“I promise I didn’t do anything wrong. I just liked him and liked being around him.”
Rich exhaled as understanding settled into his eyes, she was his baby.
“You’re about to turn seventeen, you’re allowed to like people. You’re allowed to want things for yourself. I ain’t trying to keep you away from life, I just want to guide you until I know you can lead yourself.”
Diamond wiped the tears that started to fall.
“Then why does it feel like I messed up things between us?”
Rich shook his head and spoke through a steady voice, “There’s nothing in this world that you could do to mess up this bond. You’ll forever be my baby, even when you grow up and have your own babies. Even when I walk you down the aisle and give you to your husband, you’ll be his wife, but my baby.”
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, but you’re still on punishment.”
“Soooo that means no work?”
“I said punishment not prison, we working!” he shot back as they both shared a laughed.
Diamond didn’t care what anyone said, every girl needed a dad, preferably like hers.
12
“Damn, Daughter, long time no see. Nice to meet you, I’m Ace, your father.”
Farrah and Pooh laughed as they walked inside of Ace’s house and kicked their shoes off at the door. She couldn’t lie, she was glad to be back in luxury; she loved her mother, but she loved her dad more.
“Mannnn, if you missed me just say that,” she joked before running into his awaiting arms.
She, too, was a daddy’s girl, but she more so loved what her Daddy did for her. He created a monster, a monster that craved attention and the finer things in life. She was quickly learning that a guy that wanted to date her had to do more than her father and that was a very big shoe to fill. Meanwhile, Harlem was taking the place of Cam at a rapid pace. She had no idea where the Shika girl stood but that was none of her business. The fact that Harlem thought her name was really Diamond always made her laugh. She pulled that stunt just in case Shika went through his phone, and if she was as crazy as Pooh claimed she was, she wouldn’t come looking for her.
“Aw shit, double trouble,” he said as Pooh came over to hug him. Farrah loved that he treated her siblings like his own when they were in his presence.
“What’s up, Pops?” Pooh spoke before hugging Ace.
They stayed in the house for an hour before they hit the streets, Farrah didn’t even want Pooh to whoop Diamond because she didn’t give two fucks about Cam anymore. Harlem had her undivided attention and some. She stopped calling and texting Cam; she wasn’t even checking for him when her and Pooh went outside.
“I’m about to park so we can walk, I need these hoes to see the princess is back,” Farrah boasted, pulling into a park on 16thand Homan where everyone hung out.
The first person she spotted when she got out was Cam and his guys. She felt absolutely nothing when she saw him; before, there were butterflies and some more shit. She and Pooh walked in their direction because that was where the corner store sat, and she wanted sunflower seeds. Her and her sister walked and talked, she glanced at Cam but didn’t part her mouth and neither did her sister until she came out the store.
She tried to ignore him and that alone was wild because normally, she tracked his every move like he was her job. But that day? He was damn near invisible, that was until he called her name.
“Damn, Farrah, you good?”
“I’m straight,” she replied with her face buried in her phone as Harlem texted her, a smile crept upon her face that made Cam frown.
“You sure?”
“Mmhm.”
There was no “Hey Cammm,” no strained conversation, no forced hugs, no lingering stare, nothing.
“So you wasn’t gon’ speak?”
Farrah finally looked at him, barely, “Oh…hey.”
She looked right back down at her phone and smiled like he didn’t exist, he really didn’t.
