Shy and timid, Onika lives in a dilapidated Detroit neighborhood with her abusive uncle. She is hopelessly in love with Marshall Mathers, a troubled young man that lives next door to her in their rough hood.
Marshall is rude, agressive and uncouth...
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I'm sitting on the bed, my back leaning on the headboard, one of my textbooks for medschool spread open over my crossed legs with the drapes in the room shut tightly, a bedside lamp providing the only sours of light for me, as I'm trying to concentrate on my studying.
I read over each paragraph in the boom twice sometimes, my emotions being in constant turmoil making it hard for me to concentrate.
A small TV playing music videos in the background with the sound turned down.
All of a sudden though, the room the the guest bedroom bursts open, and Sharonda storms in.
"Giiiiurl, that's it, this is enough!!" She announces loudly, marchimg into the room like she's on a mission or something.
I look up from my book at her, and watch my friend make her way over towards the closet and start rumagining through my clothes inside it.
"I've had enough of you sitting sulking inside this room, Onika," Shar tells me sternly. "You can't keep letting that white motherfucker affect you like this, girl!! So, today we are going out, and we are going to have some fun, and that's that!"
"I'm not sulking, I'm studying," I softly say as I correct Sharonda, knowing that she only means well though. "And Marshall has nothing to do with anything. It's just that it's almost time for my move to New York, and starting school, and..."
"Girl, I hear all that, but you do need to live it up a little too," Sharonda replies to me, looking at me from over her shoulder as she continues to go through my clothes inside the closet. "I hate seeing you so sad every day, crying too, trust me, no nigga is worth all that, even if you do love him. You can't keep letting that boy steal your joy like this. You need to unwind. So, how about me and you have a girl's night out tonight. We could go to a club or something..."
"Shar, no offense but after what's happened to me, I really don't want to go nowhere near any clubs or like... bars," I whisper, lowering my eyes back to my book, then closing it.
"Fair enough," Sharonda agrees with me. "Even though I don't think you should let that define you at all, girl, but like, I still get it. Let's go shopping then?"
"Girl, I'm broke as hell right now, and I'm trying to save up as much as I can for my move to New York," I laugh at my new friend's antics.
"Well damn, let's do something around the house then!!" Sharonda announces, walking up to me, and snatching the book from my hands.
"Like what?" I can't help but smile, her energy is sort of contagious.
"How about..." she thinks for a few seconds, then snaps her fingers, "Girl, you can teach me how to make curry chicken! I have all the ingredients and stuff, but when I try making it, it never comes out right, and DeShawn tells me I need to just stick to cooking what I know how to cook, but I'm gonna be honest, I'm legit obsessed with making it right, and I know you know how to make that shit, so that's what we gon do today! Still gets you out of the room, right?"
