PRETTY BRIGHT

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental. Any and all locations existing are mentioned in the book to give it a feeling of reality.

Pretty Bright
Copyright © 2010 by Mimi Renee All rights reserved including the right to reproduce this book or portions of this book thereof in any form whatsoever. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a review.

If you have purchased this book with a dull or missing cover, you have possibly purchased an authorized or stolen book. Please immediately contact the publisher, Ink Game advising where, when and how you purchased the book.

Cover Design/Graphics Charlie Big Six
Hustle/www.120designs.net
Author: Mimi Renee
Editor-in-Chief: Jill Alicea/[email protected] Proofreader: Niccole
Simmons/www.21streeturbanediting.com
Interior Design: Glenda A. Wallace/
[email protected]

I dedicate this book to all the readers, the writers on the grind, and to all the people who have continued to love, support and believe in me! This one's for you...and it’s only the beginning of what I have in store for you...

First I'd like to say thank you to my Heavenly Father, for giving me the craft, the passion and the ability to write my dreams into reality. You are an incredible God, and I love you wholeheartedly! To my daughter, Aonesty a.k.a Poo Bear...Like I always tell you, sweetheart; continue to fight for your dreams...NO MATTER WHAT! It's your destiny and I love you more than life itself! Big Whoadi, I thank you and love you for your continued support. You are and have always been the back bone to everything that I do. Together we move mountains, and I love and appreciate you very much!!! Shout out to my parents, Melvin and Nadine and my siblings, Melvenia, Melanie and Melvin Jr...I love you guys sooooooo much and thanks for always being there for me. I don't know what I would do without you guys! Shout out to my industry friends who have been more than just a little help to me: Shaifire (Debbie Deb) K'wan Foye, Terry L. Wroten, Latia D. Johnson, and a special shout out to my girl Cha'Bella Don!! You have had my back through this journey, and I want you to know that I am forever grateful for you...Now get back to writing!!! Lol. I would also like to say, thanks to my editors, Jill Alicea and Niccole Simmons from Twenty-First Street Urban Editing for helping me with the delivery of my second book born. My cover designer, Charlie a.k.a Charlie Hustle for seeing my vision and delivering it. I appreciate all of your hard work and time, and I thank you all very much! Shout out to all my family, the Burkes, the Anderson's, the Adkins, the Linder's, the Harvey's, the Way's and the Harris family! I love you all very much! Last but not least, I want to say THANK YOU to all the readers and supporters...Without you, my stories go untold. I truly appreciate you all and from the bottom of my heart I want to say THANK YOU for all of your continued love and support! I hope you'll all enjoy!

hat it do, bitches?!? The female that they love to hate is in the muthafuckin’ house!” Bright said upon entering the house of her best friend

“What’s good, bitch?” Treasure stood to greet her friend. “Balling ass niggas!” Bright spat, popping her collar. “And I'm ready to get faded tonight too. How you doing?” Bright asked, striking a sexy pose and then slapping Treasure a high five.

“You is a fool,” Treasure said, recovering from laughter. In the middle of small talk, Treasure busted out with the drama. “Why that nigga Chrome call me last night, Bee?” Treasure called Bright, Bee for short. “And yes, I let that nigga have it!” Treasure said, seeing the expression on Bright's face. “He talking 'bout, ‘I wasn't tryna talk to Bright on the low, she was tryna holler at me!” Treasure said, twisting her lips up. She didn't believe a word he had said to her. He was a dog ass nigga and Bright was her girl, and she trusted her more than anything.

Bright laughed. “Yeah right! I tried to holler at his ass? It was just like I told you, Treasure. That fool was tryna holla when I came out of the bathroom, nigga grabbed my ass and shit like I was too faded to resist, or like I would be on some grimy shit with my homegirl's socalled boyfriend. Fuck him!” Bright said, getting heated all over again. Chrome was cool, but he wasn't fine enough nor did he have enough money for her to play her homegirl like that. “I'm already knowing, Bee, that’s why I gave it to his ass again when he called me a few minutes ago...and I gave his punk ass the dial tone!” Treasure said, nodding her head. Chrome had been her dude for three months. Treasure really liked him, and she thought he liked her too, but when Bright told her what he had done to her, Treasure picked up the phone, called him, cussed him out, and then dumped him. Just like that.

“He ain't shit,” Bright said, seeing the disappointed look on Treasure's face. “You a fly ass bitch, and niggas come a dime a dozen to females like us - da Norf’s baddest bitches. Fuck him!”

“Exactly, fuck him!” Treasure added. “Now what’s the agenda for the night?” She said, trying to get her mind off of Chrome.

Treasure was an only child. She and her mother, Jackie, shared a home with her grandmother, the same home that Treasure's mother was raised in. Treasure was a straight-A student, and because of it, both her Mom and Grandma put up a big fuss over her, and whenever they had extra money, they'd give it to her. Treasure played the good girl role in front of her Mom and Grandma, but she was a wild rebel outside of their supervision. And since they were both at work, the two girls carried on as they did in the streets.

Bright, on the other hand, was the oldest of five siblings that her mother had borne between three different men. Bright had her own father, she was the daughter of a deceased, white, rock star. Deja and Cordell shared the same Latino father, and finally Ramon and Ryonna had the same black father. Their ages all ranked in that exact order.

Unlike Treasure, Bright struggled in school and would be happy to get a C on her report. Her mother worked around the clock in order to support her and her five children. And though she was never really there, she tried to be the best mother she could be in the situation.

Her mother Rosette told her she nam ed her “Bright” fresh out of the womb, once she had seen how light her complexion was. She would always tell her that she had told the doctors, “Damn, she's a bright baby, I'ma name her Bright!” Feeling the pressures of her home life, it wasn't that Bright hated her life. She just wished she didn't have to play the mother role, or have as many responsibilities as she did when her mom was out at work. Honestly, that was the reason she was unable to keep her grades up in school, it seemed like she never had time for homework.
Both girls were beautiful with different, unique looks. But because Bright possessed more exotic features than Treasure, Bright was declared the more dominant beauty of the two. Bright was the product of a bi-racial love affair between her white rock star dad and her African American mom. Blessed with a rare beauty, she stood five feet five inches tall. Bright was straight up model material, and was packaged with just enough of everything on her small frame. She had big green eyes, golden brown hair, and she beamed like a shining star wherever she was. That alone was fifty percent of the reason why most girls hated on her, and the other fifty percent was from her screwed up attitude.
Treasure held her own in the beauty department. She had honey-brown eyes that complimented her cooper brown complexion. She had soft, jet black, shoulder-length hair that stayed neatly trimmed in a wrap. Standing a half of an inch shorter than Bright, Treasure was more on the thick side, and she possessed the body of a ghetto bombshell. She had ass, hips, and breasts for days, and when she walked past any crowd, both male and female, would always have to take a double look at her. “Damn, that bitch got a bomb ass shape,” Treasure would hear a lot of girls say when she passed them. However, unlike Bright, Treasure didn't let her beauty get to her head, and she was actually a very intelligent and down-to-earth girl, that was liked by most. But because she lived by the same rules of the game that Bright did, which was “Getting niggas with money,” the two got along well.

Treasure and Bright had been best friends for five years, and would be seen together all the time. Being North Long Beach residents, they both attended school at David Starr Jordan High School, and considered themselves Da Norf’s baddest bitches (DNBB). Using their looks to their advantage, they got just about anything they wanted from the opposite sex - money, clothes and jewelry - and they never had to ask twice. Because Bright wasn't mentioned in her father's will, or acknowledged as his child, she was determined to live the rich and luxurious lifestyle that she felt she was robbed of. She would always tell her friends, “I'm Bright; I was born to be rich bitch.” And she meant it.

Caught up making plans for the night, their little homegirl
Samantha, a.k.a. Suge, knocked on the screen door. “Hey Suge, come on in!” Treasure said with a smile on her face.

“What's the bizzness?” Suge asked, happy to be in the presence of her big homegirls.
“You tell me, what that shit do, young?” Bright smiled.
After giving both of her girls love, Suge sat down and joined in the conversation. Suge was only in the ninth grade, but because she had an older mentality, both Treasure and Bright took an immediate liking to her that eventually lead to them kicking it with her and schooling her. Suge was taller than both girls, standing five feet seven inches tall, and she had a cute face to go with her curvy shape. However, with all the physical, mental and verbal abuse that she took at home from her mother, Suge had low self-esteem and believed that her chocolate skin made her ugly. Her mother would beat her for things like needing help with homework that she didn't understand, or for any other excuses she could think of when she was having a bad day. The physical abuse hurt, but it was the verbal abuse that scared Suge and made her feel bad about herself. Her mother was the worse ingredient in her life, and she would often tell Suge that she was so black and ugly that nobody would ever want her. Suge was the reflection of her mother down to the core, but she hated Suge for being everything that she used to be before her life was ruined and she gave birth to her. It was so bad that Suge hated her own skin, and secretly wished it was lighter. But with Bright and Treasure always telling her how cute she was, and then after different guys at school started asking her out, she begin to love her dark skin just a little bit more.
“My little bitch looks hot!” Bright smiled, checking Suge out. It was obvious that Suge had low-self-esteem and wasn't confident in her beauty, but Bright didn't understand why, being as gorgeous as she was. So whenever the opportunity presented itself, Bright made it her duty to praise and compliment Suge. She would constantly school her and tell her that confidence was both sexy and beautiful, and that a lack of it was a turn off. Bright learned early in life that guys picked beauty over brains any day, and that good looks plus confidence equaled a woman getting whatever she wanted from a man. Meanwhile, the ugly and insecure only got what they could. “What man want an ugly ass woman?” Bright would always say to her friends to make logic out of her theory.
“Thank you, Bright,” Suge smiled, feeling confident and happy at the same time that she was up to her big homegirls’ standards.
“So we kicking it with some college guys tonight, huh?”
Treasure asked after downing a half of can of Pepsi.
“College basketball stars,” Bright added.
Treasure folded her arms across her chest, “Okay, but unless they got wealthy ass parents, you better know them college boys be broker than us,” she laughed. “But I don't have no plans, so I'm wit’ it.” she said.
“All I’ma say is, “Larry Lane…UCLA star ball player...top dog!” Bright said, popping her collar. “That’s guaranteed future money right there, baby,” she said, putting emphasis on it.
Trying to recall the familiar name, Treasure began to repeat his name over and over again, until she remembered him. “Larry Lane, Larry Lane, Larry Lane, Larry Lane,” she recited. “Oh, that nigga!” Treasure smiled nodding her head. “Oh yeah, he is fine, and he betta have some fine ass baller friends there for me too!” Treasure warned.
“I told 'em I was coming with two bad bitches, so he gone have a homeboy there for you, and a little homeboy there for Suge,” Bright said, then she threw her long hair back behind her shoulders. She had it all mapped out.
“I hope these college dudes got some dough, 'cause my fine ass is broke!” Treasure laughed, heading to her bedroom to grab her knock off Gucci bag. “Y'all ready to hit the mall?” she yelled out to them.
“Super ready,” Bright replied. “I seen some hot-girl outfits that I wanted from Forever 21,” she said, standing up from the sofa.
“I saw some cute stuff too,” Suge chimed in, followed by a soft giggle.
Treasure called her mother at work to let her know that she was going to the mall with her friends. Then they all walked out of the house to the bus stop, talking about what each girl wanted to wear, and what store they wanted to boost from. Almost every other weekend, the girls hit the mall and hit different stores boosting. Bright would distract the sales associates while Treasure detached the sensor devices from the clothes and Suge would put them in her bag. They had great team work, and that was probably why they never got caught.
After getting off the bus on Lakewood Blvd. and Candlewood Ave., the girls talked about their night’s plans as they walked through the mall’s parking lot. Approaching the Subway entrance, Suge decided to enlighten Bright on some information she had on Larry Lane.
“I know, Larry's, sister, Linda Lane,” Suge announced. “She used to be in my seventh period class, before they moved out of Long Beach. And the way she be talking, girl, Larry got a lot of girlfriends, Bright,” Suge warned her.
“Ha!” laughed Bright. “Do you think I really give a fuck?” she said with arrogance and attitude. “I'm, Bright, lil one, and in case you didn't know, I gets what I want, when I want it, and not a second later!” She barked in diva mode. “These other hoe’s tryna get like me,” she said, feeling herself.
“You don't care that he got a girlfriend or girlfriends, Bright?” Suge asked curiously.
“Hell no! And why should I, when her nigga gone be the one spending monies on me and doing what I want him to do and when I want him to do it,” she said, dusting her shoulder off. “His bitches is his problem, not mines! And on the real, it ain't my job or concern to be worrying about his bitch or bitches in the first place!” she stressed. “That’s his job, not mines, and when I take him from all them bitches he so-called be dealing with, he ain't gone never cheat on me, cause I know how to keep and please my man,” she said confidently.
Suge was confused. She understood why Bright only messed with guys that had a lot of money, but dealing with a guy knowing he had a girlfriend, that was a different story, and she didn't agree with it. She thought girls were supposed to have each other's backs and not play doggishly.
Seeing the confused look upon Suge's face, Treasure jumped in the conversation. “I don't like fucking with dudes that have girlfriends either, Suge. But like Bee said, that’s dude’s problem to be worrying about his girl, not ours!” Treasure laughed. “It's not like she's our fucking homegirl!” She said in Bright's defense, recovering from laughter.
“Exactly, Treasure!” Bright agreed, then she turned her attention to Suge. “Youngster, you still have a lot of growing up to do, and a lot to learn. But we got yo back, so you gone be good. All you have to do is watch, listen, and learn,” she assured her little homegirl. Then she wrapped her arm around Suge's shoulder and continued to spit more game to her about niggas with money and how to get it.
Inside the Lakewood Mall, Treasure and Suge workedlike professionals, boosting their new outfits while Bright kept the staff busy getting her different clothes to try on. Coming out of the dressing room at Forever 21, Suge slid straight out of the store with a knock-off bag full of stolen items without being noticed. Afterwards, with the little money that the girls did have, they all decided to sit down for lunch at the mall's eatery. Then, once they finished eating most of their meals, they walked around the mall a little while longer, collected a few numbers from various guys, and then headed back to the bus stop to go home.