Page 124 of Roulette: The Madam

“It’s best you know them, too. Because if you’ve spent your life pleasing others, then you won’t. And, self-discovery isn’t easy at that point because you’re always wondering if what you’re doing is truly foryou. I don’t know. Hopefully that made sense.” She shrugged.

“It made perfect sense, baby.” Range nodded. “Perfect sense.”

“Alright Shakespeare!” I yelled out, “Phenomenal.”

The van came to a stop.So did the laughter and chatter. The drinks in our hands were placed in the nearest cup holder. And, the smiles were swiped from our faces.

In small, compact mirrors, we all perfected our appearances. When satisfied, they were stuffed back into our bags. Some big. Some small. Rhea’s influence was heavy. Rewarding. And a breath of fresh air.

We’d clung to the bits and pieces of her that reminded us we were women. Richie’s influence was prioritized amongst most of us. It wasn’t by choice. It was the natural dynamic of our home. However, Rhea was weaved into everything we did one way or another.

One by one, we filed out of the van. Young, vibrant students surrounded us. Honking horns beckoned those with short attention spans to their awaiting vehicles. Nostalgia kept us all in the same spot for a brief second.

“Who are we looking for, again?”

“Malaya, of course, but Haleigh. Haleigh Drusille. The leader of the fucking pack who makes the orders for her crew to follow.”

“Haleigh Drusille,” Rome repeated her name.

“Well, her mother, so I can slap that bitch for raising a little shit head ass daughter.”

“You didn’t make that clear enough over the phone. I flew all this way for you to slap someone? I thought we were shooting. I left my son, Roulette.”

“Hush. You needed the break. So did your edges. And, we’re not leaving a young girl without a mother. Someone has to teach her how to treat others.”

“I agree,” Range added. “There’s Malaya.”

My camera roll was filling rather swiftly with images of Malaya and I. I’d only known her for six days and been in her presence three times, but she couldn’t keep her hands off the shutter button. They’d all gotten the chance to get a good look at her and remembered her features by heart.

An anchor caused my chest to fall into my stomach. Her head was bowed. Her shoulders were rounded. Her spine was curled. Her chin was tucked. Her defeat was apparent.

My feet had began moving before I realized what was happening. Within seconds, I was by her side. I sat the Chanelbag on the bench beside her. Slowly, I tipped her chin upward with my index finger.

“Chin up, pretty girl.”

Her spirit lifted with her chin.

“Roulette?” She gasped.

“Shoulders squared. Spine straightened. And, I want to see a smile across those beautiful lips.”

My eyes weren’t on her, but I saw her. I felt her. I heard her. She followed orders, composing herself as I searched the crowd for the face I’d familiarized myself with over the last few days.

“Did someone bother you today?”

“At school? No.”

“Then where?”

I halted my search and lended my attention to Malaya.

“I’d rather not talk about it right now.”

“Did anyone harm you? Put their hands on you?”

“No. No. I’m fine,” she told me.

“Good, but wewilltalk later. Is your mother on her way to pick you up fr–”

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