Vendetta | Nicki Minaj & August Alsina

1. On The Other Side

Raja

Meeting.

I placed my elbows on the desk and put my face in my hands, trying to hide what’s happening in front of me. On the other side of the desk, sitting in his leather throne, is my frustrated father. I can’t bare to watch him snort another line of cocaine. I could watch him kill a man, but seeing him do drugs hit me like nothing else. There was something about it that made me cringe at the thought.

“Here, get rid of this.” I hear him say to one of his bodyguards.

I lift my head out of my hands. He wipes his nose with the side of his index finger aggressively. I know he called this meeting for a serious reason. In the room with me is my younger brother, Tj and the rest of the room is filled with Daddy’s business partners, important dealers, and some foreign connects. My brother and I sit in the two seats across from my father, while all of the other men stand up behind us. The room is stiff, quiet, intimidating.

“Where is your mother and Michael?” He asks. I hesitate.

“Mom’s at Auntie Donna's and Mike’s at school.” Tj answers before I can.

I stare at the collection of fountain pens on his desk, avoiding all eye contact in fear of him yelling at me.

“Raja?” Shit. I look up and instantly met his gaze, then look back down.

“Where is Nani?” I look back up again.

“She’s in my room w-with Tiffany.”

I can’t speak without stuttering. When my dad is angry, it’s like hell opens up and sucks in all souls who’ve done wrong. He squints.

“Why didn’t you tell me Tiffany was here?” He says in a low grumble. I open my mouth to speak, but he puts his hand up gesturing me not to.

He turns his attention to the crowd standing up behind me. “I called you all here, because, well, SOMEONE’S BEEN FUCKING WITH MY MONEY!” I close my eyes at the sound of him yelling. I can feel the room shake and the muscles in everyone become tense. Knowing my father, there are two things you don’t mess with; his family, and his money. Someone in this room is to blame, and I damn sure hope it isn’t me. “Let’s move this meeting outside,” my father says pretending to be calm now. He plasters a big, fake smile and loosens his red tie from around his neck. I know what this means. We all do.

 Adonis

 Young Rich Niggas.

“A'ight muh’fuckas. I got good news, and I got some bad news,” Trigga big head ass said walkin in the house with Jay smilin’ too damn hard walking in right behind him. “Which one y’all want first?” I sigh real loud and roll my eyes.

“BAD NEWS!” Quez yells from the bathroom. His crazy ass sitting on the toilet with the door open.

“Close the door, wit’cho stanky ass,” Trigga says stretching his neck towards the bathroom. “Well, I mean the bad news ain’t got nun to do wit’chall, buuuut I think I left my phone at that broad Leesha house, and it ain’t got no lock on it.”

Smackin’ my lips at this nigga stupidity, I reach for my phone on the kitchen counter.

“And nigga, so what?” The toilet flushes and Quez retarded ass walks out.

“You ain’t gone wash ya hands, negro?” Jay says lookin’ ova at Quez.

He takes a small bottle of hand sanitizer from out his back pocket and waves it in Jay’s face. “99.9% germ killa, nigga.”

“Ok Trig, what’s the good news?” I say getting a little impatient. I ain’t gone lie, I been gettin’ a lot of good news lately, and my life is gettin’ better by the damn day.

“All that shit we got shipped over, we sold almost all that shit, man!”

My heartbeat done sped up. We just got that shit in a few days ago. I’m cheesing hella hard. I can feel the sides of my mouth getting tired. Seventeen million dollars of narcotics sold in less than a week. We profited over thirty-two mill. All grins in this circle. We fuckin’ made it. We some young, rich niggas. “We gotta fuckin’ celebrate!” I say already picking up my phone to invite some people out. “Let’s get it!”

Raja

Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang.

Several shots were fired and two dead bodies flopped lifelessly to the ground. I have once again watched my father execute someone for their mistakes. I don’t know exactly who those men were, but I know they were in charge of letting my father know of his competition and status of his money and how much he sells matching next to his competitors. I watch as the bodies are being picked up and moved. I never knew what my dad does with the bodies. I really hope they are sent to the families and given a proper burial. I don’t think my father is cruel enough to do anything but.

I walk away from the large group and immediately head for my room, simultaneously clearing the executions from my head as easily as always. I walk into my bedroom to see Nani asleep on a pile of giant teddy bears I’ve collected over the years with a blanket on top of her, and Tiffany laying on her back glued to her phone.

“How long she been out?” I ask.

She lowers the phone and looks over at the child knocked out on the floor.

“Bout thirty minutes.”

I step over her carefully, trying not to wake her and flop on my bed, backside up. I sigh and shut my eyes.

“I wanna ask if you wanna go out tonight. I was just invited to this party, but I already know what you’re gonna say.” Tiffany mopes.

I put my face in the bed and groan.

“You know my dad isn’t going to let me out of this house.”

“You’re twenty fucking two! Twenty-two, Raja!” I turn my head toward her to immediately meeting her eyes and frown.

“I know, but that can’t stop you from going.” I said trying to lift her spirits. I knew damn well it wasn't going to work.

She shrugs.

“I mean, I guess I can go by myself, ya know, considering you’re like my only friend.” She says eolling her eyes. We both giggle.

“One of these days, I’m gonna sneak you out of this house.”

 (Raja's father, Thaddeus Costello, in the MM)