“You didn’t come here to talk business, did you?” Snow asked as he finished his drink.
Zya smiled and replied, “No, I can’t say that I did.”
“Well, then enjoy the party. I got the Remy room for the night. You and your girl come up to V.I.P. and have a good time. Afterwards, we’ll talk.” He handed her two V.I.P. passes then made his way into the crowd.
Vita stood over the counter in the parlor area of the bathroom and pulled the tiny package out of her purse. She ripped it open and emptied the contents onto the counter. She used one of her maxed-out credit cards to divide the powdery substance into two lines. The bathroom attendant looked at Vita like she was crazy.
“Bitch, what the fuck you looking at?” she asked with hostility.
The woman jumped and replied, “Nothing, miss. Do you need anything?”
“Do it look like I need something?” Vita snapped back. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have been so irritable, but at the moment, she needed a quick fix and the woman was in her way. The woman frowned then turned around and walked into the sink area.
Vita admired the coke before she bent her head down and snorted both lines up her nose. Vita licked her finger then picked up the debris of coke that her nose had left behind. She could feel the tension leave her body as her high set in. The coke made her feel so good, and even though she knew she shouldn’t do it, she couldn’t help it. The anxious feeling that had invaded her body quickly disappeared, and she looked in the mirror to make sure she hadn’t left any traces of the drug on her face. She had hit a line before picking Zya up, but by the time she got to the club, she was feeling antsy and knew that she needed some more.
She had begun hitting blow about six months ago, shortly after Zya moved out. She wasn’t addicted to it yet, but it had become a habit that she indulged in frequently. After Zya left, Heavy had been acting real controlling and possessive. He was always worried about what moves Zya made and what Zya was up to. Vita had been Zya’s friend way longer than she had known Heavy, so her loyalty always lay with her. She didn’t know why he had taken a sudden interest in Zya’s business, and it caused tension in her relationship. She and Heavy had started to fight more and more. The relationship was quickly becoming too much for her to bear. Vita found relief in the cocaine that she used, and most of the time, it was Heavy who provided it for her.
It’s not like I’m an addict or something. It’s only blow. Everybody does it. And I’m not doing it all the time, only a couple times a day, so I’m good. Vita tried to convince herself that she wasn’t wrong. She figured because she wasn’t smoking crack she was not at risk. What she didn’t realize was that cocaine was just as bad as crack. It was the same drug in a different form. Vita didn’t notice that she had begun to crave the dope more and more. She only made excuses and reasoned with herself about why doing it wasn’t wrong.
Zya walked into the bathroom and called out Vita’s name.
“Back here,” Vita responded as she looked in the mirror and touched up her makeup.
“You a’ight? You been in here for a minute,” Zya asked, noticing a change in Vita’s mood.
“Girl, trust. I’m good,” Vita replied.
“I got two passes to the Remy Room,” Zya said.
Vita hurried and put her makeup back in her purse and said, “Well, what we in here for? Let’s go.”
As they walked out of the bathroom, the attendant shook her head in disgust. Zya looked at the girl like she was crazy and said, “What the fuck you looking at?” Vita laughed loudly and grabbed Zya’s arm and pulled her out of the bathroom.
“Fuck was that all about? She was looking at you all crazy,” Zya said.
“Girl, you know how chicks be. Let’s go have fun,” Vita replied.
Zya entered the room first and saw Snow chilling on a leather couch that wrapped around most of the room. The room was big, and there had to be a hundred people inside. Everybody was chilling and conversing over drinks and food. Snow was surrounded by his crew and a bunch of women who were trying to be down.
“There go your boy,” Vita said, assuming that Zya was interested in Snow. She didn’t know anything about Zya’s hustle plan, so she had no clue that Zya was simply seeking his services. She planned on chilling off in a corner somewhere until the night was over, but when Snow looked up and motioned for her to come over, she didn’t have a choice but to comply. She and Vita strutted over to the crowded couch and loved the jealousy they received when they were invited to sit in the midst of Snow and his crew.
Zya sat down next to Snow. A fat, dark-skinned dude came over to the table and shook hands with him. “What up, Snow? You enjoying the party?”
“Yeah, Easy. You did it big, man. You know I had to come through to support you, fam.”
Big Easy told Snow to get at him after the party and then walked away.
“Y’all want something to drink?” Snow asked them.
“Hell yeah,” Vita replied.
Snow motioned for the waiter and pulled out a diamond-encrusted money clip with nothing but hundred dollar bills in it. “Let me get a couple bottles of Patron,” he said as he placed two hundred dollars on the waiter’s serving tray.
The liquor arrived, and everybody was having a good time drinking and chilling. The envious vibes evaporated from the air, and even the women in the room were talking and laughing. Zya sat next to Snow and knew they looked good together. She could tell by the way everybody in the room treated them. If their interaction was under different circumstances, Zya might actually be interested in Snow, but she knew that it could potentially be bad business to get involved with him. She didn’t want to mix business with pleasure.
After finishing the liquor, everybody was feeling good and having a nice time. Snow leaned over and got close to her ear.
“You look good tonight,” he said smoothly, his deep voice sending chills up her spine.
Zya leaned back and looked in Snow’s face. Yeah, this nigga is feeling it, she thought as she blushed from his compliment.
“Whatever, boy. You feeling it. Every chick in this room probably looks good to you right now,” she responded playfully, still sitting close to him. He smiled, and his perfect teeth made Zya smile back. He was sexy, there was no denying that, but she knew not to cross that line.
“Nah, I don’t fuck with skeezers. Just you,” he said in a low, confident tone.
“Just me, huh?” Zya replied, shaking her head from side to side.
“Yeah, shorty . . . just you.”
Zya was in awe of the man. She was not the type of girl that fell for game, but Snow’s game was tight, and he had her interested. Too bad I can’t see what he’s about, she thought. She was determined to stay focused on the bigger picture.
Vita stood up and looked at her phone. “Yo, Zya, I got to go. It’s already 2:30, and you know how Heavy is,” Vita said as she grabbed her purse off the couch.
Zya looked at Snow, realizing that she hadn’t accomplished what she had set out to accomplish. Damn, if I leave now, it ain’t no telling when I’m gon’ catch up with him again, she thought.
She looked at Snow and said, “I got to go. When can I get up with you? I got some business I need to discuss with you.”
“We can handle that tonight if you trying to stay. We’ll talk about it over breakfast and then swap it out like that,” he said. “I’ll drop you off at home or wherever you need to go.”
Zya looked at Vita and said, “Girl, I’ma stay here for a little while. Snow is gon’ drop me off when it’s over.”
“All right, girl,” Vita said as she hugged Zya. “Call me when you get in,” she said as she gave Zya and Snow a playful look. “Don’t do nothing I wouldn’t do.”
Zya laughed then sat back down next to Snow. He was actually good company, and she was having the most fun that she had experienced in a long time. They chilled for a couple hours, and when the crowd started to clear out, they got up to leave. Snow put his hand on the sm
all of her back and guided her through the crowd. They followed the crowd outside and into one of the parking garages up the block. She spotted his Aston Martin, and she walked by his side as she made her way to it.
“Yo, Zya!” a male voice called out.
Snow and Zya stopped walking then turned around. Amir came jogging up to her with a serious look on his face.
“What up, Zya? Long time no see,” Amir said sarcastically. Zya frowned her face up, not sure exactly what he wanted with her.
“You looking good,” Amir said. He looked back at Snow. “You doing a little bit too much for a chick that supposed to be at home.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Zya asked.
“You talked to Jules?” Amir asked.
“What the fuck do that got to do with you?” Zya asked defensively, knowing where the conversation was headed. He was stirring up feelings that she had buried, and she didn’t appreciate it.
“I’m just saying. My man’s stressing about why you ain’t coming to see him. You haven’t even taken his baby to see him yet. I guess you too busy out here fucking around with another nigga.”
“What? Me fucking around? You need to holla at your boy about that. He got that department locked. I didn’t do shit to Jules that he didn’t bring on his damn self, so fuck you and him!” Zya said with her finger in his face.
She got this confused look on her face and thought, Why am I even addressing this little mu’fucka. She put her hand on her hip and said, “Why are you so concerned with Jules’s business anyway? Yo’ small-time, corner-hustling ass need to quit riding his dick so hard and make sure you known before you try to step to a bitch like me. Don’t you ever try to check me about shit that I do. You better realize who the fuck I am, nigga. I’m Zya, and everybody out here know how I get down. Can you say the same about you?”
Amir got a salty look on his face and watched as Zya stormed off. “I’m just saying. He got a right to know about his baby, yo!”
“There is no baby! I got an abortion, so since you acting as the little messenger boy, you can tell Jules that he ain’t got to lose sleep over that no more.”
Zya walked all the way to Snow’s car without saying a word. Jules’s little worker had managed to turn her good night bad in less than five minutes. Zya was so mad she was near tears.
How dare that ugly-ass nigga get up in my face talking about what Jules needs to know. I needed to know his lying ass was fucking another bitch, but I didn’t. This nigga got me out here destroying my mind and body with an abortion because he wasn’t man enough to be faithful. Fuck him! Zya thought. She could feel the tears of anger slide down her cheeks, and she turned her body toward the window to conceal her face from Snow.
He had heard what just went down, but felt that it wasn’t his place to step in. He figured as long as the little dude didn’t get crazy then he shouldn’t intervene. Besides, it looked like Zya was handling the situation just fine on her own.
“You okay?” Snow asked.
“Yeah, I’m good,” Zya whispered. “Look, I’m sorry I lied to you about Jules being locked up. He told me not to tell everybody, so I didn’t.”
“I don’t care about that man business. I already knew anyway,” Snow said.
“What? How?”
“Zya, the streets talk. Harlem knew about Jules’s arrest almost as soon as it happened. I heard about it a couple days after you gave me that whole story about him being out of town. I just figured you had your reasons for lying. That’s your man. You did what he asked. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.”
“He’s not my man,” Zya stated softly as she looked out of the passenger window.
“So, why are you still out here trying to hustle for him?” Snow questioned.
“Please, I’m not doing anything for him. I’m in it for me. Jules left me broke and pregnant. After I found out he had gotten some other girl pregnant, I was done. I got an abortion, paid him what I owed him, and left his ass alone.” Zya wiped the tears from her face. She didn’t know why she told Snow what had happened. She just needed to get it off her chest.
“Real talk?” he asked her as he turned her face toward him.
“Real talk. But I’m good, though,” she said as she nodded her head.
“You don’t deserve a nigga like that. There are a thousand niggas out here who would die to have you on their arm,” Snow said sincerely. Zya smiled and blushed, but didn’t respond.
He pulled into a 24-hour restaurant, and they ate an early breakfast together while they arranged their business.
“So, how much the ounces going for?” Zya asked as she ate her omelet.
“Seven-fifty,” Snow replied.
She frowned and replied, “I’m trying to buy in bulk. I need a better deal than seven-fifty. I’m gon’ keep coming back again and again, so you gon’ get constant money from me.”
He had to smile at her business savvy. He sat back in the booth and asked, “How much are you trying to pay?”
“Six hundred,” she proposed.
Snow was intrigued by Zya, and because of that, he consented to her proposal. She would be the only one of his customers getting the dope for so cheap. He looked at her and the smile on her face was worth the $150 loss.
They finished their breakfast then Snow took Zya home. He followed her up to her apartment and she went into her shoe box to get his money. She only bought five ounces to start off. Snow told Zya that he would have the dope delivered to her in a couple of hours, and the transaction was complete.
“Thanks, Snow,” she said. “I’ll be in touch.”
I’m about to get this money, Zya thought. I’m finally in the game.
Jules sat behind the glass and watched his old worker pick up the phone. Amir had been loyal to Jules, and ever since Jules had been locked up, Amir made sure that he visited frequently.
“What’s up?” Jules said.
“Shit, man. I just came up here to give you some news,” Amir said. “I know you got a lot on your mind right now, but I thought you should know what was going on with your girl Zya.”
Jules sat up in his chair and leaned close to the glass. Amir had his attention. He hadn’t heard from Zya in almost a year, and her absence had hurt his pride and enraged him.
That bitch didn’t even have the decency to bring my baby to see me. She didn’t even send a picture.
“Yo, how my shorty doing?” Jules asked.
“Man, I saw her with some nigga at Big Easy’s party last night. That bitch was talking reckless like she had beef with you or something.”
Jules was steaming, but he didn’t let Amir see. “What about my kid, yo?”
Amir shook his head and replied, “She got an abortion. Jules, man, I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have had to find out like this.”
“What the fuck do you mean?”
“There is no baby. She said that she got rid of it. When I asked her about it, she got to popping off at the mouth and telling me that you ain’t shit. She was on some ‘Fuck Jules’ type shit, nah mean?”
Jules’s heart dropped, and he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The one woman he loved and would have given his life for was now abandoning him. The thought of her was the only thing that kept him strong in jail. His eyes began to water, but the sadness he was experiencing suddenly transformed into rage. Jules stood up from the table and threw the metal chair at the glass, causing it to crack.
“You tell that bitch I’ma see her ass!” he said right before the guards subdued him. “Bitch! That fucking dirty-ass bitch!” He yelled as he kicked and fought the guards restraining him. They pulled Jules back to his cell, and once he was there, he sat down and pounded his fists against his head.
She killed my seed, yo. We were supposed to be a family. Why the fuck didn’t she tell me? I’m in here thinking she’s riding for me, when all along she has been running around with another mu’fucking nigga.
Jules was hurt, but he felt anger more than any other emotion. He wo
uld have never expected Zya to cross him, but she had, and now he was left in jail wondering why.
The next night, Zya walked into work with a new attitude. She was there to get busy, and nothing was about to stop her from making her bread. She had two ounces in her apron packaged up in grams. She was carrying 56 grams of cocaine on her, and it was the best feeling she had ever felt in her life. She knew she was about to make money. She looked around the restaurant and saw that Marcella was not at work.
“Where’s Marcella?” Zya asked Liz. She hadn’t been at work in a couple days, and that was odd for her. She usually never missed her tips.
“I don’t know. Meechi says she’s been sick lately,” Liz said as she rushed off to cover her section. Zya walked into the back to punch in, and she found Buggy sweeping the office.
“Hey, Buggy,” Zya said nicely. She liked Buggy. He was a sweet guy, but he didn’t have it all. He was almost mentally retarded, and most of the people in the restaurant treated him badly. He didn’t really do much in the restaurant. He usually swept the floors and performed other small duties around the place. Zya had grown fond of him, though, and always went out of her way to be nice to him.
“Hi!” Buggy said as he continued to sweep the floors. He always walked with his head down and had a crippled walk. Zya walked past him, gave him a high five, clocked in, then made her way onto the floor.
Zya saw Vinnie and his associates sitting at their usual table, and she approached them. He buys more dope than anybody in this entire restaurant. I have to fuck with him, Zya thought as she walked over to his table. Vinnie sat back in his chair when she approached, and puffed on his cigar.
“Zya, my favorite girl,” Vinnie said. Zya grew a suspicious look on her face and replied, “Since when?”
“Since forever!” Vinnie announced. He pulled out some money and peeled off five hundred-dollar bills then placed them on her tray. “About the other night . . . I apologize. I had kicked back a couple drinks and . . .”
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