by K'wan
Rel made several other attempts to holla at females in the club, but they were all failed ones. He reeked of liquor and couldn’t walk without stumbling. The heat trapped within the club only added to his inebriation. A face loomed in the crowd that snapped Rel partially back to sobriety. His eyes zeroed in on the girl with the long black hair and his face glazed over in anger. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Rel bumped his way through the crowd to settle an old score.
* * *
Yoshi bumped her way through the crowd, side-stepping dancing couples and swatting away curious hands. She tried to spot Billy, but there were so many people in the spot that she had a hard time of it. She spied Rhonda off in the cut and thought about asking her if she had seen Billy. From the looks of it, the girl was exchanging words with True and some girl, so she left it alone. She could only imagine what kind of bullshit Rhonda was over there starting, but she wanted no parts of it.
Moving farther within the crowd, Yoshi spotted two of the regulars who came to the club to see her. They tried to get her to stop and have a drink, but she declined, explaining that she was looking for someone and promising to be right back. Yoshi moved from the center of the club to the bar and was about to make her way toward the bathroom when a voice stopped her.
“‘Sup, Yoshi.”
As soon as she heard the voice, her skin began to crawl. Conducting most of her business in the dark had taught Yoshi to identify people more by their voices rather than their faces. Rarely did you get a good look at the face of a trick, dancing in the dimly lit VIP sections or turning tricks in a dark motel room. Already knowing who she would see, Yoshi turned around to face Rel.
“Small world,” he said, teetering on drunk legs.
“What up, yo. I gotta make moves,” Yoshi said, turning to move away from Rel.
“Hold on,” he said, grabbing her arm, “you acting like you ain’t got time for a nigga?”
“Rel, I was looking for someone.” She tried to pull away, but his drunken grip held.
“Fuck all that dumb shit, ma.” He fished around in his pocket and pulled out some bills. “I got a buck for you, let’s get up outta here and do something.”
Yoshi looked at the crumpled bills as if Rel were holding a fist full of shit. “Yo, I ain’t got time for this right now, Rel,” she said and jerked free, “I told you I’m looking for somebody!”
Rel suddenly became very angry. “You little freak-ass bitch, I know you ain’t in here trying to stunt, like you don’t know what it is!”
“Yo, Rel, if you start that shit in here, you’re gonna be a sorry muthafucka!”
Rel stepped closer to her, causing Yoshi to step back. “You threatening me? I done laid niggaz down for less serious offenses. Bitch, stop acting like you don’t know my résumé.”
“Rel, I’m telling you—” Yoshi didn’t get any further before Rel tossed his drink in her face. Liquor saturated her hair and dripped down her face and vest as she stood there shocked. The potent whiskey stung her eyes, making it hard to see, but Yoshi could make out a figure approaching behind Rel.
A fist came from behind Rel, hitting him square in his lip. His teeth struck against the interior of his bottom lip, causing blood to pour from his soup coolers. Rel turned around to defend himself, but was met by a left to the eye. That preceded a shot to the gut and a combo to the face. The crowd parted, allowing Rel to fall to the ground. The young drunk lay there counting sheep, while Jah stood over him, breathing like a wild man.
“Jah, what are you doing!” Yoshi shouted, grabbing him about the waist, keeping him from officially finishing Rel off.
Feeling someone’s hands on him, Jah turned around, still ready for combat. When he saw that the hands belonged to Yoshi some of the fire burned from his eyes. Jah surveyed his surroundings and saw that the deck was stacked against him. From one direction, security bulls dozing their way through the crowd toward the scene and from the other, two young men were doing the same, cursing and knocking over people who got in their way. The guy leading the charge bore a striking resemblance to the dude Ralph was working for. Jah figured that a good run beat a bad stand any day and made his move.
“We gotta boogie!” Jah said, grabbing Yoshi by the arm and leading her through the crowd.
“Wait,” she said, pulling away, “what about my girls?”
“We’ll call them from outside.” He reinforced the grip on her arm and continued pulling.
Yoshi stumbled along behind Jah, trying to keep from busting her ass in the heels she was wearing. A good Samaritan tried to block their path, but Jah removed him with a clobbering blow with the butt of his gun. The Samaritan fell back, leaving a clear lane to the door. Yoshi spared one last glance over her shoulder and the last thing she saw was someone pointing security in their direction as darkness stole her vision.
* * *
True was feeling himself after the reception he and his crew had received when they entered Exit. Passing the bar area, Jay paused and whispered something to Lex. They both laughed, looking in the direction of a girl who was standing by the bar. Upon closer inspection, True recognized the girl as one of Rhonda’s crew. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was the same girl Don B. and Jay had run a train on. Knowing how Rhonda’s crew got down, it was very possible.
“True!” a young girl shrieked, trying to reach out and grab his shirt. Before he had a chance to react, one of the bodyguards/chaperones Don B. had assigned to them grabbed the girl about the waist and dragged her off. “I love you, True!” she continued to scream, even as the bodyguard dragged her through the crowd.
“We got these bitches going crazy and we ain’t even touched the mic yet,” Pain said, as if the girl had been calling his name.
“Stick to the script,” Don B. said, joining his protégés. “We’ve got a show to do, so fuck with them bitches later. Business first.” Without waiting for Pain’s reply, Don B. disappeared behind the black curtain.
Pain glared at his back angrily. “Hating-ass nigga,” he mumbled.
“Say it to his face,” True prodded him.
“Ain’t nobody scared of Don B.,” Pain responded.
“I hear that hot shit. Pain, Don B. is trying to put us on the map, why don’t you stop talking shit all the time?”
“I’ll pop shit whenever I want,” Pain said, putting on his tough-guy face. “I know Don B. put us on, but that don’t mean I gotta suck his dick. That’s your job.”
“You better watch your fucking mouth, nigga,” True said, preparing for battle.
“Y’all niggaz knock it off,” Jay said, separating them. “We don’t air our dirty laundry in public. You niggaz got a problem with each other, settle it with the gloves.”
“Yeah, a’ight,” Pain said, stepping through the curtains.
“Why that nigga always acting up?” Lah asked, careful not to let Pain hear his question. His yellow face was coated in sweat from the sweltering club.
“That’s just how Pain is.” True shrugged it off.
“True!” a feminine voice called. The voice belonged to a copperskinned beauty who wore her hair in tiny boxed braids. She had an onion for an ass and breasts that looked like she was hiding two cantaloupes under her tight Lady Enyce shirt. The remaining bodyguard got ready to intercept the young lady, until True let him know she was good.
“Yolanda, what the deal?” True said, pulling her within the secured circle. Yolanda was a girl that True had met at Greek Fest. She was a fast young thing who had been seen on the arm of several of the city’s most dangerous men. Though Yolanda was scandalous, she and True had a beautiful understanding. He could hit her pussy whenever he wanted, as long as she was taken care of for her services.
“You know I had to come out and show the hood love.” She kissed him on the cheek.
“I know that’s right.” True could see the hunger and want for an introduction in the eyes of his crew, but ignored them. Yolanda was free to do who and what she wanted when he wasn’t
around, but when he was on the scene, it was all about him. There would be no trains run on his little bitch.
They chatted for a while, catching up on old times and things of the like, when a commotion broke out behind him. The wide-backed bouncer was standing directly in front of True so he couldn’t see who the person was who was trying to break the circle. He could tell it was a female, but the way the women were acting that night there was no telling who it was. When the bodyguard moved, True spotted Rhonda about to be led away.
“Get the fuck off of me, I know him!” Rhonda said very indignantly.
“Sure you do,” the bodyguard said, pushing her back.
True exhaled. He didn’t want Rhonda fucking up his flow, but he knew if he didn’t step in she was going to cause a scene. “It’s cool, Rock. I know shorty.” Rock looked from True to Rhonda and reluctantly let her pass.
“Told you, muthafucka,” she said, pushing past the security guard with Reese on her heels. “What’s good, baby,” she said, practically shoving Yolanda out of the way so she could stand next to True.
“‘Sup, Rhonda,” he said, trying to act like he wasn’t embarrassed.
“I’ve been thinking about you since you left my house!” she shouted in his ear. The blasting music made it hard to hear, but Rhonda was talking louder than she had to. If Yolanda had heard, or taken offense, she didn’t show it.
“Rhonda, this is Yolanda,” True said, ignoring her statement.
Yolanda mustered up a fake smile and extended her hand, but Rhonda looked at it as if it was something vile. “Yeah, I’ve seen you around before.”
Yolanda thought about grabbing Rhonda by the hair and whipping her ass, but she knew that’s the reaction that she had expected. Instead, she went below the belt. Leaning into True to whisper, she said, “I know it’s been a while since we hooked up, but you could’ve just given me a call before you went out and started picking up strays. Come find me when you’re finished with your charity case.” Yolanda kissed True on the cheek again, then turned her attention to Rhonda. By the look on the girl’s face, Yolanda knew she felt threatened, which only made the fact of knowing that she had nothing on her all that much sweeter. Chuckling under her breath, Yolanda sauntered back the way she came.
Seeing the smirk on True’s face only pissed Rhonda off further. “What the fuck is so funny?”
“Nothing,” he said, trying to hold back the laughter.
“I’ll bet. What did that little bum bitch have to say about me?”
“She didn’t say anything, Rhonda.”
“True, you and these little bitches better stop playing with me. Don’t act like I won’t get it popping in here. I don’t know what you’re doing with that bitch anyway, with all the cum she’s swallowed in Harlem.”
“If that ain’t the pot,” True mumbled.
“What did you say?”
“I said it’s mad hot.” True fanned himself. “Yo, you want a drink?”
“Yeah, me and my girl will take some drinks,” Rhonda said, pulling Reese over. “Get us two shots of Henny.”
“Yo, y’all two niggaz come here,” True called to Jynx and Lah. The two men walked over wearing confused expressions. “Here.” True handed them some money. “Get these ladies some drinks and hold them down for me. I gotta go holla at Don B.”
Rhonda started to say something, but True was already in motion. She called his name over and over, but he couldn’t hear her over the loud music and the sound of his own laughter.
* * *
“No the fuck he didn’t.” Rhonda snaked her neck, watching True weave through the crowd. Reese tried to contain her laughter, but it ended up coming out anyway. “Bitch, I know you ain’t laughing, when Don B. didn’t even acknowledge your ass.”
“Come on, Rhonda, the shit was funny,” Reese said.
“Yeah, True is a funny muthafucka all right.”
“So what are you ladies’ names?” Lah asked, trying to make small talk with the women True had so graciously set them out with.
Rhonda looked at him as if he had called her a name. “Nigga, you can’t be serious. Get the hell out of my face.” Rhonda bumped past the stunned young man, with Reese following. They had only made it a few steps before the sounds of a scuffle sent people scattering.
Rhonda was almost knocked over by the crowd, which was trying to get as far away from the fight as possible. When something jumped off at the club, no one wanted to be crushed under the rush of bouncers or hit with a stray punch, so the sensible thing was to move away from the commotion. Rhonda, being who she was, charged head on into it to see what was popping. She broke through the crowd just in time to see the back of Yoshi’s head disappear into the mix on the other side.
“I wonder what this bitch done started now?” Rhonda asked no one in particular.
21
Billy stood on the corner, smoking a cigarette she had bummed off some dude who was trying to rap to her. Smoking was something she had first tried hanging out with Rhonda and Reese, but quickly decided that it wasn’t for her. But with everything going on, she needed a smoke to calm her nerves.
She felt like a complete ass for running out of the club like that. She cherished Sol’s memory in a way that most people couldn’t understand. He had been gone for a while, but she still couldn’t seem to let go of the memory. Soon, she told herself, but not yet.
She felt horrible for treating Marcus the way she had. How could he have known about the tragedy of her lover? Billy was so caught up in watching for an ulterior motive that she never considered the fact that he might actually be a nice guy. All he had been guilty of was trying to get to know her and she had probably ruined that. The worst part about it was she was actually starting to feel him.
Marcus appeared to be the total package: handsome, respectful, and employed. In a sense, he was too good to be true. It had been a long time since she had kept company with a man, let alone entertained the idea of actually letting him in. Maybe if she ever ran into him again, she’d be a little more courteous.
Billy’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the emergency door being flung open. Jah and Yoshi came spilling out onto the curb like they had the devil on their heels. Jah looked around frantically as if he couldn’t decide which way to go, with a pistol dangling at his side. Yoshi’s face was stuck somewhere between excited and turned on. Billy scratched her head, wondering what the hell was going on.
* * *
The emergency exit had led Jah and Yoshi to a small corridor. There was hardly any light, save for the dim illumination of the emergency bulbs. Yoshi slowed down to get her bearings, only to have Jah pull harder.
“Why don’t you slow your ass down!” she shouted.
“I’ll slow down when we’re outta here,” he said and continued to pull.
“I can’t move that fast in these heels,” Yoshi said, nearly twisting her ankle trying to keep up.
“Yoshi, I just stomped that nigga out and I’m packing,” he said, raising his shirt. “Now, unless you wanna go to jail or risk that dude waking up and trying to tear ya fucking head off, you better keep moving.”
After weighing her options, Yoshi kicked her shoes off and did as she was told. Something about watching Jah move through the dark corridor, pistol in hand, turned her on. It took a lot of guts for the youngster to run up on a dude like that in the club. Men had fought over Yoshi before, but never to defend her honor. If nothing else, Jah had gained her respect that night.
“Jah, what the hell was that all about?” Yoshi asked, tripping over something she couldn’t quite see.
“That nigga threw a drink on you,” he said, helping her to keep her balance. “He’s lucky I didn’t kill his ass for it.”
“Jah, I appreciate you looking out, but I’m hardly worth you catching a body over.”
“Why not?” he asked seriously. “Listen, Yoshi, I don’t know what the deal was with you and duke, but I wasn’t gonna fall back and let him do that. No woman deserv
es that kind of treatment. Especially my…” Jah stopped himself.
“Your what?”
“Nothing, let’s just keep moving.” Ignoring the questioning look Yoshi was giving him, Jah continued to the end of the hall. When they got to the fire door, he listened momentarily before opening it. When he was as sure as he could be that there was no one outside to ambush them, he pushed the door open and they were finally greeted by the night air.
* * *
“What the hell are you two doing sneaking out of the fire exit?” Billy asked, approaching Yoshi and Jah.
Yoshi sighed. “Girl, you don’t even wanna know.”
“Yoshi, I’m sorry I wigged out on your friend. Its just that—”
Yoshi cut her off by placing a finger tenderly over Billy’s lips. “You don’t have to explain anything to me, Billy. I talked to Marcus and he’s cool.”
“I still feel stupid. The first time I get around a good-looking guy, I go all psycho on him. I should go back in to apologize.” Billy started for the entrance, but Yoshi stopped her.
“Another time, sweetie,” Yoshi said, pulling her in the other direction. “The party is over.”
“What the hell happened in there?” Billy asked.
“I’ll tell you when we get in the cab,” Yoshi said, pulling out her cell and placing it to her ear. “I’m about to hit Rhonda and tell her that we’re getting the fuck outta here.”
“You do that. But before I go anywhere, somebody is gonna give me an explanation.”
* * *
“What?” Rhonda shouted into her cell phone. Bad Blood was about to go on and the crowd was hyped, so she had to move near the door to really hear. Even being far away from the stage, she had a hard time understanding Yoshi. “What you mean, y’all are ready to go? Yoshi, the show just started.” She listened as Yoshi spoke, making faces at everything she said. “A fight with who? Look, bitch, I don’t know what kind of shit you got yourself into up in here, but I ain’t ready to go. The show hasn’t even started yet.” Yoshi said something else, but it went in one ear and out the other. “Whatever, Yoshi. I’ll see y’all bitches on the block,” she said, hanging up.
