by Pinky Dior
“Next!” Shateeya said sarcastically as the girls chuckled.
Within minutes, Candy slowly stepped out of the fitting room and stood in front of the girls. They looked Candy up and down with smiles on their faces. She wore a pretty, pink Aidan Mattox draped one-shoulder, stretch satin dress, which had ruffles along the side. Candy had her hands on her hips as she turned around and posed for them as a model would for an audition.
“Oh, stop it!” Chamari chuckled. Candy made the girls laugh.
“You look good, Candy,” Mercedes complimented her. “All you need is some heels to match and you will be all set!” Mercedes assured her.
“Y’all like this, for real?” Candy asked as she looked in the mirror. She loved the way the dress brought out her skin complexion and her hair.
“Yeah,” they said in unison.
“It suits you.” Chamari smiled.
“All right, this one it is.” Candy smiled before returning to the fitting room. She carefully took off the dress and slid back into her regular clothes. Candy emerged from the fitting room as they all got up and followed Mercedes to the register.
The white lady behind the register smiled nervously as the girls stood in front of them, thinking they were going to try something. “Hi, how are you girls doing today?” She tried to act friendly.
“Good,” they said in unison.
“How are you paying for this?” the lady questioned.
“Cash,” Mercedes said bluntly.
The lady quickly rang up all the clothes and the heels that were on the counter. After ringing her up, the lady subtotaled the order. Mercedes had turned around to talk to Hazel.
“The total is two thousand, five hundred dollars even.” The lady smirked and automatically didn’t think Mercedes had that kind of money.
“No problem.” Mercedes removed her purse, pulling out her bankroll of money, and peeled off twenty-five hundreds, which she handed to her.
The lady wasn’t expecting to hear her say that. She kindly took the money and smiled, counting it over several times.
“It’s all there,” Mercedes assured her with a malicious smirk on her face as she watched the woman struggling to count the money.
The woman nervously looked up at Mercedes and back down at the register. She placed the money inside. She quickly packed their bags for them, organizing separate bags for the girls. The girls happily exited the mall and went to Mercedes’s house as they got prepared for Candy’s surprise birthday party.
With their hair, toes, and nails done, it was time to hit the club. The last time the girls had gone to the club, was back when they were in high school and they had used fake ID’s to get in. Mercedes gripped the steering wheel as Nicki Minaj’s “Go Hard” blared through the speakers. The girls rapped along to the song. You could hear Mercedes’s system from a mile away; the two huge 12’s rattled her whole trunk. Her pink LED HIDS shone on the ground, and as soon as she pulled up to the club, all eyes were focused on them. Mercedes stood beside her girls in the VIP line, looking fresh to death.
Mercedes was the baddest out of the crew, and everyone else knew it. Even if all eyes were on her crew, they always gave Mercedes the utmost respect. She wore her long jet-black hair pressed out with Chinese bangs. Her pink MAC lip-gloss accented her full, succulent lips. Bitches at the club didn’t have anything on Mercedes. She wore a black sequined one-shoulder dress that showed off the voluptuous curves her mother had blessed her with. It was short enough that if she bent over, you could see all of what was underneath the dress. Mercedes didn’t want to overdo the look. She had on some plain black heels. She decided to accessorize her look with a pair of diamond earrings and a thick diamond bracelet around her wrist.
With her hand on her hips and her small Chanel purse in the other hand, Mercedes walked straight to the front of the line. The bouncer removed the red rope and let the ladies walk in the club. She was lucky; the security guard had grown up with her father and they were close friends. She was also lucky, because she was carrying a small handgun in her purse and they didn’t search her. She just strolled in and people cleared the way for the crew.
“You got it like that, huh?” Hazel asked in surprise.
“You already know! My pops is well known.” Mercedes winked at Hazel as she turned around and continued walking.
The DJ turned down the music. He was about to make an announcement. Guys whispered and stared at Mercedes’s ass as soon as she walked in the club. Mercedes smiled, loving the attention. She quickly swept back her hair and winked at a guy who had his mouth wide open. He was drooling.
“How are y’all doing tonight?” the DJ asked.
“Good!” people screamed in unison.
“Y’all ready to get this party started?”
“Yeahhh!” the crowd raved in unison, roaring, whistling, and clapping their hands together.
“Mercedes Carter is in the building and she wanted to give a shout out to her best friend Candy from the MOBB clique. It’s Candy’s birthday today, y’all, so if y’all see little mama right there, go up to her and say happy birthday.”
Candy was embarrassed when she ended up under the spotlight and the white lights shone directly down on her. The DJ turned up the music as “Rude Boy” by Rihanna blared through the speakers. Mercedes found herself in the middle of the club on the dance floor with her girls as they sang the song in unison. After spending some time on the dance floor, Mercedes yelled over the loud music and told them to follow her.
The girls followed behind Mercedes as she strolled into the VIP section. The table accommodated several bottles of liquor: Cristal, Grey Goose, Nuvo, and Bacardi. The girls sat down on a plush black leather couch.
“Thank you, Mercedes.” Candy wiped away a tear that was forming in the corner of her eye, trying not to mess up her perfectly done mascara.
“What you crying for?” Mercedes asked, placing her drink back down on the floor.
“I’m not crying,” Candy lied. “It’s just tears of joy. You’re my best friend, Mercedes, and I’m thankful for you.” Candy reached over and hugged Mercedes tightly. Mercedes rubbed Candy’s back, smiling.
“Awwwww,” the girls said in unison as they all burst into laughter.
“Anyways…” Mercedes playfully rolled her eyes. “Y’all ready to pop these bottles and ride this wave?” Mercedes shouted.
“Hell yeah!” Hazel grabbed the bottle of Grey Goose, held it up to her lips, and kissed it. “This shit will get you fucked up!”
“Candy, I got you your own bottle right here.” Mercedes pulled the bottle of Nuvo, which had a pink bow on it, from the bucket of ice.
“Oh yeah! I’m about to get fucked tonight!” Candy blurted out, snatching the bottle from Mercedes’s hand. The girls gave her a weird look. “I mean, get fucked up tonight.” They laughed as she quickly corrected herself, embarrassed at the wrong choice of words that had slipped from her mouth.
The girls popped bottles and got wavy in the VIP section. Mercedes only had a couple of shots here and there. She couldn’t get white-boy wasted, as she wanted; she was the designated driver. Throughout the night, Candy was receiving birthday wishes and gifts from people she hardly knew. She looked over at Mercedes and thanked her, hugging her again. Mercedes tried to hold her breath when Candy got in her face talking. Candy’s mouth had a bad alcohol aroma on it every time she talked.
Candy got up and fell down back on the couch. The other girls were also tipsy and laughing at Candy. She was the comedian of the night, especially when she sang every song horribly and had the words mixed up.
“Where are you going?” Mercedes questioned when Candy got up.
“I got to go to the bathroom,” she said with slurred words.
“Come on, I’ll go with you,” Mercedes insisted. She was about to get up until Candy got loud.
“No, no, I’m okay! I don’t need you to come with me,” Candy said as she stumbled around the table and disappeared into the crowd.
/> “I’ll go with her,” Mercedes volunteered as she got up and grabbed her bag. “I got to go pee anyways.” Mercedes exited the VIP room and made her way through the crowd, trying to squeeze through. As Mercedes entered the bathroom, a girl bumped into her.
“Excuse you!” the girl said angrily with a cocky-ass attitude. “Next time watch where the fuck you’re going!”
Mercedes turned her head and noticed that it was India, the one she had bumped heads with in high school. India shot Mercedes a cold glare. Mercedes didn’t notice it was her, until she turned back around and got a good look at her face.
“I see you still got a lot of fucking mouth.”
Mercedes pursed her lips together, mean-mugging India. “And I see you aren’t pregnant anymore.” Mercedes smiled as she looked at India. “And you gained some more weight,” Mercedes added.
“And bitch, I still look good!” India cut her eyes at Mercedes, wearing her hands on her hips.
“So what’s up with all that shit you were talking last time we bumped into each other?” Mercedes asked. “You aren’t pregnant now,” Mercedes cooed as she cocked her head and shifted her weight to one side with her hands fixed on her hips.
India continuously rolled her eyes and looked her up and down. “And?”
“So what’s popping?” Mercedes barked. India nervously watched as Mercedes pulled out a gun from her Chanel purse and pointed it at her. “What’s up now, India?” Mercedes wore a malicious smirk on her face, showing half of her teeth.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“You think you can get away with murdering my unborn child?”
“I didn’t know you were pregnant. I’m sorry,” India lied as she started apologizing quickly, only because Mercedes was holding her at gunpoint.
“Don’t fucking lie to me!” Mercedes yelled through clenched teeth as she cocked the gun. “You fucking knew, you hating-ass bitch!” India held her hands up in the air nervously as she stared at the barrel of the gun. “You was just mad because I was pregnant by Chino. You and your bitches are some worthless bitches, ain’t worth shit, but y’all will pay with your lives,” Mercedes promised her.
“Come on, don’t do this. I have a child,” India begged.
Just as Mercedes was about let off a shot, Hazel busted through the bathroom door. “Mercedes…” She stopped in her tracks and wondered why Mercedes was pointing a gun at India. She knew they had beef, but she didn’t know it was serious enough to pull a gun out on her. Whatever India had done, she could tell Mercedes was enraged. Mercedes still didn’t budge. She stayed there pointing the gun at India, ready to pull the trigger at any moment.
“What the fuck are you doing, Mercedes?” Chamari barked as she entered the bathroom.
“Candy’s getting jumped. We have to go!” Hazel exclaimed.
“I guess it’s your lucky day, bitch!” Mercedes lowered her gun. She put the safety on and placed her gun back inside her purse. She walked past India, ice grilling her. “Next time, you’re dead!” she threatened, wishing she had her razor on her, because she was about to leave an ugly scar on her face; a scar for life. She quickly exited the bathroom, trailing behind Hazel and Chamari, making her way into the crowd.
“Next time, you’re dead.” Those words echoed in India’s ear, causing her heart to beat faster. She didn’t think Mercedes was cut out and built like that. She knew Mercedes was a little tough in Queens High, but it didn’t intimidate her.
India’s girls quickly rushed into the bathroom when they saw Mercedes exiting, hoping that India was okay. They entered the bathroom and saw India holding her chest as if she was having a heart attack.
“Are you all right, India?” Mendy, one of her friends, asked her.
“Yeah,” she lied, still a little shaken up and with her heart beating fast.
“Yeah, well, we just saw that bitch Mercedes come out of here. You good?”
“Yes! I’m fucking good!” she barked. “Now get the fuck out of my way!” India quickly fixed her clothes and walked out of the bathroom, pushing through her clique. She knew she had been saved by an angel; if Hazel hadn’t come into the bathroom, she would have been lying dead in a pool of blood in the ladies’ room.
“What the fuck is wrong with her?” Mendy popped her gum loudly as she flared up her nose with an attitude. “Whatever! Let’s go y’all,” she stated as they all followed behind India, returning to the dance floor.
Mercedes rushed into the crowd and saw Shateeya and Candy fighting, throwing blows. They were two up against four. Mercedes shook her head, reached in her purse, and pulled out her gun. She wasn’t going to let them jump her girls like that and think they were going to get away with it. She rushed over and pulled one of the girls off Candy, and as the girl turned her around, Mercedes started pistol-whipping one of the girls in her face. The girl screamed out in agony as she tried to block her face from the continuous blows.
“Yo, Mercedes, we good. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Mercedes continuously pistol-whipped the girl until blood covered her face and she got onto the floor. Mercedes was in the zone. She didn’t know what came over her; she completely blacked out.
“Argh, stop it, please!” the girl begged. “Pleaseeeeeee!” the girl cried.
But Mercedes continued to hit her. Her girls stood behind her, watching in awe. They had never seen Mercedes like this. Hazel had to scream out her name again for her to stop. She pulled her by her shirt, forcing her off the girl.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here!” Hazel yelled. “Security is coming.”
Mercedes saw the security guards coming through the crowd, trying to see what going was on, and she quickly shoved her gun back in her purse. When they came, they saw a young girl holding her face and crying. Her face was covered in a good amount of blood and completely swollen. Both of her eyes were swollen and she couldn’t even see out of them. Mercedes and the girls scattered from the scene. Once outside the club, they rushed to the car in a hurry. Chamari held Candy in her arms as they rushed to the car. They hopped in the car and Mercedes pressed down on the gas, dipping down the street.
“Those are them hating-ass bitches from around my way!” Candy exclaimed as she held her face, which was a little swollen. “They mad because I was fucking with Jamal and one of them is his ex-girlfriend.”
“Well, Jamal ain’t around no more for them bitches to be fucking beefing over!” Mercedes retorted.
Candy was upset by her comment, quickly reminiscing about the other day.
“Damn, Mercedes, you beat the shit out of that girl!” Hazel bellowed, ignoring Candy’s comment. She really didn’t know what had gotten into her.
“What the fuck did she do to you?” Shateeya asked.
“What the fuck you mean what did she do to me?” Mercedes cocked her head back. “Those bitches were trying to jump my girl, and I don’t like that jumping shit!” Mercedes said coldly.
“You beat her like she stole something,” Shateeya butted in. “I never saw you like that before, Mercedes. Are you all right?” Shateeya asked, sounding concerned, placing her hand on Mercedes shoulder.
Mercedes drove with both hands on the steering wheel as she stared straight ahead at the road, in the zone. “I’m just fine,” Mercedes said. “I just don’t like to be fucked with or for people to fuck with my people.”
The girls sat in the car as silence, knowing Mercedes was in her own little world and they didn’t want to bother her. Mercedes didn’t know what had come over her when she was beating that poor little girl. She actually felt bad; the first time in her life she ever felt remorse for something she did. Mercedes shook out the thoughts of her beating the girl up. Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn’t believe the person she’d become. Ever since Emilio’s death, Mercedes’s heart changed from being warm to being colder than ice. This lifestyle wasn’t an option for her; it was a given. After her father’s death, it was just kindly handed to her, and she took it, but it
wasn’t by choice.
Chapter Eight
Dead wrong
Mercedes tossed and turned in her king-sized bed. She held the covers close to her body as the cold air crept under the sheets. She had been having very bad dreams lately and she had no control over them. She would constantly wake up from a bad dream and be sweating profusely. Mercedes’s eyes shot open when she heard a noise that came from downstairs. She didn’t think anything of it, but she heard it again, so she decided to see where the noise was coming from. Before Mercedes got out of her bed, she heard voices coming from downstairs. She reached over her bed and searched in the dark for the gun that was always situated on the nightstand, but it wasn’t there. She sat up in her bed and turned on the nightlight, and there was someone standing right in front of her bed and pointing a gun towards her.
“Looking for something?” the man asked kindly, as he held the gun in his hand and lowered it, pointing it towards Mercedes’s face. He cocked the gun back and shot her in the chest several times.
Mercedes jumped up and started screaming. She looked around the bedroom, quickly turned on the lamp, and looked over at the nightstand. Her gun was still there where she had last put it. She grabbed her hair and gripped it, inhaling, taking a deep breath. Ever since she had been locked up, she kept having those dreams. Mercedes grabbed her gun and descended down the steps. She drew her gun and positioned it in front of her when she heard a noise coming from the kitchen. Once she reached the last step, Mercedes’s foot met the corridor. She went around the corner pointing her gun, hearing another noise coming from the kitchen as she walked into it. The kitchen lights were off, but she could see a shadow moving towards her. Mercedes cocked her gun as she flicked on the lights.
“Oh shit!” Candy was startled. She dropped her glass of milk on the floor and it splashed everywhere. “You scared me, girl!” Candy exclaimed as she held her hand over her chest, trying to catch her breath.
Mercedes shook her head as she lowered her gun to her side. “Shit, you the one creeping around at like two o’clock in the morning! You had me about to start shooting shit up in here.” Mercedes chuckled. She grabbed the paper towels off the table and began cleaning up the spilled milk. Candy tried to help her as she bent down, but Mercedes noticed that her hands were trembling.