I sat in this restaurant totally confused by two words JOB and APPLICATION, there were a few more words that made me sick to my stomach like minimum wage and shifts.... I looked over at Julio who, bless his heart was folding tacos like he was actually enjoying it and then I saw the uniforms and shook my head.... yeah I refuse. I got up and tossed the application in the trash because there was no way in hell I would be caught dead working here, not that there was anything wrong with it, it just wasn't for me. I got in my car and looked saw that I was almost on empty; now I had four options go talk to my dad and start crying which always worked, call Armani who was in New York and ask him, call my beloved little brother and pray he would help his only sister out... and the fourth one I was dreading more than anything which was calling my mother. My dad was clear get a job or get cut off and I would've thought Saint would've slid me an easy job like he did Darion but he looked at my resume and laughed me out of his office. God, why did my family hate me so much?
"Ivanna I told you I should've drove but you assume you're too damn cute to be seen driving in my car." Lauren said and I rolled my eyes. Well, it was the truth, Lauren's car was cute but it wasn't the type of car I would be seen in. "I'm letting you know now if you're car runs outta gas you're on your own."
"I just feel like crying. What did I do to deserve this? I mean I get good grades, I stay outta trouble.... I'm not a bad person and yet my dad treats me like I'm some spoiled little princess who needs to be taught a lesson or something." I said checking my mascara.
"Uncle Enzo is doing what he should've been doing all along, teaching you to be independent which you definitely need I mean I'm almost positive you don't even know how to tie your own shoe." Lauren said which was a complete lie.
"Here's the thing.... my mother is a billionaire, she owns casinos all over the world, my dad isn't broke either which mean I shouldn't have to work." I said and Lauren shook her head like I was hopeless. "So who is he?" I asked smirking.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Lauren asked but she couldn't meet my eyes.
"Come on Lauren I recognize the signs, obviously there's some boy that has your attention; I mean you've stopped dressing like a boy, you're smiling a lot more and you're even wearing perfume so what's his name and is he cute?" I asked.
"You are trippin, what you need to be focused on getting some gas in this bitch before you be walking in those five thousand dollar slides." Lauren said waving me off, but I wasn't stupid and I had ways of finding things out...............
"Ace... my favorite brother in the whole, wide world..... you wanna do me a favor?" I asked hugging him and he tried to push me away. "Come on I really need you, you wouldn't want your sister suffering do you?" I asked.
"You really don't want me answering that, and the answer is no.... dad told me under no circumstances am I allowed to give you any money and he was very explicit in his reasoning why so I'm not fuckin up what I got going on all because you refuse to work a nine to five..... you should've went to college." Ace said playing the game and Marquise started laughing.
"Ivanna in college....." Marquise said like it was a joke. "She'd be better off getting a record deal than completing a full semester of college." He said which cause Ace to laugh, I wasn't about to deal with this shyt so I walked out the room pissed before I hurt one of them.
"No......" Uncle Marcus said as I walked into the kitchen and I turned my ass around because I knew better. It was the same thing with everybody Uncle Devin, Uncle Savion, Uncle Cam, Uncle Ricardo.... no, no, no, I swear if I heard that word one more time I was going to pull my hair out.
"I can offer you an internship.... but not a job." Aunt Tonya said cutting up some celery and at this point I was becoming desperate. "Honestly you need to have your ass in someone's classroom learning how to make your own money and not depend on anyone for anything." She said looking at me.
"Aunt Tonya, school isn't for me.... I can't sit still long enough to actually pay attention and besides I have my family to help me out and I'm too pretty to be sitting in a classroom all day." I said and Aunt Tonya let out a long sigh.
"Yeah this internship isn't going to work out, I don't have time to be dealing with divas and ego, I got enough of that to deal with and the last thing I need is some clueless little girl working my nerves at work. Let me give you some tough love baby.... Jade has a degree, Camille is working on her degree, your aunts Cadence and Carly both have degrees, you mom has a degree, your Aunt Liberty has a degree, Mama Angela has a couple degrees..... do you see a running theme here?" Aunt Tonya asked and I nodded. "None of these women settled on being too pretty to learn."
"Okay but......." I started to say but with one look I stopped talking.
"Noah has a degree you know why that it? Because Jade pushed him to finish school and not declare for the draft after his junior year like he wanted to. Danny wasn't even with Carly and she pushed him to get his degree while he was in the military....... Marsean is working on yet another doctorate because I push him to be better..... and what do you do for Armani besides spend all his money and throw him some pussy every now and then? Men like a woman who pushes them beyond their limits, who challenge them to be better and you may think Armani loves you now but eventually he's going to meet somebody who pushes him to be more than a rapper and if you don't have the education or at the very least the common sense to know how to be that woman, he's going to leave you for the first bitch with two brain cells to rub together." Aunt Tonya said.
"I hear you, Aunt Tonya.... so about that job?" I asked and she threw her hands up then walked out the kitchen. After making my rounds to each family member I finally gave up and went to see my mom who had no problem giving me a small loan but there was a catch like always..... I finally made it back to Armani's house to find him sitting on the couch rolling a blunt.
"Where you been?" He asked getting up and walking over to me. "I've been missing you like crazy..... why are you crying?" He asked wiping away my tears and I told him everything that happened. "Ivanna.... I'm not going anywhere, I know school isn't your thing and I'm not with you because of what's in your head, I'm with you because of what's in here." He said pointing to my heart.
"What am I going to do? My dad made it clear that I had to get a job or else he was going to cut me off." I said wiping my eyes.
"Your dad isn't going to cut you off Ivanna, he's jut trying to scare you into getting a job.... he wants to see a little effort from you." Armani said looking in my eyes. "You seem different.... like there's something that just seems...... I don't know." Armani said putting his hand on my forehead, then checking my eyes, the opening my mouth and looking down my throat.
"I took a test this morning.... no I'm not pregnant, thank God. After babysitting Noah's kids and Jakari for a weekend I don't think I'll be ready for kids anytime soon......." I said and I saw a little sadness in Armani's eyes. "It's not that I don't want any kids.... just not right now." I said and Armani nodded.
"Oh okay.... well grab that controller, I still owe you an ass whoopin from the last time we played the game.... don't think I forgot." Armani said poking my forehead and started walking off, but I jumped on his back and started kissing him.... I didn't want to play any video games, I had something else I've been wanting to do since the morning he left and after the day I had I needed some stress relief.
"Hold on....." I said as Armani kissed my neck. "Make it quick Lauren....." I said as Armani unbuckled my pants and started removing them....
"You wanna come to Michigan with me this weekend?" Lauren asked and I gave a quick yes before hanging up, I guess I could take a mini vacation though I should be saving that measly two point five mil my mom loaned me.... but I needed a girls trip and I don't think I've ever been to Michigan before..................................
