RedBone (11 page)

Sherry wasn’t always that way, but after Coconut’s father died in a freak accident last year—when the shaft of a dump truck traveling in the opposite direction from him on the highway dislodged and slammed into his windshield—she felt guilty. After all, Milton was on his way to listen to Coconut’s recital at her school, when Sherry begged him to pick her up from the bar after having gone over her limit of ten glasses of vodka. If he had been with his daughter he would still be alive today, and Coconut hated Sherry for it. It didn’t matter that she hadnt had a drop of liquor since.

After Sherry finished neatly placing Coconut’s clothes in the dresser, she rushed out to give the girls privacy. “That bitch gets on my fuckin’ nerves sometimes.”

“She seems nice to me.” Farah shrugged. “Nicer than my mother, anyway.”

“Everybody’s nicer than your mother,” Coconut said, combing her hair more. “Anyway, tell your father I said hi.” She smiled. “I still can’t believe he killed them people back then. That shit is so fucking sexy.”

Mia was right: the main reason Coconut wanted to squash the beef two years ago was to get in her family’s business. Farah would spend hours telling her about the violent things Ashur did, including how her parents made her kick Theo in the dick. In love with lying, she even made up a few stories along the way. One time when she spent a night over at her house, and they slept in the same bed, Coconut played with her own pussy and Farah’s at the same time after she told her about her father’s violent ways. Even then Coconut didn’t allow her into the crew, until she participated in their favorite game called Smack Down.

Standing in front of Farah, Coconut smacked her with all her might in the face. When she was done, she was allowed to slap her back. They went back and forth, until Farah raised her hand, wanting the game to stop. Even though she lost, they underestimated Farah’s desire to have friends, because it took over an hour for her to concede. It wasn’t about the game; everyone who played knew Coconut was the most thorough. They realized then that Farah wasn’t the mousy, spotty-faced girl they thought she was.

“He told me to tell you hello,” Farah said dryly. She wanted Coconut’s attention on her at all times, and not her father.

“Good ... But look, I wanted to tell you something,” Coconut said, leaning in. “You know I been fucking with David on the side, right?” Farah shook her head. “Girl, yes, and he has the biggest dick you ever seen in your life. I sucked it earlier today at school and he gave me fifty bucks.”

“Ain’t he Jake’s best friend?” Farah took the comb from Coconut and said, “You want me to scratch your scalp?”

“You know I do. Anyway ... so what he’s his best friend? He ain’t gonna tell him and neither am I.”

Farah shook her head. In her opinion her boyfriend, Jake, was perfect. He was attractive, on the football team, had his own car, and he gave her money. What more did she want? “I don’t see how you do that.”

“What? Suck dick?” She laughed. “Hold up, you never gave a blowjob before?”

“I haven’t even fucked nobody yet.” Farah scratched her scalp harder, the way she liked it.

Coconut laughed and said, “You use the word ‘fuck’ so freely ... I mean, you sure you ain’t do it yet?” Farah shook her head again. “Park allow that shit? For you to hold out on him with the pussy?”

“Park ain’t got no choice. But I jerk him off, though. Farah wasn’t into Park that much because in her dreams, the ones she wrote on paper, he didn’t fit the bill.

“I hope you ain’t holding out waiting for that dark Superman nigga you be talking about all the time, because he ain’t real.”

Farah laughed. “I said I want him super strong, not Superman.” She sighed. “And Park not real either ... at least not with me. I mean, I like him, but not enough to have sex with him. Not right now anyway.”

“Wow. What a lucky guy.” She laughed. “Anyway, don’t say anything to Park about me fucking David, because if it gets out, I’ll know you the one who said it.”

Farah was insulted. “I ain’t doing no shit like that to you. You’re my cousin.”

“Play cousin,” she corrected her. “Now where is Rhonda and Natasha? I thought they were coming over. Jake and Park said they have some friends who gonna be at that party tonight, and we need more girls.”

Farah lied to Rhonda about the party earlier, because she couldn’t go and she didn’t want Rhonda and Natasha to be around Coconut alone. She worked so hard to win her friendship that she was afraid if they did real fun stuff together without her, Coconut wouldn’t want her around anymore. Brownie’s strictness was the main reason Farah couldn’t wait to get that apartment with Coconut they always talked about.

Ever since her grandmother told her that if she wrote her desires, hopes, and dreams on paper they would all come true, she was religious with her writing. And there were three things she wrote about every day: to have Coconut as a friend no matter what; to meet the dark-skinned, extra-strong man who would love her for eternity; and to rid herself of the sickness that had plagued her life. She was so close to having her dreams come true that she didn’t want to lose them like this, so she had to clean up her mess quick.

“I ain’t wanna tell you, but Rhonda and Natasha be hating on us, because we light skinned and they not. I heard them talking about it today at school. They were popping all kinds of shit in the cafeteria, like it’s our fault we were born this way,” Farah lied, combing her hair. “You should not have even invited them.”

Coconut glared. “Rhonda and Natasha never acted like that around me. I been cool with them for years. I’m about to call them right now.”

For fear of getting caught in a lie, Farah dropped the comb and broke out in tears. She had practice on how to fake it since she sobbed on a regular basis to get Brownie’s attention. “See ... I knew you wouldn’t believe me. That’s why I ain’t wanna tell you. Now you gonna ask them and everybody gonna be mad at me again. I’ma just go home.”

Coconut got up and hugged her. “I’m not gonna say nothing.” Farah pouted. “Seriously. Me and you way closer than I am with them now. You here like every day. You family for real.”

Farah shook her head. “Naw ... you don’t wanna be my friend. I’ma just go home.”

“I do wanna be your friend.” She hugged her tighter. “Please don’t leave ... Park and Jake on the way over, and I don’t want to be by myself.” Farah looked like she was still upset. “You my best friend now, and anything we say between each other is kept here. Let’s keep it light, okay?” she said, quoting her favorite phrase as usual.

They separated from the embrace. “Thank you.” She smiled. “I just want us to always be close. That’s all I ever wanted.”

“Then you got it ... but you gotta calm down. Sometimes you do too much, Farah.”

“I’ll try.”

Before Coconut could respond, Sherry knocked on the door. “Come in, Ma.” She sighed.

“Sorry to bother you again, but your company is here. In walked Park and Jake. In this instance Farah was right, because they both wanted to talk to the girls because of their lighter skin. When Sherry left, Park hugged Farah and gripped her ass while Coconut jumped on top of Jake and kissed him passionately on the mouth.

“I’m fucking the shit out of you tonight,” Jake said, going under Coconut’s dress and sticking his finger in her tight pussy. Coconut cooed and kissed him harder. After Farah’s kiss was over, she and her boyfriend stood awkwardly in the room, looking at Coconut and Jake go at it. Farah started tugging on the bottom of the dress she wore due to nervousness. She knew at some point she would have to fuck Park if she wanted to keep him. She saw the way he looked at Coconut’s body, and it hurt her feelings. As much as she loved her friend, she wasn’t sure if she could trust her around him.

After the longest kiss Farah had ever witnessed, Coconut said, “Me and Jake gonna see if we can get some weed and E pills. Y’all can stay in my room. If y’all fool around do it on top of my sheets. I don’t want no cum on my bed.” Farah frowned. “When we come back we gonna all roll to the party together.”

When she and Jake left, Farah walked to Coconut’s mirror and swung her hair back and forth the way she saw her friend do it. Park watched her from the bed, enjoying the view. “I ain’t know your ass was that fat,” Park said. “You gonna make me come lick that mothafucka in a minute.”

Farah turned around, leaned up against the dresser, and raised her skirt. “Is that so?”

“Yep ... So when you gonna let me hit?”

He stepped up to the dresser and she sauntered away from him. To play off his embarrassment he grabbed one of Coconut’s perfume bottles and began sniffing the tops. “If you worrying about me hurting you when we have sex, don’t. I’ma be easy.”

Farah heard his voice but couldn’t make out the words. All she was thinking about was that if he sprayed the perfume, she might end up in the hospital. In order to keep her illness in check, she had to stay away from everything young women loved. From makeup to scented soaps; if it smelled pretty, she avoided it at all costs. “Come over here,” Farah ordered. “Put Coconut’s stuff down.”

“If I come over there, you gonna make it worth my while?” He held on to the perfume bottle, as if he were using it as a weapon. She didn’t tell anybody about her condition, for fear they would use it against her. But if he didn’t set the bottle down, she had every intention of tackling him. “I ain’t coming over there for nothing.”

“It’ll be worth your while ...” she said, her heart rate increasing. He still hadn’t placed the bottle on the dresser. Finally, after a few more seconds, he set it down and walked in her direction. “Come on, Park.”

“You not fucking with my head, are you?”

“No, boy,” she said in a honeyed voice.

Standing in front of her, he dropped his jeans and boxers. His forwardness scared her because she hoped her first time would be subtler. “I want you to suck it first.” She swallowed her nervousness. “And I want you to stick your finger in my ass. I ain’t gay or nothing. I just like it like that.” Park went from seduction to instruction, as he told her what he wanted. He pressed his hard dick against her stiff lips but they wouldn’t separate. His clear pre-cum oozed from the tip. “Open your mouth, Farah.” He looked down at her and wished she stuck her finger in his asshole, and opened her mouth. The moment she did, Sherry walked into the room and Farah pushed Park back so hard he fell to the floor before rustling to pull up his pants. Sherry slammed the door.

Farah wiped her soiled finger on Coconut’s bed and said, “Mrs. Sherry ... I ... I ...”

“I’m sorry, Farah. I didn’t know you kids were busy,” she said from the outside of the room. “Your sister and brother are here to see you. They say it’s important.”

Overcome with embarrassment, Farah pulled herself together and said, “Park, I’ll see you later.” Running toward the door, she tripped over one of Coconut’s shoes. “I gotta go.”

Once out of the room she passed Sherry, who avoided eye contact with her, as she sat on the living room sofa. When she opened the front door, she saw Shadow and Mia standing in the hallway. The looks on their faces scared her and she knew right away something was wrong. Once the door closed Farah asked, “Is Grandma okay?”

“She good, but we gotta go talk in the car,” Mia said.

“Yeah ... This a family matter not to be discussed in the hallway,” Shadow added.

When she got to the car, she saw Chloe sitting in the back seat, crying her eyes out. Brownie was in the driver’s seat, and since Mia and Shadow got in the back with Chloe, she was forced to sit in the front with her mother. “Farah ... tonight is gonna be the night you prove yourself to me, and the rest of the family.” She pointed a finger in her face. “I heard about you not fighting at school, and letting people jump in your face when they talk about your illness,” she said in a spiteful voice. “One time I even heard you cried.” Farah looked at Shadow, who held his head down. She knew the incident well. It happened a month earlier and she confided in her brother. Now she was thinking it was a big mistake. “But there comes a time in your life when you gotta step up. And tonight is that night. No more crying, no more hiding, and no more being weak. This is it, Farah.

“Now, your baby sister was raped an hour ago.”

Farah gasped and said, “By who?”

“Theo.”

Farah couldn’t wrap her mind around what she was saying. She knew Theo and Chloe were seeing each other, despite what they did to him behind the school, but she vowed to keep their secret. Chloe always seemed to want the men she had. It bothered her at first because she and Theo were so close at one point, and she wondered why he didn’t choose her. But life and new friends got in the way and after a while, she didn’t care. Besides, when she wrote her story she saw a dark-skinned, strong man, and Theo was neither. Farah certainly didn’t think he would ever hurt her sister.

“Now we gotta finish what we started two years ago with him.” Farah’s heart rate increased, knowing something terrible was coming. “We don’t play that shit when it comes to our family, and you know it.” Brownie looked at her kids and continued, “So, I want y’all to go into his house, and stab his ass to death.” She reached in a brown paper bag and handed them knives. When Farah didn’t take hers, Brownie frowned. “Fuck is wrong with you?”

Farah looked at the knife and said, “I don’t wanna do this.”

“What you mean you don’t wanna do this? I just told you that little fucker raped your baby sister.” Farah turned around and looked at Chloe, who looked out of the window. “Even she putting in work and you telling me you afraid?”

Farah took the knife. She had done everything she could to make Brownie love her, and to get attention. From serving her breakfast in bed, which she’d always ungratefully eat without so much as a thank you, to swallowing chemicals, knowing she would end up in the hospital. In the end the only thing Brownie wanted to see was bloodshed. “Farah. I need you to toughen up.”

“But I’m not like y’all.” She looked at all of them. “I don’t like hurting people.”

Everyone in the car sighed, right before Brownie grabbed the knife out of Farah’s hand and jabbed it into the vinyl seat between her legs. Farah pushed back into the seat as Brownie moved the knife toward her vagina slowly. “You ain’t no better than us, RedBone. You better recognize that shit.” She huffed. “Now are you with us or not?”