Chapter 1
Amina Joy Smith POV
“Hey girl” I said to my best friend since pampers.
“Hey bitch I miss you so much” Heather said back.
Heather and I knew each other my entire life, both of our mothers were best friends. She was like the sister I never had. NO let me correct that she is the sister! She was the wild one, she was so blunt and didn’t care what came out her mouth. While of course I was more of the shy quiet one but didn’t take no drama from anyone.
We haven’t seen each other in two whole weeks due to my situation, but let’s get to that later. This was the first time in two weeks that we saw each other so today we decided on brunch, we were just now meeting up for brunch at IHOP on 69th st. The both of us are young black business owners and made it out the “hood” as people would say but that doesn’t mean we can switch up and act bougie just because we have a little money. I will always come back and eat or shop on 69th st shit that’s where we started from, we came from nothing and i’m not gonna act like I didn’t.
“I know girl I miss you way more” I said
“So how have you been? Is everything alright? How is Leeky?” Heather said back asking question after question because she knows what’s been happening. That’s why we went two weeks without seeing each other, I just couldn’t face her at that moment. I also just didn’t want to admit to it but she can clearly see the look on my face and tell that it was happening again.
“I’m good, Leek is good, getting bigger and smarter everyday.. he surprises me every day what’s been up with you? The modeling?” I asked, also telling her about my son.
“Everything is everything, the modeling is going great I actually have a photo shoot after this-look Mina I’m not going to beat around the bush because you know I keep it all the way real with you because your my best friend so you need to be real with me and tell me what’s really going on?” Heather said clearly pissed off at me.
“what are your talking about Heather” I said rolling my eyes because honestly I didn’t want to talk about it, I was completely over with the situation anyway I just wanted to leave the past in the past, but I know I will have to talk about it some day and let my best friend know why I went missing All I could do was put my head down and start crying.. I was about to speak about what’s been going on in my life for the past year, Nobody knows but my best friend.
“It happened again didn’t it Mina?” She Asked me. I nodded slowly looking up at Heather.
“Why won’t you just leave Mina? Why do you keep letting him do this to you, this is the last fucking straw cause your not a damn punching bag, fuck that I’m going by the block today I don’t care what you say, why the hell you keep saving him?” She jumped down my neck, I just knew she was. I knew she’d be mad but honestly I didn’t know why I kept letting him use me as his punching bag. After I was done crying and finally got myself together I was finally able to talk again.
“Heather I know and this time I’m completely done.. I’m fed up with this bullshit, I cannot keep putting myself through this, that’s why I needed two weeks to get myself together I’m leaving him and taking me and Malik... we moving back to New York we gone stay with my dad until my house is done, in two days it will be ready then I’ll be getting the keys” I said back.
“I’m happy for you and you know I only want the best for you and I can’t stand to see you go through this I don’t want to make it seem like I’m talking down or being to blunt but enough is enough, I’m still going down the block and you know when King and J find out” Heather spoke back mentioning my brothers.
That’s all I needed was for her to go down there and start telling shit cause it took one name and something was wrong for them to come running to kill Rasheed, Rasheed was somebody I’ve been dealing with for almost a year and half now, when we first got together everything was amazing when I say amazing it was I thought he loved me but thats until you finally start to see a person true colors. I would have never thought we will be at the point that we are now, and I promised myself that I wont be taken for granted.
“No Hev please, I don’t want to make the situation more bigger then it already is, you know how them niggas is and it’s not gone end well, please promise me your not gone say anything I got it trust me” I yelled back but no so loud where as though I was making an scene.
Everybody knew how King and J was about Me, I’m the sister their only sister and they was going to war for me, no questions.
“Ok Mina, now tell me how my god son is doing. I miss him, where is he by the way?” Heather Said.
“Leeky is doing wonderful, funny you say that just before I dropped him off he asked when can he see you, but he over there on the block I told King if he watch him for a couple hours I’ll buy him some sneaks” I said starting to laugh because my little brother always wanted something in return just for watching his only nephew.
“Speaking of which I have to run over there to the footlocker when we leave here, then go by the shop to do a pop up on their asses” I told heather.
When I mentioned making it out the hood, I had a hustle; a passion I always had the dream I just made it come true but I still was working to get more. I turned my passion into my business and it made me who I am today and i’m proud to be a Celebrity hair stylist, if it wasn’t for this I wouldn’t know where I would be today. I am the most outstanding Celebrity Hair Stylist, the baddest in the hair industry. I own two shops and one dance studio. Yes I have a passion for dancing and singing but I only sing when I’m alone or just bored. I have one shop in Philly and I’m opening my new dance studio plus a hair salon in New York, having a lot of talents under my sleeve is what I’m good at opening my new buildings are the main reasons why I’m actually moving back to New York.
“After that I’m going over to the block to see how auntie and mommy doing, best friend we haven’t been out in a while let’s go out tonight, no we are going out tonight I’m going to see what J doing, he said they was doing a video on the block tonight so they probably go out after we can ride out with them” I Spoke excited I figured this what something that I needed this turn up one last time with my best friend before I move tomorrow.
“You know that doesn’t sound like a bad idea since I was missing my best friend for the past two whole weeks... the whole time I was caked up in the house, Derrick is acting like a dick head so I could use a stress reliever” Heather Spoke back.
“Is everything Ok? and you be ready by seven bitch I’m coming to pick you up, I’m gone run over here to footlocker for this boy and then go get Malik” I Told her getting ready to go.
“Yes we will talk later, but good cause I have this shoot I have to get to in like the next 15 minutes” Heather said looking down at her watch letting me know that it was time for her to go, We gathered our things, got up out our seats hugged goodbye then part ways.
As I was walking across the street to the footlocker I was just thinking how spoiled my little brother could be at times but I loved him to death, he was my son before my son. I called him on FaceTime on my new IPhone eight plus seeing that it started connecting..... when the call became available All was exposed was all this loud music with loud talking I thought I heard a voice but brushed it off because it couldn’t have been who I thought it was.
“King Where the fuck you at nigga and where my damn son, you suppose to be looking after him... look at me about to buy ya ass some sneakers” I yelled at him.
He started laughing like something was funny. I was not playing. I don’t play about my son.
“Yo Chill sis my little Nigga right here, I got em” king replied still laughing.
“yeah ok little boy and stop calling my son a nigga, now what kind of sneakers you want?” I asked him and looked at him in the camera at the same time I watched his side seeing that someone passed him the el they were smoking which pissed me off on sight, before he could reply I just started snapping at him instantly.
“what the Fuck King how many times do I have to tell you stop fucking smoking you on probation dummy they check your piss, when they get ya ass don’t say shit” I screamed at him.
“chill sis I don’t see that nigga until a next four months, but can you grab them new Jordan 3s for me” king said back trying to change the subject because he knows how bad im going to dig in his ass but I’m not gone do it now, I’m pretty sure who ever he was with could hear me going off.
“This is not over little boy, okay size 11 right?” I asked checking to make sure.
“Yeah, thanks sis love you”
“yeah yeah love you to, I’ll see you soon” I hung up the FaceTime call right away, After I asked for his size I ended up getting leeky some of the same sneakers, I paid for them then left walking over to my all black 2018 Mercedes-Benz I put their sneakers in my trunk, then I jumped in my car I plugged my phone up to the aux blasting Dave East new album paranoia. It took Me a good thirty minutes to go pick up my package from the post office which is my restock on the hair extensions that I sell. I had to stop by my shop too but I didn’t realize how late it was until I looked at the time.
“Dammit, I gotta hurry my ass up” I said out loud.
I’ll just stop pass tomorrow before I leave so I just headed to my old block where I grew up in North Philadelphia my mother still lives on that block with just her and my brothers. I tell her all the time I will move her off the block just so she can rent her house out but she always ends up telling me “I’m not going nowhere I love my house I’m comfortable where I’m at” so I Leave it alone every time. I guess you can say I was like the little sister of the block to all my brother friends, I grew up with all of them but nobody had that brother and sister bond like me and my brother Fresh had. Malik aka Fresh he was so filled with life and love. On the night that he passed away I swear that’s when I felt like everything just fell apart. It’s been over four years since he’s been gone and I’m still in stock, his death really hit me plus his cousin hard, it just hit too close to home.
A month after his murder I found out I was pregnant it was so much to take in after loosing someone close to you on top of being pregnant it wasn’t easy but I made through to it because I had time, I had my son March 28th, 2015 the best day of my life. I name him after Malik. Everybody calls him lil Fresh. I reached over to grab my phone to call King back to check on my baby.
“Wassup Sis” he smiled in the camera then looked to his right and smiled. I could tell he was talking to somebody because he started to laugh, I just didn’t know what for.
“Wassup, where’s my son king?...I’m on my way,” I said, clearly getting upset.
“He was over there with J and them they started shooting the video” He responded.
“I miss my baby, was he good today? Did he eat? Let me speak to him” I started getting sad because I really did miss my baby.
“hold up” he started yelling for Malik.
“MOMMY!” Malik yelled to me.
“hi baby I missed you all day what you doing? Are you hungry?” I asked him.
“I miss you mommy YES I WANT MCDONALD’S!!!” Lik yelled excitedly. Kids loved Mcdonalds.
“Okay baby and I brought you some new sneakers today just like uncle kings so y’all gone be twins” I said back laughing at him.
“okay thank you mommy I’m going back to play love you”
“Momma’s boy” king said laughing, grabbing his phone back.
“Shut up” Lik said, hitting his uncle and running off. My son was not only smart but also a badass also.
“Ok I’ll be there in five minutes I’m pulling into McDonalds now you want something?”
“Yeah let me get two mc chickens and two mc doubles two apple pies and a large sprite” King said.
“damn nigga all that”
“yeah sis I’m starving see you when you get here I’m about to hop in the video with these niggas” he said ending the call.
“Little fucker” I said to myself as he hung up on me. I was up next in line. I grabbed my food and turned back on my music before speeding off to my moms house.
I turned on my moms block everyone was out here and it was only 5:30 which I needed to hurry my ass up, once they saw my car come down the block all these niggas stopped and looked, they didn’t know it was me because my whole car was tinted out black on black.
I chuckled to myself saying these niggas paranoid as fuck as i went to roll my window down I looked out the window and saw my brothers.
“Yo Mina you was about to get ya shit popped” J said walking over to my car, seeing how happy he was to see me. I knew heather didn’t run her mouth yet.
“yeah Ard nigga I shoot too” I said back laughing I hopped out the car and went to get the bags out the back As soon as I closed the truck I locked it and thats when I heard
“MOMMY!” it didn’t take me any time to turn around and run to my baby. I didn’t care who was watching cause I missed him all day.
“LEEKY!” I yelled back just as excited as he was. I picked him up and started spinning him around in circles.
When I was done I turned around and started walking towards my mother house. Its like soon as I looked up I locked eyes with the man himself “Devon” I said more to myself then all of sudden I started to panic I looked down at my son then looked back up at Devon because I didn’t want it to come out like this I can tell by the look on his face right now he noticed my reaction so he was confused and angry I see it all over his face but Now that I think about it thats the voice that I heard earlier it was from him the whole time and to think I was hearing things come to find out I really wasn’t.
