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Indigo Wright knew how to follow her gut—it's what kept her solid through the roughest times. Now, standin' in her salon, she felt that old familiar itch. She looked down at her phone, readin' that message again, like it was some kinda riddle she couldn't figure out.
"Hey Indigo, it's been a minute. I'm comin' to Chicago next week. Let's catch up. Love, Mom."
Love, Mom? That just didn't sit right. It'd been a hot minute since she heard them words from her mama. Indigo tucked her phone away, tryin' to shake it off. She done built herself a whole new life out here in Chicago, left all that mess in Atlanta where it belonged. But lookin' like her past was tryin' to sneak up on her again.
She kept herself busy, takin' care of clients, actin' like everything was cool. Aniyah was up front, handlin' business like the boss she was, while Jayde was over in her corner, doin' her thing with the nails and makeup. Katrell and Kordell was over at the barber chairs, clippers hummin' and crackin' jokes, givin' the place that good vibe.
Indigo focused on the client in her chair, tryin' to drown out her thoughts. Vanessa, one of her regulars, was goin' on about some case she was workin'—typical lawyer stuff. Indigo nodded along, half listenin'.
"...And he tried to claim he ain't do it! I'm like, boy, please," Vanessa laughed, shakin' her head.
Indigo smirked, layin' down the last section of her hair. "Girl, you got some wild stories."
"You know it," Vanessa replied, chucklin'. "But what's good with you? Got any plans?"
Indigo paused. She wasn't tryna get into all that with her moms, not now. "Nothin' crazy. Just chillin' with Aniyah and Jayde, might catch a movie or somethin'."
Vanessa nodded like she approved. "Sounds right. You deserve to kick back."
Before Indigo could say more, Aniyah came up, eyes all lit up. "Yo, let's hit the club tonight! I'm talkin' drinkin', dancin'—whole vibe."
Jayde perked up at that. "Yesss, it's been too long since we had a night out. I just gotta find somebody to watch Jaheim."
Indigo shot her girl a look. She knew Jayde had a lot on her plate with her lil' man, and that on-and-off mess with his dad didn't make it any easier.
"Take your time, Jayde. We ain't goin' nowhere without you," Indigo said, smilin'.
Aniyah clapped her hands. "Y'all better get ready! We 'bout to turn up tonight."
Just then, Katrell and Kordell wandered over, catchin' the tail end of the convo. Kordell grinned. "Where y'all goin' lookin' so hype?"
Aniyah threw them a look. "To the club! Y'all ain't tryna stop us, are you?"
Katrell shook his head, smirkin' at Indigo. "Nah, we just tryna make sure you don't get caught up in no mess, that's all."
Kordell shrugged, givin' her that look. "Aight, but if y'all goin', we might pull up too. Gotta keep an eye on y'all."
Aniyah chuckled. "Do what y'all gotta do, but we gon' have a good time, with or without y'all babysittin'."
Everybody laughed, the whole spot feelin' light and easy. Indigo felt herself relax, the worries 'bout her moms slippin' away for now. She looked around at her crew, feelin' that warmth that only come from bein' around folks who got your back no matter what.
When the day finally wound down, she found herself actually lookin' forward to the night. Whatever was waitin' for her with her moms, she'd deal with it later. Tonight was 'bout havin' a good time with her people, livin' in the moment, and lettin' loose.
