Pushing that out of my mind, I wiped down the bar where a young couple just been sitting. It was pretty slow tonight, not that odd for a Thursday, and I was ready to go home.
Home.
I frowned at that thought. Why the hell would I be thinking of Jakari’s mother’s house as home? I was barely comfortable there, and that was mostly when I was in Jakari’s bedroom. Every other room in the house made me nervous, like I was an intruder everyone was tolerating.
That was actually true, I guess.
A girl walked in just then in a tight royal blue dress. Her makeup was flawless. Her body was what I would show to a surgeon if I ever decided to get a BBL. The girl was bad.
I pasted on a smile as she approached the bar. Grant and Wayne were both eyeing her, but she seemed to zero in on me, returning my smile as she sat on a bar stool.
“What can I get you?”
Her eyes flickered over my nametag. “Hey, Malika. I’ll take a shot of Fireball.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I poured the girl her shot, giving her a little bit extra because of how much I liked her dress and makeup. I really admired women who were well put together. Jaz was another one. It was something I never mastered, mostly because I didn’t have a stylish bone in my body, but also because we never had the money for it. It takes funds to be flawless.
Like they say: You aren’t ugly, you’re just poor.
I slid the shot across the bar and smiled at the woman again. She smiled back as she lifted the glass to her lips, but just before she took a sip, she flicked her wrist and splashed the liquid directly at my face.
Thankfully, her aim was bad, so most of it hit my chin and neck. But it was the principle. I wiped at my burning eyes as she laughed maniacally.
“Bitch, tell your husband this pussy is off limits now,” she yelled. “I don’t know why he wifed your bony ass, but—ow! Get off me!”
Out of my right eye, which was clear now, I saw Dino strong-arming the bitch toward the door. I was near tears, but they were angry tears. I wanted to rush her and beat the brakes off her, but all I could manage to do was spit out, “Fuck you!” before Dino tossed her ass out the door.
“Yo, what the fuck was that?” Grant said.
I grabbed a stack of napkins and dabbed my face and neck. My hands were shaking so bad I dropped most of them.
Wayne was at my side with his hand on my back. “You good?”
“Yeah.” I hoped my voice wasn’t giving away how upset I was. “I don’t even know that bitch.”
“Her ass ain’t comin’ back up in here,” Dino said. “Believe that. I’ll have her picture on the wall by closing.”
That was all well and good, but it didn’t change the facts. The damage was done.
Jakari already had me mixed up in some bullshit.