Page 122 of River & Crown
"'Cause he gon' trick and I'ma trick but he gon' trick bigger!"
Together, the twins scrunched their faces up as if that were the hardest bar they've ever heard. The rest of us fell out laughing.
"What? Y'all got something better?" Kysre challenged. The girls and I all looked at each other. "Uh-huh, don't get quiet now. Y'all forty-year-olds kill me with that back in my day?—"
"Forty!" The three of us blurted.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" The way Kysre's brows pulled together, her ass was really confused.
"What about us makes y'all think we're in our forties?"
"Honestly," Kysre cautioned, catching eyes with all of us, "it's how mature and successful each of you are. Chosyn, you own a dispensary, and you grow your own weed."
"Let's not forget Wolfe promised to help me with getting a building to grow my weed out here instead of in Brooklyn with Nazari. I appreciate everything he's done for me, but I want to be more hands-on."
"See, even that shows you're business savvy. River, look at all the things you do. Briar Beauties is a street racing team and a foundation that helps girls like us and grown ass women. You work a full-time job, own a pool hall, and date Crown Gravehart. That's a job by itself, from what I hear. Y'all are real grown ass woman. I like to think that strong-willed mentality came with age."
"Aww, thank you." Chosyn cheesed, never being one to shy away from a compliment.
"Don't fuckingawwwthem because we're not in our forties! We’re not even close!" Honey spat, narrowing her eyes. "What about me? Y'all said all that nice shit about these two but what about me?"
"Honey, you're just as childish as we are," Kyree answered.
Chosyn and I both grabbed our drinks as a distraction.
"Wow!" Honey whistled.
"What she means is, you're on the same bullshit we're on. We get money the same way you do." Kysre tried her best to smooth over what Kyree said, but she ultimately said the same thing.
"Y'all wouldn't be getting money if it wasn't for me. I put y'all on!"
"And we're thankful for that but robbing niggas isn't a forever thing." Kysre shrugged.
"I guess I'm just old by association," Honey gritted.
"Yeah, I think I'm going to get out of here. This was fun, though, and happy early birthday, River," Kyree said, standing up from the plush couch.
She and I interlocked b's and kissed our fingers, then she went down the line doing the same with Chosyn and a reluctant Honey. Kysre followed behind her sister, doing the same. The twins left and Honey flagged over the server and ordered a pitcher of the mimosas they were serving, saying these small ass glasses weren't enough. Chosyn and I shared a look, thenquickly put in a food order to help soak up some of the liquor we'd already drunk on empty stomachs. The server read back everything before walking away, leaving us to ourselves.
"Chosyn, I thought you said it was a 2000s event," I stated, noticing that no one besides us was here.
"It was but once Crown found out where I was taking you, he did what he does best and took over. Now we have the whole spot to ourselves to sing and eat whatever," she answered.
"Oh, okay." I nodded those same anxious nerves I walked in with, settling in.
Until this point, Chosyn and I hadn't said too much to each other. I hopped on stage and we ran through songs, laughing and trying to remember some of our teenage choreography for the next hour. Now that all the fun was over, the elephant and all the awkwardness it carried were in the room.
"Do y'all think I'm childish?" Honey tossed out. I ran my tongue over my teeth as a stall while Chosyn shifted her gaze elsewhere.
"Not y'all too! If I'm so childish, why did no one say anything?"
"I'm not one to give my opinion on how someone moves unless it's asked for. I give people the same courtesy I want others to give me about my childish decisions," Chosyn answered.
"Yeah, but you're also business savvy if you let the twins tell it," Honey sighed.
"What the twins admire about me came from a man who saw me as a piece on his chessboard. I was taught to think how I do, to lash out in ways that make other women question my sanity. I'm abnormal, Honey. A lot about me doesn't even come from me. In a way, I'm who my father pushed me to be, and the woman Wolfe's love transformed me into."
"I guess. What do you have to say,Four?"
