FATAL ATTRACTION | n. jones

SEVEN.

10:39 p.m.
———

Montell sat in his '94 Nissan Altima and smoked his blunt as he looked at the brightly lit house in front of him. To a lot of people in this neighborhood, the house was nice but nothing to get wowed over but where Montell was from, houses like this would be considered a mansion.

Opting for a partner in crime like he did in his song, Montell drove to Jamaica Estates in search of one of his childhood friends. He finished his blunt and got out of his car, being careful to avoid the small lights that lined the driveway as he walked towards the front door. He knocked then took a step back battling a war in his mind on if he should leave or stay. As Montell turned around to leave, the door opened revealing Donovan.

"Monty! Wassup, man?" Don exclaimed at the sight of his friend that he had not seen in years. Montell grinned and gave him dap. Donovan still looked the same way he did years ago. He kept his shoulder-length hair in braids and has had a full beard since ninth grade— something the other guys in his middle through high school friend group could only dream of doing. Donovan moved out of the way allowing his guest to come in.

Montell looked around awestruck. He hasn't seen a place this nice since... well, never. The house looked like something he would see in one of those magazines that showed nothing but nice houses. He had no idea what Donovan did for a living, but he knew for a fact that it was most likely something legit. Don went to school on a basketball scholarship but sadly a career-ending injury took him out of the game. Luckily for him, he was smart enough to receive an academic scholarship. From the beginning, Donovan had been labeled as the smartest out of the group and no one doubted that he would make it out of the projects. Him still being able to attend school without paying little to nothing came as no surprise.

"What you doing here? I haven't seen you in years" Donovan asked as he plopped down on his black leather couch and reached for the remote on the glass coffee table. He offered it to Montell who declined the offer to find something to watch. He wouldn't be here long.

Montell sat on the other couch and looked around. He couldn't help but admire how the black couches and the black and blue in some of the paintings added a splash of something besides white to the room.

"Mannn, you gave me your address and I never came around to visiting until today. You know I tend to stay away from areas like this. That and I've been busy." Montell replied, finally looking at his friend.

"I was wondering why you never came to visit. I just didn't wanna ask." Don laughed just as his girlfriend, Giselle, came down the stairs. Montell looked at her attire and thought that either she was spoiled with nice things or she was a rich girl with her own money. Her whole demeanor screamed expensive. Montell found it hard to take his eyes off of her. If she wasn't in a relationship with Donovan, Montell would have probably tried to get with her. Keyword: probably. Anything they started would not last. He could only see himself settling down with Katana. Giselle walked down the stairs and gave Montell a small smile and a shy wave before giving Donovan a peck on the lips.

"Where you going?" Donovan asked as he watched Giselle walk towards the door.

"I was gonna go to Mystic with Katana, but she's busy so Kim suggested that we go get food and drinks from some restaurant near her place." Giselle replied as she held the doorknob.

Montell felt himself heating up. He didn't plan to come here and hear Katana's name. He came here to get help with getting rid of that boyfriend of hers. Matter of fact, what made him want to come here to begin with? All the people he could have called that had nothing going for them, yet he came to Donovan trying to fuck the man's life up. Don had drifted away from the criminal lifestyle in high school with it eventually becoming a distant memory once he graduated. The last thing Montell wanted to do was take away all of Don's accomplishments because of some shit he could do himself.

"Aight, be safe." Don smiled before turning back to his friend. He sighed and rubbed his hands together preparing to hear a rant. He had a feeling that Montell knew the Katana Giselle mentioned was indeed the same one that broke his heart. He also knew that hearing the name of anything near it set his friend off. Don remembered mentioning her during the phone call two months ago and Montell had a fit. In all honesty, that was the last time he had seen or heard from Montell until he showed up on his doorstep tonight. Don would have bet good money that he was mad at him and he would have lost.

"Women, huh. Always tryna hang out." Donovan let out a nervous laugh. "I think it's good that they are finally hanging out though. Every time they plan something, one of them always gotta cancel last minute."

Montell slowly nodded his head before standing to his feet. He cracked his knuckles and walked towards the door.

"I came here to ask for help, but... I think ima leave here with our last conversation being a goodbye." Montell twisted the doorknob just as Don called out to him.

"What you mean, man? We boys, I'll help you with anything. You need money? A way to get yo' moms up here? I got a friend that works for the airlines. He can get her plane tickets for th–"

"I was just gonna do some stupid shit, man. You too smart to be caught up in it. Just stay home."

Montell put his hood on and walked to his car. Donovan didn't understand what Montell meant when he said 'stupid shit,' but he would find out soon enough.