The coming of age of a young girl, abused and abandoned by her mother, left to find her own way. Life may not start out all peaches and cream for Courtney...but with a little savvy and a lot of determination she might just turn it all around. Join...
Drained from all the excitement I take the next couple days off from school. I return Wednesday morning to try to regain some normalcy in my life.
For the next few months I stay at Drew's. He would pick me up from school and drop me off to work at his cleaners. We became closer than I would have ever imagined.
One day instead of taking me to the cleaners we pulled up at his house and he sat there quiet for a few seconds looking out the window.
"What's wrong with you?" I broke the silence.
"Shawty you know in the past couple of months I done got attached to you, maybe too attached. You one of the most honest, sweet people I know.
I wouldn't ever take anything from that. That's part of the reason I haven't tried to smash. I know you know about these chicks in and out of my place, and you ain't nutted up on me yet. I feel like in a way I done corrupted you with all this street shit." He confessed.
"Don't think like that." I reason. I like it at Drew's house and don't like were this conversation is going.
"No it's ok." He continues. "I don't think nothing that has happened can't be fixed. You don't have to be around it. I feel like you're better than that.
I love you like a sister. To be completely real wit you, I don't know how the hell that happened. My point is I'ma let you have yo freedom. I ain't dumping you cause I feel like we been ain't been no more than friends from the start anyway. I want us to continue to be tight." He revealed. "I don't see my life being the same without you. Whatever you do, I'ma look out for you, ya dig?" He look at me waiting for an answer.
I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. It felt like the weight of the world being lifted off my shoulders. From the beginning I felt like Drew was more of a big brother than my man. After the first time he never made another advance toward me.
"I can understand that," I told him. I couldn't tell if he could see the relief in my eyes.
"As much as I like having you here I don't want you involved in this shit. Graduate. Go to college, C. See what life has to offer you." He pleads.
I nod my head but in my heart I already knew school didn't pay the bills. I don't see none of them teachers or people with college jobs driving the Benzes and living in the houses that some of the people he deals with do. That's the life I want. I'm not about the struggle. I'm about the come up.
Drew became so protective after the incident with Doughy and treated me more like his little sister than anything. His letting me work at his cleaners solidified my cash flow. He gave me $200 a week and all I did was hang up the clothes after they were done and cash customers out for a couple hours every day.
Drew was cool and all but I didn't wanna feel like I was using him. I wanted to earn my keep.
Me and Tracy had become close over the past few months. I was enamored with her beauty and her lifestyle. I started chilling with her almost every weekend. I knew staying at Drew's place was a temporary solution at best.
Tracy knew how to get bread so why not get schooled. Tracy, she was the real mentor. She knew how to get money and fast. She had guys just throwing money in her lap for doing little to nothing other than being a bad bitch. I wanted in. I wanted to boss up. I wanted to be a boss bitch like Tracy.
One Friday I decided to talk to Tracy about different ways to accumulate money. By then I had been working at Drew cleaners for a few months. With the money I made I had like a fifteen hundred dollars stuffed in a shoe box in my closet.
But shit I was trying to come up on like ten before I moved out of Drew's house. Even though he was holding me down I wanted to make sure I could hold my own. This nigga told me not to take my ass nowhere and he would take care of me. But damn sure didn't want to be depending on no man.
Lance couldn't have caught me at a better time. "What you doing? Tryna read my palm?" I quizzed the guy at the restaurant as he softly stroked my hand and conspicuously tried to hold my gaze.
"No, but I definitely like what I see." He smirked.
"Oh ok that's cool." I said nonchalantly.
"You got a number I can get?" He asked.
"I don't know if you're up for what you're asking for." I inform him.
"Baby I'm up for anything." He grinned.
"What's up Courtney?" Lance's cool baritone voice startled me from behind as he placed a hand on my waist.
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"Hey. Uh Lance." I stammer lighting up when I saw him.
"Why you never called?" He smiles when I face him.
"I don't know." I say honestly.
"Well you in my neck of the woods know. You ain't got no excuse not to fuck with me." He smiled slyly.
"Give me your number again." I extend my palm with my hand on my hips.
"Naw we ain't even doing that shit no more." He shakes his head.
"I promise I'll call. I had so much going on moving and everything it really slipped my mind." I admit.
"Alright now!" He raises an eyebrow in the cutest way causing my face to flush.
He hurriedly scribbled his number on my receipt. "The food on me." He winked pulling out some bills and handing them to the clearly aggravated guy working at the register. The cashier shoved my order on the counter then disappeared into the back.
Gauging probable income he wasn't the man for this job. I would need a few more on the team if I were to deal with him. More important things were at hand. Lance could be of great help. Oh well, I couldn't worry about that would hit Lance up later and start to conduct business.
After I gave Drew his sandwich and chips, I got my chicken salad and went into my room to call Tracy. I wanted in on some of this shit her and her homegirls was bragging about talking about making grands a night.
"You don't want nothing to do with that." She disagreed.
"Why not?" I pout.
"You just don't. Go to school. Let Drew look out for you while you get some education." She advised.
I let out a disappointed sigh.
"Come ride with me to the mall. I'll buy you something cute." She bargains.
"I want to buy my own cute shit." I contest.
As consolation, Tracy takes me to the mall and buys me a pair of boots and we get our nails done. That's fine and all for now but I hope she knows this is not the end of that conversation.
