Black & Ugly (9 page)

Parade is taking deep breaths. I've seen her stomp bitches out for pointing a finger in her face. So letting Sky slide proves she takes a lot from her.

"Sky ... get your fuckin' finger out my face." Sky must know Parade ain't playin' because she quickly withdraws her finger.

"You just jealous, Parade," she responds in a lower tone. "And that don't make no damn sense."

"Whatever. Just because I don't look a certain way don't mean I'm jealous of you. And there are plenty of dudes who still want me, no matter how you think I look. Trust me," Parade says. "You don't even know the half."

"And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It's supposed to mean exactly what I said!" Parade yells.

Aw shit. Parade is finally getting buck with Sky. She never, ever talked back to her that way. For one, Sky would threaten not to do stuff for her anymore and two, Sky is the flyest friend Parade has.

I'm ordinary and I'm cool with it. I know about the labels, but I prefer to wear Express and spend more money on my shoes and purses than anything else. I'm brown-skinned and I wear my hair in ponytails most of the time. I got really big breasts and a flat ass. I think there's Chinese somewhere in my family 'cuz I have
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chinky eyes, although my moms keep sayin' it ain't true. She's slept with too many men to count and probably don't know who my father is anyway.

"You know what, you little bitch, see the next time I do anything for you," Sky yells to Parade over the music.

To say Parade looks up to Sky is an understatement, but eventually everybody gets tired of being shit-ted on. All she's gonna do now is carry Parade and not answer the phone when she calls. Parade can't handle the heat from Sky when she throws her shade. She'll call me or Miss Wayne and beg us to talk to Sky for her.

But Sky won't come around until she gets ready.

"Look, it's not that serious," I say as I grab Sky's hand. "She was takin' up for me, that's all. I'll talk to him real quick, Sky. It's not a problem."

"First off, you don't need nobody takin' up for you.

We ain't kids. We grown-ass women," Sky says as she looks at Parade.

"Well, maybe you should act like it," Parade responds with most of her mouth in her drink.

"I'm coming, Sky, dang. Just leave it alone."

"Okay," she says with an attitude. "
Anyway,
he's been asking about you all night, and I think you'll like him," she adds as she play hits me on my arm. "I'm trynna find you a man so you don't have to trick no more."

"Why you gotta say dumb shit, Sky? I don't need no man, and I'm not gonna stop trickin' till the fuck I get ready to."

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"Unless you a dyke, we all need a man." Sky laughs. "Well, he's feeling you. He's asked me about you all night," she resumes as we approach him while he's kickin' it with one of his boys.

"Excuse me," Sky interrupts his conversation.

"Here she is."

"A'ight, yo. I'll get up wit' you lada, man," he says to his friend. "Good lookin' out, shawty," he continues as he turns to Sky. "And don't worry, she gonna be a'ight wit' me."

"No problem, boy. Just do my friend right," Sky replies as she switches away.

I'm alone with him and nervous. I ain't the go-hard bitch I used to be and tonight I don't feel like no shit.

All I want to do is have a nice time and pretend that all the stuff going on in my life doesn't exist. I don't want him calling me a whore or asking me how much I charge, like they usually do when they learn I trick.

Men love breaking me down in public. They love reminding me of my position. But to prevent spoiled-ass Sky from being upset, I decide to meet him anyway.

He's tall, attractive and dressed real fly. His mocha-colored skin doesn't have a mark on it, and the five o'clock shadow does him right. He's killing the leather blazer with the cap and Timbs. He has that Usher style goin' on real tough, so before he say a word, I know he's my kinda nigga.

"Damn, I was wonderin' when you was comin' over here, yo. I asked your friend about you a long time ago."

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"Well, why you ain't come over to meet me yourself?" I question, wonderin' if he's playin' games.

"'Cuz I ain't know if your dude was here, yo. I got beef with niggas already 'cuz of dumb shit," he responds.

"Where you from?" The accent sounds like New York or B-more, but for real I ain't sure.

"B-more. Why?"

"Just askin.' So what you want with me?" I say, hopin' he doesn't want to know my prices. "And, be real 'cuz I ain't got time for no games."

"Yo, I'm just trynna check you. Get to know you.

See what's up ... that kinda thing. Why? Your man in here or somethin'?"

"Naw. I ain't got one of those. Why you keep askin'?"

"'Cuz I told you niggas trip hard over bitches - I mean girls," he says.

"Well, I don't have a man right now," I reply as if I'd have one in the near future. This leaves me a little room in case I find out he is stupid and I don't want to be bothered. If he thinks I have a man, I can always come back to this moment.

"Well look, since you ain't ask and it took you forever to come over here, I'll tell you myself. I ain't got nobody I fuck wit' either, but I'm tryin' to get to know you."

"I was gonna ask you if you had somebody." I laugh.

"When, shawty? You got me workin' overtime
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here," he says as he play hits me. "What a nigga gotta do to get your attention?"

"You did it already," I respond, feeling happy I walked over here after all. "Well, where you live?"

"I just got a house over there by the Manor and I'm lookin' for somebody to kick it wit' from time to time.

It could be you," he says, "if you want it to be."

"Oh, for real." I smile. "Well, we'll see. I need to make sure you ain't no stalker or nothing first."

"Naw, if you don't want me, I'll leave you alone." He smiles.

I believe him, too.

"Who you be wit'?"

If he rolls with a certain crew, then it ain't no use in getting to know him because they'll tell him I'm a hoe.

They'll probably tell him anyway, but if I get to spend time with him for a while and he starts to like me, maybe he won't care.

"I hang with a wrack of Baltimore cats. You probably don't know 'em."

"Oh," I say, feeling a little relieved because where I live is a long way from Baltimore. "Who you here with?" I need to eliminate Silver and them with the quickness. Nice or not, I'm not fuckin' with nobody they associate with 'cuz all them dudes are grimy.

"A friend of mine told me about this spot so I had to check it out. Now it's my turn to start askin' some questions. Yo, why you single? You got a lot of kids or somethin'?"

"No! I don't have any kids. I'm just doin' me right
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now."

"Well, not for long," he says as he grabs my hand.

My pussy jumps and I want him right here.

"What you sippin' on?" he questions.

"My girl Parade got us Incredible Hulks earlier."

"Awwww shit, shawty. You goin' hard. Well, since it look like that joint is almost empty, let me get you anotha one."

He flags some dude over and tells him to bring two drinks, Hpnotiq mixed with Hennessy, and within five minutes, we're sippin' together. I'm feelin' bad for Parade 'cuz at this point, I have been over here for about thirty minutes. I am pretty sure Sky didn't go back to keep her company, especially after their argu-ment. I look over in the spot we were and she's gone. I haven't seen Sky in about twenty-five minutes, when she kept smilin' because I was still talking to him. For all I know, Parade has met somebody because she looks real cute tonight.

"So what you do for a livin', shawty?" That hurts. I don't know what to tell him, because anything outside of sayin', "I'm a prostitute," would be a lie.

"I'm a consultant."

"A businesswoman. I like that shit," he responds as he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me to him. "I can bring you home to Mamma. That's what's up."

There are a few dudes in here I've been with before that keep lookin' in our direction. I'm determined to
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