Thug With Benefits

Just the Beginning...

Reyna

I'm going to give myself a quick introduction, my name is Reyna and I am an eighteen year old struggling like everyone else. My mother is a crackhead, my father is missing and my twin brothers ran away ten years ago, leaving me to pick up the pieces I call life. Momma was biracial and daddy was Rican, so you could call me a mutt if you want. I have a somewhat manageable hair texture that falls to my shoulders, but when it's straight it's about four or five inches longer. I only wear my hair in protective styles since I can't afford to keep going to the hair salon, I made myself a wig about two years ago and I've been wearing it ever since. Nobody has ever really seen my hair, not even my friends. They just assume that I have alopecia or some other hair related problem.  I don't know why I don't want to wear it natural but it just makes me uncomfortable, mostly because I don't have the best type of hair. Most people expect girls with my racial makeup to have wash and wear hair.  But in reality I have thick hair that can easily get tangled, I'm somewhere between a 3c/4a hair texture. My skin tone is somewhere in between lightskin and darkskin, somewhat of a caramel complexion. My body type is also somewhat at an in-between stage because I'm not super skinny or super thick either. A lot of guys in my neighborhood are quite predatory and sometimes I'm thankful that my body isn't as womanly as it could be, because that would put me in much more danger than I already am in.

As I sat in my room staring at the ceiling, I counted all of the marks lingering around the cracks in the woodwork. My mind started to wander and I began to think about what life would be like if my family had stayed together. It's sad to think about Kell and Rell.

They said they loved me, I thought we were down for each other. But, I guess not. My thoughts were interrupted by hearing the front door slam shut and shake the entire house.

I wonder who she's going to screw now.  

Every two weeks my mother disappears for a few days, she leaves here fully made up in her one expensive evening gown and comes back completely disheveled. She brings back just enough money to pay our rent and water bill. I don't question where she's been, I just make sure the bill gets paid. I pay for mostly everything else with my job at my neighbor's nail salon. I work so many hours that I barely ever have time for school.  Sometimes I cry myself to sleep just thinking about how I have to walk around with barely any clothes on my back and no food in the house, ever. 

I hate to admit it, but I have nothing. Sometimes I even sneak into her room and steal her clothes so I can wear and sell them. I used to be on top of the world but I guess things change--that's a story for another day though. I used to imagine scenarios where I kill my mom, but then I realize that she's all I have left in this shit hole of a world. I even pray my brothers come back, especially since my mom always ends up owing her dealers-- and I become collateral. 

Before I began to have flashbacks I stopped thinking about the past. Nothing good can come from relishing in my lowest moments. 

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Kell

"Rell! Get your black ass back here! Mom is gonna be here soon to pick up Reyna's money!" I said. Man, me and my twin Rell ran away when we were 13, we started dealing and now we own the gang HNIC's (Head Nigga's In Charge) we're known all around the country and we OWN the East coast. We had to leave Reyna behind though, but we make damn sure that every two weeks she gets $2,000 dollars. My baby sis don't have to worry 'bout shit! Damn straight! I really don't give a fuck about my mom but since she takes care of Reyna I make sure she has what she needs too. "Aren't you going to answer the door dumb ass!" Rell screams, snapping me out my thoughts. I get up to see my mom in Red Bottoms and a long sleeve clinging black dress with black tights "You know damn well, your too old to be looking like a prostitute"  I thought to myself. "Hey Kell, H-how are you? Now where my money?!" She says with a slight attitude "Bitch, I got your money! Now shut the fuck up! And why do you have on long sleeves and thick tights knowing damn well it's 79 degrees outside. Looking like you need life alert!" I snap back. "Wait, what the fuck is on her nose" I thought to myself. "Ma, tell me why you have white powder on your nose?! What the fuck is that?!" I said knowing damn well what it is. She looked like she had been snorting coke. I snatched one of her sleeves and ripped it off, revealing the worst... Raised veins from where you inject Heroin. "Rell, suit the fuck up! We going to get Reyna! Now tie this bitch up!" I screamed to Rell.