(Soleil's POV)
The streets of Oakland were like nothing I had ever seen before. The air was heavy, filled with a mixture of excitement, uncertainty, and an undercurrent of danger. Since moving here, I’d felt the weight of the city slowly closing in on me, like I was being pulled into something I wasn’t ready for. But the more I stayed away from it, the more I found myself thinking about it—about her. Kehlani Parrish.
"Girl, I’m tellin’ you, Kehlani's taking over everything," Tiana had said to me a few days ago when we were sitting outside the school, my bag slung lazily over my shoulder, her voice low but urgent. "Every corner, every block. Don’t get involved. Trust me."
At first, I didn’t get what the big deal was. But after hearing her name enough times, after seeing the way people spoke when they mentioned her, I started to realize just how deep her influence ran through this city. The rumors about her being untouchable were more than just whispers; they were facts. And that only made me more intrigued.
---
It was a Saturday afternoon, and the house was a whirlwind of chaos. My mom, Aurora Thompson, was in the kitchen, talking about some new hairstyle she’d seen on a celebrity, and my dad, Jaden Thompson, was pacing back and forth in the living room, flipping through some papers. He was the new football coach at Oakland High, so he’d been busy with the team and all the prep work for the upcoming season. My triplet sisters, Ivy, Azalea, and Dahlia, were fighting over the TV remote, while my twin brothers, Orion and River, were too busy in the backyard playing football and basketball to care about anything inside.
I slipped away from the noise, grabbing my keys and slipping out the back door, the warm California sun hitting my skin as I made my way down the street to the local café. I needed some time to clear my head.
---
When I walked into the café, the usual clatter of espresso machines and chatter filled the air. I spotted Maya and Kailani already sitting at a table by the window, their conversation low but clearly intense. Maya, with her wild curly hair and bold attitude, was ranting about some drama at school, and Kailani, ever the calm one, was nodding along, sipping her iced coffee.
"Yo, Soleil, sit down. You look like you need some coffee," Maya said with a grin, motioning to the empty seat across from her.
"Yeah, you’re lookin' like you got a lot on your mind," Kailani added, her voice soft but knowing. She could read me better than anyone.
I slid into the seat, throwing a glance out the window, and that’s when I saw her. Kehlani Parrish. She was standing in front of a table, talking to two older men, both dressed in black suits like they were straight out of a mafia movie. The men were leaning in, listening to her with that mix of respect and fear that I had noticed every time someone mentioned her name. There was an aura around Kehlani—something powerful, magnetic. She wasn’t just a woman. She was a force.
“Is that…?” Maya’s voice trailed off, her eyes flicking between Kehlani and me.
“Kehlani,” I muttered, unable to look away.
Maya’s voice dropped even lower. “Yo, that’s the one everyone’s talkin' about. I thought you didn’t want to get involved in her world, Soleil.”
“I don’t,” I said quickly, but even I could hear the uncertainty in my voice. “But she’s… different. People don’t just talk about her for no reason.”
Kailani leaned back in her chair, folding her arms, her gaze following mine. “She’s more than just a name. That woman runs shit around here, Soleil. You don’t want to get too close to that.”
I wasn’t sure what it was about her that had me so hooked. Maybe it was the way people feared and respected her. Maybe it was the way she held herself, like the world owed her something. Whatever it was, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something bigger than me happening in this city, and Kehlani was at the center of it all.
---
I didn’t realize I’d been staring at Kehlani for so long until Kailani cleared her throat, snapping me out of my trance.
“You good?” she asked, her voice tinged with concern.
“Yeah. Just… thinking,” I mumbled, pulling my gaze away from the window. But the image of her—Kehlani, standing there like she owned everything—kept flashing in my mind.
I glanced over at Maya, who was watching me closely. “What’s up with her?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. “Why does everyone treat her like she’s a queen or something?”
Maya chuckled, but it wasn’t a lighthearted laugh. “She’s the queen of Oakland, girl. Runs the streets, the businesses, the whole city. Ain’t nothing goes down without her knowing about it. You think the gang wars are bad? It’s worse now. She’s been taking over territories left and right.”
“Territories?” I echoed, my brow furrowing.
“Yeah. That’s how deep it goes. She’s taking over different neighborhoods, running the game. You know all that talk about power, right? She’s the real deal.” Maya’s eyes narrowed. “It’s dangerous to be involved with her, Soleil. I’m telling you.”
“Like I said, I don’t want to get involved,” I replied, even though I wasn’t sure if I believed myself anymore.
---
As I sat there with my friends, I could still hear fragments of the conversation between Kehlani and the two men. The words “business,” “territory,” and “expansion” floated through the air like smoke, and my curiosity grew even more. Kehlani wasn’t just playing the game; she was changing it.
At that moment, I realized that the more I stayed away from her, the more I wanted to know. It was like I was being pulled toward her, like a moth to a flame. And I wasn’t sure if it was the thrill of the danger or the power she seemed to wield, but I needed to understand her, to understand how she could control so much.
---
When I got home, the tension in the air was palpable. My dad was talking to my brothers about football strategies, my mom was yelling at the triplets to stop fighting over clothes, and the sound of sneakers skidding on the hardwood floor echoed through the house as Orion and River practiced their moves in the living room.
“Yo, you good?” Ivy asked as she passed by, giving me a side-eye. “You look like you’re in deep thought.”
“Just… thinking,” I said again, this time forcing a smile. “About the city. About how things work around here.”
She gave me a skeptical look but didn’t say anything else.
---
Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about Kehlani and the power she had over this place. It was like she had woven herself into the very fabric of Oakland, and I was just a bystander, watching it all unfold.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and stared at it for a long moment. The temptation to look her up was overwhelming. To learn more about her, to understand how she could be both feared and admired.
But I didn’t. I knew I couldn’t. Because as much as I told myself I wasn’t interested, a part of me wanted to be a part of her world. The question was—did I have the guts to take the plunge?
---
Later that week…
I ran into Kehlani again, this time at a store near the school. She was standing at the counter, her expression serious, her bodyguards close by. For a moment, our eyes locked, and it was like time stopped. There was something in her gaze, something magnetic that made my heart skip a beat. She wasn’t just looking at me—she was seeing me, really seeing me, as if I were already part of her world.
I quickly turned away, pretending I hadn’t noticed. But I knew then that the pull of Kehlani Parrish wasn’t just a curiosity—it was a slow, inevitable force that was dragging me in. Whether I liked it or not.
---
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The Queen's Game
Fiksi Penggemar"The Queen's Game" follows Soleil, a young girl new to Los Angeles, as she unknowingly steps into the dangerous world of Kehlani Parrish, a powerful and feared gang leader. Kehlani, accustomed to controlling everything and everyone around her, sees...