Page 9 of Not A Homie, Lover Or Friend
Beans stepped to the side of him as I stepped forward, “He said this is our city, nigga.”
He went to swing when Sukalati came running over, shouting,“Myles!”
He stopped and looked at her, “You're about to be a widow fucking with me,” he said to her.
Sukalati glanced at me with weary eyes. I knew she didn’t want us fighting, but I also knew I wasn’t about to let this nigga run me off. We were now a part of the Zoo just as he was, and if he didn’t get off his fucking high horse, it would be me, his unwanted brother-in-law, to knock his ass down.
Myles had gone to the club, leaving me home alone. It gave me time to plan his birthday party. I wanted that day to be special for him. I wanted him to feel all the love from every angle, including his family. I thought inviting Lakia here would be good, but it was turning out to be a regret. The fact that she married someone she didn’t know concerned me, but I wasn’t the one to judge.
I had just gotten downstairs when the front door swung open. Myles came in, going off. “Fuck them niggas, and if he keeps running his mouth, Chev just going to have to forgive me because that nigga itching for a bullet!”
Before I could say anything, Lakia came in behind him. “You’re overreacting as always. That man is a part of your crew. You can’t kill him.”
He waved her off, “Man, I don’t want to hear that shit. So, because he’s part of the crew, you fucking with him? Oh, wait, you married his ass.”
I knew he wouldn’t let her live it down that she married that man so suddenly. However, she was fully capable of making her own decisions, and Myles needed to calm down. I scooted over toward him and pulled at his shirt. “You really need to calm down. Whatever she did is her business. Yours is with me.”
I could hear Lakia suck her teeth. I shot her a quick look before I turned to glance back at Myles, whose face was getting angrier by the second. He knew he couldn’t control his sister. He didn’t bother to say another word as he made his way upstairs. I knew he was pissed, and sex wasn’t going to resolve it.
As soon as Myles disappeared upstairs, Lakia’s mouth got to running. “What happened with Asia? Y’all in here playing house, but he has the nerve to talk about what I’m doing and who I’m doing it with?” she hissed.
“You don’t have to be here. I don’t know what either one of your problems is, but throwing me into your mess isn’t it.”
What she said crossed the line. I was pretty quiet about most things, but what I wasn’t going to tolerate was someone disrespecting me. I didn’t want to have to lay hands on his sister, but if I had to, I would.
Lakia came closer to me, “Look, no shade, but I heard about the shit with Zu, and now you’re with his friend. Don’t you think that’s a bit much?”
“Don’t you think marrying a nigga you don’t know is a bit much?”
She rolled her neck, “The fuck?” she spat.
I let out a loud laugh, “Girl, tread lightly. I invited you because I thought it would be a good idea to see your brother. Had I known you were going to be like this, you could have stayed where you were.”
Lakia moved around as she tossed her hand on her hips. “Harvey, you’re not special. Walking around, calling him Myles, do you even know my brother?”
I smiled. “The pot calling the kettle black. You live with him, right?” I asked a rhetorical question. “What’s Monfua’s last name? What does he like to eat? Does he like his dick sucked or back shots?”
She started to take off her earrings. I crossed my arms over my chest. This wasn’t supposed to turn into a fight, but it was obvious she thought I was some soft bitch. The only person who got that was my man, and hell, he didn’t even like it. Being with Myles, if I learned nothing else, it was that being soft wasn’t his forte. Although he didn’t ask me to be this way, I built myself like this. It ultimately prevented me from being hurt.
What Lakia did in her spare time was truly her business. I didn’t have a problem with her; however, she had one with me. When she brought up Asia, I knew she didn’t want me in the picture; she wanted Myles with somebody like her. Someone she felt like she could relate to. Before she could say another word, Myles came downstairs. “Yo chill. You’re not about to turn my shit into a boxing ring, Lakia Holyfield.”
She tossed her hand up. “What are you saying? You’re my fucking brother. You’re choosing her?”
“I’m not choosing anybody. I’m choosing what’s right. Ayo, I suggest you chill for real, my nigga before—”
“Before what? Before you beat Monfua’s ass? So, it’s ok for you to make a threat, but I can’t? I came here to chill with my brother, but instead I ended up in this shit. I’m out of this bitch!” she spat.
I glanced at Myles, and I could tell he didn’t want her to leave. He loved all of his siblings, and Lakia had just placed a divider between her and her brother, which I knew on the back end could affect him and me.
The idea of his choice not to run after her was going to rest in his head and have him question everything. I was a lot of things,but what I wasn’t was a woman to make a man choose between me and his family.
LAKIA
I didn’t bother to say another word as I stormed out of my brother’s house. I couldn’t believe Harvey. I mean, yes, I made a mistake, and it was as if every time I turned around, it was thrown in my face. This was even more reason for me to hold off on telling Foe the truth about school.
When Harvey reached out to me and said she wanted to meet and that she had something special planned for Foe, I was ok with it. It was actually perfect timing because after Kirk decided I was no longer enough for him, he had given me six months to find another place, and my time had run out. However, when I got here and saw they were living together, I couldn’t fucking believe it. She wasn’t even his type. My brother liked them hood, relatable, and gutta. Harvey was none of those things; hell, in my eyes, she was for the crew. How are you with one nigga, then bounce to his friend? The shit was weird, and I was no forgiving bitch.
I walked down the driveway toward the street. It was late, cold, and dark as hell. I pulled out my phone and called an Uber. A part of me had hoped that my brother would come outside to talk to me, to tell me that he understood, and that I meant more to him than Harvey, because I was his blood. However, one minute turned into five, then ten. I knew then he wasn’t coming out. He had always been stubborn, but never this much. When the Uber pulled up, I took one last look at my brother’s house before getting inside.
