“Somebody probably just likes blue. It’s all over this place.”
“I believe this fool is aRavenclaw. He set tripping,” Sade interjected from behind me.
“Traitor.” Crystal snarled before both of them burst out laughing.
“What’s a Ravenclaw?” I asked, completely clueless as to what was so funny.
“You know, fromHarry Potter. Me and Sade are both Gryffindor. I’m sure you are too with your bold ass.”
I squinted. “You talking about the kid’s movie?”
“Oh my God, how did we miss this?” Sade whispered, covering her mouth with both hands.
“Miss what?” I asked, looking between them.
Crystal shook her head. “I’m just glad we caught it before Bella was old enough to remember a time when her mom wasn’t a pot head.”
“What are y’all talking about?”
“Harry Potter!” they shouted at the same time.
“So y’all going around watching cartoons?” I asked, finally finding something funny.
“It’s not a cartoon. That goes to show how out of touch you are,” Crystal sassed.
“Right, I’m so out of touch because I’ve never seen a kid’s movie.”
“Don’t worry. You will be all caught up in no time. I’m off again next weekend. We can get started then. Bella is gonna love them.”
I stretched my eyes. “You mean to tell me these folks made more than one movie?”
Instead of answering me, they looked at each other and shook their heads. “Come on here. I’m not about to let y’all make me miss Death Row!” Crystal exclaimed.
The vibe in the casino was surprisingly chill. The blue and bronze color scheme made things bold and vibrant. The low hum of the music set the backdrop as we made a beeline for the casino floor. Death Row’s show was phenomenal. I was still buzzing with excitement as we moved through the casino lobby to the high rollers area.
My girls had their minds set on finding a baller. All I wanted to do was continue to enjoy my night. I had about twenty dollars to spare before I was no longer interested in losing money, so I was going to play the slots if anything.
Honestly, with the three thousand dollars in car repairs that I needed, I couldn’t even afford to spend that. The night was about forgetting my problems, not focusing on them. With that in mind, I turned to my girls.
“I bet the bar in the high roller section is the best one,” I mentioned.
“Even if the drinks are watered down, I guarantee that’s where the high rollers drink.” Crystal agreed.
“I didn’t come here to sit at the bar. We are going to work the room and find the best roulette table,” Sade insisted.
“After we get one of these free cocktails. You know you love free shit, so stop fronting,” Crystal joked.
Sade laughed. “You got me there. I wonder what kind of shows they have next month. Death Row was so good. I’m ready to see another one.”
I rolled my eyes. I could already see her wheels turning as she tried to figure out how to get me back here again. “Humph, one outing is good enough for me. We gotta get through this one first.”
“You acting like this is the club, girl. We are at the casino. You ain’t gotta worry about no fights or shooting popping off. You ain’t gotta be on high alert tonight,” Sade insisted.
“Right, you ain’t Officer Sutton tonight. Tonight is the revival of Jameela Rice, the baddie.”
I laughed and shook my head, remembering my code-switching excuse. I used my mom’s madden name Rice when I was out debauching with my friends to identify the difference between cadet Jameela Sutton with the party girl I longed to be back then.
I loved to dance and party with my girls. It had been years since we had cut loose. Creating an alter ego helped me do just that. With that in mind, I knew that they would never let up on me if I didn’t loosen up and enjoy myself.
