Nor⭐️Cal

IX.

Nor⭐️Cal

Vanity

We sat in the booth at the nearest IHop. CJ sat across from Chastity and I, my nose deep in the menu because I really didn't want to look at CJ. I'm thankful he got us out but it's hard to look at someone who sold you after you trusted them. Looking briefly up from the menu, I saw we were the only ones in here aside from the employees.

"Aight, we needa break the silence." He said, startling me into nearly dropping my menu right on the table. "Are y'all okay?"

"Gee, thank you CJ for selling us into this mess and then buying us back. I can now add that I was sold into the sex trade by my drug dealer. More life experience under my belt, so let me return the favor but putting you into some male prostitution service." Chastity said so cheerfully just before bringing the coke up closer to her, taking a few sips of the coke.

"Why?" I said quietly and his attention snapped right over to me.

"I didn't sell you two to anythin' or anyone. Why would I sell people? Two females that I'm cool with to be exact." He asked but neither of us had an answer aside from the obvious but it wouldn't make sense since he bought us back. "Exactly. There's no reason why I'd sell you two. I was set up in a bad deal and the script was flipped before I could realize it. I was called to get a hold of some Challengers and I'd get a hundred K a piece. I knew there were two up here for sure I could sell so I wanted to quickly meet up with the nigga before I agree and that's where shit went sour real quick."

"Then why not immediately come to get us back?" I asked.

"I had no idea where y'all were taken and I didn't even know where I was taken. I was led out of some building and then I never saw you two. Since that night, Rack City and I were tryin' to find any kind of way to get into the trade or get some contacts but no one talks about it. It's all inside sources or forget about it." He continued to explain, pausing for a moment to take a sip of the black coffee in front of him.

"Then how did you get to this auction?" Chastity asked as she was looking at the container of sugar.

"I sent out a text to all my clients basically offering high value drugs for free if they have information. All they had to do was meet me in SF- well Oakland and we'd go from there. Urban who I've sold to in the past a couple times showed up to tell me about those parties and so he and I went to the next one. I saw some shit from you two but then we were thrown out. The rest... well you know the outcome."

Chastity began to say her side of things as I chose to just remain quiet. I blocked out what she was saying because I didn't want to hear what other negativity she had to go through. I sat on the inside so I rested my head against the wall, closing my eyes trying to put myself back in a state of mind that those pills would put me in. I wanted to feel loose and happy- I was more than happy to be out of there but there was still that part of me that just felt dead.

"Vanity." I opened my eyes to find Chastity no longer next to me so it was just CJ and I. "She went to the bathroom, what's wrong?" He asked with concern heavy in his voice.

"I don't feel like talking right now. I just want to go home." I wanted to be excited to go home like Chastity, I wanted to be so happy just like her but I'm shaken up. Don't understand why I'm this way since I'm no longer in that room but I wanted to be away from people for a while.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you actin' like this with me? Chastity said you ain't have it nearly as bad as she did yet Chastity over here askin' to go light up in celebration of me gettin' y'all two out while you're givin' me the cold shoulder."