“Nah… on some real shit though, Rei, Vasiah doesn’t seem like someone you can play with. I know you used to having yo way and doing what you want, but you really had no reason to block him for two days. And if he don’t wanna accept yo apology right away, isn’t he well within his rights?” Joyy continued.
“You know, this is the type of betrayal they talked about in the Bible. Can’t believe you’re agreeing with men now!” I gagged.
The twins just groaned at me while I stared at the read receipt on my last sent text message. Suddenly, a bright idea popped into my head, and I needed these two traitorous ass hoes’ help.
“Aye, twins,” I called out. “Can I borrow that karaoke speaker?”
“Areyou sure he didn’t give you any dick?” Joyy shrieked. “This is absolutely ridiculous, even for you.”
Cherrice just flashed her phone in my face, recording the whole thing. “I need evidence that Miss No Feelings is indeed crashing out over a nigga not responding to her after she blocked him first. This should really go down in the history books.”
“Fuck both of y’all!”
“Unt uh. One hit of this coochie would put you in the psych ward,” Joyy quipped, and I just rolled my eyes. I was starting to rethink my whole plan and even bringing them along, but I couldn’t have me and my boo at odds before we really got started.
“Shut the fuck up and start the music,” I ordered, silencing my phone from an incoming call from Rae. She probably checked our locations and wondered why we were all in the same place without her.
Fantasia’sFree Yourselfstarted blaring through my speakers, and I hopped out the truck with the Bluetooth karaoke speaker. It was a little after nine, and the sun had finally set, though his quiet street in Bronzeville was well lit with streetlights. I figured out where Vasiah lived from our first time on FaceTime. He had to use the bathroom, but I insisted on staying on the phone until he got back. While he was gone, I took a screenshot of his wall, did a reverse image search on Google, and figured out the name of his complex. I didn’t know what floor he lived on, but it was an older building with only five floors total, and I knew his unit was facing the street. This worked well for my haphazard plan because Don Julio told me to do it.
“BABY, YOU DON’T PAY ME NO MIND! YOU ACT LIKE YOU DON’T LOVE ME NO MORE! MAYBE YOU NEED SOME SPACE OR SOME TIME! YOUR ATTITUDE IS UNPREDICTABLE”
Fantasia and I harmonized until I saw some units cut the lights in their living room on, and saw windows opening, while cars that usually flew down Michigan slowed to a halt to catcha glimpse of the show. By the time I got to the If you don’t want me then, don’t talk to mepart, people were outside their apartments, recording me and laughing.
But still no sign of Vasiah. Right when I was about to start the song over, I heard a voice behind me, the one I’d been waiting to hear for the past few days.
“LaReina? What are you doing out here?”
9
VASIAH
There was a crowd outside my building holding their phones up, laughing at somebody screeching on a karaoke mic, singing some old Fantasia song. I stepped out to walk my elderly neighbor’s golden doodle, named Dolce, and came back to the tail end of the crazy lady’s performance.
Imagine my surprise when I saw that the crazy lady was actually LaReina?
I rushed over, handing Mrs. Boone her dog, and gawked at Reina, who gawked back at me, a tipsy smile across her face.
“Alright, y’all, the concert is over! My man is back!” She threw her arms around my neck, and if I wasn’t so flabbergasted, I would’ve relished in the fact that I actually missed her even if she confused me.
“LaReina, what are you doing out here?”
“I was wondering why you blocked me?” she replied, hand on hip.
“I didn’t block you, girl.” I looked at the crowd disperse, and peeped the owners from Vibes and Lines in her truck.
“We told her not to play with you, Vasiah!” the one with the ginger hair yelled.
“Shut up, hoe!” Reina yelled back, then turned her attention to me. “Well, if you didn’t block me, then why didn’t you respond to my text about our second date?”
“Truthfully, I forgot. It’s been a busy few days. But I also needed some time to process. Imma let you know right now, Reina, I like you. I enjoyed our date together, even if it did end with me knocking a nigga out. But I don’t do games, girl. If you ain’t feeling a nigga, then just be honest. It’s no harm or foul. If youisfeeling a nigga, then act like it.”
She blinked at me.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
