“Dang what? And stop cussing, li’l boy.”
“You know what I’m talking ’bout, Monica.”
“Listen, boy. I done told you a thousand times before that’s Mama with her bullshit. That ain’t got jack shit to do with you, me, or Kayla.” Monica went across the living room and sat on the couch next to her brother. “Pay attention, Dennis. This is my last year in high school. I’ll be eighteen in a few months, and then I can try to get custody of both you and Kayla. I know it’s hard, but just chill. It’s our only hope, so don’t fuck it up.”
Dennis truly loved his sister, without question, more than he loved his own mother. Monica was the one who put fly gear on his back, food in his stomach, and always kept his pockets off craps. Leaning back on the worn, tattered couch, he stared up at the paint that was peeling off the ceiling of the run-down apartment. “All right, Monica, I’ll chill,” he said, smiling, “if you braid my hair again tonight.”
“I’m not fucking clowning around with your li’l ass. Don’t make me bust you dead in your mouth.” She pushed his head over to the side playfully.
“Stop touching a grown-ass man,” Dennis laughed as they started to play wrestle. The two were not only brother and sister. They were best friends.
As they continued laughing and joking, they barely noticed Jenette stumble in through the front door. Monica and Dennis could both smell the gin from across the room. Jenette, obviously out of her mind, fell against the kitchen counter and slid down onto the floor. Bumping the side of her face on the refrigerator on the way, the drunken mother never cried out as a small gash instantly started to bleed.
But so what? That was her problem and hers alone. Neither Monica nor Dennis moved to come to her rescue. They were used to their mother being passed out on the floor. It was her second home. Jenette seemed to sleep better there anyhow. After a second of them staring at her with utter disgust, they tightly held their noses and stepped over her body as if she were no more than a puddle of piss in the street. Jenette, knocked out cold, didn’t even move one inch. She would be left all night to keep the mice and cockroaches company.
* * *
It was 8:10 a.m. and Monica had just made it inside the classroom before the bell rang. She had been in the hallway taking orders from some of her friends for new outfits. Over the past few months, Monica had been knocking them stores in the head something hard. She was getting anything her heart desired. Monica Howard had gone from being the girl the ignorant guys in her classroom nicknamed Dusty Drawers to being one of the best-dressed chicks in her school. Monica was known on a daily basis to floss top-notch designer jeans and other expensive outfits while carrying every new high-profile bag that came out on the market. Most of the clothes she stole were from neighborhood department stores or local malls. Whenever she could find time, Monica hustled. She would even take the Greyhound bus to New York every other week for all the high-priced items people ordered.
Monica was a little wild when it came to stealing. Having no true method to her madness, she was often careless and disorganized. Monica was cocky and took way too many unnecessary risks in the pursuit of getting what she or others on her list wanted. Most of the security guards were more than familiar with her face, and many knew her by name. The seasoned thief was used to the method of “borrowing things” that Jenette had taught her. However, balling up clothes and sticking them in her loose-fitting overalls was starting to play out. Stuffing belts and baby tees in her oversized purse would often result in the store confiscating their own merchandise and her expensive designer bags as evidence of her crime.
Monica would often breeze into a shop and try on a coat. She would walk around the store for a few moments or so and then make her escape by bolting out the door. With God on her side, Monica would make it to the parking lot sometimes, but other times she didn’t. Often, the only thing that saved her from jail was that she was under eighteen and all the youth homes were always filled to capacity.
With trying to take care of Kayla and Dennis as well as herself, Monica was truly catching it. With only a few months left before she graduated, Monica was planning on going to City College, getting her own little apartment, and having her brother and sister move in. Their “Jenette nightmare” would soon be over if all went as planned. In the meantime, Monica made her money the best way she knew how: by “borrowing.”
* * *
That night, lying across her bed, Monica was on the phone. “Okay, girl, tell me one more time.” Monica grabbed a pencil out of her designer book bag and began to scribble on a small piece of paper.
“First, see if you can get me those new jeans they got out. You know, the ones with the different-color design on the pocket,” her best friend expressively explained.
Kanina was Monica’s number-one customer. She always was first in line to get Monica’s hottest pieces. Monica knew all of Kanina’s sizes by heart. She knew her measurements better than any man Kanina had ever fucked around with. Over the months that passed, the two girls had become close friends. Even when Monica had no clothes to sling to earn dough, Kanina would loan her money.
Jenette was still getting high on the regular, and if Monica didn’t have the money to give her mother for drugs, she would and often did take Monica’s or Dennis’s gear out of the house. Whenever Dennis’s belongings went missing, he damn near would try to kill Jenette, mother or not. One day, he hit Jenette so hard upside her head she was unconscious for what seemed like an eternity. For one reason or another, she never fucked with Kayla’s stuff. Monica always tried to keep the peace. But Kanina was a true friend and looked out when need be.
“All right, I got that. What about the top?” Monica questioned. “Do you want long or short sleeves? They come in both and in every color.”
Monica was past careful in taking exact orders so she could make sure to have a definite sale for the stuff right away. Having the money in her hand was a lot easier than clothes to hide from Jenette, especially when the clothes still had price tags on them. Jenette could and often would trade them at the dope house for some product. The dudes who worked inside of the spots loved to see Jenette’s good dopefiend ass coming. They would always end up paying way less than what Monica would have sold the garments for, but that was that old dopefiend mentality Jenette swore by: get high by any means necessary.
Kanina took her time in answering, because she was lying back, picturing the hookup in her mind. “Girl, if you can get both of them, go right ahead. Matter of fact, try to see if you can get the jacket, too.” Even though she only wanted one blouse, she knew it was near the end of the month and that Monica needed the extra loot. Kanina was an only child. Both of her parents worked at a factory and gave her just about everything she asked for. She lived the life that Monica often would daydream about.
“Okay, Kanina, I’m gonna finish this list then go to sleep. I’m tired as hell. I was trying to wait up for Dennis, but you know how that shit goes. Ain’t no telling when he gonna show his li’l punk ass up.” Monica started yawning in the middle of her sentence. “I’m ’bout to fall asleep on you.”
“Monica, girl, I ain’t even gonna front with you. I don’t see how you do all that bullshit. Balls to the wall, flat-out, you better than me. I would go fucking crazy.” Kanina couldn’t help but feel sorry for her friend. Everybody has got a lot of shit to swallow at one time or another, but Monica seemed to stay in line to have a double-hard lump shoved down her throat.
“I know, but don’t worry. I got a game plan. See you after school, and don’t forget to take notes for me.” Monica flipped her cell phone closed and fell back across the bed. The next morning she was going to skip class so she could go “borrowing” and get her pockets back right. There was no food in the house, and of course, she had to fix that.
As she lay in bed, Monica started thinking of graduation, prom, and all the changes that would soon happily come with turning eighteen. She was content in knowing that the clock was ticking and a new life was
waiting for her and her siblings. It was only a matter of time before they would be all good.
Her little brother wasn’t quite as patient as Monica. Dennis was in the streets every night getting into some bullshit that would end up costing him and his family dearly. Having Jenette for a mom meant a constant fight around every corner in the hood. She ran scams and fucked over everyone she could, so Jenette kept enemies. Taking up for her time and again was getting on Dennis’s last nerve.
Chapter Four
“Oh my God,” Monica screamed while looking at the calendar she kept hanging on the wall in the bedroom. “It’s less than two weeks away from the prom, and I still haven’t found the perfect dress yet. I’m seriously slippin’.”
“So what, crazy? Stop all that noise. I can’t concentrate.” Kayla was trying her best to study.
“Don’t hate. One day your little butt will be out searching for a prom dress too.”
“Maybe, but if I do, I’m gonna make sure that I won’t go with no dumb boy. I am gonna go by myself,” Kayla huffed as she buried her face in the book she was reading.
Monica laughed at her sister. “You say that now. I’ll wait and see what you say in about another two or three years.”
“You better not hold your breath waiting. I hate boys.” Kayla twisted her lips up, folding her arms in protest of Monica’s words.
Monica had Kayla sit down on the floor so she could start to braid her hair. She made sure to keep up her little sister’s appearance. Jenette didn’t have time to care about anything but a good hit. By looking at Kayla, you could never tell that her mother was a junkie.
After about an hour or so, she finally finished. Kayla got up to stretch her legs. “Monica, don’t forget about the awards ceremony tomorrow evening.” She walked over to the mirror to admire her hair. Kayla was swinging her braids from side to side as she twirled around and around until she got dizzy and fell down. “I really want you to come, okay?”
“I won’t forget, I promise. I’m going to the big mall later to get us both something to wear. What color dress do you want?”
“Can you see if you can find a yellow dress?” Kayla leaped to her feet. “I want to wear the sandals you got for me last week, and a yellow dress would match. Please, Monica?”
Monica kissed Kayla on her cheek. “Not a problem, baby girl. You know I got you.” She walked over to the dresser and got out her book. Damn, these orders are piling up! Everybody and they mama wants a prom dress.
She double-checked the list and made calls to the people she knew had cash on hand. Monica wanted to make sure that she would have no problem at all going straight from the mall to their houses, dropping off the items, and getting her loot. If the price tag said $150, then they would pay half. That was the way shit worked.
The senior prom would be the last time to show off in front of all the people in her and Kanina’s class. Even the bitches who didn’t like Monica were putting their orders in. If she would be able to get everything on her list, her pockets would be on bump by nightfall. Monica picked her phone up off the charger and started dialing.
“Hey now, this is Monica. Will you be ready to see me about six o’clock this evening or what?”
“I’ll be here waiting. Try to get red or sky blue. It really doesn’t matter as long as it’s a size eight,” replied the first person on her list.
Monica went on to have similar conversations several times before changing her clothes to head out to the mall. She threw on a pair of Seven jeans, which hung loosely on her body. After pulling a light jacket out of the closet and getting Kayla together, she was out the door.
Monica often paid Miss Lila, the nice old lady who lived across the hall, to babysit her little sister. Sometimes the good neighbor would even fix them plates of food on Sundays when Monica was broke and couldn’t provide. Miss Lila was a true godsend.
After making sure that Kayla was tight, Monica made her way down the piss-infected stairwell. Jenette, drunk as hell, was on her way inside of the building. Monica walked right past her, not speaking or even acknowledging her presence. The young girl was on a mission and didn’t have time or patience for any of her mother’s crackhead, dopefiend games.
When Monica emerged from the “Apartment Building from Hell,” as she and Dennis had renamed it, she found Kanina parked in front of the building, waiting for her. Usually, Monica would roll by herself on the bus to do dirt. She hated to involve anyone else in her bullshit, but she had too many things on the list to haul back on the iron pimp.
“Hey, chick, what’s good?” Monica showed all her teeth, smiling when she hopped into the car.
Kanina shook her head and busted out laughing. “Why your little ass always in such a good mood when you about to steal?”
“Fuck, I don’t know. I guess ’cause I know I’m about to make some loot afterward.” Monica shrugged her shoulders as she reached over and put her seat belt on. “Buckle up for safety, bitch. I don’t wanna break the law.”
“Shut up, trick. You the last female who gives a fuck about the law.” They both had to laugh as Kanina pulled off.
Kanina and Monica gossiped and speculated about the prom all the way to the mall. When they pulled into the lot, Kanina found a parking space near one of the entranceways. Before going inside, Monica pulled the list from her purse and carefully went over it. Monica was almost out of breath as she went over the list repeatedly so she wouldn’t have to look at it inside. “Okay, Kanina, you know the drill. After I get the five dresses out of the boutique on this side, I’ll meet you around at the other entrance. Make sure to have the door unlocked just in case they be on my ass.”
“Girl, you know I got you.” Kanina winked at Monica, who was getting out of the car.
“Hey, I almost forgot. Keep your cell phone on loud, not vibrate. You never know when there might be a change of plans.” Monica winked back at her best friend as she shut the car door.
Monica made her way toward the boutique door as Kanina slowly pulled the car around to the other side of the mall entrance to wait. She turned the radio all the way down and watched every single person like a hawk. Kanina was scared shitless and worried about her friend. She loved all the fresh clothes her homegirl would steal for her, but she didn’t want her to get knocked doing it. She knew Monica was good at stealing, but everyone was subject to bad days, and her girl was no exception to the rule.
Monica put her small hands around the door handle of the boutique and entered with pride. She acted as if she had a million dollars in her pocket and not a care in the world. As soon as she stepped in the store, she headed straight to the formal dress section. She had been in the store three days prior to see if they had exactly what she needed and fortunately they did. Just as she remembered, the gowns were hanging toward the back near the fitting rooms. This was perfect for Monica. She went right to work.
Okay, I’ve got both the red ones, she thought as she swiftly searched the garment for any hidden sensors. Most stores didn’t put bulky security tags on dresses and gowns because the weight of it could alter the material. She learned that from watching a fashion special on cable at Kanina’s house.
Monica scanned the store to see if anyone was paying attention. When the coast seemed clear, she rapidly balled up both dresses and stuffed them in her Coach duffle bag. Quickly looking through rack after rack, she finally found the black dress in the right size. It was a little more out in the open than the others, but Monica was determined not to let that stop her. She pretended to browse some more until a few older white women came into the somewhat upscale boutique. This was the break she was hoping for. Any time older people came in, especially white folks, the saleswoman’s attention would immediately turn toward helping them. Salespeople were just like Monica in many ways. They hustled, trying to sell all the overpriced items they could ring up, and Monica hustled, “borrowing” all the shit she could stuff in her purse and down her pants.
Oh, this shit is gonna be easy now. She wa
ited until the perfect time, when everyone’s back was turned, and she made her move. Monica had the black dress off the hanger and into her purse in no time flat. She threw the hanger under the display and kept it moving. Getting the two yellow sundresses would be a piece of cake after that. Monica glanced over and slightly smirked at the saleslady, who was busy catering to everyone else in the store except for her black ass. Ol’ girl was occupied trying to get a commission from a big sale.
After scanning the store one more time for any signs of security, with all five dresses in her possession, Monica nonchalantly walked out the door. There were no alarms, no buzzers, and most importantly, no security guards chasing behind. Ecstatic, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed her friend’s number.
Kanina saw the number flash across the screen, and she felt an instant sense of relief. “Hey, are you straight?” she nervously questioned her friend as soon as she answered. She stared at the mall doors to see if there was any sign of Monica.
“Not a problem, girl. I was in and out just like that.” Monica snapped her fingers as she pushed open the door with her back. No sooner than she stepped in the parking lot, she felt the warm sun touch her body.
Kanina smiled and nodded. Hell, yeah!
Monica hastily made her way to the car to drop off the dresses and get ready to go back into a different store to fill the rest of her orders. She pulled the dresses out on the back seat and smoothed them all out. Monica didn’t want them to wrinkle any more than needed. People always tried to pay less for a wrinkled garment.
“Damn, these motherfuckers are off the chain, Monica. We’d look hot.” Kanina smiled.
“I know. When I saw them the other day, I was bugging out. I started to get them for you and me. You know how ya ass love this color.”
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