“Mmm,” Mama Yoni uttered from across the counter, shaking her head with nothing but shame as Luna met her gaze. “You be careful. You know we live in a small town. Finn is always with some random woman, whether she got a man or not. A man will only change if a real woman steps into play. You are a strong woman, Luna. Don’t you ever lose that,” Yoni warned.
“I won’t, Mama. I promise.” She came around the corner to kiss the woman’s cheek and hug her gently before sauntering out of the kitchen.
“Lawd, that’s like mixing fire with more fire. Bless ’em. Just bless ’em,” she said to herself.
Yoni raised Luna, and was very protective of her, often disguised with tough love. She wanted Luna to live to her full potential. A natural talent at so many things, she was alsoinvolved in several local marketing agencies that hosted events throughout town. Becoming quite the party planner, her name was also gaining a lot of traction on the upscale circuit. Lunar Event’s was her vision, and once she built her clientele up, she planned on doing just that. Yoni didn’t want anything to derail that girl from her dreams. She saw what it did to her mother when she was stalled, and she got so buried in regret that one day she took off and never looked back.
“This bitch,” Nadia muttered, approaching Rose at the entrance to the carnival.
He said his little brother, but she didn’t expect Minx to be there with her man either. She knew she was dating Gannon, but there was a lot that Nadia heard in a day, and she didn’t always trust her sources. Putting on her fake smile, she walked up on the group.
“What’s up, gang? I didn’t know we were doing a group thing today.” Nadia cut her eyes at Rose.
He shook his head but didn’t say anything. Minx’s dislike was written all over her face. She was never one to hide behind how she felt.
“Nadia, feel free to distance yourself if you need to then.” Minx tilted her head at her, trying to be cute.
“Minx.” Rose cut in, jarred by her remark.
These two were starting with the shit early. He knew Minx didn’t like any of the bitches he happened to bring around. The problem was, she felt like Nadia had to still mean something since he was keeping her around. Rose knew that Nadia was loyal. She was also a business major and fluent with washing his money. The boxing gym he owned was a nice front for his other dealings, and Nadia kept all that shit afloat. He broke her off a percentage and occasional dick when he was around. The shit worked for him. Rose didn’t stick a label on them anymore, and she knew that. If he wanted to fuck a bitch in front of her she couldn’t do anything about it, and the same was true for her.
Nadia’s mouth stretched into a satisfied grin. She knew girls like Minx coming up—spoiled, entitled, and all because she was so beautiful. Men always went out of their way for her, and other girls didn’t care for her. Everyone assumed she was a hoe because of how sexy and confident she was. When Minx walked into a room, she radiated everything around her. The energy changed when her mouth curved into that sexy half smile. A natural aura was competition to any woman.
“Nah, Rose, it’s all good. Nice to see you too, Minx,” she greeted her all sugary sweet.
“Yo, real niggas don’t go to fucking carnivals, bruh.” Finn’s voice pulled their attention from the confrontation going on.
He and Luna walked up looking very good together. Minx caught on to the extra swag her girl had today and simpered. It seemed they had a few things to discuss.
“Nigga, just bring ya ass. If I got to do this shit, you do too,” Rose argued.
Nadia snuck up beside him, clinging to him like she was his girl. Rose didn’t say anything as they walked up to pay for their entry. Luna and Minx hooked their arms together and walked in their own little world. There was a little nip in the morning air, so it kept them warm.
“So you walked up looking real boo’d up.” Minx mocked her friend, watching Nadia lean in and pull herself closer to Rose while they walked ahead of them.
She rolled her eyes and kept in stride with her.
“Pssh, bitch, please,” Luna chimed in with a nervous laugh.
Minx side-eyed her.
“Yeah, ‘bitch, please’ my ass. What happened? And don’t say nothing. I can see that fresh twinkle in your eye, hoe.” She teased before they cackled together.
“What you think happened? I was on my best behavior.” Luna lied.
Head down in his phone, Finn trailed them through the carnival. His munchies were kicking in so he didn’t like that they were passing all the little food stands and games so that they could get to the rides. The temp rose and so did the brightness from the sun.
“Yoni woke us up to load groceries in the house. She gave me fair warning about getting involved with Finn.”
“Your best hoe shit, I’m sure.” Minx reacted playfully. “And you know Yoni’s going to give it to you straight, no chaser,” Minx countered.
“Whether you want her to or not,” Luna chimed in. “But… I don’t know. I’m not trying to get into nothing deep or serious. This is Finn we are talking about here. The nigga can’t even commit to a brand of underwear. He keeps bitches on deck. Last night was about us both having a need to fulfill. That was it,” Luna described.
“Hmm, OK.” Minx stared off, and her eyes landed on Gannon.
He was also in his phone. The nigga was so glued to it he barely paid attention to her walking beside him. She was curious as hell about what had him so engrossed, but she was never one to go looking for trouble.
“What’s going on with you?” Luna picked up on the vibe between her bestie and her man.
