Black & Ugly (6 page)

"Thanks, Miss Wayne," she says with a slight smile, but I can tell she still feels guilty for sleeping with Jay.

"But, may I make a suggestion, honey?"

"Sure," she says.

"It don't make no sense you fuckin' that rich-ass nigga and you ain't got enough money to buy a decent pair of shoes. Jay should be payin' you at least half of what Miss Sky is gettin,' chile, if not more."

"I know," she responds, sounding embarrassed,

"but I'm not his girl."

"Here's the thing. A man won't give you shit unless you ask him for it. You gotta make him feel like you deserve it, because you do. And then the money will
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come from everywhere, honey. Oooooh, girl, you'd have so many coins, you could buy your own fly shit and stop takin' what Miss Sky gives you." I laugh.

"You think Miss Sky gotta ask Jay's ass for shit now?" I pause. "Hell no."

She looks down toward the ground again, and this time I can tell she is on the verge of crying. "He ain't spending no real money on me. What we have is just sexual."

"Why should he spend anythin' on you? You act like you don't deserve nothin', but you do, baby. You do deserve it," I say as I lift her head up. "Make his ass pay. Don't no pussy grow on trees, including yours." She looks sad, but I need to tell her the truth. Miss Parade has been passing out free pussy for far too long.

I have to put an end to that shit.

"I'm not good with askin' men for money. I don't even see how she does it."

"Honey, I
dooos
it too. You do it just like this: You looks 'em up and down while they dick's in they hands and say, 'Ain't shit in life free so leave two hundred on the table, please.'"

"I'm serious." She grins.

"And so am I! You gotta pay the waiter after dinner is served, don't you?"

She nods.

"Well, there you go."

She's laughin', and I am happy because Miss Sky broke her down lower than a hoe with no legs earlier in the car today.

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"I'll try."

"Yeah, you better, gurl."

We finish talking as Miss Sky and Miss Daffany rejoin us. Apparently, Miss Sky isn't mad no more because she is finally talking to Miss Parade. I guess Miss Daffany told her about herself and this is her way of apologizing.

"So we can go to LVL X to get you somethin' to put on, and you can grab some shoes in Off Broadway shoe store," Miss Sky commands.

"Thanks, Sky. I have fifty dollars to put toward everything, too," Miss Parade obliges.

"Keep that for your hair. I made appointments for us with Carol when I was in the store."

"Well what about me?" I ask. "I need to find me somethin' to wear, too. Now, y'all ain't gonna be the only bitches flossin' tomorrow night."

"Bitch, you betta spend your own money." Miss Sky laughs.

"Why spend mine when I can spend yours?" I sass her.

"And what are you wearing anyway?" Miss Daffany asks.

"I don't know yet. The possibilities are endless, chile. Look at me. Could I look bad in anything?" We all laugh in the middle of the mall.

~~~~

Let me tell you somethin' 'bout me. I'm gorgeous, baby. Like right now, I'm wearing my silk pants, cow-boy boots, red silk shirt and a touch of clear lip gloss.

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My hair is smoothed back with a lil' bit of gel and, trust me, I look fierce.

I like hangin' out with my girls because they draw attention. See, faggies are jealous and sneaky, and I don't need all that shit around me. Especially when I know I'm sneaky, too. I got one faggy friend I deal with for business purposes only, and that's Miss Rick. My other friend is Taylor, and although he's in the life, meaning he likes men, he doesn't act all wild and crazy like some gays. But most of the time, it's only business related. Now, if I hung out with every faggy on the street, I'd get into too much trouble. But, my girls, I've known them all my life. I trust them with my men and they trust me with theirs. I fuck the ones they don't want and warn them about the ones I want. It works out perfectly because I inform them about the ones I know are gay anyway.

~~~~

We're finished shopping. Miss Parade has two outfits and two pairs of shoes while everybody else is loaded up and ready to go. I'm happy that Miss Sky dropped the money she did on Miss Parade. After all, the money is rightfully Miss Parade's, too, considering they're sleeping with the same man.

Miss Parade fuckin' Jay may be wrong but if it wasn't her, it would be somebody else. Jay ain't no good, grant it, but Miss Parade snagging him proves my point that she can have any man she wants. Miss Sky being light-skinned ain't got nothin' to do with it. It's all about personality. She doesn't have to stick with the
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short and stubby Melvin look-alikes just because she hasn't learned to appreciate her complexion.

If you ask me, I think Jay's fucked Miss Daffany, too, but she'd never admit it. She don't tell us who she fucks in the Manor, even when we beg her. She says, "I don't give out the names of my clients." So we stop askin'. Probably because they'd fuck her up if they found out. Most of them are married so they're sleeping with her right under their wives' noses. I know I saw Jay crawlin' out of the same hole she did one day, but I could be wrong.

~~~~

"Did you see that bitch's hair? It was a mess." Miss Sky laughs on the way out the mall's door.

We turn around but must've missed the girl she is talkin' about because the one I see is attractive. Miss Sky's a troublemaker, always keeping up shit. Since I've been knowin' her, she's started at least fifty fights and got all of our asses locked up one night.

"What you say, bitch?" the attractive girl says. I'm not surprised. "I know you ain't talkin' about nobody's hair," she continues as she and her friend approach us.

Despite the evil look on her face, she is a pretty little thing. Looks like somebody's trophy for real. She has the Chinese cut with the spiky bangs and it's her natural hair, falling all the way down her back. She is killin' that cut. So, truthfully, I don't think Miss Sky was talking 'bout her, but at this point, it doesn't even matter.

"Get out my face, bitch," Miss Sky says as she
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moves toward the door. Of course, Miss Parade appears to give her cover.

Miss Parade is on it, too. She had dropped her bags and was ready to handle shit the moment the girl opened her mouth. She assumes her position, like she always does, in front of Sky as if she's her personal bodyguard or somethin'.

"And what the fuck you wanna do?" the attractive woman asks Miss Parade. "Your friend real comical, talking about somebody's hair when yours look like some shit. Did you comb that shit or just gel it?" She has some girls with her and all are pointing and laughing at Miss Parade's hair. But Miss Parade ain't say nothing. She used to tell us all the time that she can tell who's scared by how much shit they talk when it's time to fight. She believes if they are really 'bout it, they won't be running their mouths.

She is always ready to fight, and for real, I think she loves it. She told me that the reason she's won every battle is because she goes to a different place mentally.

She thinks about every person who has ever done her wrong and takes it all out on her victim. All I know is whatever she does, it works. "Listen, sweetie, why don't you wiggle your little ass on down the hall 'cuz it is not that serious," I tell the bitch, honestly trying to prevent Miss Parade from getting out on her.

"Are you serious? Aren't you a little too big for those pants? What are you extra large and they're extra small? What possessed you to think--" the bitch utters.

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"Bitch, shut the fuck up. I wasn't even talkin' to your simple ass anyway," Miss Sky retorts, "but just for stepping over here, you getting ready to get fucked up."