"SO Y'ALL NOT GONE TEACH ME THIS LIL HANDSHAKE?" Corinne asks. They had all met in front of Five's house and the boys were greeting each other. "Girl, I been trying to get them to teach me for years." The girl says, getting on the sprinter. "Oh, I'm Cassie." She adds.
"I'm Corinne," Corinne tells her. "And I'm Mercedes. But you see him right there. That's my man and I swear-" Mercedes starts her threat only for Corinne to put her hand up.
"First of all, un-uh. You not finna come up in here and talk to me any type of way. Second of all, don't nobody want Marquell." Corinne rolls her eyes.
If Marquell was going to cheat, he was going to cheat.
"Why you fronting my move like that? I can get all the tillys I want." He exclaims from the front.
"How you know his name?" Mercedes asks. "You remember D-man?" He yells. "That's my nephew," Corinne says, when Mercedes nods. "Awe shit. My fault. I'm just-"
"Insecure as hell." Cassie finishes for her making Corinne laugh. "Bitch, I hate you." Mercedes starts. "I love you too." Cassie blows a kiss at her as everybody else piles into the sprinter.
"We need snacks." Five complains, laying on the floor.
"Fat ass," Meech complains as his brother redirects to the gas station.
"If everybody go in, they gone think we stealing," Corinne says.
"Huh?"
"If everybody go in, they gone think y'all stealing." Demon repeats for her.
"Shid...we is stealing though," Tadoe says making her shake her head as they get out of the van. They walk into the gas station and immediately get stared at. She gets some Flamin' Hot ruffles, the mini chip dip, cranberry juice, mango-pineapple juice, water, peach rings, and Sour Patch watermelons.
"I got her stuff." She hears a deep voice from behind her. "I got it." She tells him as he puts down the stuff he was getting.
"Nah. You paid last time." He tells her. "So we just switching every time we go somewhere?" She asks. "Nah, we not switching no more." He tells her before asking for Dutches.
"It's my money and I want to spend it." She says. "But you finna let me pay." He tells her, taking the money out of his pocket. "This time." She compromised with him. "You look pretty, Cece." He adds. "Thank you, stink." She smiles, grabbing one of the two bags.
"You not finna call me that soft ass shit."
"Yes, I am cause remember when I kept telling you my name was Corinne and you just had to call me Cece? This payback for that." She tells him. "You mad childish for that." He says. "You just as childish so don't start." She says as they walk out of the gas station.
"I'm finna go to sleep." She tells him. "Come on then." He says. "What? You wanna spend time with me now?" She asks.
"Nah, yo ass the one that be acting funny. We be texting and on FaceTime every day but as soon as you see me, you act like you can't speak." He tells her as they sit in the back row. She covers her mouth, before starting to laugh.
"How dare you confront me about my behavior?"
He rolls his eyes as she lays down, closing her eyes. "You not sleep." He tells her, noticing her blinking despite her eyes being closed after about fifteen minutes.
"Why you looking at me?" She asks. "Cause I can." He says while she sits up. "I'm tired." She tells him. "Then go to sleep." He says. "No, cause you watching me like a pervert." She tells him. "Nobody tryna watch you sleep." He shakes his head. "But you was watching me sleep."
"You wasn't sleep."
"I was trying to go."
She shakes her head standing up. "Pass me my bag." She says. "Ooh, this pretty. I might steal this for Cassie." Tadoe comments making Cassie hit him. "If anything go missing, we blaming yo thieving ass." Five says, passing Corinne the multicolored pastel Chanel backpack.
She walks back to the back reaching over the seat to grab the duffle bag with computer and clothes, her suitcase contained her shoes and makeup.
She pulled out her laptop before zipping the bag back up. "You wanna watch some with me?" She asks. "What?" He watches her unlock the computer with her fingerprint connecting her mini Wifi before going on Apple TV.
"We can watch Euphoria." She says offering up the left AirPod.
It was a weird quirk. She always preferred the right AirPod over the left. She presses play and they start watching.
"I'm not finna watch this shit." He says looking at the man put the condom on.
"You put this on and you covering up your eyes?" He asks her making her nod. "I don't like that his peter weter small." She says, peaking through her hand. "Peter Weter?" He asks. "I thought Mark Sloan had a lil some some but he got just a lil bit." She pouts, making him laugh.
They continue watching getting comfortable. "I'm not yo pillow." He tells her when she lays her head on his bicep. "Shush." She says giving her attention back to the tv when her screen turns black and they pop up.
"I'll call him back later." She tells him. "Gone head answer." He shrugs, making her grab her phone out of her sweatpants pocket.
"Where you at?" The boy immediately asks seeing her face. "Out here." She tells him. "Stop playing with me." He says making Demon laugh.
"Who was that?" He asks. "My friend." She says. "Who?" He repeats. "You don't know him." She mutters. "So why you with him?"
"Cause I want to be." She tells him. "He better just be a friend." He says making her roll her eyes. "You sound stupid." She mugs him before hanging up and blocking him.
"You quick to block a nigga." Demon says.
"If he wasn't stupid, he wouldn't be blocked." She tells him pressing play letting the tv shows audio fill their ears. By the time the credits were rolling on the third episode, they were both asleep.
$ $ $
The four-hour drive to St. Louis was not a four-hour drive at all. They ended up stopping at a mall for food because as you know black people could never decide on a place to eat with hours so they just knew they wouldn't be able to do it in a couple of minutes.
"I'm scared," Paris says walking to the back of the Sprinter with Five.
"Shidd, me too." He says kneeling on the seat in front of the row they were on. "Corinne." Paris starts by calling out. It takes her calling her name about five more times for Demon to hear them.
"Wake yo goofy ass up." He tells her. "Hmm?" She hums. "See what they want."
"I'm sleep though." She says. "You talking." Five tells her. "My eyes still closed which means I'm sleeping," Corinne tells them. "We finna go get some to eat."
"Just bring me back something." She tells them. "No, you gotta come if you want to some to eat." Five says making her open her eyes. "I don't like you and it's cold."
"Well, it's hot outside," Paris tells her. "Get up." She says. "Get the fuck on." Demon tells Corinne. "No, get up. You not finna be the only goofy in here." Corinne says, making him punch her in the thigh. "That's why yo lining fucked up, dirty bitch." She tells him, making him open his eyes.
"I'm finna beat yo ass." He says standing up while she walks toward the exit. "Don't let him get me." She tells Five. "No, cause you cheated on me." He says. "With who?" She asks. "With him! How dare you? I gave you my heart."
"I only love you. I would never." She says hugging him. "Okay, I'mma protect you." Five tells her before yelling, "Nah, lil nigga. You ain't finna touch her." Corinne sticks her tongue out at Demon as they start walking towards the door.
"Wait, I'm sorry," Corinne says when Demon grabs the back of her neck. She wasn't scared but he was pulling her hair. "I tried." Five says continuing to go in the mall. "Turn around." He says lowly making her turn around. "Stop fucking playing with me." He tells her.
"I ain't even do nothing to you for real but you hit me hard." She says making him wrap his hand around her throat. Just tight enough for her to stay still but not tight enough to the point that she couldn't breathe. "Cece." He says. "Demon." She retorts. "Look at me and tell me my shit not fucked up."
"You know I was just playing." She says wrapping her hand around his wrist. "Tell me you was just playing." He tells her making her look at him. The eye contact was too much for her making her look down at the Rolex on his wrist. "I was playing, D." She mutters thinking "This nigga ain't even have to give me a heartbeat." She glances at the tattoos that covered his arm spastically. "Look at me." He says. "I don't want to." She tells him. "Why not?"
"Cause you looking at me too closely." She says. "Awe so you tryna kiss me again?" He asks. "I was just playing." She tells him. "That's what I thought." He says letting go. "We friends again?" She asks. "No." He tells her making her wrap her arms around him. "Don't do me like that." She says when he doesn't hug her back. "Leave me alone." He tells her smacking her ass.
"That hurt." She whimpers moving her hands to grab his booty. "I'mma do it again." He says. "No, you the one that said we, not friends." She tells him. "We friends." He says. "I don't want to be your friend anymore." She shakes her head letting him go. "You so dramatic, ma." He tells her grabbing her arm pulling her into a hug.
$ $ $
By the time they made it to St. Louis, it was going on midnight because they spent over two hours at the mall buying unnecessary shit. They went to the Airbnb and picked out their rooms. Five got the master bedroom with the balcony and jacuzzi tub. It was enough room for everybody to have their room but some people were coupled up so they shared rooms.
Corinne went into her room checking for bed bugs before spraying it down with Lysol. She also put new pillowcases on the pillows. She took a shower in the bathroom that was in her room.
After Corinne got out of the shower, she got on a group FaceTime call with her family. Over half of them weren't there but her niece, sister, and mother were.
"Why you ain't let Mariah know you was going out of town?" Coriah asks Corinne. "I thought she knew," Corinne says, putting on lotion. "Who all there?" Mariah asks. "Kelis' friends," Corinne says. "Like they names."
"Awe. It's me, Paris, Cassie, Mercedes, Tadoe, Marquell, Five, Meech, and Demon." She tells them. "I thought Kelis was going. You ain't ask her who she was going with?" Coriah asks Nicole. "She said Kelis friends." Nicole shrugs. "I'mma call y'all back. I'm finna go get some ice. They got a chip ice machine." She says, leaving the call.
She goes downstairs getting a cup and opening the ice machine filling up the cup. "Where you going?" She asks Demon who had walked into the kitchen. I'm finna go smoke." She rolls her eyes at his comment.
"So you just smoke all the time?" She asks. "Not all the time. Just like five times a day." He tells her, making her shake her head. "You coming out here with me?" He propositions her.
"I guess." She shrugs following him outside. They sit on the chairs by the fire pit. "Why?" She asks.
"Why what?
"Why do you smoke? Like is it for fun? I don't think you would smoke that much for fun." She tells him. "I be stressed." He mutters. "About?" She asks. "Getting money." He tells her. "What you do?"
"You fuck with 12 or some?" He asks. "No, I just want to get to know you," She says. "You irritating." He tells her blowing out smoke. "I don't like you." She mugs standing up. "You dramatic as hell." He tells her grabbing her pulling her in between his legs. "You finally taller than me." He says.
"Don't try to be my friend now. Let me go." She mutters. "You gone act like that?" He asks, squeezing the back of her thigh. "I thought I was irritating." She tells him, placing her arms on his shoulders.
"You is irritating but...I guess you decent to be around." He says, moving his hand higher.
"You so mean." She rolls her eyes at the backhanded compliment. "I'm not mean. I'm just honest." He tells her. "What's yo sign?" She asks. "I'm a Scorpio." He says making her make a yikes face.
"You a cry baby ass cancer just like the rest of them hoes so don't even fucking start with me." He tells her. "What the fuck cancers do to you?" She asks him because he wasn't the first person to say something negative about her sign.
"Pause Five almost a cancer though." She brings it up. "He a Leo. And if he was a cancer, niggas different from bitches." He tells her. "My sign ain't do shit to you." She says going on her phone.
"Hold up, I look cute." She tells herself, recording videos of herself. "You better not get me in that shit." He tells her.
"Don't nobody wanna see yo ugly ass." She says, muting the video before posting it on her private story. She sits back down. "Getcho feet off me." He says when she puts her legs on his lap after taking off her Givenchy slides.
"My feet pretty and they not doing nothing to you." She says, wiggling her white toes. "But if I put my feet on you-" He starts.
"I'mma beat yo ass cause that's me, not you." She says starting to laugh. "Ain't shit funny." He tells her, subconsciously rubbing her legs. "You wanna finish watching Euphoria?" She asks.
"Yeah, we can go upstairs in a minute."