No Way Out

Keisha- Brownies and Bad Decisions

Keisha sat at her cluttered kitchen table, staring at the scattered bills, junk mail, and the remnants of her breakfast. Her notebook was splayed open, pages filled with half-baked schemes and scribbled ideas that would make any con artist proud. Today, though, wasn't about making money—it was about revenge. The kind of revenge that makes someone question every decision they ever made. Tasha had disrespected her hustle, and that kind of offense required swift and creative justice. No one stepped onto Keisha's territory and walked away without feeling the sting of her retribution.

Keisha scrolled through her Facebook feed, half-paying attention to the endless stream of baby photos, relationship updates, and memes. But something caught her eye—a post from Tasha's cousin. Baby shower invite. Keisha sat up straight, a grin spreading across her face as an idea began to form. A baby shower? Sabotage at a baby shower? Oh, that was too perfect. She could already picture the chaos, the whispers, and Tasha's look of utter embarrassment. This was going to be good.

Keisha grabbed a pen and started jotting down potential sabotage ideas in her notebook, each more devious than the last. But just as she was getting into her scheming, the unmistakable sound of gospel music blared from the living room. She winced. Ms. Thelma was in full choir mode again. And that meant one thing: the church bake sale was today.

Keisha sighed deeply. The bake sale was the bane of her existence—second only to choir practice. She'd promised her grandma she'd help out, and Ms. Thelma was not the kind of woman you could stand up without consequences. Keisha had tried once, and let's just say, she didn't make that mistake twice.

Reluctantly, Keisha dragged herself into the kitchen and grabbed a mixing bowl. Brownies. Easy enough. She tossed flour, sugar, and cocoa powder into the bowl, humming to herself as she mixed. The whole bake sale thing was just a distraction from her real mission, which was to destroy Tasha's social standing. As she whisked the mixture, her cousin Jay sauntered into the kitchen, looking as shady as ever. He had the kind of look that always meant trouble. He glanced around, then grabbed a jar off the counter, a sly grin spreading across his face.

"What's in the jar, Jay?" Keisha asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing as she stirred the batter.

"Just a little somethin' somethin' for my side hustle," Jay replied, shaking the jar with a wink. "Don't worry about it."

Keisha rolled her eyes but decided not to press further. She had bigger problems than whatever questionable activity Jay was up to. She poured the brownie batter into a pan, popped it in the oven, and promptly forgot about the jar Jay had taken.

Later that afternoon, Keisha found herself standing behind a table at the bake sale, a tray of brownies in front of her. The church basement smelled like sugar and baked goods, and the congregation was out in full force, mingling and chatting like they had nowhere else to be. Keisha kept her fake smile plastered on, nodding politely at the endless stream of church ladies who passed by.

Sister Geraldine, the holiest of holy women in the congregation, approached the table with a smile so sweet it made Keisha feel guilty for even thinking about sabotage. Sister Geraldine was known for her discerning taste, and Keisha was prepared for some high-level scrutiny.

"Afternoon, Keisha," Sister Geraldine said, eyeing the brownies. "These look mighty fine."

Keisha beamed, trying to mask her nervousness. "Thank you, Sister Geraldine! Made 'em myself."

Sister Geraldine picked up a brownie and took a dainty bite. For a moment, everything seemed normal. Keisha exhaled in relief. But then, Sister Geraldine's eyes widened, and a strange expression crossed her face. She wobbled slightly, then threw her hands into the air as if she'd just been touched by the Holy Spirit.