Jungle 3

Chapter 2

It was one in the afternoon and Ebony woke up to an empty bed and a vibrating cell phone. She stretched then grabbed her phone, sighing after looking at all the texts and missed calls she had from men she didn't want to hear from. Ebony was single, but had a long line of dudes wanting a piece of her. Relationships weren't her thing and any guy she talked to was only for pure entertainment.

After leaving a bunch of guys on read, Ebony got out the bed and picked out an outfit for the day. She looked in her small, stuffed closet and browsed her options. It was the first of August and the weather was blazing which meant she wanted to keep cool. She grabbed a white fitted wife beater and a pair of destroyed jean shorts. Ebony then looked down at the many shoes she had and chose a pair of black heels with a criss cross lace up that went up to her knees.

Fashion had become her thing at a young age and the day she was old enough to wear heels and dress herself, she went crazy. She wore whatever she wanted without the care to please the eye of others. Ebony was free with her body and appearance because in the past it took a lot for her to become as confident as she is today.

Once she put her clothes on, Ebony went into her Crown Royal bag and pulled out her mothers rings, sliding them on her fingers. On her thirteenth birthday, her aunt gifted them to her and she wore them everyday since then. Ebony also reached into the bag to grab three gold necklaces that she often wore. One was a nameplate of her middle name, the other a Jesus piece, and the last was the number three— that one was a gift from Demetrius that he gave all his siblings.

Their aunt raised them in the seventh ward, but they were originally from the third ward, Magnolia. No matter where they lived, the only ward they represented was the third. Ebony loved her hood so much, she got M3 tatted on the back of her neck under her right ear.

"Somebody finally decided to wake up." Her uncle said as she headed to the bathroom.

Ebony ignored him and closed the bathroom door. While running the water, she looked herself in the mirror and began washing her face. After doing that and brushing her teeth, she snatched off her silk scarf and brushed out her hair. Ebony then slowly glided her brown gloss across her full lips, also adding some black lip liner. Smacking her sticky lips together, she took one final look at her appearance before leaving the bathroom to head into the kitchen.

"Good afternoon, baby." Her aunt said, feeding Kayla.

"Hey, teedy." Ebony poured herself a cup of water in a glass pickle jar.

"Eat before you leave this house. I made sliders and for dinner we might get Chinese."

Ebony grabbed two of the small burgers and quickly ate them. She gulped down the water and then said goodbye to her aunt. As she walked down the street, her phone wouldn't stop going off. With irritation, Ebony answered the phone.

"Look, you really pissing me off. If I didn't answer the first fifty times, why the fuck you keep calling?" She stated with an attitude.

"Stop playing with me, Ebony. Why ain't you reply to my message?" Her male friend, Trell responded.

"Cause I don't wanna talk to you. You niggas slow, man."

"You gone learn to stop being evil all ya' life. Let's smoke. Where I'm picking you up?"

"The corner store by my teedy house. And don't call me no more." She hung up and strutted to the corner store that she grew up going to.

"Say, Ebony!" The group of six men posted outside the store spoke.

"Hey, y'all." She waved with a big smile.

Even though Ebony looked good to them, they all knew better than to push up on her. Not only was she the homie, but if a hair was touched on Ebony's head, her brothers and cousins would shut everyone involved down. She walked into the store with no problems and went to the counter to buy some Swisher Sweets and a pack of cherry flavored Now and Laters.