Page 167 of Are You Going to Love Me

Eden sensed his frustration and looked in the direction holding his attention. Eden squinted. “Is that...”

“Anzel’s receptionist?”

“My damn cousin,” Eden huffed, scooting out of the booth. “Order my food, please.”

The way Eden cooly exited the booth threw Maximus off. He should’ve been following her to the bar to pick her up and return her to their booth.

“Aysha,” Eden grunted, snatching the phone from her hand. “The fuck are you recording me for?”

Aysha reached for her phone, but Eden turned her back as she deleted what was recorded and scrolled through her camera roll. Every single photo in the camera roll was of Eden and Maximus. By the time Maximus realized that Aysha was about to get an oops upside her head, Eden was in her face.

“You’ve been following us around and sending these to the blog? What kind of shit are you on? Helping my momma steal Poppi wasn’t enough for your scary ass?”

“Eden, she made me,” Aysha spoke, trying not to stutter or cry.

“She didn’t make you do shit you didn’t want to do,” Eden gritted, pressing her finger against her nose. “You mean to tell me ain’t no thoughts behind those eyes? How is she still making you do something?”

Aysha, embarrassed that she’d turned into Anzel’s lap dog, looked around at all the eyes on them. “Because the feds couldn’t take it. Word on the Street isn’t registered to her. It’s in myname, and all the money goes to her. It’s paying her lawyer fees and keeping money on her books.”

Feeling Maximus behind her, she handed him the phone and continued to fuss and point her finger in Aysha’s face. Grace and class were out of the window. Aysha was blood and for some reason, could never do right by someone who’d always done right by her.

“You two bitches deserve each other. You’re pathetic. It’s one thing to follow me, it’s another to write bullshit about me and my man when I was the one saving your ass from walking the track for some East Side niggas. Lucky, I'm pregnant and I can’t whoop yo ass the way I want. Bitch, if I could, I’d drag yo stupid ass through every block in Trae Way. Oh, but believe me, karma is coming for you. And she’s going to beat your ass with eighty-seven rolls of quarters in a sock.”

Eden left Aysha at the bar, stopping to add, “Publish that on your little bullshit ass site.”

Back at the booth, Eden had heat behind her fingers while Maximus returned to drinking his drink and chuckling.

Eden: I found out who runs that bullshit ass site

Staysha: Bitttchhhhh who?!

Eden: Your dumbass cousin and your bitch ass momma

Staysha: IKYFL

Eden: Nope now I want to go up to that prison and cuss her ass out

Staysha: You should actually. I’ll go with you

“Why you shakin’ your head?” Eden questioned.

“Because you got too much of me in you. Where is my peaceful Eden?” he slightly joked but was serious. That soul tie rushed the passiveness from Eden’s being.

“She’ll show up after I feed this alien baby and cuss my fuckin’ momma out. She’s done some shit but having thatairhead follow us and publish bullshit on her dumbass blog is another thing.”

Maximus knew there wasn’t any use in arguing about it. “So, when you going?”

“If I could teleport there right now and cuss her ass out, I would. But tomorrow, since it’s an off day.”

“Heard you, Brody will drive. Can’t have you goin’ up there and havin’ another panic attack.”

“Moral support from outside the prison? I’ll take it.”

“Good, you need the closure.” Maximus chuckled to himself after a moment of musing. “Why eight-seven rolls of quarters though?”

“‘Cause she stole eight hundred and seventy dollars from Pootie that EWG with the silk press and the French tips. She was messing with him. Why? I don’t know, but he put eighty-seven rolls of quarters in his beat a hoe sock and was driving through the hood looking for her. Come to think of it, the bitch always been slow. Mama must’ve smoked crack, carrying her or something. Or her daddy was on some shit.”

Maximus snorted in laughter. “Whole time I was assuming she was just thirsty. Messin’ with Pootie is wild shit.”

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