Page 10 of On Everything
“Alright, let’s do it if you don’t mind. I have way too much going on to be without a phone right now.” My head fell back in frustration.
“Of course I don’t mind. I’m here for you, girl. Come on, Emoney,” Pernelle told Emoney, who smacked her lips loudly again, but started walking as she was told.
We strolled back around the pathway through the courtyards full of people standing out. The Johnson boys were in a huddle smoking weed with some more of their homeboys. Mr. Perez was cooking meat on the pit with a few people standing around him, and I’m sure crackhead Kwame was smoking crack in the tent he sat up next to building five.
Once we made it back to my building's door, Emoney had her arms wrapped around Pernelle from behind.
Seeing them hugged up was always funny to me because Emoney is about 5’5 and Pernelle is 5’7. Though the height difference was funny, I really couldn’t laugh at their relationship. They were doing better than me and mine, that’s for sure. I never heard about Emoney fuckin’ around on Pernelle despite her being a whore in her past life.
Ant wasn’t here this time, so I tugged on the door of the building for a good minute before it finally opened, and I walked inside.
“Yo, Emoney! Let me holler at you!” We turned around and Emoney’s friend, Elijah was sitting at the bottom of the steps on a bike.
“Baby, are y'all good to go up there alone?” Emoney tried to talk even deeper when niggas were around.
“Yeah, I guess we are, but you better not run off and leave us out here, Ebony.”
Pernelle warned her and she went down the stairs, slapping hands with Elijah. We continued into the building, and Pernelle was on my heels, almost running me over from behind.
“Girl, why I’m kind of scared going in here now?”
“Why? Because we don’t have Emoney little ass with us? Who was she really going to protect anyway, P? No offense.”
“None taken. As much as I’ve beat her ass, I know she is not a protector. I just wanted her here because she is someone to trip if a killer is after us so we can escape.”
“You are not serious, like at all.”
Once again, she had me laughing when nothing should be funny right now.
I walked over to the stairwell and reached for the door, only it opened from the inside.
When Ant stepped out, it made me and Pernelle start feeling dainty with such a strong manly presence around.
“Hey, Ant.” Pernelle had her index finger in her mouth.
“What up, Pernelle.” He chunked his head back at us, stepping past with a bag of garbage in his hand. When the door shut, Pernelle went right to running her mouth.
“Is it just me or is he fuckable as hell these days? I mean, ever since he cut them dreads off, I really been seeing a potential fuck in him.”
“I’ve been seeing it too. He quiet, fine, and minds his business. You can’t ask for a better nigga than that. You know, sometimes I catch him looking at me. He’s never said anything crazy though. The convos be super chill.”
“That’s because you had that hound dog Kairo standing over you cock blocking this entire time. I wonder what he would say now that you will be single for a while.”
I shrugged my shoulders because I'm not sure what to say. Maybe he would make a move now if he is interested.
Pernelle and I made it to my door, and I took a few seconds before I twisted the lock and stepped into the landfilled that I called home. There was so much shit on the floor that stepping into the apartment took concentration. It smelled of nothing but bleach and cleaner so much that I wanted to vomit.
“Yeah, now is the time for your get back, sis. Even if you don’t move on completely, just get a little payback for having to clean up all this shit.”
My fucking tv was broken, my lamps, and there was a big ass hole in the wall that I never noticed in the chaos. What hurtme the most is when I looked near the window seal and all two of my plants were smashed with soil and leaves knocked over on the floor. That shit enraged me. Tears started forming in my eyes and the hate I had for Kairo grew twice the size.
“Pernelle, call Emoney and tell her to come walk you back home.”
“Why? Are you staying here tonight?”
“No, I’m going to try and stay upstairs if I can. Fuck this shit.”
Pernelle squinted her eyes, confused at first, before a smirk slowly started to form like the Grinch.
