white Jersey scoop neck bralette. "Where he at?"
Harlym looked around the busy block, ignoring all the stares she was getting from the guys lined up behind her or walking past, she was used to it every time she came down here with Key'Mir. "Ion know." She sighed placing a hand over her eyes. "I thought he woulda been here, he always here."
She walked toward the door of the liquor store and right before she could walk in, Quincy and Boonie walked out. They both looked at Harlym but Quincy was the one to speak, "Whatchu doin' down hea, where's Key? He's here?" He looked around.
Harlym glanced at Boonie, then back at Quincy, "I wanted to talk." She crossed her arms, "Without Brandon round, he violent."
Boonie smacked his lips, "Fuck you too then." He started walking away, toward his navy blue '64 Chevy Impala, Brielle was standing near the hood, admiring it.
"This you?" She asked as Boonie walked over, she watched as he tossed the black plastic bag into the back seat, answering her question.
"Yeah, this all me." He looked at her, smiling when he finally saw who was standing in front of her. Admiring the black brazilian deep wavy lace front that complimented her skin perfectly. "Uh. . ."
Boonie glanced at Harlym and Quincy who was in a heated argument before looking back at Brielle, "Wanna go on a ride? They going through sum."
Brielle shrugged before hopping into the car, "Of course." She smiled at him as she set down in the seat before jumping slightly, "Shit!" The hot seat from the sun has stung her legs from the shorts she was wearing, "Stupid sun."
"Whatchu mean you don't want me to abort the child?" Harlym looked at Quincy who just shrugged, "Quincy stop fuckin' playing wit' me mane, i'm so deadass."
"I ain't playing," He laughed, placing his blunt in his mouth and lighting it slowly. "You wasn't this mad when we fucking almost everyday what's the problem now?" He licked his lips as he blew the smoke in her direction, Harlym didn't even move.
Harlym bit her lip a few times, "Cause the person I love is not talking to me, Q. please don't do this to me." She rubbed her lips together.
"Do what?" He sighed, "Harlee stop with this victim shit, you had a role with getting pregnant too."
"And you had a role into getting me burnt," She crossed her arms. "Who else was you having sex with while with me? 'Cause I know ian dirty."
Quincy ran a hand over his face, "Say mane get fuck on wit' allat." He started walking away, before he had gotten back to the hotel room with Harlym he had gotten head from a random fan just an hour before—completely unaware of the disease the girl was carrying. He had just found out he was infected himself just two days ago.
"Nah, because you swore up and down you was tryna fuck wit' me after the tour and you go and let someone fuck on you and burn me?" She furrowed her eyebrows, "You grimy as hell, Q."
He took another hit, puffing his cheeks out to hold the smoke as he just watched Harlym, the smoke left his nose before he spoke again. "I'll send you the 500, I ain't tryna have another baby right now. Sev runnin' my ass crazy already."
She let out a quiet breath, "You play too much,"
Quincy smiled and then laughed, "You playin'. Talkin' bout you love that nigga. Stop lyin' to yo' self." He draped his arm around her.
Harlym moved out his space, "I do but okay."
Jalen looked at Paul George as he lead the conversation onto another topic, "I remember seeing that you're real into uh, fashion and stuff, you even took part in New York fashion week some months ago. How was that?"
"Yeah," His co-host nodded, "How was that, y'know, hanging with models and stuff?"
Jalen shrugged, "It was no hanging with models, I went with my girlfriend at the time, but the experience of the fashion show was cool. Versace trusted me with some of their pieces, it was real coo'." He trailed off like he always did.
Paul chuckled, "Girlfriend at the time? The break up rumors are true then?"
Jalen shrugged once more, "The fashion show was cool."
"Nah, tell the ladies if you're single or not. A lot of folks wanna know." PG prodded.
He pulled his microphone closer and talked right into it, "I'm single, single as fuck."
He looked directly into the camera before glancing back at Paul.
"What happened?"
"Mind yo' fuckin business." The co-host checked the other one who has sitting next to him, even though he highkey wanted to know also but didn't wanna seem invasive. "Shit just don't work out, huh?"
Jalen shrugged yet again, "I guess," He shifted in his seat. "Bitches be having me bent. . . doin' dumb shit then tryna apologize fa' it like you ain't know what you was doing before you did it." He glanced down at his hands, "I'm coo on females for a while, i'm in the field now though let's not get that twisted. Just not tryna be cuffed."
"Type shit. . ."
Harlym smacked her lips as she turned off phone, "He weird as hell," She shook her head causing Bri to force it back down so she could continue braiding her hair, "Oh, my bad." She sighed heavily.
"Very weird, I thought y'all was back together?" She grabbed more braiding hair. "And I heard they cut half of that answer out, so he was definitely talkin' shit." She shrugged while placing the fake hair in Harlym's real hair before braiding it down.
"Most likely. He's a shit talker, I'm not surprised." She turned the phone back on and then went to Twitter. "He's so damn annoying."
Brielle chuckled, "He's hurt. Just be glad they cut most of it out."
"How did you hear there was more to it?" Harlym asked, typing in Jalen's name so she could see if people were talking about the podcast.
"A friend of a friend dates one of his friends and they were there during the recording." She said simply, putting another clip in Harlym's hair.
"Oh." Harlym mumbled, not bothering to ask who was who, she didn't really care. "How much longer you got? Imma go see him."
Brielle smacked her lips, "You gon' go see him again? You told him yesterday you was pregnant and he immediately began dragging yo' ass online."
She had told him he was pregnant yesterday right before he went to film the podcast. He was still fresh in his feelings, he hadn't meant to rant for so long about it.
"It's not even like that forreal." She mumbled, "He ain't gon' be mad forever."
jalen
You ain't have to drag me
on a damn podcast.
doin a lot ...
She saw his three bubbles appear, they bounced up and down forever before going away, "Okay never mind."
"Told you to not even bother." Brielle walked across her room and grabbed her setting mousse.
Harlym instead texted her dad, "I just want to talk to my dad." She mumbled as Brielle returned to finish Harlym's hairstyle.
An hour later Harlym was sitting in the kitchen, with both of her parents as she ranted about, nearly everything. She had just finished talking about how dirty the tour bus when she had accidentally let it slip that she had shared a bed with Quincy for the better part of the trip.
"What happened to Jalen?" Artist asked, flipping his steak over in the pan.
Harlym shrugged, "That ain't important." She waved her hand a few times.
Taylin pursed her lips, "I really liked Jalen. He was supposed to come over here and see my garden."
"When he say that?" Harlym asked, taking a sip from the sweet tea she had.
"I texted him on Instagram one day. What does Jaslyn call it? Sliding up on his story?"
She continued to wash her vegetables for her and Artist's dinner. Harlym put her glass down, "Ma, you slid up on his story? What was the post?"
"I just wanted to congratulate him on the cologne commercial. He looked real nice." She nodded, "He's a good conversationalist." She grinned.
She thought back to the message Jalen had yet to answer before rolling her eyes, "Anyway," Harlym looked at her parents. "I had something to tell y'all."
Artist glanced at his daughter, "You got a job?"
"No. . ."She patted her edges softly with her finger.
Taylin then thought she would guess too, "You and Jalen got secretly engaged?"
"I'm pregnant." Harlym mumbled, crossing her ankles.
"By who?" Both of her parents turned around to face her, completely stopping what they were doing.
Harlym smacked her lips before shrugging, but before she could verbally answer Artist shook his head, "I told you Harlym, those fucking athletes. Is that why he's not round? Because he found out you was carrying his demon seed?"
"Yeah, but, it's not like that." She said, "It's not his. It's Quincy's."
"That's even worse." Artist rubbed his temples, "Out of all hoodlums, you had ta' choose that one?"
"Daddy, you were a 'hoodlum' too. Don't forget."
Artist held his hands out and looked around his multi-million dollar mansion, "And look at me now, Harlym. I did something productive wit' my life. I didn't go round turning people's kids into potheads."
Harlym sighed, "That's why you're mad? Because I started smoking with him?"
"I'm mad cause you're pregnant and not even in a relationship. Boyfriend, fiancé, husband, you have neither. A single mom with no job. You think that's how to live?" He snapped at her.
"Artist," Taylin looked at her husband but Harlym cut her mom off.
"I'm aborting it." She stood up, "He sent me the money this morning. I just wanted to let you know, dad, y'know no secrets?" She smiled.
Artist pushed his pan off it's burner, he had began burning his steak on accident. "I want you ta go to Emily." Emily was his OBGYN, co-worker, she delievered both Harlym and Jaslyn.
She was the only OB he trusted to make sure Harlym was getting the best care.Harlym didn't argue, she just nodded. "And you can pocket the money. My insurance covers it." He added on quietly, "He would know that if he ever heard of insurance."
"Pops-." She rolled her eyes as her
phone buzzed in her pocket.
jalen
slide thru.
Harlym stared at the message before grabbing her keys, "I gotta go. ima see y'all later."
Artist looked at his burned steak as he heard the front door close, "My daughter is getting an abortion." He licked his lips.
"I had two back in '92, don't be like that." Taylin mumbled, poking him in the side. They did a lot of things in their 20s they would never disclose to their kids.
Jalen heard a couple of knocks on his door just twenty minutes later, Rocco jumped out of his lap and ran toward the door, barking as he went. "Go sit down somewhere. Yous not threatening."
Rocco ran past the door, making his way to his doggy bed near the bedroom. Jalen smiled faintly as he pulled the front door open, "You got here fast."
Harlym shrugged, "I was in the area." She walked right past him to get inside, not wanting him to change his mind and not let her in.
He turned and followed after her, "Yeah, I can tell you pregnant."
"What?" She went and sat on the couch before realizing what he meant. She had spent the last two months traveling, eating, and not working out.
She hadn't gained weight at all, just lost all definition in her arms and legs.
"Nah, you gon' stop disrespectin' me. One week back in the gym and I'm back to normal."
Jalen sat down next to her, "You keepin' it?"
"Are you ghosting me if I do?" She watched as he took off his slides and propped his feet up on the coffee table.
When she didn't hear him say anything she knew her answer.
"I already got the deletion appointment." She turned her head, "I was serious when I said I wanted us to work."
Jalen looked over at her, "Ok."
AUTHORS NOTE:
i love you guys.