by Renee, Mimi
bathroom.
“You've been acting real strange lately, Bright, and
we're gonna get down to the bottom of it too!” her
mother said, closing the bathroom door behind herself
fussing.
Inside her room, Bright dried off then threw on a
pair of low rise shorts, a white tank top, and a pair of Old
Navy flip flops, and then she threw her hair in a neat
ponytail. Happy that her mother's drinking buddies and
card partners had arrived and that she wouldn't have to
explain herself to her mom, Bright picked up the phone
and dialed Treasure back.
“You alright now?” Treasure asked once Bright
called her back.
“Yeah I'm good, I’m over it, you know I don't let
anything keep me down for long,” Bright said, looking at
herself in her bedroom mirror. From as far back as when
she was a little girl, Bright was always good at erasing or
blocking things from her head that made her feel down
and out. Her mother would always say, “Girl, you gone
be a cold little heartbreaker when you grow up.” But if only she knew the things that Bright had to endure to get
that type of mind set…
“So it's Friday, we ain't got no jobs,” Treasure teased,
impersonating her best Chris Tucker voice from the
movie Friday. “So what’s up? And what we getting into
tonight?” Treasure asked.
“I'm rolling with Larry. His mother is out of town so
we have the house to ourselves,” Bright replied. “He
wanna fuck me, feed me and let me slob on his knob,”
Bright teased.
“Bitch, you just been kicking me and Suge to the
curb!” Treasure said, sucking her teeth. Though she
respected the fact that Bright had a man, it seemed like
they hardly ever kicked it anymore unless they were at
school. And they were supposed to be tighter than that.
“I can’t believe Ms.Sprung.com is playin her homegirls
for some nigga. They come and go, remember?” “Larry ain't just some nigga, Treasure, and you
know ever since that shit happened with Chrome, he's
been real protective of me. So please don't get it twisted,
I'm not never putting a dude before my girls; I just have a
real boyfriend now,” she said.
“Yeah, I hear you, Bee, but that thing with Chrome
happened months ago, and his punk ass is in jail!
Speaking of that, fool he wrote me a letter, but I ripped
that shit up and threw it in the garbage can. I wants no
parts of his low down dirty, grimy ass!” Treasure said,
boiling inside. She hated him for what he did to her girl
and how he had portrayed her.
Bright held her chest and took a deep breath. She
was relieved that Treasure didn't open the letter. She
didn't want Treasure second-guessing or questioning her
side of the story or friendship. She already had to come up with a good excuse as to why Treasure didn't see her in the car with Chrome when he pulled out of the Burger King parking lot. She told her she was probably picking up her purse when it had fallen on the floor of Chrome's car. “I hate that nigga!” Bright said thinking of the ass
whooping he had given her.
“Me too!” Treasure said, disgusted at the mention of
his name. “But anyways, peek game, Ice been coming
around here looking for you,” Treasure said, changing
subjects. “He rolling a tight ass Escalade on some twenty
sixes too, so don't fuck up and luck out on ya money,
honey. You already got Larry sewed up, so you might as
well shake him for the night and come handle yo
business, and see what Ice talking about. You know
Larry ain't balling like that, boo,” Treasure said in one
breath.
Disregarding Treasure's last comment about Larry
being broke Bright tried to recall the unfamiliar name.
“Ice?” Bright asked, confused. The name didn't ring a
bell. “Terrence, Bee!” Treasure said, refreshing her
friend’s memory by giving her Ice’s government name. “Oh, that nigga...eastie eastside Ice!” Bright said,
instantly seeing dollar signs. Terrence was not only a
reputable Crip from the eastside of Long Beach, but he
was also fine, a baller, and had a collection of clean-ass
low riders that Bright loved.
“Yeah the one and only Ice,” Treasure laughed.
“What other Ice do you know?” Treasure asked. “Girl
please, you know I don't be calling these niggas by they
nicknames. I call them by the names they mama's gave
'em,” Bright said with her hand on her hip. Other than
her looks, being privileged to call guys by their government names made Bright feel more superior than
other females.
“Bright, Bright, Bright,” Treasure laughed, nodding
her head. She always had to do things to make herself
stand out more, or be different from other females. Bright stood there and weighed her options. Damn
she thought to herself, Ice is a big nigga on the block, he fine
as fuck too and he got that real dough! But on the other hand,
homie is known as a big time playa, and he got too many
bitches! But fuck that, his money runs as long as the Hudson
River and I can definitely use some of that, she thought. “So what you gone do, Bee?” Treasure asked
impatiently.
“Bitch, I'm ‘bout to come get my money!” Bright
laughed. “I'm just thinking on how he used to have ole
girl, Netta, shining back in the days before she started
smoking that dope!”
“And she was just one of his females.” Treasure
added, hyping Bright up. “It's yo time to shine, girl!” Pumped up, Bright said, “I'm main chick status too, I
know I can come up.” She was thinking of a way to break
her date with Larry.
“Well come on, Bee,” Treasure said excitingly. “He
said he was gone be back in an hour, and that was about
forty five minutes ago,” she said.
“A’ight, good looking, Treasure, I'm on my way!”
Bright said, ending the call.
Then she dialed Larry up.
“Hey baby,” Bright said after Larry answered the
phone.
“Hey boo-boo, I'm on my way to pick you up in
about five minutes,” he said, assuming that was the
reason for her call.
“That's why I called you, baby, I can’t go. My auntie
on my father’s side is in the hospital, and my dad is
coming to pick me up. They say it’s not looking good
either,” Bright said losing her train of thought and the
original story that she planned on telling him. It was odd,
but for some reason it was hard for her to lie to Larry. “Your dad is picking you up?” Larry asked in a
surprised but confused tone.
“Yeah, my dad, baby,” Bright answered.
“Bright, I thought you told me that your dad passed
away?” Larry said.
Bright began to stutter, “I meant to say my
godfather, baby, my bad. My biological father has been
gone for a long time, and for years I've called my
godfather my dad.” She laughed, hoping he believed her.
The truth was that Bright didn't even have a g
odfather. Larry laughed, “You had me worried for a minute
there, boo-boo, I thought you were lying to me. I hope
your auntie gets better though, call me and keep me
updated on her status. I'll probably be here for a little
while,” Larry said. He was really looking forward to
spending the evening with Bright. He had already
cooked dinner for them, and later he planned on
breaking her off, then cuddling up to watch movies. “I will, love,” Bright said, blowing kisses through the
phone, and then she hung up.
********** After Bright threw on some more appropriatelooking clothing, she grabbed her purse, kissed her mother on the cheek, and told her that she would be back in a few hours.
“Where you going?” her mother asked.
“To hang out with Treasure and Suge, we gone have
us our own girls night,” she laughed.
“Okay, but be back by midnight, and I haven't forgot
about our little talk either. We'll talk about it over
breakfast!”She said, balancing a cigarette in between her
lips while she dealt a deck of cards.
“Okay ma, see ya later!” Bright said, exiting their
apartment. When she got outside, she thought, Please God
don't let Larry call back while I'm out, PLEASE! Speaking of,
Terrence gone have to buy me a cell phone and quick! Catching a ride from one of her many admirers from her
neighborhood named Rat, Bright asked him to drop her
off at Treasure's house since she wasn't in the mood to
walk.
Rat didn't mind at all. He was actually honored to
drive her over to her friend’s house. Taking the longer
route and the opportunity to parade Bright around the
neighborhood like she was his girl, Rat took his sweet
time and stopped and hollered at every hustler and
player he saw in the neighborhood. Bright began to grow
impatient.
“Rat, I'm in a rush right now!” Bright snapped,
interrupting his conversation. “My dude is on his way to
Treasure's house to pick me up. You the homie and all,
but if he catch us in the car together, he gone be hot, and
we might have some problems...problems that I'm tryna
avoid. So can you please drop me off right quick?” She
said loud enough for everybody to hear. She didn't want
anybody getting the impression or misunderstanding
that they were messing around.
Looking dumbfounded, Rat put his foot on the gas
pedal, then hit the corner to drop Bright off. When he pulled up in front of Treasure's house, he tried to get Bright's digits before she got out of his car. Ignoring him as if she didn't even hear him, Bright kept it pushing to Treasure's front door without saying thanks or even good bye. He has no money or fame and for those reasons alone, he would get no love from me, Bright thought as she knocked on Treasure's door. He was one of the few nobodies
whose name she never even bothered to ask.
“Bitch!” Rat yelled out to her as he drove off the
street. Bright was so caught up in her own thoughts that
she didn't even hear him.
“What you doin’ rolling with that broke fool Rat, for,
Bee?” Treasure asked, stepping out of the house and onto
the porch.
“Girl, I just asked his raggedy ass to drop me off
over here 'cause I didn't feel like walking, but girl, tell me
why I almost had to cuss his ass out?” Bright replied with
her hands on her hips.
“He was tryna get his in, huh?” Treasure laughed,
and then she took a seat on the porch steps.
“Girl, you know he was! I only asked him for a ride
because I didn't feel like walking. But you should of seen
how happy he was when I asked him for a ride!” Bright
laughed.
“I'm already knowing, Treasure said.
Right when Bright was preparing to take a seat next
to Treasure on the steps, Terrence rolled up, bossing,
bumping Dr. Dre. “Damn, is that that fine-ass female
they call Bright right there?” He asked, sticking his head
out of his truck window, looking Bright up and down.
Though Long Beach was known as the city of Crips, the
tension between the east and north side Crips stayed on
the rise. But because Terrence had respected family from the Norf and he was about getting money, they didn't
press him so hard when passing through.
“Knock it off, Ice,” Treasure laughed, calling him by
his street name. Then she directed her attention to Bright.
“You better hurry and leave before my mama or
grandmother come out here being nosy and start asking
you a gang of questions,” Treasure warned.
“I know, huh?” Bright said, quickly walking toward
the fenced gate. “I'll probably stop back by after I finish
up with Terrence, so be looking out for me, and answer
the phone!” Bright said, walking out of the gate. “I might hook up with, Suge and leave. It's Friday
night, I'm not tryna be cooped all up in the house,”
Treasure replied, standing on the porch.
“I'll call you in thirty minutes to see what's up!”
Bright said as she climbed inside of Terrence's Cadillac
Escalade like she belonged.
“Hey, Terrence,” Bright said once she was secured in
the passenger seat.
Terrence laughed. “So me and you that tight now,
that you can just call a nigga by his government name?”
he asked, turning his music down.
“I guess we are, 'cause I don't do the street name,
nickname thing,” Bright said with her nose in the air. Terrence smirked, then nodded his head. “Well,
since we ain't tight like that, but you fine as fuck, I'll give
you a pass to call me by my government name when
we're alone. But in public it's, Ice, a'ight?”
“Bet,” Bright said, then reclined her seat.
Looking at Bright all laid back and comfortable in
the passenger seat, Terrence smiled. “Yeah, go on and get
all comfortable, beautiful,” he said, then turned his music
back up, driving off Treasure's street.
Terrence reminded Bright of the rapper Jim Jones,
but he possessed the swag of the rapper Snoop Dogg. He
had a caramel complexion, with nice wavy hair that was
kept neatly braided or laid in a slick ponytail.
After a few moment of silence, Terrence spoke. “So
what is it that you would like to get into tonight
anyways, Miss Sexy ass, beautiful Bright?” Terrence
asked, putting emphasis on the word “sexy”.
“I'm rolling with you, so you tell me,” Bright replied
in a soft, flirty tone.
Terrence rubbed his hands together, smiled, looked
Bright up and down, and then undressed her with his
eyes “Shit, don't leave it up to me, I'm a nasty nigga,” he
replied, softly rubbing the side of Bright's face with the
back of his index finger.
Bright laughed. “I guess that makes us a perfect
match then,” she smiled, sensuously biting on her bottom
lip. Months ago while on the bus, Bright had found an ID
card of a twenty-two year old lady that looked almost
identical to her and decided to keep it. And since she had
it in her possession, she suggest
ed going out for dinner
and drinks.
“Cool, I been making moves all day, and I ain't ate
either, so grabbing a bite to eat sounds good,” Terrence
replied.
“Let me grab this cheese from my dude on the
eastside, then we off on our merryass way,” Terrence
said.
Ten minutes later, they ended up on the eastside of
Long Beach off of Pacific Coast Highway and Pine Street
for Terrence to collect his paper. The east side of Long
Beach wasn't Bright's favorite place in the world to be,
especially after she had gotten jumped in the ninth grade by a group of females from Long Beach’s Insane Crip gang over a dude that she used to kick it with named Issac. So from then on, whenever Bright was on the eastside, she'd keep a blade and pepper spray in her possession for her protection. But now, since she was riding with eastie Ice, she had no fear. After collecting his paper and knowing he couldn't creep in Long Beach the way he wanted to, Terrence hit the 91 freeway east and headed to Buena Park, and then asked Bright what she was in the mood to eat. “They have a lot of different restaurants on Beach Blvd., what you in the mood to
eat?”
“Let’s do Claim Jumpers,” Bright said, she heard
they had good food. Then she asked him if she could use
his phone. She wanted to call Treasure to find out her
plans for the night. After getting Treasure on the phone,
she told Bright that she and Suge were going to a party
that Nicole had invited them to, and then gave her the
address just in case she wanted to meet up with them
later.
Walking in the parking lot to the restaurant,
Terrence asked Bright how old she was. “I'm seventeen,
but according to the fake ID I have, I'm twentytwo,”
Bright said, not being completely honest. She was only
sixteen years old. “And how old are you?” Bright asked,
hoping that age wouldn't be a big problem for him. “I'm twenty-six,” he quickly answered. “But when
will you turn eighteen?” he asked curiously. It didn't sit
well with him that Bright was underage.
“I'll be eighteen in three and a half months,” she lied. “A’ight cool, I guess I can creep with you for a few
months,” he smiled. He figured she was practically
already eighteen and three and a half months was no time. “But I must warn you, though,” he paused. “You can't get any of this dick until then, and not a second before...been told this shit is addictive!” he teased. However, he already had plans on breaking her off right