Moth to a Flame

by Antoinette, Ashley

  “You know it,” Raven called back, still in the car. “Ciroc and lemonade!”

  As she watched her friend disappear inside the store, she smiled. They had been true blue since grade school and she loved her dearly. Where other girls had tried to cling to her to upgrade their status, Nikki was there from the very beginning before her father had arrived into his own. She would never forget the love and loyalty that Nikki had shown her over the years. Which was why whenever Raven got something, so did Nikki. It was like Benjamin had two teenage daughters because whatever he bought for Raven, she conned him into buying a matching item for her girl. As she nodded her head to the music, a shiny black Escalade pulled up next to her. Behind the tint of her Chloe sunglasses she eyed the big-boy toy. The bass from the speaker system could be felt all the way in her car, and the dark-skinned, freshly Caesred eye candy sitting comfortably behind the wheel caused her to raise her glasses and look his way.

  He noticed her staring and gave her a nod. He smirked as she lowered her glasses and turned up her radio. Licking his lips, he reached for his own custom system and drowned out her volume. The sounds of Young Jeezy invaded her car. Not one to be outdone, she frowned in displeasure as she turned off her car and walked inside the store. She stepped with a model’s precision and commanded attention as her hips swayed from side to side, but the one dude she hoped would be watching had switched his focus to another girl. What the fuck? Is he serious? she asked herself as she quickly assessed her competition. A Reebok broad with ass for days had stolen the dude’s attention away from her. Even Raven had to admit the girl did have a humongous ass. There was no way her size-ten jeans could compete with that. She rolled her eyes and turned to go into the store, but Nikki was already on her way out.

  “What’s up? Did you forget something?” Nikki asked.

  Giving the dude another glance, she shook her head. “Nah, I was just coming in to see what was taking so long. I’m ready to go inside the club.” Raven walked back to her car and gave the dude one last glance before pulling away. She checked her rearview mirror to see if he had stepped out of the car, and noticed that he was sporting out-of-town plates. Missouri, she thought. Her interest in him immediately doubled. There was nothing better than putting claims on a fresh out-of-town nigga like him. Flint was so small that everybody knew everybody. An unknown face was a challenge, and the rule always was that the first chick to become wifey won. Raven knew that the dude didn’t know who she was, but when he checked her status he would come to his senses. I might not give the nigga no kick it just for showing out, she thought. She popped in her Chrisette Michele and pulled out of the parking lot, leaving skid marks on the pavement while Chrisette crooned from her speakers and serenaded the envious onlookers.

  “Damn, look at the line to get in,” Nikki commented as they pulled into the parking lot of The Palm Tree, a small club on the city’s north side.

  “You know I’m not waiting in line,” Raven stated as she parked and hopped out. She bypassed the entire line, speaking to people she knew as she made her way to the front. The bouncer stopped her dead in her tracks.

  “No, no, baby girl ... Your father is not about to have my fucking head,” he said as he refused to let her in. Jerome was one of her father’s old bodyguards and he knew the repercussions that could come his way if he allowed her inside.

  “Jerome! Don’t play me. Come on, let me and my girl in. You know I’m the life of the party. Raven planted one hand on her hip.

  “I can’t do it, Rae. What you doing out here anyway, ma? You ain’t even old enough to be up in here,” he reasoned. “You gon have me lose my job if I let you up in this mu’fucka.”

  Raven pulled out a wad of money and peeled off two hundred dollar bills. She placed them in his shirt pocket as she smiled sweetly, and stepped into the club, disregarding his protests. “Thank you, Jerome! I’ll make sure I tell my daddy you said what up!” she shouted over him as she waved her fingers and strolled in. He shook his head in doubt.

  “Nah, if your pops find out don’t say shit about me, Rae. I’m serious! I didn’t let you in here!” he yelled as she disappeared into the establishment with Nikki holding her hand.

  Everybody showed her love as she navigated through the wall-to-wall crowd. “Damn, it ain’t even any tables left,” Nikki said as she checked her Cartier. “It’s not even eleven o’clock and it’s already packed.”

  “I know! I didn’t come here to sit down anyway,” Raven stated as she made her way to the dance floor. She lifted her hands and swayed arrogantly to the club track as she snapped her fingers. She and Nikki were the center of attention, everyone around them raising their hands to rock with the beat as the twosome did their thing. Conceit was written all over both of their faces. They were so much alike that they played off of each other’s movements as they commanded the crowd.

  A couple of songs passed before they decided to end their show and make their way over to the bar. Raven felt someone grab her hand. She turned, and smiled when she saw who was trying to get her attention. As her eyes scanned him quickly she saw that he was attractive. He passed all of her tests. In order for a dude to even step to her he had to qualify. She had a rule system and, unlike so many others, her rules were not made to broken.

  Rule 1: The dude had to be fine as hell, and as she stared at this dude’s grey eyes she had to admit that there wasn’t an ugly gene in his body.

  Okay, check, she thought.

  Rule 2: The dude couldn’t be a cornball-ass nigga. There was nothing worse than a corny man, and she could tell if a guy had swag or not just by the way he walked. The dude in front of her didn’t try too hard to be cool. He exuded confidence in a casual stroll, and not once did he grab his penis which was a plus in her book. She hated dudes who walked around holding their crotches. It usually meant that there wasn’t much to hold on to. The gesture was crass and unattractive, for sure.

  Okay, check, she thought, growing more impressed by the second. She continued to inventory him in her head.

  Rule 3: Any dude trying to mess with her had to be paid. She came from a long line of hustlers and get-money cats, so any dude trying to impress her would have to be a thoroughbred just like her daddy.

  Is he paid? she asked herself. Yeah, nigga, you paid. That presidential you rocking ain’t affordable to many ... check.

  Rule 4: The nigga shoe game had to be on point, and as she peeped at his brand new Air Jordans she was satisfied. They were official; straight out of Foot Locker, not the hood corner store.

  Dude passed her tests with flying colors without having a clue that she had just peeped, his entire style in just a few seconds.

  His boyish features made her smile, but she knew that she was fucking with a grown man just from the way he looked at her. He walked up on her as if he knew her, not leaving any personal space between them.

  “What up, ma? You getting a lot of love in here. I just came over to find out who the star is,” he whispered in her ear. “What’s your name?”

  “Raven, but you can call me Rae,” she answered sweetly.

  “Rae, you want to come have a drink with me?” he asked.

  “I got my girl with me,” she replied as she shook her head to decline his offer. That was one thing she never did: leave her girl on stuck to kick it with a dude.

  “Your girl can come too,” he stated as he put his arms around Raven and Nikki. He escorted them to his table where a few of his friends were popping bottles and enjoying the club scene.

  “I don’t even know your name,” she whispered in his ear as she cradled a drink in her hand. Her underage lips touched the glass. She sipped the vodka and cranberry while awaiting his response.

  “I’m Mizan,” he replied as he took her drink from her. “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-one,” she answered quickly as she snatched her drink back. She already knew she would lie when he asked her. A dude like Mizan could have his pick of the women in the room, and she knew that if she re
vealed her real age he would instantly dismiss her. “Why? How old are you?”

  “I’m twenty-two,” he replied.

  Just as she was about to respond she spotted the cutie she had seen earlier at the store. Her eyes followed him across the room. He looked good enough to eat and she instantly decided that one day he was going to be her man. She stared at him from across the room, her eyes burning a hole through him. He must have felt the heat because he looked up and their eyes met. Neither of them made it a point to look away too quickly. As she studied every feature on his face she was mesmerized. Everything about him was so on point. His hood swagger was out of this world. She was on cloud nine as people partied around her. Only when the DJ cut the music did she snap out of her trance.

  “The fire department is shutting us down! We’re over capacity!” he shouted over the microphone. “Party’s over!”

  Boos and groans erupted throughout the crowd and Raven stood up, Nikki by her side.

  “It looks like our night has been cut short,” she said, facing Mizan.

  “It doesn’t have to be. We can kick it back at my place,” he answered as he led her out of the club.

  Raven frowned and replied, “I don’t know you like that.” A part of her wanted to roll out with Mizan and his crew, but she knew that if her father ever found out she had gone back to a nigga’s crib he would kill her, and probably Mizan too.

  “You can give me your number so that I can call you though,” she said , with sugar lacing her tone. “We can link up another time.”

  Mizan pulled out his BlackBerry so that he could swap information with her, but before she could give him her number, gunshots rang out.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  “Aghh!” Raven screamed as she instinctively ducked low and covered her ears. The crowd began to run in all directions. “Nikki!” She reached out, trying to locate her best friend. The sea of panicked faces in the parking lot didn’t make it any easier to locate her.

  Mizan grabbed her hand and ran toward his car.

  “Get in!” he yelled.

  “I have to find my girl!” she replied with worry.

  “She ran off with one of my niggas. You can call her when you get in the car,” Mizan stated with authority.

  Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Hearing another round of shots ring out, Raven didn’t hesitate to jump inside Mizan’s car. Mizan was parked at the edge of the parking lot so he didn’t get caught in the barrage of cars trying to get out. She saw her car stuck in the back. “My car ... I have to get my car.”

  “I’ll bring you back to it once the crowd clears and the shooting stops. You’re good with me. Trust me,” Mizan said in an attempt to reassure her.

  Raven’s cell phone vibrated and she quickly answered it when she saw Nikki’s picture pop up on the screen.

  “Where are you?” Raven answered.

  “I’m with one of the dudes from the club. I just wanted to make sure you were straight,” Nikki replied.

  “Yeah, I’m good. I’m with Mizan, Where you want to meet up?” Raven asked.

  “I’m gonna chill with dude for a minute. Let’s meet back at your car in a couple hours,” Nikki stated.

  “A’ight, that’s cool.”

  Mizan reached over and brushed a stray hair from Raven’s face.“You good, ma? You look kind of shook over there. You live in Flint so I know you done heard gunshots before, superstar,” he teased.

  She cut her eyes at him and pursed her lips. “Shut up. I wasn’t scared. That ain’t nothing new to me,” she replied, trying to play tough. But, in actuality, it was new to her. Yes, she had heard about the murders and mayhem that her hometown had to offer. She even knew that her father was behind a lot of the madness, but he had kept her far removed from the chaos. So to be so up close to a shootout had indeed shaken her.

  “Yeah, a’ight, tough girl,” he stated in a disbelieving tone with a smile. “So you gon let me spend some time with you, ma? Get to know you?”

  “Yeah, we can work something out.” She blushed, slightly flattered because Mizan was so much older than she was.

  He took her back to his north side home and they sat in his driveway. Raven was inexperienced with older men. She was usually confident and commanded the conversation, but with him she felt awkward, as if nothing she had to say would matter to him. To avoid looking stupid she remained quiet. Mizan studied her curiously, and as he stared at her she became insecure. She was conscious of every imperfection on her body. Like most young girls she was cocky, but not truly confident in herself; relying on her looks too much, allowing her intelligence to take a backseat in order to attract a nigga. Damn, it feel like I got a booger. Is my hair still in place? She fidgeted in her seat and flicked her long hair behind her shoulders as she took a deep breath.

  Cool and collected, Mizan chuckled. “You a’ight over there, shorty? You nervous?”

  “I’m good,” she responded.

  “Nah, you nervous, ma. Loosen up. I got something that will make you feel right,” he said as he reached over her and pulled a bag of cush marijuana out of the glove compartment.

  “You smoke?” he asked with a mischievous smile.

  She nodded. Although she had tried it before she wasn’t really a weed head, but she was not about to tell him that. “Yeah, I’m on that with you,” she replied, trying to sound cool.

  Mizan split the cigar and emptied the legal contents, then replaced it with his own concoction of marijuana and cocaine. Raven noticed that he sprinkled the white powder on top of the cush, and her heart began to speed up anxiously. She knew that some people laced their weed to get a better high, but it wasn’t something she was curious about trying. As she watched Mizan’s tongue form the blunt, a lump formed in her throat. He lit it and a funny smell filled the car, as a hypnotizing trail of smoke danced around her head. The smoke was seductive as it consumed the car slowly.

  Mizan extended his hand to Raven, the glowing tip staring her in the eye.

  “Hit this, ma,” he choked out as smoke left his mouth.

  Peer pressure is a mutha to a seventeen-year-old girl trying to be down. There was no way she was going to tell him no. All the years of preaching and teaching from her parents had been flushed down the drain as soon as an older boy put something new in her head. Her conscience screamed a long Nooooooo! Yet she ignored the tiny voice and reached for the blunt. Knowing she was doing wrong, she pouted her perfect pretty lips and puffed on the blunt, causing an amber glow to spark on the tip as she hit the weed.

  Her lips went numb as she allowed the smoke into her lungs. She held the blunt out for him to take back, but he shook his head. “You hit that a few more times,” he said. Raven leaned back in her seat and continued to blaze, her head relaxed against the headrest.

  After smoking it halfway by herself, her eyelids were heavy and she felt so right. The high had her stuck and she smiled dumbly as she put the blunt to Mizan’s lips. He toked and then asked, “You feeling a’ight?”

  “I’m good,” she replied as she coughed.

  They sat in his driveway talking and joking for hours. Now that she was at ease, the conversation flowed smoothly and they got to know one another. Once the initial tension went away, she was so comfortable with him and enjoyed his company. Things just flowed between them. Before she knew it, it was time for her to meet back up with Nikki.

  “We better go. It’s getting late, she said.

  “You’re welcome to stay the night,” Mizan stated in a low tone. He had no problem having an all-night fuck session with her. In fact, it was what he’d had in mind from the first moment he saw her. He wasn’t a man of good intentions and a mature woman may have peeped game, but Raven was blind to everything except for his good looks and hood appeal. She felt her love box thump, and she tensed up as Mizan leaned across the seat to kiss her lips. His tongue slid into her mouth so smooth as if he had done this a thousand times before. His tongue tasted like candy. He was teasing her and making the t
emperature in the car rise from his expert seduction. He kissed her unlike she had ever been kissed before. He was a grown man, and the way his hands touched her neck to pull her closer let her know that anyone she had dealt with before was an amateur. She would have to be careful with her young heart because he could easily capture it. She was playing in an entirely new league, and she hoped she wasn’t biting off more than she could chew. Intimidation filled her, but her wet panties urged her on. She was curious, and the pulse of lust that throbbed on her clit had her going crazy. She instantly knew that he was more experienced than she was. His resume of conquests was three pages long and he was about to make her another notch on his belt.

  “You want to come in for a minute?” he asked.

  “Nigga, I’m not a jump off,” she said seriously as she pulled back slightly.

  “I’m just trying to kick it with you, shorty. Kill all that attitude.”

  She loved the way he commanded her. He took charge of her and kept her in check. There was something mysterious about him that she liked.

  “Let me just call my girl to let her know what’s up.” As she looked down at her phone, she saw that it was off. The battery had died so she switched the battery and powered it back on to see that she had missed seven calls. As soon as it’s came to life it vibrated in her hands. Nikki’s face popped on the caller ID.

  “Hey, girl, I was just about to call you,” Raven said.

  “Bitch, where have you been? I’ve been blowing you up! Your dad called my house and my mama told him you weren’t there. He’s been trying to call you. He’s pissed the fuck off, Rae. He’s got his people out looking for you and everything. You need to get to your car and go to the crib.”

  “Thanks, girl.” Raven tried to keep her cool in front of Mizan, but inside her heart was beating out of her chest and her gut instantly bubbled over. Fuck ... fuck ... fuck! she shouted in her head as her hands began to sweat. “I need to get back to my car.” Her voice trembled a little when she spoke and the pit of her stomach felt hollow. She tried to come up with a lie, but at that moment the only thing she could think of was facing her father’s wrath. My shit was so sloppy tonight. I never get caught up like this, she thought, beating herself up. I should have had Nik forward the calls from her mom’s house phone to her cell phone. Fuck!