Page 150 of Her Loyalty

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An hour later

2pm

Still sitting in the hair salon, the stylist had just began straightening my weave and blending my hair into it.

"See that's why I get braids, ain't nobody got time for all that shit." Deja went on, scrolling her phone.

"Oh, shut up." I said to her as she sat there impatiently.

"I'm serious." She shrugged, still looking down at her phone.

"Yo, let me ask you something." She went onto say, finally looking up.

"What? Go ahead." I awaited her question, knowing it was going to be something crazy.

"Why you be letting my brother punk you out?" She asked, making me furrow my eyebrows.

"Like you always be actin' scary, T."

"He ain't no fuckin' body." She shook her head, making me twist my lips.

"I don't know." I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to think how I was going to answer this question.

"It's just I know him and he knows me. He knows exactly what to say to me if he wants to hurt me and I just be trying to spare my own feelings."

"Like I just never want to go there with him because most of the time, it's not even worth it."

"It's really not." I explained and she nodded her head.

"Plus he can be intimidating at times and he knows that. Like he does stuff to make me nervous just to test me, he loves testing me."

"So I'm not scared but I just know what to do and what not to do when it comes to him. I never want to overstep my boundaries, just like he doesn't want to overstep his boundaries with me." I expressed to her and she nodded.

"But don't think he's notscaredof me too. He just puts on a good act to pretend that he's not but he knows just like I know not to fuck with me when it comes to certain things."

"And I know not to fuck with him when it comes to certain things. It's just a different type of respect we have for each other."

"So no, I don't let your brother punk me out. I just play my role and I play it well." I explained to her.

"Aight, coo then."

"Cause I be ready to beat the shit out that nigga when he gon' off and you just be sitting there quiet as a mouse."

"But I feel you. You just know when to and when not to engage in that shit."

"I need to learn that because a nigga like me just go off and ask questions later." She joked, making me laugh.

"Na' that's real though. I fuck witcha." She nodded, obviously impressed with my answer.

After our conversation died down, maybe about 15 minutes passed by and I was finally done. Deja and I were leaving the salon and I couldn't be happier. It'd feel like we'd been here all day but the sun was still out and shining so I knew that we weren't.

"So where to next?" I asked and she shrugged, scrolling her phone.

"That nigga ain't give methatmuch information na'."

"He just told me to take you to get your hair done and shit."

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