Page 28 of Body Language
“Man, fuck this whole conversation. You toxic. You selfish. And you got this weird-ass fantasy that you still got access to me when really, I shoulda cut you off when you crossed that first line.”
“I say one thing about your family and you going off.”
“Don’t you ever bring up my family again.” My voice dropped low because I was so aggravated and done with her shit. “I know you wish you had a family like mine. Loving. Supportive. Actually gives a fuck about you. Get off my line.”
Click.
I hung up before she could even say anything back. I turned the TV off and tossed the remote across the bed. At that point, I needed to take my ass to sleep before I got in the car, drove to wherever Arlette was, and choked her ass out with one of her own wigs.
I laid back, took a deep breath, and said a little prayer.
“Lord, please don’t let me catch a case tonight.”
I closed my eyes and tried to drift, but my phone started ringing again. I snatched it off the charger.
“What the FUCK do you want now, Arlette?!” I barked.
“EXCUSE ME?! This ain’t no damn Arlette?!”
That voice stopped me dead.
“Oh—shit. My bad. My bad, Pretty—”
“Uh-uh! I don’t play that messy shit! You told me to call your phone and you got it blowing up with angry hoes like it’s Love & Hip Hop Season. I’ll hang up this motherfucking phone and go do my sugar scrub in peace.”
I blinked, stunned.
“You quiet now, huh?” she said, voice getting sassier. “Tell whoever got access to your line and yo dick to go take that up with God ‘cause I ain’t the one to be caught in the middle of your drama.”
“Nah, Pretty, I swear—”
“Don’t ‘Pretty’ me unless you got peace in your life and boundaries set with your hoes.”
I couldn’t help it, so I laughed.
“Damn,” I said. “You really like that, huh?”
“I’m like that, like this, and a lil’ bit of whatever else your last girl was missing. You still wanna talk or you wanna keep playing Ring Around the Toxic Rosie?”
I laid back. My whole mood flipped.
“Yeah… I wanna talk.”
“Then talk. But say the wrong shit and I will ghost your ass before you blink twice. Start with your full name and a fun fact. Let’s go.”
“Alright. My name is Kendrix Givelle.”
I laughed. “A fun fact is, the first time I ever had sex was in a church parking lot, and I made the girl catch the Holy Ghost for real.”
She snorted. “You play too much. Tell me something real.”
“Aight. Real? My brother got locked up a few years ago. Whole family been tryna keep it together ever since. Shit changed me. Made me different.”
She got quiet. Like she was listening for real.
“Look,” she said. “I don’t do drama. Arlette is gone be around the club. And I’m not about to mess up my bag putting pleasure before business.”
“You ain’t gotta worry about that,” I said. “Arlette doesn’t have any dealing with me.”
