A LaLa Land Addiction (21 page)

“Crack?” he finished for her. “Then H?”

She nodded.

“You know how fucked up I feel, knowing you was in them apartments getting high off my shit? That's my product you smoking? My shit you shooting in your veins,” Noah said. “Makes me feel like this ain't the right move. Like for real, Bleu. It's messing with my head.”

“Don't let it. This ain't on you. If it wasn't you, it would be somebody else supplying the streets. Trust me. When I want to get high, I get high. It doesn't matter who I'm copping from. I don't put my troubles on the nigga that serves me because even if one D-boy refuses to there is always another that will. You're in it for the money. You don't feel guilty for getting your paper. It's me. I chose this life,” she admitted. “Enough about me, though, boy, look at you!” She threw her hands up, motioning to all the luxury that surrounded them. “You're living, Noah. Like really living.”

“I do a'ight for myself,” Noah said humbly.

“I'm proud of you,” Bleu said. “You went from pissy-smelling hallways and six hundred square feet in the projects to a mansion in Grand Blanc.” Noah heard her changing the subject, deflecting attention off herself, to speak about something else, anything else other than the elephant in the room.

“Let me help you, Bleu,” he said.

“It's not your responsibility, Noah,” she replied as she shook her head. “Besides, it is not going to work. I've tried. Don't you think I want to go back to the person I used to be? This wasn't supposed to be my story. I don't know how to shake this shit. It seems like every time I try I fail and it just gets worse.” She held out her arms. “Look at this. I'm shooting dope, Noah. I'm killing myself and the bad part is I don't know if I want to stop. If I get clean, I have to deal with all the shit that I've done while high. It's too much.” Her tears were endless. He was her priest and she was giving confession. She had put her worst fear out into the world. She had finally told someone what really prevented her from getting better.

“It's too much for you, but it ain't too much for me, Bleu,” Noah said. “I don't care if I have to lock you up in this mu'fucka, you're not going back to the streets. You're staying here until you kick this shit. You got to promise me one thing, though, Bleu,” he said.

“What's that?” she asked.

“That you'll trust me,” he said.

She nodded. “I trust you.”

Noah nodded. “Good. Now get up and go choose which room you want to sleep in. Then we'll go shopping for some of the things you need.”

“That girl that was here last night. That's your girlfriend?” Bleu asked. Noah nodded. “How is she going to feel about me staying here?”

“I'm on her shit list right now, but she'll come around. You let me handle her,” Noah said. He shook his head as he smirked. He knew that making up with Naomi would cost him a pretty penny. She wasn't a gold digger by far, but there was a price to pay to have a bad bitch on his arm and it went up when he pissed her off. He would have to splurge on a Chanel bag or two just to get back in her good graces. It was the cost of having a high-maintenance type of woman. Roses and apologies just didn't do. “Hurry up so we can shake.”

Bleu headed out of the room but stopped when she got to the doorway. She ran full speed over to Noah and hugged him tightly. He was such a good friend. He was seeing her at her worst, but he wasn't leaving. He wasn't running away from her, and she appreciated his loyalty. She wasn't even loyal to herself at the moment. She couldn't look out for herself, but she knew that he would hold her down until she was strong enough to rely on herself.

They said nothing as he held her close and the feeling of her heart beating against his, at the same rhythm, soothed her. This was genuine love from one person to another. No matter how hard it got, or how many times she messed up, or how much she sabotaged the process, Noah wouldn't leave her.

Noah felt himself becoming emotional. Bleu was the only person who made him tap into that forbidden part of himself that he kept hidden. While he had always been her strength, she had always been his weakness. He couldn't allow that this time. He had to be there for her without allowing her to distract him. He cleared his throat and pulled away, disconnecting from her. Whenever he touched her the energy he felt was so intense it left him with bated breath. “Hurry and get yourself together. I'll be waiting.”

She walked out and he sat on the edge of the bed, perplexed by the way Bleu made him feel. He put his hands on top of his head and blew out an anxiety-filled sigh because he knew that Bleu had just come raging back into his life like a category 5 hurricane. He just hoped that she didn't blow down all that he had built.

 

17

When Noah pulled up to the old projects where they used to live, Bleu looked at them timidly. Memories came flooding back to her. It was as if he were asking her to go into a haunted house. In a way, he was. A lot of ghosts dwelled inside and she feared that if she was forced to enter they would come back to haunt her. It looked the same as she had remembered. Same struggle, same people, same everything. Absolutely nothing had changed. No matter how much money Noah made, he couldn't seem to let go of his humble beginnings. Usually he and Messiah would convene at Noah's old apartment, politic, drink, and bullshit. This time, it was Naomi who had taken refuge there after their disagreement. She wasn't from Flint, however; she didn't know just how dangerous his old stomping grounds were. He had allowed her to cool her top for one night, but anything longer would have him unsettled.

“You coming in?” he asked.

“No, um-m, I'm good right here,” she said.

“You scared of your own people?” he asked with a frown.

“No, I just … I'm good,” she responded.

Noah looked skeptical and said, “I'll be right back.”

He was like a star as he walked through the hood, dapping up the young lieutenants in his operation and stopping for a moment to throw up a basket with the kids playing hoops with a milk crate tacked up to a tree.

Noah made a mental note to bring a rollaway basketball hoop by when he got a chance and then made his way up to his third-floor apartment.

He entered and found Naomi sitting on the couch with her feet propped up as she painted her toenails.

“What you doing here?” she asked as she sucked her teeth.

“I take it you're still mad,” Noah stated.

Naomi didn't answer as she concentrated on the work of art she was doing.

“Look. I need your help. Bleu needs clothes and I'm not good with the girl shit. Can you play nice and take her to the mall? It'll give you a chance to get to know her,” Noah said.

Naomi frowned. “Do I look like I want to be seen with that girl? We are on two different levels,” Naomi said unapologetically.

“She's down bad right now, Naomi. I've seen a lot of sides to you, but I would love to see you think of somebody else beside yourself. I know most of the time it's all about you. I've made it that way, so it's my fault that you're spoiled, but you got to show me a different side. For real. A pretty face ain't shit without a pretty heart to match.”

“I'm not friendly, Noah. You know that,” Naomi sighed.

“Do it for me. I'll eat that pussy real good for you later to thank you,” Noah said as he moved closer to her, kissing her neck as she whimpered at his touch.

“You're not playing fair,” she whined.

Noah smirked and pulled back. “Hurry up. She's in the truck. We'll be parked out front waiting for you,” he said.

Naomi purposefully took her time getting ready.
Little Miss Bleu is going to learn her place if she's going to be around. Her ass can wait,
Naomi thought. It took her an hour to shower, dress, and apply her makeup to perfection. She didn't feel bad about it either. She stepped out of the apartment and looked like a million bucks as she strutted down the stairs. When Naomi got outside she knew Noah would have an attitude. He hated to be left waiting, but Naomi didn't care. She had a point to prove to Bleu:
I come first in his life and shit don't move until I move.

When she got outside and noticed Noah buying ice cream for all the kids in the neighborhood and Bleu passing it out Naomi grimaced. It was like they hadn't even noticed that she had taken all day. Bleu's smile was electric as she handed the soft-serve cones out. When Naomi saw Bleu offer the last cone to Noah she gritted her teeth in disdain. Noah shook his head and Bleu mushed it on his lips anyway, forcing Noah to eat some of the sweetness. They both were in fits of laughter by the time Naomi reached the truck.

She stood with her arms crossed, one hip cocked, and her eyebrows raised in aggravation.

“See, the wait is worth it. You coming out here looking like a million bucks,” Noah said in a jovial mood that irritated Naomi to her core.
All of a sudden this nigga is carefree. She come around and he all smiles,
Naomi thought bitterly.

She gave him a tight smile as he walked over to kiss her cheek. “Bleu, this is my girl, Naomi. Naomi, this is Bleu,” he introduced them.

Bleu waved but didn't speak before climbing back in the truck.

Naomi frowned. “You can move to the back,” she said as she held open the door for Bleu.

Noah quickly diffused the situation as he tossed the keys to Naomi. “I got a few things to handle with Messiah. Can't text and drive. I'll take the backseat.”

Naomi knew he was being diplomatic but she held her tongue and walked over to the driver's side.

The ride was filled with awkward silence as the threesome hit 75 South.

“Where are we going?” Bleu asked.

“I don't shop in the city. Detroit has a better selection. Although for you I guess anything will do. You're not into high fashion clearly,” Naomi said.

Bleu scoffed and shook her head as she surveyed Naomi's outfit.
This bitch thinks just because she wearing every brand in the world she knows fashion. Her gaudy, tacky ass,
Bleu thought. Naomi had no idea that Bleu was a fashion-scene killer. She was down on her luck, but back in L.A. she had everything from Céline to Tom Ford lacing her closet and she knew how to pair it with vintage and low-end stores so that she didn't look like a walking label whore. She wasn't trying to butt heads with Noah's girlfriend, though. Bleu knew that whatever static she made with Naomi Noah would have to suffer for, so instead of creating conflict she just let the insults slide off her back. She didn't have time for catfights. She had bigger problems. While Noah was a great distraction, she could feel the monkey beating on her back. Even in this very moment she just wanted to sneak off and score a quick high.

“Clearly,” Bleu replied. “I'll follow your lead. Maybe you can help me put a few looks together.”

Naomi looked at Bleu out of the corner of her eye, surprised that the girl didn't snap back at her. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Just go to the Valley,” Noah said, referring to the local mall. “You on that Hollywood shit.”

“I thought your girl was Hollywood,” Naomi said snidely.

“No, Noah likes me regular … like the hometown Flintstone I am,” Bleu said in a low tone as she looked out of the window. “Of course you know what he likes. I mean it's obvious you're not from Flint, but you know what I mean. He prefers for his girls to be simple. The extra shit isn't necessary.”

Noah sat in the backseat, perplexed as he watched the nicest nasty exchange of words he had ever seen. Women didn't need to fight with their hands; their words flew like bullets. He reached around the side of the passenger seat and gave Bleu's arm a reassuring squeeze.

The truck felt too small for the three of them. Being around Noah was one thing, but hanging out with him and his girlfriend made Bleu uncomfortable. Considering the fact that Naomi was gorgeous and had her shit together, Bleu felt insecure in her own skin.
I'll never let this bitch know that,
Bleu thought. Facts were facts, however. Bleu couldn't say anything to Naomi. She was sitting here in Naomi's clothes accepting charity from Noah. Bleu didn't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of. She couldn't touch Naomi and they both knew it.

“So Bleu, how long have you two known each other? You have to excuse my behavior last night. He's never mentioned you,” Naomi said as they arrived.

“Since we were kids,” Bleu responded.

They climbed out and made their way inside. She looked back at Noah, who trailed behind the women as they walked. He was distracted, his attention was buried in his iPhone, and Bleu really wished that he had just taken her shopping himself. She wasn't with the game of twenty-one questions that Naomi was playing.

“You just moved back from L.A., huh? Looks like the city was pretty rough on you,” Naomi said.

“I guess,” Bleu replied vaguely.

Bleu turned to Noah and noticed he was frowning. “Hey, are you okay?” she asked.

Noah looked up, his face fixed in anger. Bleu noticed it instantly.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm good,” he said. “You two stay here and finish shopping. Messiah's going to pick me up. I've got to shoot this move. I'll meet you both back at the house tonight.”

Bleu nodded, feeling put on the spot, because there was no way in hell she wanted to be left alone with Naomi. “Oh, okay,” she said.

He noticed the look of uncertainty in her eyes. “You'll be fine,” he promised. He turned to Naomi. “Let me talk to you for a minute.”

He pulled her to the side. “I need you to keep a close eye on her for me. I've got something important to handle,” he said.

“What? I can't babysit a grown woman,” Naomi protested under her breath.

“Just take her shopping and bring her back to the house. You ain't got to do nothing major. Just keep her under you for the day,” Noah instructed.