The Plug's Daughter

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The Plug's Daughter
Chapter 27: Deep in thought
Houston,Texas

Romani's POV:

The day started like any other me posted at Khoson's crib, laid back on his couch that smelled like weed and old cologne. He was pacing, phone in hand, talking to someone about reselling sneakers.

"Bruh, you been hustlin' shoes since middle school. When you gon' stop?" I asked, scrolling through my phone.

He looked up, smirking. "When they stop buyin'. Don't hate the hustle, bro. You still tryna get them Off-Whites, right?"

"Man, I told you I'm good. I'm tryna save for some bigger moves," I replied, setting my phone down.

"Oh, okay, Mr. Financial Literacy," he said, laughing. "Speaking of moves, what's good with you and, Alazhá? You still tryna figure it out, or she got you in a chokehold?"

I shook my head, leaning forward. "It's more than that, man. She ain't like these other girls. She's got standards, you feel me? She makes me work for it, and I ain't mad at that."

"Work for it?" Khoson raised a brow. "Since when you doin' that? You used to have girls lined up, no effort required."

"That's exactly why she different," I said, smirking. "She don't fall for none of that. She's smart, got her own grind. I feel like she sees through all the BS, and honestly, it's refreshing."

"You soundin' like an R&B song, my boy," he teased, taking a seat and lighting up. "But real talk, I get it. When you find someone who's solid, you gotta lock in. And speaking of locking in, Mariah got me feelin' the same way."

"Oh, for real? Mariah got you like that?"

He nodded, grinning. "Man, she stay crackin' me up. We been talkin' almost every day since they left for Bali. I told her when she gets back, I'm tryna take her out, show her I'm serious. She got this energy, bruh. I can't explain it, but I'm feelin' her heavy."

"Damn, look at us," I said, laughing. "Two retired hoes tryna settle down. Who would've thought?"

"I ain't denying it," I said, standing up. "Aight, I gotta dip. Gonna swing by my mom's. Catch you later, fuck nigga."

I pulled up to my mom's house around noon, the heat of the Texas summer hitting me as soon as I stepped out of the car. The old screen door creaked as I opened it, and the smell of home hit me instantly peach cobbler and fried chicken.

"Romani!" my little sister, Ríona, yelled, running into my arms.

"What's up, baby girl?" I said, scooping her up.

"You never come see us no more," she said, pouting.

"Don't start," I said, kissing her forehead. "I'm here now, ain't I?"

"Boy, don't let her guilt-trip you," Mama said, stepping out of the kitchen with a dishtowel over her shoulder. "She just mad 'cause you missed her soccer game last week."

I winced. "My bad, lil' sis. I'll make the next one, I promise."

"Better," she said, sticking her tongue out.

"Where Royal and River at?" I asked.

"Upstairs on that damn game," Mama said, rolling her eyes. "Go get 'em. Y'all need to do somethin' as a family instead of sittin' in front of screens all day."

I rounded up my brothers, dragging them away from their gaming setups with promises of food and fun. "Aight, we hittin' the bowling alley. Let's go."

The bowling alley was packed, but we managed to grab a lane. Ríona was hyped, trash-talking like she was a pro, even though her ball barely made it down the lane.

"You see that strike baby don't play !!" she said, spinning around.

"Girl, that was a spare," River corrected her, laughing.

"Don't hate boo it's not cute," she shot back, sticking her tongue out.

Meanwhile, Royal was lowkey trying to show off, getting strikes back-to-back. "Y'all better catch up," he said, smirking.

"Man, we just letting you win," I joked, grabbing my ball.

By the time we wrapped up, everyone was starving.

We hit a soul food spot nearby, and the table was loaded with fried chicken, greens, yams, and cornbread.

"On my mama this food hittin'," Royal said, shoveling mac and cheese into his mouth.

"Boy don't put nun on me is you coo?" Mama said with her face scrunched up.

"Clock it mommy." Said Ríona while chucking.

"Romani, can we do this every weekend?" Ríona asked, looking up at me with big puppy eyes.

"Maybe," I said, smiling. "If y'all behave."

"You better stop playin' and just say yes," Mama chimed in.

"Aight, aight," I said, holding my hands up. "We'll make it a thing."

"Ayeeeee, now that's what i'm talkin bout." Ríona said doing her little dance.

After dropping everyone off, I headed home. My bulldog, Storm, was waiting at the door, tail wagging.

"What's up, big dog?" I said, crouching to pet him.

He licked my face, his excitement contagious. After feeding him and tidying up, I finally settled into my room. But the quiet started to get to me.

My mind drifted to my dad, Giomani. His voice was sharp in my head, cutting through the silence.

"You ain't nothin'. You soft. You'll never be a man."

I clenched my fists, trying to push the memories away, but they kept coming. His words, his hands, the cold look in his eyes.

A tear slid down my cheek, and then another. I wiped them away angrily, but they wouldn't stop.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the bottle of percs on my nightstand. My hand moved before I could think, popping one, then another.

The memories started to blur, my chest heavy, my head light.

The last thing I thought before everything went black?

I just want Alazhá.

Khoson: