The Hustler's Daughter {DC Bookdiva Publications} (6 page)

The Princess has Arrived

Mercedes
grew up to be drop dead gorgeous by the age of fifteen. She matured to be a
beautiful girl with a voluptuous figure. Over the last couple of years,
everything about her changed drastically. Mercedes had that perfect skin tone,
which was the result of being mixed with African-American after her father Don
and Cuban descent after her mother Maria. She stood 5’2” in height and full
pink lips with a tiny beauty mark on her top lip. Her lips always glistened
with pink lemonade MAC lip gloss.

Her
long and thick jet black hair flowed down her back; she was petite, but thick
in all the right areas. Her perfectly waxed eye brows brought out her beautiful
green eyes. Mercedes always giggled when people confused her natural eye color
for contacts. Basically, Mercedes Carter had it all.

Don
Carter moved his family into a luxurious mansion in New York. He owned
expensive paintings and exclusive custom made furniture. The Carter house could
be on a TV show or used for a huge movie. Whatever his family wanted, he
supplied. The ability to provide made Don Carter a happy man. His first born
daughter was his reason for living.

Who’s that Girl

   The
month of September rolled around quickly. Just a month ago it was summer and
the sun was beaming and everyone was outside. Now it was over and fall was
settling in. Mercedes’ birthday was approaching next month and she’d been
planning to celebrate for a while.

She
couldn’t wait to party with her friends. Mercedes’ father was planning to send
her to one of the highest class, most expensive private schools in Long Island.
She didn’t want to go to a private school. She felt that she could do just as
well at a public school.  She also knew the boys in private school weren’t her
type, but she wouldn’t dare tell her father that information.

   Mercedes
recalled walking into his office a few weeks ago with her mother by her side.

 “Good
morning Daddy.” Mercedes greeted her father. He lifted his head up from the
newspaper and pushed it aside, giving his daughter his undivided attention.

   “Good
morning Baby Girl,” he smiled and responded. She was definitely a “Daddy’s
Girl”. Mercedes moved closer towards his table.

“What’s
up?” Her father asked, knowing the look in her eyes when she needed or wanted
something.

   “Daddy
you know you how you want me to go to private school?” Mercedes asked. He
nodded his head knowing what she was here for, Mercedes nervously bit down on
her bottom lip as she continued to speak.

 “And…I
really want to go to a regular school Daddy. And plus it’s closer to the house
instead of in Manhattan.” Mercedes exaggerated because Manhattan was also close
to their home in Long Island.

“Daddy
I don’t want to go to that private school, I want to stay close to home …where
my heart is…where the Carter family heart is.”

Mercedes
used her eyes as a way of manipulating her father to get what she wanted. She
had him right where she wanted him. Don let out a deep sigh and folded his
hands together and placed them on the desk, reclining in his chair.

   “You
know I want the best for you Mercedes right?” Don said considering what she
said. He loved her and would do whatever she asked.

Mercedes
nodded her head up and down excitedly. Deep down she knew that’s all her father
ever wanted for her, nothing less.

 “I’ll
let you go to the school of your choice, but under one condition.” Don spoke in
a demanding tone as he pointed his finger. Her eyes bulged with fear, hoping he
didn’t ask her to do something that she was unprepared for.

“Under
what condition Daddy?” she asked inquisitively, as she nervously tapped her
foot on the ground.

   “That
Mr. Gates will pick you up and drop you off at school.” He wanted her to be as
safe as possible within reason.

   “Daddy,
I can’t get on the train?” Mercedes asked.

   “Listen
I’m doing you a favor here, either you get dropped off by the driver, me or
your mom. Your other choice is to go to the private school in Long Island.” Don
smiled as he reclined in his office chair.

   “What
about a car for my birthday?” Mercedes was cheesing from ear to ear, as she
knew she was pushing her luck.

   “Don’t
push it.” He father warned her, giving her the eye.

   “Alright,
alright, I guess I’ll take the ride from Mr. Gates.” Mercedes smirked, although
she loved getting on the train. Even though they were always crowded, she
couldn’t help but to like that mode of travel.  There was always lots of eye
candy on the train, it was the place to see and be seen.

   “Where’s
this school?” her father asked.

   “Queens.”
Mercedes spoke loudly. She wanted to go to a school in Harlem, but she knew her
father wasn’t going to allow that. Don looked at his daughter with a look of
dissatisfaction. He didn’t want her going to a public high school at all, much
less in Queens.

 Don
wanted her to go to school and get her education. He wanted her focused on a
future outside of the game. He had never said no to her before, but he was
seriously considering doing so in this instant. Those thoughts went out the
window when his eyes met with her slanted almond shaped green eyes. Mercedes
had him wrapped around her finger. 

“You
better get out of here before I change my mind.” Mercedes ran behind her
father’s desk and firmly embraced him. She pulled back from the embrace and
smiled from ear to ear.

“Thank
you Daddy…thank you.” She reached over and hugged him again as she chanted.
Elated, she disappeared into the foyer floating on cloud nine. Don grinned as
he noticed his wife in the background chuckling at him and shaking her head
side to side.

“Now
I don’t know why you even bothered in the first place signing that girl up for
private school. You knew damn well she didn’t want to become one of them snobby
white girls.” She shook her head. “You know you don’t even have the audacity to
say no to her.” She assured him.

“Just
like I could never say no to you right?” Don smiled as he walked over towards
Maria and wrapped his arms firmly around her waist planting soft kisses on her
neck. She smelled like a succulent sweet pear.

“You’re
beautiful and you smell so good.” Don planted a wet one on her neck. Maria
moved around him and smiled.

“Better
stop that’s how we made the first one.” Maria assured him as she walked from
his office beaming.

“It
was truly a blessing.” Don smiled.

“Heaven
sent.” Maria smiled. Don loved his daughter. He wanted more children, but Maria
didn’t. Every time he brought it up she would remind him that Mercedes was his
number one princess, his first daughter. If they chose to have another one,
Maria knew all hell would break loose. Mercedes wanted all of the attention to
be on her and wouldn’t be able to adjust to the changes around the house if
they ever decided to have another Carter running around.

xxxxxxxxxx

Queens
High School was packed with students. Mercedes sat behind the tinted window of
the black stretch limo as they pulled up in front of the high school. It was
her first day of high school, and she was a little nervous. The school was
comprised of blacks, whites, Latinos, and Asians. Everyone in front of the
school curiously watched as the limo pulled up.  They all wanted to know who
was getting out.

Mercedes
took a deep breath. The driver, Mr. Gates, got out the car to open the door for
her. She swallowed hard and thanked Mr. Gates for the ride. He told her he
would be waiting for her when she got out of school.

Mercedes
was dressed to the nines as she entered the school. Everyone watched her as she
strolled through the halls. The boys wondered who she was and how they could
get her attention. Everyone was awestruck. She felt like she was Janet Jackson
with paparazzi. Mercedes thanked them with a smile and continued walking down
the hall. One of the girls became curious as to who Mercedes was and shot her
an envious glare. She chuckled with her friends as they posted up against the
lockers. She mumbled under her breath, “Who’s that girl?”

“Mercedes
Carter.” Mercedes confidently answered.

The
girl didn’t realize Mercedes could hear her. She was embarrassed and her face
turned red. The girl’s name was India, and she was a junior. Mercedes thought
she was pretty; however, she wasn’t on her level. India didn’t have shit on
Mercedes. She was thicker than Mercedes and had huge titties that were busting
out of her white t-shirt. She had on some tight blue Fashionista’s from Wet
Seal and the usual blue and white Jordan’s that everyone rocked. ‘Typical
Bitch,’ Mercedes thought to herself as she eyed the girl up and down.

 India
stood about 5’6”. Her hair was dyed red and it reached her mid back, but wasn’t
longer than Mercedes. She had her chin pierced and she clearly had a nasty
attitude.

 “Did
I ask you?” India retorted and rolled her eyes, as her girls started laughing.
Mercedes chuckled at the girl’s sense of humor, but never once was she
intimidated by her. Although India was taller and bigger than her, Mercedes
knew that didn’t mean shit.

“I’m
just telling you because I heard you wanted to know.” Mercedes smiled as she
began walking away. She quickly did a 360 when she heard her yell, “Aye, anyone
knows who the fuck is a Mercedes Carter?” The hall filled with laughter.

“A
girl whose shoes you can’t dare walk in, bitch.” Mercedes said clearly and
calmly, letting her and her little friends know she wasn’t some girl they could
walk all over.

‘These
bitches must have me confused, I’m really the wrong bitch to fuck with,’
Mercedes thought to herself.

India
stared angrily at Mercedes. She wondered who she thought she was with her
attitude and rich girl persona, trying to act like she was the shit. Oohs and
Ahhs filled the hallway because Mercedes’ come back had India at a loss for
words.  “Punta!” was all India could come up with.

Mercedes
loved the attention. She made sure she switched her ass down the hall. She
definitely had all eyes on her after the verbal altercation.

After
two classes, it was lunch time. Mercedes refused to eat the lunch that the
school was serving. She spotted a vending machine and purchased a bag of Lay’s
chips, an Almond Joy, and a bottle of Dasani water.

The
cafeteria was full of students and filled with laughter, chatting, and yelling.
She noticed the girls from earlier sitting in the back grilling her; Mercedes
rolled her eyes as she looked away for another seat. She spotted a table with
four girls, so she swallowed her pride and walked over to the table and smiled.

“Hey,
Um, is this seat taken?”

“No
it’s not, you can sit here.” One of the girls politely said.

“Thank
you.” Mercedes removed her bag from her shoulder and placed it

 beside
her.

“Hi,
my name is Candice, but they call me Candy for short what’s your name?” 

“Mercedes,
Mercedes Carter.” She spoke her name with pride.

“It’s
nice to meet you.” Mercedes nodded her head up and down in agreement.

“And
these are my good friends Chamari, Hazel, and Shateeya.” Candy introduced the
rest of the girls. They all greeted one another. These girls were the first
ones to make Mercedes feel welcomed in her new school.

Mercedes
opened up the bag of chips and started eating. She then felt someone staring at
her and looked up to see Candy all in her grill.  “Is there a problem?”
Mercedes spoke up.

“No,
no, no.” Candy chuckled. “You just…look familiar. Do I know you from
somewhere?” Candy asked, as she narrowed her eyes. She was in deep thought
trying to remember where she knew Mercedes from.

“No,
not that I know of.” Mercedes looked at the girl just as hard as she was
looking at her. She also felt in her heart that this girl looked familiar too;
she couldn’t put a finger on it.

 “Wait…didn’t
you use to go to the private elementary school in Long Island?” Candy asked.

“Yeah,
I did.”

“You
don’t remember me Mercedes?” She asked smiling ear to ear.

 “I
remember when we use to be in the gym and all the boys would chase after us and
we would scream you got the cooties…you got the cooties….Ha Ha Ha.”

That
brought up so many memories when she sang that song. Candice turned out to be
her best friend from an elementary school in Long Island that she attended
until she transferred.

Mercedes
covered her mouth with her French manicured nails as tears welled up in her
eyes. Candy was her best friend all the way from kindergarten. She couldn’t
believe how different she looked now. So much so, that she didn’t recognize
her. Finally she had one ally in this new school; she was happy to have an old
friend by her side.

“Oh…my…goodness,”
Mercedes slowly said as they both stood up and reached across the lunch table
giving each other a hug. They held onto each other for about one minute rocking
side to side.

“I’m
so sorry, you looked familiar but I just couldn’t remember where I knew you
from.” Mercedes apologized as they took their seats.

“I
can’t believe it.” Candy smiled.

“Do
you still have that charm bracelet I gave you?” Candy threw up her arm and
smiled. “Of course I wear this every day.” She proclaimed proudly showing off
her wrist.

“Wow,
you look good Candy.” Mercedes eyed her up and down.

 Candy
was not your typical girl; like Mercedes, she too was also a bad bitch. If
there was one thing she and Mercedes had in common, it was their love for style
and fashion. Never would you see them rocking shit from Old Navy or Forever 21.
Candy had a caramel skin complexion and her hair was dirty blonde. It screamed
it had been dyed too many times. She carried a small petite frame, but had big
breasts and a nice little round butt.

Candy
had pretty big brown eyes, a small pointy noise, and small lips. She was a
definitely a beautiful girl. Candy was Mercedes’ ride or die bitch from way
back, and she was thrilled that they got reacquainted.