RedBone (15 page)

Chapter 13

One Month Later

“Dumbness, you would fuck anybody. You don ’t give a fuck what they look like.”

—Farah

Farah drove her car out of the Benz dealership, with the music pumping loudly. She just got it fixed, after the damage Randy had done to the bumper the night he chased her. Coconut, Rhonda, and Natasha were riding along so they could all get something to eat later from Mamma’s Kitchen, a soul food spot in Washington DC. Her toe still hurt a little after being broken, but it was the first day she could really move around, so she wanted to have fun.

“Slow down, girl,” Rhonda said from the back seat. “These roads slick as shit.” She rubbed her pregnant belly.

“This my car. I don’t need no back-seat drivers,” she said, looking at her in the rearview mirror.

“Whatever. If you get into an accident, I’m suing the fuck out of your ass.”

“Damn, I shoulda let that nigga suck my pussy,” Coconut said while filing her nails in the passenger seat. “He looked like he knew what he was doing, too.”

“First off, what about Jake?” Rhonda asked. “And, secondly, what dude you talking about? The one that was all up in Farah’s face?”

“Naw ... the nigga who stepped to me when we were leaving the dealership.” Coconut’s light skin was painted expertly with makeup. “And don’t worry about Jake. We been together so long, no matter what I do he ain’t going nowhere.”

“Girl, please,” Rhonda said. “That nigga wasn’t even cute.” She rubbed her belly. “If a nigga would’ve come up to me and said he wanted to lick my clit, I would’ve punched him in the mouth.” Rhonda was still a pretty, dark-skinned girl, with long eyelashes and doe eyes. Even being five months pregnant she could run rings around her friends in the shape department. Rhonda was a black man’s dream because she had just the right sized titties and ass. Too bad for them she was swept up in gangster love.

Coconut looked behind her and said, “Who cares about cute, when a nigga got loot?” She turned back around and fired up a blunt. “You saw the nigga’s ride. He probably can buy a new face if he wanted to.”

“Bitch, you wild as shit!” Rhonda laughed. “You’re old and you still fucking cars and purses. I ain’t fucked for purses in years. I’m good.”

“Yeah, that’s ’cause your nigga got you locked,” Farah said, getting off the highway to go to the restaurant a few miles away. “From the moment you got with him you been hopelessly devoted.”

“Whatever, bitch.” Rhonda laughed. “Even if I wasn’t taken, I still wouldn’t fuck a nigga just because he got a nice ride. It ain’t none of mine.”

In a mousy voice from the back Natasha said, “He wasn’t even that bad.” Everyone looked at her. “The dude in the Maybach. I mean, I woulda fucked him too.” Natasha’s complexion was middle of the road. She wasn’t as dark as Rhonda or as light as Farah and Coconut, and in the crew that made her stand out. The only thing about Natasha that fucked up her game was that she had really large titties and a flat ass. Her face was so cute that you would give her a pass, until her clothes came off and everything drooped. She was known around the hood to some as The Illusion.

From the driver’s seat Farah said, “Dumbness, you would fuck anybody. You don’t give a fuck what they look like. So don’t even try it.” Everybody laughed.

Over the years Farah became cool with Rhonda and Natasha, just as long as they didn’t come between her and Coconut’s friendship. It was her way of keeping an eye on them. If the three of them went somewhere without her, Farah would make Coconut feel so guilty that she’d find herself apologizing for weeks. Before long, Farah was in control of the friendship and she was very overprotective. In the end, despite Rhonda and Natasha knowing Coconut first, they backed off, and always went to Farah before planning any group functions.

“That’s not true!” Natasha said angrily. “I don’t just fuck with anybody.”

“Sure you do, dumbness,” Farah continued. “You got bad taste and everybody know it.”

“Girl, you wrong as shit,” Rhonda said, shaking her head. “One day she gonna rise up on your ass.”

“Shut the fuck up, Black and Ike’s,” Farah retaliated. “That girl know I’m just playing with her. Don’t you, dumbness?” Farah loved to antagonize to expose weaknesses. She was acting just like Brownie and she didn’t even know it.

“I know you betta stop calling me Black and Ike’s before I fuck you up.” Rhonda giggled. “One day I’ma slap the shit out of you and catch you off guard.”

Skipping the subject Farah said, “Y’all know me and Coconut moving together, right?” She looked at Rhonda and saw the sly look on her face.

“So y’all really gonna do it, huh?” Rhonda said. “Live in holy matrimony.”

“Don’t be stupid!” Coconut said.

“I’m just playing. But Farah be acting like y’all about to get married or something. It’s just an apartment.”

Farah was so concerned with having Coconut all to herself that she forgot about the reason she needed a roommate to begin with: that she lost Zone to his death. “Y’all so jealous it’s crazy. Don’t worry, we gonna let you come over sometimes.”

“Why you say y’all’?” Natasha said. “I didn’t even say nothing.”

Farah laughed at her until her iPhone dinged, indicating she had a text. Her eyes alternated from the road to her phone, as she sped faster to catch the light. Doing two things at once, she picked up the phone and saw it was from Randy. It had been a month since he chased her, and she was hoping he’d moved on with his life. Deciding to read the message the moment she saw it, her heart dropped.

I saw you and your friends leaving the dealership. I started to put my hands on you. But I want you alone. I better see you by the end of the week. If I don’t, next time I won’t be so nice.

“Farah ... slow the fuck down!” Rhonda yelled. “You can’t text and drive at the same time!”

Farah was caught so off guard by the message that she snapped, thinking she was trying to tell her how to drive again. “Rhonda, if you don’t like my driving you can get the fuck out my car.”

“Bitch, you about to hit a ... ” When Farah looked up, she saw a man walking across the street. She pressed on her brakes, causing her tires to make a screeching noise, and hurting her toe even more. Because it had snowed and the ground was wet the car didn’t stop. The man turned around only to see a car coming at him at a rapid speed. He tried to run but the front of her Benz knocked him off his feet and sent him flying into the air. His body bounced on the hood of the car and slid to the ground.

The phone, which had distracted her, dropped out of Farah’s hand and hit the floor of the car. The girls were stunned silent and nobody made a move. Farah was waiting for him to get up and walk away, hoping he’d be okay. Or maybe he would call for help, indicating he was still alive. “Everybody okay?” she asked, glancing over her friends.

Everyone looked at Rhonda. She rubbed her pregnant belly and said, “We good.”

Farah spent another five seconds looking ahead of her. “You gonna go check on him?” Coconut said. When she didn’t answer, she spoke louder. “Farah! Go see if he’s okay.”

Silence.

“You just hit somebody, bitch,” Rhonda said. “Either check on his ass, or pull the fuck off.”

Farah slowly exited her car and limped toward the front. Her door remained open, and it was so silent outside that you could hear the clacking of her Christian Louboutin boots walking on the wet ground. Standing in the front, she noticed that the Benz emblem on the hood of her car was splattered with red blood. When she looked at the man lying in front of her right wheel, she saw that his eyes were closed and he was not moving. Realizing that she just struck a man, she looked around for spectators. She didn’t see anyone. When she believed the coast was clear, she bent down and checked his pulse. A few moments later she hopped to the car, jumped in, and said, “I didn’t feel a pulse.” She looked at all of her friends. “He’s fuckin’ dead.”

“I don’t know about you, but I ain’t trying to see no police,” Rhonda said. “Let me see what this Benz can do, bitch.”

Farah backed her car up and maneuvered around the man she just hit. When he was out of her way, she sped off and looked at him through her rearview mirror. Nobody said a word, and it was understood that going out to the restaurant was dead. Since Rhonda was the only one with a house in the hood, they decided to stop past her place first. Rhonda gave Farah a bucket, and she filled it with soapy water to rinse the blood off. When she was done washing away her crime, they all met in Rhonda’s bedroom. Natasha was sitting on the floor, Rhonda on the bed, and Coconut and Farah were standing. “I don’t wanna really say what doesn’t need to be said,” Coconut started, looking at the girls, “but we ain’t see shit and we don’t know shit. Right?”

Natasha remained silent as she bit her nails, which were already nubs. “You hear me, bitch?” Coconut said, looking down at her. “You good?”

“What?” she asked, looking at Farah and Coconut. “I ain’t saying nothing. Relax!”

Farah looked at Rhonda. “You cool too, right?”

“Girl, everybody in my family graduates to crime. Don’t insult my gangsta.”

Farah was partially relieved. She didn’t stop to think that everything her grandmother told her about her life—falling out of order if her heart wasn’t in the right place—was coming to pass.

Chapter 14

A Week Later

“You can do whatever you want, but I think you’ll be playing yourself.”

—Farah

Farah sat on the toilet with her legs spread. She rubbed her belly because she was in extreme pain and was in need of some relief. With one hand on her knee, the other held the cell phone as she took a shit. Coconut was on the phone oblivious to what she was doing. Farah would’ve never answered the call if she hadn’t been trying to reach Coconut since the hit and run. She hated to admit it, but she thought she was dodging her. “How come you just getting back with me now?” Farah asked. “I been calling you all week.”

“I’m not gonna lie, I been out of it since that shit happened.”

Farah was on edge wondering if Coconut turned on her, and told somebody about the accident. “Why you been out of it? I killed his ass, not you, and nothing wrong with me. Look ... nobody saw shit. Ain’t no need in worrying. They didn’t even bring it up in the news yet.”

“Okay. You’re right. Look ... I don’t want to talk about it no more. How you been holding up without Zone?”

“I’m better. I can’t wait until you move in. It would be so hard to pay the rent by myself. My mother gives me a little bit of money from her social security but it ain’t enough.” Coconut seemed really silent. “Hold up ... you still moving in, right?”

“Farah, I can’t move in with you, I’m sorry. I talked about it with Jake and he said we were gonna get our own place soon. I think he gonna ask me to marry him or something.”

Farah was so angry that she felt like throwing the phone into the wall. This was why she never approved of Jake, even when they were in high school. He was always groping and pulling on Coconut, and now he was ruining their friendship. “You told me you would move with me. You can’t change your mind now. You know Zone died and I need you.”

“I know, and I’m so sorry. I really am ... but I can’t.”

Farah snapped and said, “You know what, I’ma call you back, since you putting him before me.”

“Okay... .”

“Wait!” Farah yelled before she hung up. “Don’t go.” Coconut would normally stop her from hanging up, but this time she didn’t. “What am I supposed to do now? You leaving me stranded.”

“You should still get a roommate. So you won’t have to worry about paying rent by yourself. It ain’t like you don’t have four rooms in that mothafucka. And you said it yourself, Natasha is looking to move too. Ask her.”

“Naw, I need my own space,” Farah said, dismissing the idea. “I’m good.” It was obvious she had an attitude but Coconut refused to bite.

“Okay.” She sighed. “Anyway, what’s up with Chloe? I was over Shannon house the other day and people were saying she let five dudes gang fuck her at the same time.”

If there was one bitch Farah hated it was Shannon, so she didn’t want to hear anything she had to say. After all these years, it angered her that they were still cool. “Don’t ask me about that bitch right now.”

“Did I miss something?”

“Chloe did some unnatural-ass shit I don’t want to talk about. Let’s leave the box right there and not open it.”

“I don’t know what the fuck that means but I’ma drop it.” She paused. “Oh, my God, I wish you could see all the things I bought for Rhonda’s baby.” The sound of plastic bags rattled in the background. “She gonna be so psyched.” She giggled. “I found these real cute unisex baby sleepers and bibs. I done bought all this shit and now I want a baby of my own.”

The baby shower was taking place in a few months at Farah’s house. Everybody who was anybody was going to be there and Coconut wanted to come out looking like God when it was all said and done. “Don’t be stupid, bitch. You and Jake ain’t having no baby.”

“I’m serious! If you saw all these tiny little clothes you’d change your mind too.” Still shitting, Farah gripped her stomach and used her abdominal muscles to push out the last few pieces. Moaning, she said, “I can’t believe you doing all that shopping anyway.” She flushed the toilet. “On her registry she said she wanted gift cards. You could’ve saved yourself the time and aggravation simply by following the fucking instructions. I bought her a fifty dollar gift certificate.”

Coconut giggled. “Girl, I love to shop! I’ma let y’all tacky-ass mothafuckas buy the baby gift cards.” More bags rustled in the background. “The baby is gonna be so cute. You know Rhonda and Knight got them sleepy-ass eyes.”

All the talk about the baby, and the fact that she was no longer going to be her roommate, was starting to get on her nerves. “Whatever. For all we know the baby won’t make it and die.”