ꨄThe Debutanteꨄ

35.

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Continued

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"Oh, so his yella' ass isn't answering the phone now?" Cookie snapped, staring down at another call that was declined by Lucious. "Bastard."

She heard a knock on her door, making her quickly turn her head to it. Once she peeked through the peephole, she opened it quickly.

She saw Anika standing with a bandaid on her cheek. Cookie stared in silence, a look of worry beginning to grow on her face. She suddenly grabbed Anikas wrist, yanking her inside. "Oh my god, get in here." She said.

She shut the door behind her. The moment she closed it, she began to tug Anika to the middle of the living room. She quickly started to remove Anikas jacket from her body. "Get out of this." She said. Anika removed it, seeming both confused and nervous to do so.

She saw Anika's bandaids in various spots of her arms. She began to quickly examine her. "Are you alright? You got cut? From the glass? Are you hurt? Are you sure that you only got hit from the glass? No scrapes from the bullet? Ugh, you might have scars.." Cookie said quickly, turning and moving Anikas arms around to look at the covered scratches and slight gashes.

Cookie then remembered her face. She gasped, then cupping Anika's face. "And your face..! The glass scraped your face? Are you okay? Does it hurt? Is it bad? You should let me see it? Why of all places did it have to be your face?" Cookie said, examining her face quickly. Tilting it, turning it, and touching it. Almost like a mother tending to their own child. It became almost like an instinct at this point, especially with the people she cared about who was younger than her.

For example, she always acted that way with Carol rather than Candace, because she was older than her. And best believe she did it with her own sons.

Anika blinked several times, unaware of how to react to Cookies sudden acts of concern. Her voice also sounded ragged, as if she had been worried. "I'm fine, Cookie. I am. They're just minor scratches and cuts from the glass. I was taken to the hospital so they could make sure no pieces were stuck and would get infected." She said.

"This is exactly why I said I didn't want you to go! Ugh, I was trying to protect you." Cookie said. "I know, but-" Cookie then brushed by her and walking to a coffee table stand against her wall.

Anika watched her in confusion as she opened a bottom cabinet of it. Her eyes suddenly widened when she saw Cookie take out a shining golden revolver, a nice pile of bullets in her other hand.

She placed them onto the platter on the table, then opening the ammo slot. "What the hell are you doing?" Anika asked. She was surprised to see Cookie with a weapon. It reminded her of the image that Cookie tried to leave behind. Anika had to admit that it also intimidated her.

"This time, I'm going to go with him. And we'll make sure nobody bothers to mess with Cookie and Lucious Lyon. We'll show those bastards." She said. "Cookie why do you have a gun?" Anika asked. "Cookie!" She called. Cookie had finally snapped out of her thoughts, then turning to Anika. She turned to face her, holding the revolver in her hand.

She glared down at it, then remembering that Anika had never seen her in this state before. Sure Anika has experienced the work-hood Cookie, but not the gangster-hood Cookie. She realized how intimidating she must have looked to her. She put the gun behind her back, then curling her lips and sighing.

"Don't make a big deal about it, Anika." Cookie said. "How can I not? I don't know what you're about to do. You just started talking all over the place and now you're grabbing a gun, Cookie?" Anika asked. "Why do you have that?" Anika continued.