“So since when you start stealing?”
Kayla challenged her with her eyes, “Since I got tired of waiting on handouts from you and your daddy.”
Diamond gave her a stale face, “My daddy? Man, you trippin’. You can play with me, but don’t play with him.”
“I ain’t playing. That man love you the most and you know it, but I ain’t trippin’ and I ain’t waiting on no handout from y’all no more.”
“This shit gon’ lead you straight to jail. Sister, listen to me.”
“Diamond, you sell drugs. Y’all crossed me out y’all’s little operation, yeah I noticed. So please don’t try to lecture me when your hands are just as dirty as mine. What, you jealous I’m getting money without walking in your shadow?”
Diamond blinked, “Jealous?”
“Yeah.”
“This ain’t no competition, this is survival.”
Kayla giggled and stepped close to Diamond’s face while popping the gum in her mouth, “Well, I’m surviving and you still hating. I ain’t scared and I ain’t stopping.”
She snatched the bags up and tossed them in her closet before grabbing her purse.
“Kayla.”
“Diamond, don’t hate me because I figured it out without you. I found my niche and I’m good at it. Stay in your lane and I’ll stay in mine,” she replied before walking out, slamming the door behind her.
Diamond stood alone with her heart pounding, her stomach was in knots, not because she was hungry, but because she was scared. She knew that tone in Kayla’s voice, it was the tone people used right before everything fell apart.
Her chest tightened as she walked out the room, her instinct never lied, she had to save her sister even if she didn’t want to be saved. She followed the sound of laughter that came from the front porch, those bitches were still there. Kayla stood with her girls, designer bag on her arm, fresh gym shoes, and a bad attitude that made the wind stink. Diamond paused in the hallway when she heard her name.
“Man, my sister think she run shit. Always preaching, I don’t want to hear that shit. She just mad I’m getting money.”
“Better chill before she beat you up again.”
“Yeah ok. I bet I put her on her back pockets next time she touch me.”
The girls laughed with her, that shit hit different. Diamond stepped outside the door, and everyone looked at Kayla who didn’t give a single fuck about her presence. Diamond was tired of her mouth.
“Come on, get in the gloves,” Diamond suggested, walking down to the yard.
The laughter died instantly, and silence filled the chilled air.
Kayla looked at her, “Girl, you not my momma.”
“No, I’m your sister. Glove up, baby.”
“Girl, no. I’m not getting my shoes dirty or breaking a nail, go get some money and spar with me on that.”
Once again the girls started laughing. Diamond gave a head nod, still placing the gloves over her hands. She walked back up the stairs and punched every bitch in her path until she reach Kayla, who immediately backed up until she hit the door.
“You see that, these hoes are weak! It’s four of them and one of me, the same way they running out of this gate is the same way they going to leave you when shit gets real! Use your fuckin’ head, stupid!” she jumped at Kayla, causing her to flinch.
“Hey, hey, what is this?” Sherry’s voice came from behind, soft and calm like it always was.
“Your daughter is stupid!” Diamond shouted in Kayla’s face as Sherry got between her girls.
“Oh no, that’s not how we carry on. Both of you in the house!”
Sherry may have been an addict, but she was always a mother first and she didn’t play, high or sober. The girls stormed inside; Diamond didn’t want to look at Kayla.
