Mar kicked his feet up on the glass table, taking the blunt from Juelz. “Doing what? The drops? Nigga, we been?—”
“Not the fuckin’ drops, nigga,” Juelz cut him off. He stared at the 90-inch TV screen, but saw only static. “Shyann, hoe ass.”
Mar’s head tilted, his eyes narrowing. “What she do now? Asking for money or some shit?”
Juelz let out a harsh, broken laugh that was more of a sob. “Worse.” He sat up in the recliner, eyes locked on Mar. “This bitch be textin’ me non-stop, thinkin’ I’m just ‘posed to stop what I’m doin’ and go give her some dick.”
“Damn, Jue,” Mar finally breathed out, the sound of a blunt being lit again filling the pause. “That hoe foul for that shit. I can’t believe you still playin’ puppet to that bitch.”
“Man, I’m over this shit, too. I just met up with the broad. I swear I tried to fuck that bitch mouth ‘til my shit came out the back of her head.” He stood up, swaying from side to side. “I’m ‘talmbout just ahhhh, ahhhhh, ahhhh…all in that bitch mouth.”
Mar burst out laughing, coughing from the blunt. “Nigga, yo ass hell.”
Juelz looked at Mar, his eyes hollowed out and pleading. “Seriously, I can’t keep fuckin’ that girl, man.”
Mar took a long, slow pull from his blunt, his brow furrowed in thought. He wasn't a man of many solutions beyond violence, but he was one Juelz could trust. And right now, Mar could see the rot festering inside his boy.
“Okay. Aight, look,” Mar said, his tone shifting. “She got mad control over you, bro. You need to handle that shit. Get ya nuts back.”
“How, nigga?” Juelz asked, his voice cracking. “She got my girl’s whole career in her damn phone.”
“Well, shit, you wanna kill her?” Mar asked, blowing smoke in the air.
Juelz looked at him, his face twisted in a mix of desperation and dark humor. “Aye, nigga, don’t tempt me with a good time, shit.” He leaned back in the leather chair, his head thumping against the headrest. He stared at the ceiling, at the water stain shaped like a crying angel. “Man, I’m just sick of this bitch.”
The door clicked shutbehind Juelz, and the silence he left was fucking satisfying. Shyann sat in the middle of the bed, her feet tucked underneath her. He’d left there looking defeated, she laughed to herself. Men were so damn simple. They always thought they were the ones in control of shit. She reached for her phone on the nightstand and glanced down at the screen. A missed call from Tasha stared back at her. A slow, wicked smile spread across her face as she picked up her phone. It was time to poke the bear now that Juelz had left. She found Tasha’s name and hit dial. The phone rang three times before Tasha picked up, her voice warm and unsuspecting.
“Shy, what the hell you want? I called you hours ago. Where you been?”
Shyann let a beat of silence hang in the air, letting her breath hitch just right. She poured every ounce of fakeness she could muster into her voice. “Girl… you know I be up to no good. What’’s up?”
Tasha exhaled, rolling her eyes. “I had wanted you and Niyah to come over earlier. Well, Niyah came. Your ass always MIA when I need you.”
Shyann tilted her head, staring up at the ceiling. Tasha wasn’t wrong. Shyann had been moving shady lately, dodging calls and making excuses. It was part of the game. “I’m sorry, girl,” Shyann said, injecting just enough guilt into her tone to sound believable. “I just be tired. I be having so much shit going on.”
Then she slipped the question in smoothly. “So how did the appointment go?”
The words sounded concerned. In reality, she couldn’t care less about whatever doctor’s visit Tasha had. It was just a lever to pull.
On the other end, Tasha let out a long, slow breath. “Honesty? I don’t know,” she admitted quietly. “They think they saw… something. I gotta go back for more tests.”
Shyann’s ears perked up. This was better than she thought. Not only did she have Juelz by the fucking balls, but Tasha was vulnerable. Scared. A small spark of excitement flickered through Shyann’s chest before she smoothed her voice again.
“Oh, shit. Tash, for real?” Shyann sat up, her interest genuinely piqued. “Why didn’t you tell me? I woulda came through.”
“Bitch!” Tasha snapped immediately. “You didn’t answer your phone.”
Shyann smirked. That little edge of irritation meant Tasha still trusted her enough to be honest.
“Well, look,” Shyann said, softly, letting her voice turn. “I’m here for you. Whatever you need. You hear me? Don’t be holding shit in. That’s not how we move.”
She leaned back against the bed, twirling a strand of hair around her finger as she spoke. “I’ma start answerin’ my phone more too, okay?”
There was a pause before Tasha responded.
“Okay, girl. I hear you,” Tasha said, her voice sounding a little stronger. “I just needed to vent to my best friend about the day I had.”
Shyann smiled into the phone. “I got you, always.” She paused just long enough to sound busy before adding, “Look, I’m ‘bout to get in the shower. I’ll hit you up tomorrow, for real. We can do lunch or go get drinks, maybe.”
