Streets

9. Moving On

Glitter
Adina's new boutique
Downtown Mob City

Adina looked around as the construction crew were making their way inside to begin renovating. The money she made on the pole was finally paying off, she never felt so proud of herself. She was a few steps closer to finally proving to her estranged father that she was more than the little poor girl he left alone in a house back in the grove. Stepping outside so the crew could work she got on her phone and continues to ignore the texts and calls from Darnell. She forgot about him wanting to meet with her last night, mostly because she was on cloud nine with her night with Derek. "Mmm another boutique in the city?" Adina turned around to see Nicki, Ricky's sister. "Yea, my pride and joy." She looked at Adina and remembered her from Black Moon. "You must be working awfully hard to get a big ol place like this." Adina could sense the shade and she was one step ahead, "Nicki what is it that you really want to speak about?" Nicki smiled and walked closer, "I have a plan for the building across the street, another investment and I wondered....a woman with your resume might be interested in what I'm...investing in." Adina looked at her mildly curious, "Go on." Whatever the investment was, Adina was always down to make some money.
Zaza was on edge, leaving his house he walked across the street to meet Lucky who was still complaining about his encounter with Darnell, Zaza for one was tired of hearing it, "Nigga shut up already, you got bitched so what. Next time be strapped up. Now when the fuck can I post this shit?" Zaza was still excited to post the pictures he has of Chris and Ashawntee. "Travis wants us to wait still, said he got something big planned." Zaza rolled his eyes, "Man why he gotta make all the decisions? I say we leak this shit now and be done with it." Lucky was getting tired of dealing with Zaza always complaining, "Nigga you passed up the offer. Now you won't shut up about it. Let it go." Zaza scoffed and got on his phone, Lucky watching him slightly annoyed and curious, "What you doing?" Zaza pressed send and leaked the pictures everywhere with the caption 'Chris tagging trans.' "I'm taking action." Walking away Lucky heard his phone going off at everyone in the local area commenting and tagging him laughing. Lucky knew Travis would not be happy about this.
Darnell was still pissed, he had someone drive him into the city to find Adina. She had explaining to do and he won't taking no for answer. Marcus was next to him sitting in the back on his phone when suddenly he scrolls on Instagram, his jaw drops. "Yooooo." He immediately looks over at Darnell who looks at him confused, "What's up?" He looks over at his phone and sees pictures of Chris and a pretty girl kissing, and then the caption 'Chris tagging trans." He was shocked and hurt, why his best friend would keep that from him, and also who posted it. The driver cleared his throat "Boss we been driving around, any particular place you want me to stop at?" Darnell felt betrayed by people he trusted, and he wanted answers. Looking at the picture he recognized the salon in the background. "Take us to Juicy."
Adina was finishing listening to Nicki's business plan while sitting in Nicki's office. "I might consider this arrangement, but the dancing part. I'll pass." Nicki shrugged, "Shit as long as I get something out of the deal." Shaking hands they smiled at each other, thinking maybe this will be a potentially budding friendship.
Pulling up to the salon, Darnell and Marcus get out and enter the salon. Filled with women getting their hair and nails done, all of which were looking at Darnell and Marcus with lust in their eyes. "Can I help you two gentlemen?" Darnell looked at her and with a slick smirk, "I'm looking for..." he stops realizing he don't know the girl name. He looks at Marcus for help who is to busy flirting with the women sitting in the lobby, he rolls his eyes and looks around and sees Ashawntee doing a lady's hair and he just walks over to her. "Excuse me." She looks up and she immediately recognizes him from pictures Chris had shown her, her mouth became dry, "Uh....can I help you?" Darnell smirked and nodded outside. "Excuse me I'll be right back." She told her client as she walked out with Darnell, he left Marcus to smile and flirt with the women in the salon. "Okay, so we outside, I take it he told you." Darnell shrugged and acted confused, "Told me? Who told me what? I haven't been told anything but however what I've seen did come as a shock." Ashawntee was confused, "Seen? What are you talking about?" Darnell lifted up his phone and showed her the pictures that were on Instagram. "Oh my god." She gasped as she looked at the pictures, she couldn't believe it. In the worse way someone took pictures of her and Chris and posted them on the internet. Ultimately Chris got outed and she felt awful. "Now seeing as how my homie ain't tell me what's up how about you tell me what's up?" Ashawntee didn't like Darnell, she felt like he wouldn't support his friend or the choices he makes for himself. "I don't have to tell you anything. Just because these pictures are out, doesn't mean I'm obligated to tell you about my relationship." Darnell tried to keep his cool but he was losing his patience, "I don't give a fuck who he's fucking, he lied. He lied this whole time, that means I can't trust him. He's left me hanging when I needed him most. And all he had to do was be honest with me." Ashawntee understood that feeling of being lied to, countless times Chris had lied to her about coming out about their relationship. "Look you just need to talk to Chris." Darnell knew she was right, he just couldn't understand why the lies.
Marcus was getting a girl's phone number when Adina walked out from the back and was heading out and he saw her, "Mmm big homie mad at you." She looked at him and rolled her eyes knowing Darnell was somewhere around, as if on cue Ashawntee walked back in and she saw Darnell outside. She sighed and walked outside to see him, "What're you doing here D?" He looked up and saw just who he needed to see. "Come take a walk with me." She nodded and they began to walk. Darnell would soon realize that his dream of getting Adina to live in the south side was gonna come to a end.
Darnell didn't want to yell at her but he felt hurt and unappreciated, on the other hand Adina didn't think her and Darnell were meant to be. "Where were you last night?" Adina remembered he wanted to see her and she just didn't care. Every time she sees him now it's just a constant reminder of the past and the life she wants to run away from, "I got a place out here. So I was just busy decorating." He stopped walking and looked at her, "So that's it? You weren't gonna tell me?" Darnell hadn't heard from Adina since they had last got off the phone and he had a feeling she really wasn't going to let him know what's going on, "Darnell, let's just call it like it is. It's over. I don't think us being together is gonna work out." He scoffed, "Here you go with this shit again. Hot and cold, on and off. Baby I've wanted you since I first saw you." Adina sighed, "You love a fantasy. You love Glitter and want Glitter, you don't want me." Darnell felt like his heart was gonna rip in half a feeling he didn't know very well, "Adina, we go through this, up and down. You know what, it's all because you stuck up. Stuck up and a stripper doesn't mix." Adina was offended, this is the first time Darnell referred to her job as stripping and he made it sound so dirty. "I have every right to be who I am. If you can't accept that then that's on you but I know I want more than this." Darnell feeling like the whole world against him snapped, what was originally a tense conversation had turned into a full blown argument. "DAMN MAN! Why?! Why?! Why waste time with a thug ass nigga like me then? Damn I'm so sick and tired of everybody lying to me and acting like they better then me." Adina rolled her eyes, he didn't scare her. "I am better than you! Darnell you met me at a strip club, begged me to let you take me home and then for 45 minutes you wouldn't shut the fuck up about the gang life and a mix tape that didn't work out. Every other day you put your life and your families lives in danger. Do you think I wanna keep dodging bullets every time I'm riding around with you? I deserve better than that, you should want me to have better." He sighed, she looked away from him. Lucky for them not a lot of people were around. "Adina, don't do this. Don't walk away from everything, you got friends back in the grove, and me." She shook her head, "My friends can come see me whenever they want. But I'm gone. I've already began the moving process." Darnell stared at her and felt like he couldn't recognize the person in front of him. Maybe that was the issue, maybe he really did want to be with Glitter, who was just a fantasy. "What if I said I was gonna propose to you the other night." She looked at him, tears welding in her eyes, "I would have said no Darnell." He looked down and he felt defeated, "So this it. Done just like that." Adina walked up to him and placed her hand on his face, "You are so much better than who you make yourself to be. I wish you could see it." She kissed his cheek, "Goodbye Darnell." She walked away from him and wiped away a tear. She loved him but not nearly as much as she loved herself or the future she is planning for herself.