The Unusual Suspects Book 2

Toya

"How the hell are you obsessing more over what to wear to his graduation than your own?" Iris exclaimed to Dom as we all laughed in that moment. We were in the mall doing are usual. I had picked out this cute little DKNY dress for graduation and Iris had settled on this Bebe skirt set. Dom did pick this Givenchy dress for our graduation, but she couldn't decide on what to wear to Kevin's. "Girl...wait doesn't he graduate tomorrow?" Iris said to her.                           
"Yes bitch! That's why I'm freaking out." She said as I chuckled a little bit before I showed her this hunter green midi dress. "Oh my God! That's perfect." she said as she took it from me and went to the dressing room.                                          "How long were you looking at that dress?" Iris asked me.                                  
"The last 5 minutes. She was trippin, it was a little humorous." I admitted and we both laughed. For her to be so nonchalant, she can get so spastic. She came out the dressing room and showed us. "I like it, but it needs to be taken in a little bit. I can do that for you." I told her. It would only take me a few so I was for sure all for this.                                
"Thank you, thank you." she said as she went back in the dressing room.                
"What size was it?" Iris asked me.             
"12." I told her.                                                     "Wait wasn't she a solid 16?" Iris asked and I nodded. "I knew she had dropped weight, but damn not like that."               
"Grief does that to you." I said as me and her just locked eyes and silently agreed. Dom was a solid 16 when she got here, but not the flabby 16, literally solid and stacked. But since losing that baby, I don't think she even eats half of what she used to. She just smokes a lot. Well they all be smoking for real, but until lately, I don't even think she really smiled. I liked Kevin for her, but maybe she was still battling that shit. She went from the thickest, to a lil smaller than Iris. Hmm... we went and checked out and then headed for the food court. We had settled on some Chinese food and then took our seats.            "We're really about to walk across that stage yall." I said all excited.                       
"Right, you finish your speech yet?" Dom asked me and I nodded.                    
"Of course, you finish yours?" I asked her in return.                                                      
"Just about." she said calmly.                     
"It came so fast, but I'm ready to just really start life yall. I'm excited." Iris said and I felt every single word.                       
"Me too. I'll get some time to enjoy motherhood before going back to school." I said thinking about bonding time with my baby until College in the fall for real. I'm so ready.                                "Yeah this gives me time to polish up my skills and push out an album before then." Dom said.    "You think you can manage to push in some food in that time." Iris said to her.
"Huh?" she said quickly.                                 "Babes...you dropped hella weight. You good?" Iris asked her. Dom looked at me who was giving her the eye.                          
"I am now. I wasn't for a while. But therapy helped a lot. Kevin helped a lot. Between the music and Open Mic, I've had a release. I'm better." she said.          
"You know you could always come to us with anything, right?" I asked her.             
"Yeah, yall have been nothing short of supportive. But we all have our problems for real, I didn't want to always be the problem child."       "Girl shut up! I am the problem child. Yall know I experience every single emotion there is in a hour. It's always something with me and yall are still here. Don't think you're a problem." Iris told her.                                                                 "Girl...you were in the hospital after losing your child, comforting me about my relationship. D, talk about selfless. I'm permanently indebted to you boo. Don't ever feel like you can't come to me either." I told her. She nodded her head.
"I hear yall, but on the real, yall can't understand it. I just don't want to be looked at like poor Dom, I'm still the same person. My mind just be...I don't know." she said and I felt her pain.          
"I can empathize, but I don't take pity on you. Girl, you're stronger than me for real. I admire you in a lot of ways."            
"Me too..." Iris started. "...your strength amazes me. Girl after all of that you still went hard in school. You do Open Mic like you've been hosting for years and the music is hard! I couldn't do it, if it were me. But remember you're still blessed. Maybe it wasn't your time to be a mother, but it's your time to be a star. And you know what you have friends, family, and a new man that adores your whole life. That's more than most babycakes." Iris said to her. And for the first time since she lost the baby, we witnessed her cry.                                   "Yall these ain't sad tears, believe me..." she said as she took a breath. "I've been through some shit for sure, but it's coming around for me and that's all that really matters. When I was seemingly happy before, I wasn't. But now this right here is so real." I started crying too, this was a lot to take in, but I'm happy for her. "I'm proud of me. Me and my brother are back on the right terms. Things are looking up. And then Kev...everything is so different with him than it was with Jay. I mean I lost a lot, but I gained so much more." Iris came over and hugged her and so did I.              "Oh my God Iris, are you crying?" I said and we all looked at her for a moment.  
"I cry hoes." she said and we all laughed hysterically. "Not often and I'll kill yall if you tell anyone." she said between laughs. Man...that I couldn't believe.       
"Your secret is safe with us. But we better see those on your wedding day." I told her and she laughed.                             
"Speaking of which, yall being bridesmaids, right?" Wait...huh??