Page 87 of Certified Pressure
Renza barked out a laugh and shook his head. “Yeah, okay. And I’m the prince of Trill-Land. Nigga, she lied. You know how women get about shit like that. You took somethin’ she can’t get back, and now you think she just gon’ be cool if you send her home? Shit, a’ight.”
Blaqson pointed at me with his drink. “I’m with Renza on this one. Don’t matter what she said, nigga—in her mind, you hers now. She might not admit it yet, but trust me, she feel it.”
Kay’Lo grinned. “Nigga, you out here runnin’ two separate love stories at the same time and wonderin’ why you stressed.”
I shook my head, cuttin’ my eyes at him. “Ain’t no love stories, nigga. I’m just sayin’ it ain’t easy decidin’ who’s supposed to be next to me for real.”
Blaqson leaned back, shruggin’. “Well, regardless of whatever, you need to already have your mind made up. That way you ain’t up here panickin’ when it’s time to make that call.”
We went back and forth about it for a while, them throwin’ their jokes in and me tryin’ not to give them more ammo than I already had. But between the liquor hittin’ and the smoke settlin’ in, the conversation started loosenin’ up. We kept playin’ spades, and I stayed whoopin’ they ass like it was my job. Renza kept blamin’ his losses on Kay’Lo not knowin’ how to count, and Kay’Lo kept tellin’ him to “shut his fake-ass coach ass up. Blaqson was the only one tryin’ to keep a straight face, but every time Renza and Kay’Lo started arguin’, he’d end up laughin’ too.
Game after game, the money started slidin’ my way. Every win made my stack bigger, and they was gettin’ loud about it.Renza was accusin’ me of cheatin’, Kay’Lo swore I was fuckin’ up the deck, and Blaqson said I was only winnin’ because they was too drunk to focus.
By the time we was done, I had damn near all their money in front of me. Renza was leanin’ back in his chair like he was down bad, Kay’Lo was rollin’ up again, and Blaqson was nursin’ what was left of his drink. The whole room smelled like weed and D’USSÉ, and the ashtrays looked like we had been in here all night.
I grabbed my winnings, told them niggas I’d see them tomorrow, and left them in the game room still talkin’ shit to each other.
I went straight to my room. I peeled my clothes off down to my briefs, tossed everything in the chair, and laid back on my bed with my arms behind my head.
The ceilin’ fan was spinning slow above me, but my mind wasn’t slowin’ down at all. I kept runnin’ through each of their faces in my head—Kashmere, Pluto, Zaniyah, and Toni. Four women. All different. All bringing something real to the table. And tomorrow, I was gonna have to tell one of them it was over.
I had been actin’ like I was ready for it, like it was just another move to make, but the truth was I wasn’t. I ain’t never been in a position where the wrong choice could change more than just my life—it could change theirs too. And no matter how much of a king I saw myself as, no real man takes that shit lightly.
Still, I knew I’d make the call. I always did.
Tomorrow, somebody was goin’ home…
Trill-Land, Jungle Estate
The next day…
Iwas standin’ in the middle of my bedroom, feelin’ anxious as fuck. My head was clear enough to know what I had to do, but my heart felt heavy like I was about to carry weight I couldn’t put down. Tomorrow or next week, it wouldn’t matter—somebody’s heart was about to get broke today, and I was the one swingin’ the hammer.
Kay’Lo was leaned up against the wall, rollin’ one like this was just another day in Da Trill. “Man, don’t overthink it. You already know in your heart who you wanna be with,” he said without lookin’ up.
“I hear you,” I told him, “but it ain’t about that. This ain’t no regular shit. This ain’t just ‘pick one and keep it movin.’ Thesewomen gave me their time, their energy, everything they had in ‘em. I’m ‘bout to tell one of ‘em that it ain’t enough. That’s not a light thing to me.”
Blaqson sat on the edge of my bed, lookin’ like he felt sorry for me. “Still, bro… you been through eliminations before. This one just hittin’ different ‘cause of who’s standin’ out there.”
He wasn’t wrong.
After a minute, I straightened my shirt, adjusted my chains, and nodded toward the door. “Let’s get this shit over with.”
We all took the elevator down toward the foyer. The doors opened, and there they was—Zaniyah, Toni, Kashmere, and Pluto. They hair was done up, makeup beautiful and dresses hittin’ like they wish I would make the mistake of sendin’ them home. They looked like they was ready to step out to go on a date, not stand here waitin’ to hear which one’s dreams I was about to cut short.
I stood there for a second, lettin’ my eyes run over each of them. Zaniyah looked calm but I could see her hands clasped tight in front of her, like she was tryna keep it together. Toni had that confident smirk she always wore, but I caught the little shift in her stance that told me she wasn’t as relaxed as she looked. Kashmere’s chin was high, her eyes locked on mine like she was darin’ me to break contact first. And Pluto… Pluto’s eyes were soft, searchin’ mine like she was already bracin’ herself for whatever I was about to say.
My heart felt heavier with every second that passed.
I finally called out, “Toni.”
She pressed her hand to her chest, exhalin’ as if she’d been holdin’ her breath since I walked in. She came up, hugged me tight, kissed me on the cheek, and stepped to the side.
Then I said, “Zaniyah.”
Even my boys looked surprised. Renza glanced at Kay’Lo, who raised his eyebrows like he didn’t see that comin’. Pluto andKashmere exchanged a quick glance, both of them caught off guard.
I decided last night that I couldn’t keep both Pluto and Kashmere in this house. I was in love with both of ‘em, and I knew it. Keepin’ them both around was only makin’ shit harder, and somebody had to go so I could actually focus.
