“I ain’t got no man to move out to the suburbs with and I ain’t got no school degree. What the fuck am I gonna do? You selfish bitches thought about that shit?”
“Why don’t you come with me, Teena?”
“And do what?”
“I know this woman that owns a boutique and she’s thinking about retiring. When I got there, I was gonna talk to her about buying her out. You and I could be partners,” I said, thinking that it would be great to have one of my best friends down there with me.
“I’d be bored to death sittin’ around a store all fuckin’ day. No thanks.”
“Well the offer is out there,” I said.
“Being bored is better than the alternative,” Shay said.
“What’s the alternative?” Teena asked.
“In jail or dead,” Shay said.
The debate, which wasn’t really a debate, raged on as we tried to convince Teena that there was life after drug dealing. Eventually, I just went home and went to bed. I was going to miss them.
We agreed that we would meet that night at Jimmy’s, and me and Teena were sitting there having a drink waiting for Shay to get there, when Jay came to the table and sat down at the table next to me. “What’s up, ladies. I know this is a private party, but I just wanted to come by and say good-bye to you, Nina. I’m gonna miss you,” Jay said and hugged me.
“Thank you, Jay. I’m gonna miss you too.”
“That’s all I wanted,” Jay said and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I’m gonna go on and get outta here.” He started to get up. “Oh, yeah, y’all know the cops is lookin’ for Bryce, right?”
“I didn’t even know that backstabbin’ mutha fucka was back in the city,” I said. “What they want him for?”
“Damn. I thought y’all knew.”
“Thought we knew what?” Teena asked.
“He the one that killed Kenyatta.”
“You bullshittin’?” Teena question.
“No. That’s what the buzz is,” Jay said. “I thought y’all knew.”
“No, Jay, we didn’t know that,” I said.
“We didn’t know what?”
I looked up and there was Shay, standing in front of the table, wearing a dress and pumps-Shay never wears dresses.
“Damn,” Jay said.
“What?” Shay asked.
“You, bitch. What’s up wit’ you in a dress?” Teena said.
“Damn,” Jay said again.
“Close your mouth before you start drooling, Jay,” I said and patted him on the shoulder.
“Damn, you got some big-ass legs, Shay,” Jay said.
“I’m gonna assume you meant that as compliment.”
Jay got up when he saw his woman making her way toward us. “Believe me, it was. You should bust out like that more often. Anyway, Nina, you take care of yourself,” he said and walked off.
“So what’s up with you in a dress, Shay?”
“I just felt like wearin’ a dress. I didn’t think it was a big deal,” she said and looked around for a waitress. “So what we didn’t know?”
“Bryce killed Kenyatta,” Teena said.
“No.”
“That’s what Jay just told us; said the cops is looking for him,” I told her.
“I forgot to tell y’all, but I saw him the other day,” Shay said.
“What was he talkin’ ’bout?” Teena wanted to know.
“Nothing. Just talkin’ shit about how fine I was lookin’ and how he always thought I was fine, and that he should have got with me before I got married. You know, his usual bullshit. Ain’t that some shit? That nigga was smilin’ in my face and he killed Kenyatta.”
“That’s the kind of snake-ass, backstabbin’, bitch-ass nigga he is,” I said. I hated Bryce and this just gave me one more reason to hate his ass. I tried not to let it get me too upset though. This was my last night with my girls and I wasn’t gonna let my hatred for Bryce Tyler ruin it for us. We spent the rest of the night drinking, eating chicken wings, and reminiscing about all the good times we had together. We left Jimmy’s with the intention of rolling by Teena’s to smoke a blunt, but all that changed when I walked outside and saw Bryce walking across the street from Jimmy’s.
“There that snake-ass bitch go,” Teena said.
“I see him. You got your gun, Teena?”
“What you gonna do, Nina?” Shay asked as Teena got her gun out.
“Give it to me,” I demanded.
“What you gonna do, Nina?” Shay asked again.
Teena handed me the gun and I put one in the chamber. “What somebody should have done a long time ago,” I said and started across the street. Teena was right beside me.
“No,” Shay said.
I looked back at her. “Go get the car, Shay.”
While Shay hurried off to get the car, me and Teena walked up on Bryce. I hid in a doorway and Teena called out to Bryce and tried to get him to come toward me. If that didn’t work, I was just gonna start shooting and hope every bullet found its mark.
It worked.
Bryce stopped and came back toward Teena. As soon as he was close enough, I stepped out and placed the gun to the back of his head. Teena took his gun just as Shay pulled up in the car. I walked Bryce to the car and we got in. “Where y’all takin’ me?” the bitch wanted to know.
“To the killin’ floor,” I said.
Shay must have known exactly what I was talking about, because she drove straight to Kenyatta’s old spot. When we got there, we walked Bryce in and took him to the same apartment that we killed Shantia Lewis in. Teena pulled the police tape from the door and went in.
As soon as we were inside, Bryce turned around quickly and tried to get the gun from me. While we wrestled for it, Shay tried to rush Bryce. He kicked her and she fell. Bryce got the gun away from me. He punched me in the face and pushed me to the floor. Teena came running at him and he shot her. I heard Teena scream and she dropped her gun. When I looked I saw Teena on the floor and I went to get her gun. Shay got up and went at Bryce, but he grabbed Shay around the neck and held the gun to her head. “Get back, Nina, or I’ll put a hole in her head,” Bryce said and I stopped. “Now! Right over there.”
I backed away and moved to where Teena was lying on the floor. “Teena, you okay?” I asked and shook her, but she didn’t answer. “Teena!” I shook her again and started to cry. I yelled her name over and over, but it was too late-Teena was dead.
I looked at Shay. Bryce pressed the barrel against her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. He began running his hand over Shay’s breasts and squeezing them. He pulled up her dress and was feeling her ass and legs.
Shay jerked when he stuck his hand in her panties and reached between her legs. “You move again, Shay, and I’ll kill you.” Bryce looked at me. “And that goes for you, too, Nina. You move and I’ll kill her,” Bryce said and ripped off her panties. Shay tried to get away, but he pulled her back and began unbuckling his pants.
He pushed Shay over and put the gun to the back of her head. I couldn’t believe that he was going to rape her right in front of me. He forced himself inside her and Shay screamed. “Shut up!”
Shay closed her eyes and I just hoped that it would be over for her soon; and I wished that I had never gotten us into this. Teena was dead and Shay was being raped because I wanted to kill Bryce so badly. I should have shot him right there on the street, and now I wished I had.
When suddenly Bryce began hitting Shay in the head with the gun. I rolled over quickly and went for the gun.
