Page 95 of In the Safety's Zone
She was still eating as she put this chick in her place and the other women were just sitting around trying to see who was going to win this argument. Any of these bitches who didn’t bet on Billy clearly underestimated her.
“Isn’t that cute taking newbies under your wing.”
“I’ve known Billy for over six years. She’s my agent. And Sterling just has the type of light that makes you want to gravitate toward her. I’m not sure why anyone wouldn’t want to be around her. But speaking of, we need to coordinate for the first game.” I turned my back on the girl trying to be cute and looked at the women I actually liked.
“Don’t worry about that, my family has a box that they never use. I already called to ensure it’s available for us opening weekend.” Sterling sipped her iced tea as she spilled some of her own and the table was taking far more interest in her.
“That’s perfect. You know Parker was going to raise hell if any of his people had to sit out in the elements. But glad you ladies got your tickets ready.” Billy gave them one of her infamousnow check that bitchlooks before she stood up. “I’m going to check on the boots I had sized when we first got here. I’ll be right back.”
“It’s wild how you all just walk in and make good with the inner circle of the team.” The girl was trying to keep her voice low so the woman she was talking about wouldn’t hear her but I wasn’t going to grant her that courtesy.
“I’m sorry, who are you?”
“I’m Natalie Nicholls. My husband is on the offensive line.” She said it like we should’ve known this already.
“Hmmm, I’m not understanding what you’re saying or why you’re saying it toward us.”
“You’ve just skipped all protocol with how things run in teams like this.” She had to be stuck in high school if she thoughtI, at my grown ass age, was going to be doing some tenured hierarchy bullshit.
I tilted my head to one side and eyed since she clearly lacked sense. “How things run?”
“There’s a hierarchy. You have to earn your way just like the men do. You can’t just avoid paying your dues.”
“Paying our dues?” Sterling repeated her words with all the sarcasm she could.
“Yeah. The same way that the rookies have to, all the wives have to do the same.”
“So what is it that you think we’re supposed to do in order to fit in? Cause I can tell you right now it’s not about to happen.”
“Right, because of theMVP wives.”
“Not at all. We just have far too much respect for ourselves to be caught up doing stupid shit like letting y’all haze us just so that we might gain your approval. Friendships aren’t built on someone being subservient and trying to earn a place. I’m going to be me, Aphrodite is damn sure going to be herself since she’s a global tennis icon. Y’all can keep this little girl clique shit because it’s all you seem to have.” Sterling was getting annoyed and I knew it was time for us to move around.
“That’s funny coming from a bitch who’s just a glorified babysitter who is probably trying to trap the guy she’s living with.” One woman who was there with this Natalie chick spat that shit at Sterling and I was ready to make the news.
Sterling gave a laugh that actually tinkled in the air. It was haughty, filled with the type of influence that meant words and assumptions would never bother her.
“You are clueless about the pedigree that I bring to the table. I’m not even the type of chick that engages in classist bullshit but I’ll give you the dressing down you need real quick. The lifestyle you’re trying to bribe your way into is one the people in my family would look down on. They don’t deal with the newly rich.The first generation wealthy. If your people haven’t been freed since before the Emancipation Proclamation, or your ancestors didn’t come over on the Mayflower or make their money before the Gilded Age, you’re nothing to them. Now, I normally don’t deal with people who think like that, but I need to take a page out of their book and ignore dealing with people beneath me. And if you ever talk about my baby or my pussy again like I had to sling that shit out on the corner to attain a lifestyle that was beneath the way I was already living, I know too many ways to kill you seeing that I also hold a master’s degree in nursing.”
“And now you can pick your mouths up off the floor. Come on, Sterling, I’d rather wait until the trash is taken out so I can actually enjoy my food when I eat.”
This was the first negative interaction I’d ever had with people connected to the Desperados. I didn’t think they were always going to be perfect, but I thought for sure we'd left bullying in high school.
We got up from the table and met Rye who immediately noticed something was wrong.
“Are y’all good?”
“Who is that bitch?” Sterling didn’t bother being sly about pointing out the girl who was still red-faced sitting at the table.
Rye looked around her and rolled her eyes when she saw who she was pointing at. “Oh, you’ve met Natalie and her lackeys. They have a complex about not being the face of the franchise.”
Her being the face of the franchise was impossible since she didn’t play. “Shouldn’t that be something their husbands were going after?”
“Nah, they have an issue with feeling as though they aren’t known outside of their husbands. You know the white girls going crazy because of that one couple everyone is saying is goals.” Rye’s eyes rolled again and I knew she was tired of seeing those people as everyone else.
Sterling laughed a laugh when people knew way more than they should. “That shit is a massive publicity stunt.”
“How would you know?” Rye’s curiosity was written all over her face.
