Page 82 of Certified Pressure
“What the fuck is y’all on right now?”
We all turned at the same time to see Pressure coming toward us, his presence heavy enough to make the room feel smaller. His eyes flicked from me to Chanel, then to Imani, and I could tell from the flexing of his jaw and the way his shoulders were squared that he was already done with this shit.
“I’m sick of both of y’all,” he said, his voice calm but with that dangerous edge that made people listen. “Matter fact, get the fuck out.”
Chanel’s eyes went wide, and Imani’s lips parted in shock. “Wait, hold on—” Chanel started, but Pressure shut her down before she could finish.
“Nah. I’m not tryna hear all that bullshit,” he said, stepping closer, his gaze locked on them like he dared them to argue. “Y’all been on some petty, messy shit since day one, and I let it slide. But you not about to keep runnin’ around here stirrin’ shit up, especially not with her.” He jerked his chin toward me without breaking eye contact with them.
Imani started to speak, but he cut her off just as fast. “Don’t say another fuckin’ word, bruh.”
One of the security guards appeared in the doorway almost instantly, his eyes scanning the room before landing on Pressure.
“Walk these two the fuck out. Bags, too. They done.”
Chanel and Imani stood frozen for a moment, like they couldn’t believe he was serious. But when the guard stepped forward, his hand motioning toward the kitchen’s exit, reality started to sink in. Chanel huffed, rolling her eyes hard enough to strain something, and Imani shook her head with a bitter laugh.
“This some bullshit,” Chanel muttered under her breath as they started walking out the kitchen.
Pressure didn’t even look at them again. “I don’t give a fuck what it is. Y’all can talk about it outside.”
I stayed quiet, watching as the guard followed them upstairs to get their bags. Then some time later, they came back out. Then I heard the sound of the front door closing behind them echoing through the space. Pressure finally looked my way, and for a second, it felt like he was checking to see if I was good. He didn’t say anything, though. He just nodded once before walking away like nothing happened.
And just like that, Chanel and Imani were gone.
When I made my way back upstairs, I heard Toni Roc’s voice. Before I even got all the way in her direction, I stopped halfway down the hall and leaned against the wall just enough to catch what she was saying. Her voice carried easy, like she wasn’t worried about who might hear her.
“I’m just sayin’, from what I heard, Pluto was gettin’ into it with Chanel and Imani,” she said, her tone almost sounding amused. “But I feel like the only reason they got put out is ‘cause Pressure always caterin’ to Pluto like she a baby or somethin’. Ain’t that bitch like twenty-five or some shit?”
The words landed in my stomach like a weight, and for a second, I had to decide if I even wanted to walk over there. My nerves were already shot from everything downstairs, and now here was Toni, sitting up talking like I couldn’t hold my own, like I needed anybody to fight my battles for me.
I took a slow step forward, and that’s when I noticed Kashmere was sitting there too. My irritation climbed even higher. Regardless of whatever was going on between us, why the fuck was she sitting with bitches she barely knew, letting them run their mouths about me like that? If it were theother way around, she’d expect me to check somebody, with no hesitation.
By the time I stepped into the little sitting area, the conversation stopped instantly. Zaniyah was leaned back in her chair, sipping on something from a glass, and Toni had that look on her face like she’d been caught but wasn’t about to admit to a damn thing. Kashmere sat in the corner with her legs crossed, but her eyes on me.
“Y’all ain’t gotta get quiet just ‘cause I walked in,” I said, my voice laced with heat.
Toni let out an irritated chuckle, looking me up and down like I was barely worth the effort. “Girl, please. You the last bitch anybody gotta get quiet for.”
I took a step closer and gave her a slow smile. “Well, it’s real quiet in here now, ain’t it?”
That pulled a sharper reaction out of her. “Girl, shut yo’ wanna-be soft ass up,” she snapped.
“Wanna-be nigga,” I shot back without hesitation. “I’m not about to argue with a bitch that look like she used to swallow rocks when she was a kid.”
Zaniyah’s eyes flicked between us, clearly debating if she needed to get up, but Toni leaned forward, giving me that “say something else” look.
“You real bold right now,” she said, her voice lower.
“I’m always bold,” I told her. “You just too busy talking to notice.”
I could feel my pulse picking up, and I turned my eyes toward Kashmere. “And you… you just gon’ sit here and let these bitches talk about me like that?”
Kashmere didn’t flinch. She slowly put her hand up and shook her head like she was shutting me down before I could even get going. “Don’t start that shit with me,” she said, her tone calm but hard enough to make it clear she meant it. “I’m notallowing a muthafuckin’ thing. If we ain’t been talking, then we don’t need to be talking now.”
That stung, and it only made my anger burn hotter. I stared at her for a long second before I spoke. “It’s sad how you let jealousy turn you nasty. You don’t even see it.”
Her eyes narrowed, and for a split second, I saw the flicker of something that wasn’t anger at all. It was hurt, maybe even betrayal, but it disappeared as quick as it came. “Jealousy?” she repeated, her voice rising a little. “Bitch, I ain’t jealous of you. Please don’t let Pressure pump your head up, girl.”
