Page 58 of No Remedy for Love

“Keep believing that shit if you want to. I heard that nigga got a new barbershop and a new bitch too. See, y’all don’t know who I know.”

Jarell smirked as he saw the look of embarrassment that flashed across his sister’s face. Actually, he didn’t know anybody from around that way but his girl did. She was good at braiding hair and she had a few clients from around that way. She heard all about what was happening with his little sister so she was wasting her time lying. Admittedly, he was happy to hear it. Reanna had switched up on them when she got with Blaze and started living a better life. She came around every now and then to stunt and throw a few dollars at their mother to shut her up. Blaze was cool as hell, but she acted like she was embarrassed for him to come around her family.

“Whoever told you that is a muthafucking lie!” Reanna frowned in disgust. Jarell was just like a bitch and repeated everything that he heard. He’d been a hater since they were kids and, apparently, nothing had changed.

“I guess you didn’t drop out of school either.” Jarell was enjoying taunting his little sister. She needed to be reminded of where she came from sometimes.

“What the fuck is really going on, Reanna?” Dalia wanted to know.

“Not a damn thing. I took one semester off and, suddenly, I’m a dropout.”

Actually, Reanna dropped all of her classes before she flunked out. She was so behind from missing so many days. Chasing behind Ferris was part of the reason and she fell behind in her coursework. She wasn’t a drop out but she had to get her shit together before it was too late.

“Yeah, okay.” Jarell laughed as he got up and walked away.

Reanna knew that her sisters had a lot of questions and she was happy when her phone rang so she didn’t have to answer them. She took off the plastic gloves that she had on to eat her crawfish to answer it. She was saved by the bell, and Blaire’s call came at the perfect time.

“Hey, boo,” Reanna said as she got up and walked away. She heard her sisters whispering behind her back as soon as she did but that was nothing new. She opened her car and sat inside to have some privacy.

“Bitch! You didn’t tell me all the shit that happened at the basketball game the other day!” Blaire yelled excitedly.

“I didn’t even go. What happened?” Reanna was telling a partial truth. She went but she didn’t stay long enough to see the game or the drama that her friend was speaking of.

“I heard that your husband was in there beating niggas down over his new bitch.”

To Blaire, the best part of the story was Mav getting his ass beat. Going up against Blaze was the wrong move, but he probably knew that by now. They didn’t always get along, but she couldn’t even front. Her brother had some lethal hands and he was nice with that fighting shit. Back in the day, niggas respected her because they didn’t want to have to deal with her brother if they didn’t.

“This bitch better look good for him to be doing so much. I need to do a pop-up visit by your Nana to see this hoe for myself.” Reanna tried to appear unaffected, but her feelings just kept getting hurt. Her husband wasn’t shit and neither was her side nigga. She shouldn’t have even been surprised though. Blaze wasn’t fucking her, so somebody had to be getting the dick.

“Shit is about to get real over there, boo. Two of my aunties are in town and they’re about to pay my Nana and Blaze a visit. My mama said that it’s three girls, including her, and they should be in charge of Nana’s affairs. They’re about to make her change everything over to them instead of Blaze. Nana got eight kids and numerous grandkids. I don’t know who the fuck told Blaze that he was the shot caller. I wish I could be a fly on the muthafucking wall.” Blaire laughed like she’d just told a funny joke.

Her mother’s only two sisters lived a little over an hour away in Baton Rouge, so they didn’t come around too much. Her uncle, Al, told them all about how Blaze was making all the decisions for their mother and that didn’t sit too right with them. Then, when they found out about the money that she won, they were pissed that he felt entitled to keep it all.

“That’s good for his stupid ass. I guess since he’s paying all her bills, he thinks he can call all the shots.”

“Not when she got eight living kids he can’t. I don’t think they got nothing in place legally. He just assumed responsibility on his own.”

“Dumb ass. That girl ain’t gon’ stay around too much longer. She might be a nurse, but I know she didn’t sign up to help him take care of nobody full time.”

“Fuck that bitch too. My mama said she be over there all the time, even on the days she don’t have to work.”

“Girl, I might have to come with you over there one day.”

“You already know I’m down for whatever. Just say when.”

Instead of going back by her sisters, Reanna rolled down her window and told them that she was leaving. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with them and their many questions. Hopefully, she would have something good to report when she saw them again. For now, she was gonna stay away until it died down or was completely forgotten about.

“What you got going on today? I was chillin’ with my sisters for a while but they ain’t doing shit.”

“Neither am I but I’m hungry as hell.”

“I ate some crawfish but I am too. Where you at? I can come get you, so we can find somewhere to go eat.”

“Sounds good to me. I’m at home,” Blaire replied right as Reanna’s phone rang. She got excited when she saw that Ferris was calling again. She hurriedly rushed Blaire off the phone to answer for him.

“Okay, I’m on my way.” Reanna didn’t even give her a chance to answer before she hung up and switched over to the other line. “Yes,” Reanna answered with a slight attitude to let him know that she was still pissed.

“What’s up with you?” Ferris had the nerve to ask.

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