Page 38 of Lost In You
Ashanni was definitely going to be his new mama, eventually. We’d just never mentioned it. I was sure she knew it too. She smiled at him, but before she could say anything, someone behind us said, “Hell, naw. That shit ain’t gon’ work. I’m already on probation. You tryna get a nigga locked up.”
I turned around to see someone stand from his seat with a bunch of hair. Ashanni stood, and asked, “Ace, you good?”
“Hell naw. Get yo’ cousin, man, before he end up dead. He tryna fly off the handle with a known thug and gon’ get fucked up.”
PJ walked in right after, and said, “SS, shut that shit down, man. He walked over to where they were seated and said, “Mythic ain’t to be fucked with. So if you think you finna try to pull some bullshit, think again.”
“We are over here talking about how we can get Maui. That’s my sister he fucking with. I know that’s your family and shit, but Maui ismyfamily. How would you feel if it were Lema? You would burn all of Nome down before you let a nigga fuck with your twin. Think about that shit.”
“I would be pissed, but at the same time, he ain’t forcing her to do shit she don’t wanna do. How you fight something she wanna do? You gon’ get yourself tied up in all kinds of shit, only for her to go back. Then yo’ ass will be in jail or the grave for nothing. I’m just asking you to chill. Y’all my family too. You know that shit, man. I feel like I’m in the middle, and I don’t like that shit. Let it go. Your pops already washed his hands of it. What that tell you? He knows Maui is just gonna go right back.”
SS rubbed his hand down his face as KJ, Christian, Jacob, and Rylan moved to another table when their aunt brought out their food.
“I’m gon’ look out for her and make sure she don’t get caught up in no bullshit. Okay? You have my word, man.”
PJ extended his hand as SS stared at him, then slapped it. “I’m trusting you, PJ, man. She ain’t thinking clearly right now. She hadn’t even come home to go to work, throwing her career and future away. All those years of school for nothing. This shit is tearing our family apart. My mama been crying every fucking day behind this shit.”
“Seven, I got’chu, bruh. I promise. I’m sure Carter Legend, Cousin Harper, and Cousin Legend gon’ be looking out for her too. Nobody in the family agrees with this shit either. His sisters and other brother are there too. Ain’t shit gon’ happen to her on our watch, unless she pushes against us.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of, PJ. It’s like she don’t know what’s good for her. Jack her ass up if you have to, to keep her safe.”
He nodded, and they slapped hands again as I glanced at Ashanni and Ace. This was gonna be a shit storm, and I didn’t want to be nowhere near it when it intensified.
FIFTEEN
ASHANNI
“How are things going,Maui? I miss you, girl.”
“Things are good, Shani. I miss you too. You probably really miss me at work. You been answering the phones?”
I chuckled. “We’ve been dividing those duties. Malia has been learning the ropes, and she answers the phones when she gets here in the afternoon. Me and Mama been answering them, unless Aunt Tiff comes in to help. Jakari is interviewing a lady as we speak. We ran out of family members old enough to work in the office.”
“What about Chenetra? She said she wanted to come back.”
“She came back, and Uncle WJ happy as shit to have his baby back out here, but you know they were talking about having to hire someone else while you were here. Karima and Milana are rodeoing, the twins got their shit, Nesha runs the village and land development, and Jess is still modeling. Shakayla wants no parts of it right now. Nesha and Aunt Tiff help out when they can, but it’s not enough.”
“Shani, don’t try to guilt trip me into coming back.”
“I’m not. I’m just telling you what’s going on, but if you think I’m guilt tripping you, it must be working.”
She chuckled. Something sounded off. She didn’t sound as happy as I expected her to. This was a decision she made. Obviously that nigga was more important than everybody else. Maui wasn’t a dummy. She saw all the bullshit we saw, but she was choosing to ignore it for whatever reason. Dick was plentiful around these parts. Shaydon, Mister Shylou’s son, had been crushing on her for years. He was younger than us, but those two or three years didn’t deter him. He was such a cutie too. When he hit that catwalk, looking like a younger version of Mr. Shylou, I nearly drooled one time. He was chocolate perfection, and he wanted her.
But she wanted a thug ass, ex-con ass nigga like Mythic. It just didn’t make sense to me. There had to be something she wasn’t saying. I wished I knew what that shit was, because I would expose it quick as hell. I needed my girl back. The twins weren’t fun to be around anymore. They weren’t always fun to be around before this, but now, they were serious all the damn time. Milana and I called them to hang out last night, and they got on our last fucking nerve.
We ended up cutting the night short, because they were criticizing every fucking thing we did. I started dancing and bouncing my ass to “Back That Azz Up”, and they started talking shit about my body count. I cussed them the fuck out, and Milana and I walked out on their asses. Who the fuck didn’t throw their ass in a circle when that song came on? Not having Maui was fucking up everyone’s mood, and I knew it was because her dynamic was missing. She was our ‘peace in the midst of a storm.’ We didn’t have peace.
“Shani, I can’t come back, boo.”
“I know. I just wish you would. Can I go out there to see you?”
“Of course. Mythic won’t mind. Honestly, he doesn’t mind any of you coming.”
“Okay. I may have to get Ali to go with me, though, because that stupid bitch tryna get at me. Liberty isn’t the safest place for me right now. Shit, Nome barely safe. Ali said she wanna take me out.”
“What? Mila?”
“Yeah. She ain’t who we thought she was. She got serious mental issues,” I said, stopping myself from saying more.
