A Perfect Storm

25

"You can sleep when we get home," Storm said to a sleepy Lyrica. She had just picked her up from her grandma's house because she had spent the previous night there since Shawnta & Storm both had dates. Then Shawnta had to work the next day.

"Can we eat first?" Lyrica asked, rubbing her eyes & looking up at Storm. Storm chuckled.

"Duh." Lyrica gave her a sleepy smile as she opened the door to the backseat & got in. Storm opened the door to the driver's side to get in.

"Storm!!" A familiar feeling came to Storm's body as she turned to see D'Angelo getting out his car & walking over to her. She hadn't seen him since they had apologized to each other. She wondered what he had to say now.

"D'Angelo!!" Lyrica screamed, hopping out the car. D'Angelo smiled, making Storm get a little wet, as Lyrica ran towards D'Angelo. D'Angelo laughed, scooping her up in his arms.

"Woah you getting a little heavy," He said jokingly, walking over to Storm.

"No im not!!"

"Yes you are. That just means you're a big girl now. You are a big girl right?" Lyrica nodded. "Okay then." Storm had to admit, D'Angelo had his way with kids. Her mind started to wander, thinking about how it would've been if she would've kept the baby but she stopped herself as D'Angelo stopped in front of her. "Hey."

"Hey." He put Lyrica down.

"What you doing over here so early?"

"I didn't know there was a certain time that I could come over my grandma's house," Storm said jokingly.

"I'm just saying. I've never known you to be a morning person."

"Yeah well, people do change y'know."

"That they do..." He said, looking her up and down, trying to see if there were any signs of abuse. Storm felt awkward, so she looked away. "So um, I heard you got a new nigga."

"And how would you have heard that?" The only one who knew that her & Jake was official was MJ & her closest family, so how would he know that?

"Heard it through the grapevine." Storm knew he was lying, but she didn't even say anything.

"That's your business because?"

"I wanna make sure the nigga treating you right." Storm scoffed, shaking her head.

"Lyrica, get in the car." Lyrica knew by her sister's tone that she was not in the mood for any back talk so she got in. Storm's voice got dangerously low. "You wanna make sure he treating me right? Funny, coming from the same nigga that had been doing me wrong since I was a teenager."

D'Angelo sucked his teeth. "Storm don't start."

"Don't ask me about my relationship then," She said, opening the driver's door but he closed it. Storm looked at him like he was crazy. "Are you serious?"

"I'm just trying to make sure you good."

"I'm fine, D'Angelo," Storm said, opening her door again. "Thanks for the concern though." D'Angelo watched as she started the car before pulling off. He shook his head, turning to head in his house. He had to figure out another way to find out about her new nigga.

"So what are we doing for the fourth?" Peyton asked as her, Storm, Lola, Kim & Lyrica sat in the living room watching 'A Different World'. Lyrica wasn't even thought of when the show had started and ended but she loved it.

"My mama wants me to go with her to Darryl's family house, she don't wanna go by herself to meet his extended family."

"Awww they getting real serious. You think they might get married?" Kim asked and Storm shrugged.

"Do you want her to?" Lola asked.

"Shhh!" Lyrica said, annoyed that they wouldn't shut up while she was watching her show. Storm held back a laugh and motioned them to come into the kitchen. Storm grabbed some water while they sat on the island.

"So do you?" Lola asked again.

"I just want my mama happy. It ain't work out with my daddy, it ain't work out with Lyrica's daddy so I hope it works out for them."

"True dat," Kim said.

"Speaking of not working out," Lola said, and Storm had a feeling she was about to either say something about Malik or D'Angelo. "Why the hell D'Angelo inbox asking me about you having a new man?" Storm hadn't told them about Jake, so they didn't know anything about what happened.

"He did the same thing to me," Kim & Peyton said.

"The nerve of this nigga. Yall make amends & he think he can start butting into yo life. You ain't even got a new nigga but I told him you did & yall was good just to piss him off," Peyton said. Storm didn't say anything. She just sipped her water. Lola gave her a weird look.

"You are single right?" Lola asked. Storm continued to sip her water. The three girls gasped.

"BITCH!!!"

"SHUT UP!!" Lyrica yelled. The girls jumped off the island & started dragging her up to her room.

"We need the tea right fucking now!!"

Malik inhaled the blunt and closed his eyes before exhaling & looking out the window. It wasn't much to see, it wasn't like he was living downtown surrounded by beautiful views but it was decent. He had his own apartment that he was paying for through his photography, but after the incident at Salesforce, he probably wouldn't be there much longer.

He was a freelance photographer, but who would wanna hire him after he attacked an employee at one of his gigs?

Malik scoffed. 'Attacked' that's what they called it. It wasn't an fucking attack. Jake had threatened him, threatened his life. But all Malik kept thinking about was whether or not he was threatening Storm too. She seemed fine when she came in to take pictures. Other than the fact that shit seemed a little iffy towards Malik, which he understood. Still, looks could be deceiving.

An idea popped into Malik's head and he ashed his blunt before grabbing his laptop and getting to work. He had research to do.

"I can't believe you hid this from us!!" Kim exclaimed. Storm had explained everything & the girls didn't know how to feel.

"I can't believe Malik would do that," Peyton said.

"I can't believe you're fucking a white boy!!" Lola exclaimed & Storm shook her head.

"Lola that's not the problem at hand," Peyton said before looking back at Storm. "We gon pull up on Malik or what?"

"I'm going to pull up on him," Storm emphasized.

"When? Cause we can watch Lyrica till mama gets back."

"Not tonight, or tomorrow, because that's the lord's day. But definitely sometime this week."

"All this shit was happening & you ain't called & told us shit!!" Kim exclaimed.

"Do you love him?" Lola asked & Storm grimaced. She liked him a lot, but love? That was a definite no. She wasn't really ready to start loving another dude yet.

"We've only been together for two months!!"

"Yeah and fucking for six!!"

"Dick ain't that good," Storm mumbled.

"Is he better than Malik & D'Angelo?" Peyton asked. Storm stood up.

"I'm going back downstairs," She said walking towards her bedroom door.

"Storm!!!" She ran out with them following behind, laughing. They knew damn well that nobody did it better than a black man.

And soon, Storm would be reminded of that.