Page 61 of The Prodigy

“Oh, you meant me?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re taking me to Phipps Plaza? In Atlanta?”

“Mm hm.”

“For what?”

“Because.” Her eyes drifted downward. “I just can’t have you walkin’ around in them busted ass shoes, sis.”

I looked down at my sensible black flats. “What’s wrong with my shoes?”

“You don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?”

“Your role.”

I stared blankly. “I don’t understand what you’re asking me.”

She took a deep breath and set her phone in her lap. That’s how I knew this was serious.

“Okay, you might not understand this now, but you’re married to a real nigga.”

“What does that mean?”

Her perfectly lined eyes rolled. “It means you can’t be running all over town looking like you married to the manager at Walgreens.”

“You know our marriage isn’t real, right?”

“It don’t matter. You’re wearing his name. Everything else on you needs to match.”

“I really don’t think Jakari cares about this. He’s never mentioned it.”

“And he won’t. That’s why I’m here.”

She looked at Luna and inclined her head to the left. Luna nodded and walked off.

Jaz leaned closer. “Listen. Being married to men like ours, you probably ain’t never gon’ have your name on the account. Shit, you probably won’t know what’s in it either. But trust and believe, they got it. And they want us to ask for it.”

“I’m good.”

“You’re not, though.” Her eyes flickered over my clothes. “You look like the help. It don’t matter whether you wanna shine or not. Youneedto shine, otherwise what’s it all for? Why are they out here hustling?”

That…actually made sense.

“Why you think Terio is with me?”

“Because he loves you.”

She snickered. “Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t. But love don’t have shit to do with why I stay fly. When he’s tired on the road and going through a bunch of bullshit, he knows he’s working hard to keep me dripped out. And I bet you right now, he’s sitting up in his cell trying figure out how to keep me happy, cuz he knows it’s just a matter of time before some other nigga tries to take his place.”

She checked her phone, then put it face down again. “When I’m on his arm, I make him look good. Everybody else knows he’s a baller, because a fly bitch like me wouldn’t be caught dead on the arm of a bum ass nigga. You get me?”

I nodded.

“And one more thing. These bitches are gonna try you.”

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