T?o?r?t?u?r?e?

+ 10

Cielo stopped playing with her toy, still staring at it.

"If you...need to talk to someone after today, Mommy can find you a good therapist. You know what they do. Remember we took you to one a year back after Mommy's sister passed away?"

Cielo nodded, looking up at me.

"I know you don't like me right now...and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm such a bad mother. I didn't really have the best example," I told her softly, knowing that her grandmother was not too far away in another room.
"I'm trying to improve on that for you. And maybe even for a new sibling."

Cielo ran over to me.

"Yeah. Grandpa wants Mommy to have another child. How do you feel about that?"

Another person to potentially carry the burden of the cartel. And I'm throwing it on them willingly. Like everyone before me.

"I'm sorry...I need to go," I did our elbow/hand routine, and closed the bedroom door behind myself.

I met Ladie outside of the villa, sitting in her mahogany Porsche. Jovan, me, and her had enjoyed some fond memories in this car. Now, there's not only an empty space left in my heart...there's an empty seat in this car.

Ladie materialized a mini liquor bottle, turning down her Lil Baby via phone. "To forgetting our shitty lives."

"To forgetting our privileged lives," I corrected, taking a swig of it after Ladie.

Hours later, we were in Houston, pulling up to an Air BnB with a rooftop party. A swimming pool, baddies, and too many things for us to get intoxicated from. The perfect mixture of young, dumb, and rich.

"Stay right here. I'm gonna go find your surprise," Ladie said into my ear over the chatter and the playing of some rap song. The DJ booth was at the edge of the party, and people smoked off the side of the balcony.

I found myself a seat near the pool, sitting on one of the chairs and tried to relax.

A loud splash had me getting a face full of water. Moving myself away from the splash zone, I realized that a party really wasn't the type of place you relax at, it's where you release.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

Tall, brown skin, face beat, clothes tight. I gave her a slow smile, "Are you on the menu?"

"Will I puke every time somebody says that to me?" she giggled, coming to stand besides me on the balcony.

"I don't know," I laughed too, "I'm Ny."

"Morticia," she held out her hand, showcasing her long nails in the process.

"Um, that's a unique...name," I gave her a nervous chuckle.

"I'm just playing," she waved off my comment, "It's Nicki."

"N-i-c-k-i?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah. Named after da queen," she smiled.

"Hey, Ny."

Nicki gave Ladie a warm smile, not at all apprehensive upon her approach. "Hello," she said cordially.

"Hey, I'm Ny's best friend," Ladie explained, laughing a little, "Everybody always assumes I'm her girlfriend at parties. So I had to throw that out there."

"And you always ruin my chances," I half joke.

"I was just getting ready to ask your best friend on a date," Nicki did a little spin in her orange and pink swirly dress, "Do I have your permission, Ladie?"