Young King

Chapter 1

Kenya

Rushing was something I hated to do, but running late for school, I had no other choice but to rush. To think I wouldn't even be in this mess if I could just leave that no good ass nigga that I called my man alone. I waited up all night for him to come over because he promised he would, only for him to not show up. Like a fool, I stayed up until four in the morning, knowing I had to wake right back up at eight. Just thinking about how I waited for his ass to come over to spend time with me after being out of town for a week, and him never showing up or calling pissed me off more.
   
As I looked in the mirror, I didn't understand how I could let someone treat me like shit. I was what any real man would want in a girlfriend, possibly a wife. At twenty-one years old, I was in my third year of college, working toward my bachelor's degree in Business Management and Accounting. I have my own condo and car, and my own money; enough to take care of myself and to hold him down. Yet, he treats me like I am an option and not a priority. Our relationship didn't start off like that, but everything changed when my parents were killed in a car accident and all I had left was him and my best friend, Brooklyn. Then came the constant lying and cheating.
I grabbed my purse and school bag and left out the door. The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor was a forty-five minute drive from my condo in Bloomfield Hills, so running late was frustrating. Finals were coming up and I couldn't miss any days, which meant I had no other choice but to suck it up and get there. Turning up my sound system, I peeled out of the parking lot, praying for light traffic.
When I finally reached the school, I rushed to my class and sat down. Trying to catch my breath, I pulled out my MacBook Pro, powered it up, and began taking notes. An hour into my class, I received a text from my no good ass boyfriend, Tyson.
Where u at?
I couldn't believe this fool was texting me like he didn't stand me up. I shook my head as I responded.
R u for real, Ty?? The real question is where the fuck r u?
He had the nerve to reply,
At your house. Where the fuck are you at?
See, that nigga was pissing me off. Questioning me like I was the one who stood him up, and not the other way around. I wanted to cuss his ass out, but since I was in class, a text had to do.
At school, and you were supposed to be there last night. Where the fuck were you at?
He replied,
Man, I fell asleep at Keem house
Damn, he really does think I'm stupid. I had to let him know that I was no fool. I responded,
Whatever, bye, you can save that shit
I couldn't believe that nigga was really trying to play me like I was some dumb random hoe. After being away from his girlfriend for a week, he's going to get so comfortable at his man's house that he fell asleep and didn't come see his girl? What the fuck did I look like?
The last two hours of my class could not go by fast enough. As soon as I got out of my class, I called my best friend, Brooklyn.
"What, bitch?" she answered the phone.
"Hey to you too, hoe. You will not believe what this nigga, Tyson, did."
"What did he do now?"
"This nigga had me waiting up until four o'clock this morning for his ass to come over, and he never showed up. Then he texted me when I'm in class talking about where I'm at, and talking about the reason he didn't come is because he fell asleep at Keem's house," I told her all in one breath
"Kenya, that's the shit I be telling you. Stop letting that nigga treat you like you're not shit."
"I know," I interrupted her. "I can't keep putting up with this shit. I'm loyal to this nigga, and I don't get the same in return. I know he was with another bitch."
"Well, enough about that loser. I know you need to get your hair done, so meet me at the shop."
"Ok, bye."
On my way to the shop, I stopped at KFC to grab me and Brooklyn some honey barbecue wings. Brooklyn's shop was right in the heart of the hood on 7 Mile. As I pulled up to the shop, I saw that there were no open parking spaces. I was pissed because that meant I had to park all the way down the street and walk down busy ass 7 Mile.
I parked down the block, grabbed everything and headed down the street. Just as I was reached the salon, someone tried to get my attention.
"Ay, ma"
That was the reason I didn't like walking up 7 Mile. There was always a lame ass nigga trying to talk to me. I looked back to see who he is talking to.
"Yeah, you."
I frowned and kept walking.
"Excuse me, can I have minute of your time?"
That time I stopped and turned toward him, giving him my full attention. "That's a little bit better way to talk to a female," I replied.
He smiled, and for the first time I got a good look at him. Damn, he looked sexy as hell.
"Where you off to in such a hurry?"
"To get my hair done."
"Oh, ok, I'm not trying to hold you up then. I know how females get about y'all hair, so let me just get your number so you can go get your wig fixed."
"I have a man, so I don't go around giving my number out to random strangers," I told him with a smile.
"Ok, I can feel that. Well, my name is Ky." He grabbed my hand to shake it. "Now we're not strangers."
"Well, Ky, nice to meet you, but I still have a man." I continued to smile.
"Well, let's do this. You take my number, and if that nigga fuck up, hit me up sometime," he said.
I don't know why, but I took his number. "By the way, my name is Kenya," I told him over my shoulder while I walked into the shop.
As I walked in, all eyes were on me.
"Did you just get that nigga's number, bitch?" a hairstylist named Richard asked.
"Damn, bitch, get out of my best friend's business," Brooklyn yelled.
I shook my head and sat right down in the wash bowl chair to get my hair washed.
"So, what was that outside? You know I have to ask, right?" Brooklyn whispered.
"That was nothing, just a nigga trying to get my number. Nothing new."
"It looked like something to me. You was smiling hard as hell, and you took his number."
I couldn't help but laugh because I knew the whole time I was talking to him, I had a big dumb smile on my face.
"He was sexy as hell, but naw, for real though. It felt good getting hollered at. Sometimes a girl needs to get some type of attention, because dealing with Tyson's bullshit be having me questioning my worth at times."
"See, bullshit like that is the reason why I tell you to leave that nigga alone. You should never have to question your worth with a nigga that say he loves you, because he should show you every day what you mean to him, not just show you sometimes."
"I know," I said as tears began to run down my face. Brooklyn and I had been having this same conversation for the past six months.
"Aww, best friend, I'm not trying to make you cry. I just want you to either stop letting Tyson get away with treating you like shit or leave his ass. Now wipe your face, we can't have these bitches thinking we're soft and shit," Brooklyn joked, trying to cheer me up.
I could not help but smile. "Thanks, best friend. Sometimes I really need to hear the real, and not just what you think I want to hear."
"That's what best friends are for, sweetie. Just know, no matter what, you have me."
"Thanks, Brook, that's why I love you."
My friendship with Brooklyn went back fourteen years. We met in the second grade when her family moved across the street from my family. Me and my girl had been through so much shit together, from girl fights, pregnancy scares, and boyfriend drama, but through it all, we had always had each other's back. I guess by both of us being the only child, our friendship made us as close as sisters, and I wouldn't trade her for nothing in this world.
After Brooklyn finished washing my hair, we moved back to her station to eat our food while her assistant blow dried my hair.
"Do I have something on my face or something?" I asked Brooklyn.
"No, why you ask that?"
"Because, damn, that bitch keep staring at me and shit."
"Who?"
"That yellow bitch over there." I motioned toward the girl.
"Oh, I don't know who the fuck that is."

Just as I was about to say something to the bitch, she started talking all loud.
"Yeah, girl, I will be happy when I have this baby," she said while rubbing her stomach.
"How many months are you?" another girl asked.
"Seven, and my back be hurting so bad. I was so happy when my baby daddy came home from out of town yesterday so he could rub it for me." The whole time the yellow bitch was speaking, she stared directly at me.
"Do you know me or something?" I asked her.
"No, not at all." She laughed,
Just as I was about to go off on that hoe, Brooklyn grabbed my shoulder and whispered, "Don't say shit. That's what that hoe want you to do. Remember what mama said, never let a hoe make you get out of character. Just smile at that hoe."
I just knew that bitch better not have been talking about Tyson, or I was fucking his ass up. Enough is enough, I said to myself.
We talked and laughed about any and everything as Brooklyn finished my hair, but I couldn't stop thinking about what that bitch had said. It stayed on my mind as I drove back home. I felt confused and stressed, so I decided to put on some music and clean up my condo, but as soon as K. Michelle's "Million Hearts" came on, I broke down crying. It felt like she was talking about me and directly to me.
As if she could feel my pain, Brooklyn called.
"Hello," I answered while trying to clear my throat.
"Kenya, are you crying?"
"Yeah, girl. Listening to that damn K. Michelle got me all in my feelings and shit."
"Yeah, I love K, but her music will have your ass over there depressed like a motherfucker. So get dressed, we are going out tonight, and I don't want to hear shit. Tyson's ass always be hanging, and all you do is sit in the house. Well, not tonight. There is a welcome home party for one of the dudes from Young Kings, and we are going to hit that up. I have VIP tickets, a booth and everything, so I'm not taking no for an answer. Be ready by eleven o'clock, all right?"
"Ok, bitch, bye."

Young King