Prima Donna (3 page)

“
Nine-thirty,” McKinley said with the syrup in her hand.

“
Oh shit. I gotta go.” Jamil removed the tray from his lap and began put on his jeans.

“
Where you going? You haven’t even finished your food yet,” McKinley said, feeling her temperature rise.

“
I got something I need to take care of.” Jamil zipped up his jeans.

“
Like, you’re fuckin’ wit’ me right?” McKinley folded her arms across her chest.

“
No.” Jamil pulled his shirt on over his head.

“
Okay, it’s bad enough you played me last night. Now you’re gettin’ ready to play me again?”

“
It’s too early in the morning, McKinley. Don’t start that shit.” Jamil placed on the watch he wore last night.

“
What shit?” McKinley scrunched up her face.

“
All that fuckin’ complaining. Let me go take care of this and I’ll get up wit you later.” Jamil kissed her on the cheek.

McKinley stood motionless. She wanted to say more, but it was useless. Jamil was already out the door. Fuming, she walked over to the bed and picked up the tray of food when she noticed his gift sitting on the bed.
Inconsiderate bastard
, she hissed inwardly, stomping toward the kitchen. McKinley was so mad that she emptied the entire tray of food, including the dishes, in the trash.

She really didn’t know how much more of Jamil’s insensitive attitude she could take. The shit was getting old and fast. She deserved to be treated like a queen. Yes, Jamil provided her with a lavish lifestyle that she wouldn’t be able to maintain without his assistance. But all of the money in the world couldn’t buy happiness and peace of mind. McKinley ran her hand through her long black hair as her house phone began to ring. Hoping that it was Jamil calling to say that he was sorry, she raced over to the phone.

To her dismay, it was her mother. McKinley rolled her eyes and let out a breath of air. She really wasn’t in the mood to talk to her. Every time they talked their conversation somehow steered into how foolish she was for dropping her life back in St. Louis to be with a man whom she barely knew and who wasn’t, in her mother’s words, worth shit.

But what her mother didn’t and couldn’t understand was that from the moment they met, McKinley fell head over heels in love. She’d met Jamil while on vacation in Miami with her girlfriends. After spending every waking moment together, when it was time for her to leave the two couldn’t bear to part. They’d had a whirlwind romance that neither wanted to end.

Everyone, including her mother and friends, told her she was crazy for jumping into a relationship with a man she barely knew and for giving up her job as an underwriter to stay in a city where she knew no one. But McKinley didn’t care. She was a sucker for love at first sight, so when Jamil promised her the world she believed him. Deciding she’d talk to her mother later, McKinley let her voicemail pick up the call. Just as she was about to go back to her bedroom and sulk, the phone rang again.

“
C’mon, Ma. What is it?” McKinley whined, looking at the caller ID. But it wasn’t her mother calling; it was her BFF of three years, Kristen, who lived two floors down.

After moving into the building, McKinley and Kristen became instant friends. They both had a shared love for designer frocks, reality television and good food. Plus, Kristen’s boyfriend and Jamil ran in the same circle, so Kristen understood the trials and tribulations of dating a man who was not only wealthy, but full of drama.

“
Hello?” McKinley answered the phone.

“
Whaaaaat? I can’t believe yo’ ass up this time of the morning.”

“
Shut up.” McKinley chuckled, sitting down on the couch.

“
I just saw your nigga leave as I was coming in.”

“
It’s only nine-fifteen, Kristen. Where in the hell have you been already?”

“
While yo’ ass was in the bed, fuckin’ and suckin’, I went to the gym and then to the grocery store. Something you know nothin’ about,” Kristen said with a laugh.

“
You got that right,” McKinley responded unenthusiastically.

“
What’s wrong wit you?” Kristen asked, hearing the sound of sadness in her voice.

“
Nothin’.” McKinley sighed.

“
McKinley, this is me. I know when there’s something wrong wit’ you. What has Jamil done now?”

“
Girl, he just gets on my nerve.” McKinley rolled her eyes. “You know I planned that whole big ta da for his birthday, and do you know he didn’t even bother to show up? I sat in that restaurant for damn near an hour and a half like a goddamn dummy before I finally said fuck it and went home.”

“
So what was his excuse for not showing up?” Kristen asked, unlocking the door to her apartment.

“
Now that I think about it, he never really gave me an explanation,” McKinley replied, having what Oprah Winfrey called an “aha moment.”

“
Now that I think about it, instead of him tellin’ me where he was, that muthafucka turned the shit around on me and went off on me for turning my phone off.”

“
Tricky bastard.” Kristen grinned.

“
I can’t believe that nigga got over on me again,” McKinley replied in disbelief.

“
Niggas,” Kristen said, putting up her groceries. “Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em.”

“
I’m just tired of him treating me like this. He’s just so fuckin’ insensitive.”

“
Aren’t all men?” Kristen joked.

“
I guess you have a point,” McKinley agreed.

“
Look, girl,” Kristen stopped dead in her tracks. “Fuck Jamil. If he wanna act a fool let him. Tony ass on some bullshit, too, but you think I’m over here on suicide watch? No. I’m doin’ me ’cause guess what? Ain’t none of this shit new. We know how these niggas are and we’re both choosing to stay, so why continue to cry and whine every time they do something fucked up? You think they trippin’ off us right now? No. So let’s take a page from their book and not trip off they ass either.”

“
You’re right.” McKinley let out a much-needed breath.

She wanted to be strong like Kristen, but deep down inside she knew thoughts of Jamil would control her mind for the rest of the day. The shit was sickening. It was like she lived and breathed him.

“
Check it. How about we have a ‘I’m Doin’ Me Day’? We’re gonna get dressed, get our nails and feet done, grab lunch, then go shoppin’. And to finish out our ‘I’m Doin’ Me Day’ we’ll put on our flyest outfits and head to Mansion tonight. What do you say?” Kristen exclaimed. “And I’m not takin’ no for an answer,” she added.

“
Well, I guess that’s a yes then.” McKinley laughed.

“
Oh, and if Tony or Jamil call we have to promise not to pick up the phone.”

“
Now you reaching,” McKinley countered.

“
Quit being a punk. Besides, how many times have you called Jamil and he didn’t answer your calls? Case in point, last night on his birthday. One day of giving that nigga yo’ ass to kiss won’t hurt. If anything, it’ll put a fire under his ass and make him act right for a change. And another thing—”

McKinley caved in. “Okay, okay, okay. I swear, you should’ve went to law school ’cause yo’ ass can talk a muthafucka into anything.”

“
I’ll take that as a compliment,” Kristen replied. “Now be ready by eleven.”

“
A’ight.”

“
And don’t take all day, McKinley. You got almost two hours to get ready,” Kristen stressed.

“
Okay, heffa.”

“
Whatever, bitch, meet me in the lobby at eleven,” Kristen said before hanging up.

“
Deuces.”

XoXo

“
I swear yo’ ass gon’ be late for your own funeral,” Kristen said, pulling out the parking lot of her and McKinley’s building.

“
You can’t rush perfection.” McKinley looked in the rearview mirror and applied another coat of pink Chanel lip gloss.

“
Bitch, you look a’ight.” Kristen pushed the passenger’s visor mirror up in its appropriate position, snapping it closed.

“
Uh.” McKinley screwed up her face. “Don’t be a hater.”

“
Chile, please. I’m far from a hater. I mean, have you taken a good look at me lately? I’m the shit, bitch.”

“
Whatever. You look a’ight, but please believe you ain’t flyer then me.” McKinley grinned as the wind whipped through their hair.

McKinley would never admit it to Kristen, because she was so vain, but Kristen was supermodel gorgeous. She was tall and statuesque with a sepia skin tone. Kristen rocked her hair in a super cute bob with blunt bangs. Kristen had a full bust and plump ass to fill out her clothes.

“
So where are we going?” McKinley inquired. “’Cause it’s like ninety-five degrees outside and I’m not tryin’ to be out in the heat. ’Cause you know with the kinda hair I got my shit gon’ be lookin’ like Chaka Khan’s in a matter of seconds. And I did not spend a half an hour flat ironing my hair for nothin’.”

“
Now I see why Jamil stood you up, ’cause you’s one complaining bitch.” Kristen grimaced.

“
Just answer the question, trick,” McKinley snapped.

“
We’re going to Blush to get our manipedis, lil’ nosy-ass girl.”

“
Cool, ’cause I wanna change my color.” McKinley looked down at her nails as her cell phone started to ring. “Uh ah,” McKinley snarled.

“
What?” Kristen looked over.

“
Jamil’s callin’ me.”

“
You bet’ not answer that phone,” Kristen warned.

“
I’m not.” McKinley slid her phone back inside her purse. “Like you said, I’m doin’ me today.” She smiled brightly.

“
She put up wit it ‘cause she know that dick be dynamite.”

Masspike Miles featuring

Rick Ross

“
Nasty”

After being fully pampered and shopping until her wallet screamed “STOOOOOOOOOOOOP,” McKinley returned home. She couldn’t wait to dump her things out on the bed and get dolled up for a night on the town with her girl. Kristen had been right. Their day of doin’ them was empowering. It felt good not to sit in the house and sulk over Jamil’s latest disappointment.

He’d been blowin’ up her cell phone non-stop, but McKinley never once caved in and answered the phone. It felt good to have him wondering where she was and what she was doing. McKinley dug inside her Birken bag and pulled out her key to unlock the door. As soon as she stepped across the threshold, she dropped her bags and screamed.

“
Where the fuck you been?” Jamil barked, sitting on the couch.

“
Boy, you scared the shit outta me.” McKinley held her chest.

“
Fuck all of that. Answer the question. Where you been?”

“
Out. Why?” McKinley curled her upper lip and bent over to pick up her bags.

“
You know why. Why the fuck you ain’t been answering my calls?”

“
The same reason you didn’t answer mine last night,” McKinley shot back sarcastically.

“
Oh, now you on some ole other shit. Why everything gotta be a game wit’ you? I’m gettin’ real sick of you not answering my calls ’cause you call yo’self being mad. How about I get that muthafucka turned off then, since you don’t like answering it. Then we can just go our separate ways. You can take yo’ ass back to Saint Louis. ’Cause you ain’t about to play me like I’m some bitch-ass nigga,” Jamil barked.

“
Really, Jamil?” McKinley cocked her head to the side, outdone by his statement. “Don’t you think you’re carrying on a bit?”

“
No.”

“
Well, why is it every time I do something you don’t like you wanna call it quits?”

“
Look, this is my life. Anything could’ve happened to me and you wouldn’t have known. All because you wanna play tit for tat.”

McKinley hated to admit it, but Jamil had a point.

“
You know what? You’re right. I just feel like sometimes you don’t care,” she admitted.