Before I could open my mouth to introduce myself, the caramel-skinned woman huffed out a loud scoff and rolled her eyes.
“You got a problem?” I asked, staring down at her.
“Actually, yes! Can’t you see my homegirl and me are here with Ricky? Go find another table to be a hoe at.”
“Damn, Mya, this young hoe said we were loose!” I said, mocking offense.
“Nat, I’m sorry,” Ricky said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Whit, baby, you need to watch your mouth. This is–”
“Watch my mouth?” Whitney spat, standing to her feet. “You really going to ignore me half the night and then bring two heffas in the section? I brought my friend so we can celebrate you, but you’re being an asshole.”
“Whit, you need to chill, for real,” Tara said, trying to grab her friend’s arm, but she pushed her away.
“Shut your scary ass up, Tara. I’m not about to let two old biddies come up here and take my spot.”
I started for her when Ricky grabbed my arm.
“Hey, dummy,” Ricky hissed. “This is my sister and her best friend who you’re talking about.”
The woman’s mouth dropped open as she stared between us. “Ricky. Baby. I- I didn’t...”
“Of course, you didn’t know because you were too busy talking out of your ass and being hella disrespectful. Now get the hell up out of my face before I let my sister beat your ass.”
“Tara, come on!” she frantically said, scrambling to get away from the table.
“Nah, your homegirl can stay,” Ricky said, winking at the other woman.
“Tara!” Whitney shouted with flared nostrils.
“Girl, bye. You don’t fuck with me like that and only called me to hang out because your A-list friends were busy,” Tara said, folding her arms across her chest. “Hell, you don’t like Ricky like that, but you knew he was going to pay for our drinks.”
“Oh, so you thought you could manipulate my little brother?” I asked, taking a step towards her. While the lights were low in the room, you could still see the woman’s face turning a lighter shade of red.
“Fuck you! Fuck all y’all!” Whitney yelled, storming out of the section.
“Damn!” Leonard said as she bumped past him. “Y'all ain’t been here five minutes and already starting trouble.”
I playfully shook my head. “That was her tripping. All I was trying to do was introduce myself. You dodged a bullet, little bro.”
We all laughed as Ricky shook his head. Leaning down, he picked up his blunt and took in a long inhale before blowing out smoke. It definitely wasn’t my cup of tea, and I made a mental note to ask my little brother when he picked up the hobby. Then again, he was grown, and I strongly suspect Leonard introduced it to him.
“C’mon y’all,” Ricky said, grabbing Tara’s hand. “Let’s go dance! We’re not going to let that girl ruin our night.”
“Nah, I’m good,” Leonard said, sitting at the booth and taking the blunt out of Ricky’s hand.
“Party pooper,” I teased.
Leonard shrugged. “When I find someone to dance with, I’ll dance.”
His eyes glanced over at Mya before he exhaled a long stream of smoke. I could feel her body stiffening and I hurriedly grabbed her hand. Pulling us towards the dance floor, I tried to get my best friend away from the line of fire about to take place.
Leonard and Mya met once at one of our family dinners, and it was a disaster. While Mya was outgoing and charismatic, Leonard was distant. Sometimes he was standoffish because he was opinionated about certain things, but he hardly showed that side. Well, that was until Mya came over.
Throughout the evening, Mya was her usual bubbly self, and Leonard either ignored her attempts at conversation or corrected her whenever she misspoke about a topic. It was rare for Mya to get angry; however, when Leonard tried to correct her on the rules of UNO, that put the icing on her crash-out cake. Personally, I don’t think it was the game itself that made my best friend snap, but the fact that my brother was being a dick, more than usual. Ever since then, they have not been able to be in the same room for more than five minutes.
“I love you, girl, but I cannot stand your brother. An asshole with legs, that one is,” Mya said, shaking her head.
“Cmon now, he’s family and according to Ricky, not all that bad.” I shrugged. “Don’t let the past and his attitude ruin our night. Now, let’s dance!”
