Page 88 of The Promise

I managed a smile, so happy for a distraction today. “Shoot.”

“Ryan from Pixie’s camp called yesterday wanting to know if we’d made a decision. Management wants to reach out to Flii Stylz, but Pixie wants to keep it all female.” He rolled his eyes and sighed, “Which I think is bullshit. Pixie just wants us. Anyway, tell me something.Something. Give me a date you’ll make the call by. You can even tell me what’s next for us,” he began to groan. “I’m going fucking crazy, staying at my apartment, playing the local clubs, babe. My mom wants me to come home, and you know a trip back to Slesin will be about two weeks. I can’t spend two weeks with my parents. I need to work, babe.”

I nodded, internally pumping myself up for the confidence needed for the decision. “We’re going to do it.”

“Really?”

Pulling in a deep breath, I felt confidence dispersing into my spine. “Yeah,” I breathed out. “We can do it. I have a family vacation coming up next month I need to get past. But once that’s over, we can start meeting about selecting the troupe and scheduling rehearsals.”

“Well, first, we’d need to meet with Pixie’s team for the concept and music.”

I nodded. “Of course.”

“Yes!” He performed a fist pump with closed eyes. “You’re the best. You know that, babe?”

Still nodding, I giggled. “I do. It’ll be nice if others can catch on.”

“What has Ashira had to say about this?”

“I ‘on’t see what she’s got to do with it.”

My therapist removed her tablet from her lap, placing it on the table near her chair. Then she cleared her throat. “Both altercations were because of her. Austin Seers and your cousin, Tyreek. You acted in violence in both incidences because of Ashira.”

I wanted to look down at my bruised knuckles. They ached bad as hell, but I needed to get through this session as smoothly as possible. So, instead, I nodded and shrugged, blocking out the pain. “Nah. They both disrespected me. Like I said, I told her ex like four years ago never to speak to her again. That relationship was deaded back when he played her. Life moved on, and so should he. And my cousin…” Frustrated, I took a deep breath and brushed my face with the palms of my hands, feeling the bandages. “…that was some ol’ power-testing shit. G chin-checking.”

“Come again?”

I shook my head, disappointment swelling in my damn chest. “My lil’ cousin, Tyreek. He used to look up to me as a kid. Always wanted to put in some work with me when I was on the ground, but I wasn’t with it. I didn’t let young impressionable kids work with or for me; you had to be built for that life. Then…as the story goes, I caught a case. I got home in nineteen, but a few months before I was let out, Ty went in.”

“For what?”

“Assault with a FD. Whichin—”

“FD?”

“First degree.My bad. Which in New York is an elevated charge because of a deadly weapon. He had a few simple assaults on his record. He gotta rep for fighting.” I shrugged. “He thought he was official. Ty nigga finally caught a case and did a bid like his big cousins. So when he came home, the nigga had a chip on his shoulder, which isn’t uncommon. But add to that a vendetta against me for not putting him on all those years ago—knowing I went down because of my shit—then having what they like to call a ‘celebrity’ in the family.”

“Ashira.”

I nodded, eyes zoned out to the plant on the coffee table in front of me. “I mean.” I took a deep breath and rolled my head back. “I get it. Ashira’s a good-looking girl…dope body, and her energy staysup—”

She interrupted me again. “Is that what attracted you to her?”

“She’s fine as hell…” I was stuck. “I ‘on’t know how to answer that.”

“Try.”

Here the fuck we go…

I thought for a minute. “For me, it’s different. It’s more than what a woman’s shell looks like. Ashira can easily check that box. She’s beyond fuckin’ gorgeous. But I…” I nodded. “I guess it was her high vibration that got me. She’s funny and fun. At first, I resisted it or missed those qualities, not wanting her to judge me…my past. But when I got over it, I can’t lie; her package was premium.”

“And that’s what Tyreek saw,” she either asked or summarized. With this chick, sometimes, I couldn’t tell.

My palms flexed on their own, reminding me of my decisions. I could have killed him.

I wanted to…

“Maybe.”

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