“Yeah, you talkin’ real crazy right now. Get the fuck out of my room before I cuss you out.” I ignored Lyric as she left and came back with Symphonee’s clothes. She had been hinting at moving into her own place since she turned eighteen, and it made mychest tight every time she brought it up. She was in such a hurry to be out on her own, and I couldn’t understand why. It honestly didn’t matter because she wasn’t taking my little girl anywhere. She could leave if she wanted to, but Symphonee wasn’t going anywhere.
“Where are we going?”
“Why can’t you ever just sit back and chill? You’re a passenger for a reason.” I tittered while peering over to look at my Lola Bunny.
Lyric used to love the character from Space Jam, and I used to tease her about her obsession. As we got older, I noticed that she possessed the same feisty personality, deep blue eyes and alluring beauty as her favorite character, so I started calling her Lola Bunny or Lola B for short. No one else understood where it came from except us, and no one else was allowed to call her by that name.
“You are lucky that you’re driving, otherwise I would be beating you upside the head. I’m tired of you always trying to boss me around. I keep telling you that my daddy is dead. You don’t run me,” Lyric argued.
“It wouldn’t matter if he were alive and well; I would still treat you the same. Now sit your little ass back and enjoy this ride.” I shot back.
Lyric glared at me, but I paid her no mind. We were always butting heads simply because she questioned everything instead of going with the flow. I would never do anything to cause harmto her or my baby girl, so she needed to learn how to relax and live in the moment.
We rode with the music playing and baby girl babbling in the back seat. I couldn’t wrap my head around her growing up on me. She was already starting to pull up on things, and it would only be a matter of time before she started walking. That little girl owned my heart and held it in the palm of her tiny hands, and she didn’t even know it.
My phone buzzed, but I didn’t bother to answer. I thought maybe they would catch the hint, but shortly after the phone stopped ringing, it started back up again. I noticed the shift in Lyric’s demeanor as the phone continued to ring.
“Someone is obviously trying to get in touch with you. You don’t have to ignore them on my account,” Lyric spat.
I chuckled, catching on to the hint of jealousy in her tone. “Don’t flatter yourself, baby mama. I didn’t answer because I’m driving and I don’t feel like talking right now. It has nothing to do with you,” I assured her.
Admittedly, Lyric and I both had feelings for each other, but there was nothing else to it. As much as I wanted to shoot my shot, I knew I couldn’t. Not only was she my best friend’s little sister, but she was also my friend. We were co-parenting a beautiful baby girl, and Lyric was trying to get her life in order. Besides, she wasn’t ready for a nigga like me, and I had made peace with it a long time ago.
“This is ridiculous.” Lyric huffed as she unclipped my phone from the holder and answered it. I assumed she thought I was going to fight her on it, but I truly didn’t care. There was nothing to hide, and she had access to everything I owned.
“Hello?” I heard Zenia on the other end, but kept my eyes focused on the road.
“You ain’t gon’ say anything?” Lyric questioned as she held the phone up.
“What do you mean? You’re the one who answered the phone. I assumed you had something you wanted to say.” I chuckled.
“Oh, hell no. East, I know damn well you don’t have me on the phone with your baby mama?” Zenia shrieked.
“My bad, little mama. The phone kept going off while I was driving, and she decided to answer. I’m kind of in the middle of something, but I can hit you up when I finish,” I responded.
“Well, I was trying to see what you were doing tonight. Martesha is throwing a pool party this weekend, and everybody is supposed to slide through. I wanted to invite you since I haven’t gotten to spend any real time with you lately,” Zenia complained.
“My fault. My daughter had a cold, and I wasn’t trying to leave her side until she got better,” I explained. It wasn’t a lie because Symphonee had been irritable and running a fever last week, and it freaked me out. It turned out that she had a double ear infection, and I refused to leave her side until I knew she was better.
“Are you serious right now?” Lyric sneered.
I took my eyes off the road to look at her, not understanding what her problem was.
“What?”
“What? Nigga, are you really sitting here explaining yourself to a bitch?”
“Aye, Zenia, I’ll hit you back when I’m done taking care of my family.”
Lyric hung up the phone before she could respond, which I found hilarious. She was the one who chose to answer the phone, but she was mad at me.
“What the hell is your problem?” I asked, noticing her turn her body in the passenger seat. Dramatic ass.
“Lyric Chanel. I know you hear me talking to you.” I reached over and shoved her shoulder. She cut her eyes at me, then gave me the middle finger.
“You are ridiculous. How the hell are you mad at me? I didn’t even do anything.”
“You sat on the phone with her, explaining yourself like I wasn’t in the car,” she complained.
