“Hey, did you leave yet?” Her sister, Inari, spoke as soon as she pressed her phone against her ear.
“No.” Ayla sighed and put the combo in her locker to pop it open. “I’m on my way out the door now.”
“Can you bring me something to eat?” Inari questioned.
“I thought you were on a diet,” Ayla insinuated.
“It’s my cheat day, and I want a cheeseburger.” Her sister laughed. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Oh, I’m having a day.” Ayla breathed. “And I don’t even want to talk about this right now. I’ll grab your food and bring it by when I drop Dane off.”
“Thank you! Don’t forget to add bacon! I’m doing it big!” Inari giggled before hanging up.
Ayla grabbed her purse out of her locker and marched her apron over to the laundry area so it could be washed. Locatingthe keys to her Camry inside her purse, she turned to go. Ramona stepped through the door, hiking a brow and shaking her head.
“Hey, you okay?” she asked, watching Ayla sling her bag over her shoulder.
Ayla gaped blankly at her at first.
“You mean, aside from feeling like a dumbass bitch? Yeah, Ramona. I’m good. Are they still out there?”
“No.” She glanced at the ground. “I tried to do damage control, but Miss Thing already seemed like the ‘let me speak to your manager’ kind, so I have to tell Dreka. Plus, it was all recorded.”
“I get it.” Ayla nodded and glanced down at her black slacks.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.” Ramona reached out and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Trust, had it been me, I would have jumped through the damn window on they asses, so I damn sure understand.”
Ayla chuckled and bowed her head. It didn’t even seem real, but that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach damn sure was. Qassen had played her. It was why he didn’t mind that she didn’t show up to games or other shit. She was so busy between work, school, and keeping up with her nephew’s schedule that she barely had time to eat or sleep. He seemed to accept that she wasn’t interested in what he loved most. Red fucking flag.
“I don’t even know where that came from. That’s not me.” She tapped her fingers against her forehead before running her fingers through her thick brown hair.
“Girl, these niggas will bring out the worst in you. Trust me. I know. I have not one but two lame ass baby daddies. In the beginning, they all the same. Mainly because they want that gold between your legs. Once they have that, they stop trying so hard to keep it because they out looking for some more.” Ramonaslammed her back against the lockers and kicked her foot up on the bench centered in the aisle.
“I thought when he got drafted, we could celebrate and do something. I was considering finally giving in?”
“Why, because he’s got an NBA bonus?” Ramona shook her head. “Girl, that was God. You’ve been spared. Be glad He opened your eyes now. He’s about to take that girl through it. You just watch and see. Fuck that money. Sometimes it ain’t even worth it.”
“Yeah, I’m just tired of feeling like a burden or like somebody’s damn employee. I’m always indebted to someone. I’m working to pay off loans, and my sister swears she doesn’t need help with the bills, but she’s always gone above and beyond for me. Speaking of, can you run me a bacon cheeseburger special, please, with a Sprite? I told her I would bring it to her when I dropped Dane off.”
“I got you.” Ramona pushed herself off the lockers. “I need you to do me a favor, though.”
“What’s that?” Ayla checked her phone and saw a message from Dane come through.
He was ready. The school was only about five miles away, so he would be okay waiting for a bit.
“Get that resume updated. You are a great chef, Ayla, and you got a following on social media. Crank that shit up, girl. You’re too good for this place.” Ramona smiled and winked on her way out, and Ayla let her words sink in.
She had her own brand, Palate Pleasures, which mainly consisted of her YouTube channel and a growing TikTok and Instagram following. ‘Just a girl who loves cooking and eating’ was her tagline, and it was nothing but the truth. Cooking had been an escape since she was a little girl. Although Inari was the oldest, Ayla provided most of their meals when they didn’t havetheir parents around. She learned mostly through trial and error and loved experimenting and trying new recipes.
Ten minutes later, Ramona sent her packing with Inari’s order, and she took off to scoop Dane from school. At fifteen, her nephew was already nearly six feet tall, lanky as hell, and reminding her of a young Kobe Bryant with locs. He rarely got retwists, which Ayla was able to do since she was the one who had started and maintained the style for him over the last three years. He preferred it to be messy, usually styling it for special events or holidays per his mother’s request.
With his Sprayground backpack draped over both shoulders, he approached her car when she slid into the pick-up lane in front of Ree Heights High School. Dane hopped inside, milk chocolate arms and legs on display in his basketball shorts and matching jersey. He grinned and leaned in to kiss Ayla, but she nudged him off like always. He knew she hated him being all sweaty, and it was his way of greeting her every time anyway.
“Yo, it smells good in here. You bring me something to eat?” He peeked around, nose like a bloodhound, when he located the bag in the back seat.
“That’s your mama’s lunch. Touch at your own risk. She is not about to go off on me.”
“Damn, this her cheat day too. She might take a nigga’s head off. No, thanks.” He dropped the bag on the floor between his legs and shook his head. “I’m meeting up with the team for pizza in a few anyway. I just wanted to pop in on her before I went home to get ready.”
