“Pinky, Noooo!!!” Everyone yelled but it was too late. She’d already snatched the girl from underneath the dryer and put a beating on her she would never forget. Stacks never came back inside; he sped off and disappeared.

  Hours later they were at Sharonda’s Auntie Pookie’s house talking about how Pinky cut up at the salon earlier. Everyone had been talking about it, that’s how fast news spread. Even the older folks knew, and they had no business gossiping about it.

  The front and backyard of her aunt’s house was packed with people and the food smelled so good. Sharonda had already devoured a plate of baked beans, ribs, and chicken. Her younger cousins begged her to play hopscotch on the sidewalk followed by Double Dutch and she was enjoying herself. Her Fila short set outfit fit her snug around the waist and her red slouch socks topped off her look. Donnell told her he would arrive a little late and that was cool with her.

  Before she left the house Tyrone called her asking if she was going to the cookout and she couldn’t figure out why he was so concerned. They were over and he didn’t need to be trying to come around her family, so she lied and told him she wasn’t going. As she sat in the lawn chair eating vanilla ice cream from the cone, she couldn’t believe her eyes when he showed up with Tricia. She hadn’t seen her since she beat her up when she caught Tyrone with her.

  Caught up in a trance, she didn’t even realize that her ice cream was running down her wrist until her Aunt Cheryl said something. “Girl! Get ya mouth off the floor and get your feelings together. You know Tricia is a hoe and has been, the same way you know Tyrone ain’t shit.”

  Sharonda licked the ice cream from her wrist and swallowed hard. Was she hurt? Hell yeah, but she would never show it to either one of them. Tyrone was shocked to see her since she said she wasn’t coming. He never meant for her to find out this way but after she made it very clear they were never getting back together; he did what a hurt man would do and that was find a better way to hurt her. His ego was crushed knowing she was officially out there in the open with Donnell and it wasn’t shit he could do about it.

  She knew she wasn’t tripping looking at a very small pudge on Tricia because she never had a stomach. Tricia had always been athletic, and her body showed it so any extra fat anywhere would always be noticed on her. She was proud to have Tyrone on her arms, satisfied that she got the man without realizing she was nothing but a rebound and a plot to hurt her. Sharonda blinked back the tears in her eyes as they approached the lawn. The old folks shook their heads and mumbled under their breaths amongst one another.

  Pinky nudged Sharonda and leaned over to whisper in her ear. “We can jump this thirsty trick right now if you want to.”

  “Nah, this bitch ain’t gon’ catch no beatdown today. I wouldn’t even give Tyrone nor her the pleasure.”

  “Hey ya’ll.” Tricia smiled when she walked up like it was all good. Everyone except for Sharonda and Pinky spoke.

  Benita walked outside to tell them she needed some more Coronas to pour over the meat on the grill when she came to a halt seeing Tyrone with Tricia. She propped one hand on her hip and frowned. “Ya’ll know ya’ll dead ass wrong.” She shook her head. “And Tyrone, if I ever catch you popping up to my house again, I’ll shoot your trifling ass.”

  Before anyone could say anything, she slammed the screen door and returned to finish cooking. A lot of the other family were either already drunk or too caught up having them a good time to worry about what was going on. The girls were doing the hydraulics dance to the floor while Uncle Luke’s song ‘Scarred’ blasted from the speakers as the bass filled the block.

  Tricia spoke to her family while half ignoring the sneers from Pinky since Sharonda straight up acted as if she didn’t see her nor Tyrone. Deep down inside, Tyrone felt out of place being there with Tricia instead of Sharonda but finding out that she’d gotten pregnant once again left him no choice especially since she decided she wasn’t aborting this time. He figured he might as well stop hiding the shit now although it was tearing him up.

  “What’s up Sharonda?” He spoke like it was all good.

  “Oh no he didn’t.” Pinky mumbled underneath her breath.

  Sharonda wouldn’t dare allow Tricia to see her sweat. “What’s up.” She spoke and focused back on Pinky. He stood there for a few seconds before he and Tricia disappeared to go speak to everyone else.

  Sharonda’s Aunt Bertha placed her thick arms on her wide hips and shook her head. “A lie don’t care who tell it and the truth ain’t in ‘em. Baby these young folk need a switch to the ass.”

  Sharonda received a ‘209’ page from Donnell letting her know he was on the way. Meanwhile Pinky took a call from Stacks engulfed in a whole argument although she too was cheating on him as well. Sharonda told her over and over she was going to have to settle down, but Pinky was determined to live her best life. When she finished arguing with Stacks she hung up.

  “Fuck him, that’s why I invited Larry.”

  Sharonda frowned. “Larry was cheating too, did you forget?”

  Pinky smirked. “Technically not because I’m not really his girl.”

  “You got mad about seeing him with one.”

  “I just want to have control girl. I don’t get mad about Larry and no bitch, but Stacks… damn right if I see it, I’m acting a fool.”

  Pinky was confusing as hell to Sharonda, so she didn’t try to understand it anymore, however it was very entertaining. Plus, she needed the laughs to control her emotions. Deep down inside she wanted to slap the shit out of Tyrone. She was learning her first lesson about how dirty these niggas played. Just as they were talking, Larry pulled up in his Chevy Caprice. He hopped out fresh as ever in an Adidas shirt with the matching track pants, shoes and hat. His gold jewelry hung around his neck.

  All eyes were glued to him. Larry had hairy arms, a hairy face and everything else. The closer he got the more Aunt Bertha squinted her eyes. “Damn that’s a hairy motherfucker right there.” She said aloud. “Sharonda, who is that?”

  Sharonda pointed to Pinky. “That’s one of hers auntie, not mine.”

  Larry walked up smelling good and all and he may have had money, but he just wasn’t cute. His money and dress code saved him. “How ya’ll doin’ today?” He spoke.

  “Heyyyy.” The women sang in unison.

  Pinky stared him up and down before standing up to take him to the back and speak to everyone else. She wanted to be pissed with him, but she knew she didn’t have the right to. He was only here to get her mind off of Stacks, but he just didn’t know it. Larry could care less. He knew Pink used him for money and he used her for sex so in his mind they were even. He never cared about how she complained about his hair because he had no intention of cutting it. He heard about the shit women said about him, but he still had a way with the ladies which is why they couldn’t leave him alone.

  Sharonda used this opportunity to go to the bathroom before Donnell pulled up. She wanted to make sure that she had her emotions in control when he did because the last thing, she wanted him to think was she was tripping over Tyrone. She never expected him to be there in the first place.

  Chapter Eight

  Are You That Somebody- Aaliyah

  “Boy move!” Sharonda hissed through clenched teeth. She never expected to open the bathroom door and Tyrone to be standing right there trying to gently push her back inside so they could talk. Sharonda wasn’t going for it. “Get the fuck away from me with your trifling ass. Did you forget you’ve still been begging me for months and now you show up with the same person we broke up behind?”

  “Well, what you want me to do man? You round here embarrassing me with this nigga. You got my boys clowning me, Sharonda. That shit ain’t cool. You hurt a nigga more than you know.”

  Tyrone wanted to kiss her yet strangle her ass at the same time. Sharonda just wanted him far away from her. Since the bathroom was way in the back of the house, they were the only two back there, at least for now but he knew he couldn’t be long without making himself look more suspect than he already had.

  “I want you to go be with your baby’s mama and get out of my damn face now move!” She snapped, pushing him hard in his chest, but he barely budged. She tried to move around him, visibly shaking with anger. As the intensity of her emotions surged, her hands trembled uncontrollably. Sharonda was always so chill and calm, but her face was flushed a deep crimson. Once again, she tried to shove him, which prompted him to grab her arm and try to give her a bear hug. “Get off of me!”

  Neither one of them knew that Donnell pulled up and introduced himself to everyone because Sharonda was nowhere around. After about five minutes, her Aunt Bertha told him to go inside and get her. Deep down inside, Aunt Bertha knew she was starting some mess because one of the kids had already told her that Tyrone was trying to get Sharonda to talk to him while Tricia was in the backyard.

  The muscles along Donnell’s jawline stiffened when he saw the way Tyrone was handling her. “Aye, let her the fuck go.”

  Tyrone and Sharonda both looked up. Sharonda felt relieved while Tyrone was pissed. His mind played tricks on him, almost tricking him to swing on Donnell, but he knew he couldn’t do that without other consequences coming behind it. He also knew Donnell wasn’t a hoe ass nigga and neither was he.

  “This really ain’t got shit to do wit’ you Dee. This was my situation before it was yours and we got unfinished business my nigga.”

  Donnell stepped closer hovering his tall, muscular frame over them both since he was a tad bit taller than Tyrone. “Anything pertaining to her got everything to do wit’ me so this the last time I’ma tell you this… nigga if she ain’t wit’ it, leave her alone. Stay the fuck away from my girl or you fasho gon’ deal wit’ me.” He warned.

  Tyrone sized him up and down. Hearing him say that Sharonda was his girl, had him heated. However, in his mind he knew it was best to leave the shit alone even if his heart didn’t want him to. Tricia rounded the corner looking for Tyrone and nearly gasped when she ran into Donnell wondering what he was doing in her aunt’s house. Everybody knew exactly who Donnell was.

  She then realized that Tyrone and Sharonda were also there. The whole situation just looked awkward to her. When she spoke, that one gold side tooth with her initial on it sparkled. “What ya’ll doing back here?”

  Sharonda rolled her eyes, ignoring her cousin and stepping around Tyrone and right into Donnell’s embrace. “Come on, let me go introduce you to my mama. Thank you for coming.”

  Donnell kissed her on the lips and walked away leaving Tyrone and Tricia alone. Tricia was raging on the inside. She heard Sharonda had a new man but never in a million years did she ever think that it would be Donnell. Since they were kids, she felt like Sharonda always had any and everything she wanted. Just when she thought she had won the race by keeping Tyrone’s baby, Sharonda had just upped the score again with a known baller who everyone knew was heading to the NBA. To say she was pissed was an understatement.

  Tyrone didn’t begin to try to explain why he was back there in the first place. The only thing on his mind was going to smoke a joint so that’s what he did. Tricia closed the bathroom door with a pure attitude. “I hate that bitch,” she mumbled glaring at Sharonda and her new man through the bathroom window watching them be all smiles while she introduced him to everyone.

  Sharonda was nervous about introducing him to her mama at first because she knew Benita would embarrass her about sneaking out to be with him, but she was on her best behavior even praising him more than she normally would have and that was only because she wanted to make sure she put on a show for Tyrone and Tricia’s trifling selves. Benita never did play about people messing with her baby. Tricia was like her mama, Benita’s sister Kelly, just envious, which is exactly why Kelly wasn’t at the cookout; she’s too jealous of Benita and always had been.

  Donnell sat at the table and bit into a rib. Sharonda did the same while sitting right next to him. “So, you wanna know what that was all about back there in the bathroom?” She asked.

  “Nah, not really. That shit is done and behind us.”

  She nodded her head and licked the sauce from her finger. “So, when did I become your girl?”

  Donnell leaned over and licked the sauce that was lingering on the side of her mouth. “Just decided when I saw that nigga with his arms around you. I didn’t like how that shit made me feel and I ain’t never felt like that about no girl. You ready to be my only one?”

  Sharonda felt butterflies in her stomach as she blushed. She had never felt what she felt with him. Of course, she loved Tyrone, but that ship had sailed to the point of no return. Being around Donnell only solidified what she felt for him as the day’s past. She was surely falling in love.

  “I think I’m ready, but we’ll visit this conversation again when all of the other girls are completely gone. You gotta clean that up first because I’m not taking no more black eyes from nobody.”

  He simply nodded his head because he had to respect that. He planned to clean all of his shit up, but it didn’t change the fact that in his mind, she was his girl, and she was a virgin too which was a big plus. He would be a fool to let that slip away. Fuck no, he thought. Those tricks gotta go.

  Chapter Nine

  I Belong To You- Rome

  Four Months Later

  “I'm so confused, and I think I want to cry tonight. What must I do, baby? You don't know what you mean. Oh, tell me something. Tell me could this really be. Tender kisses, blown away. Tender kisses, gone tomorrow, gone today. Tender kisses. Bye baby, bye baby.”

  The DJ played an Oldie Goldie while Donnell held Sharonda by the hips; her head rested on his strong chest while they both sang the song. ‘Tender Kisses’ by Tracie Spencer had the whole party in a mood while everybody slow-grind amongst their dance partners whether they were lovers or friends.

  Despite his confidence on the court, off the court he battled being bit by the love bug when it came to Sharonda. Their conversation flowed naturally. They talked and laughed endless hours and till this day still fell asleep on the phone even after they spent hours together during the day whenever they could. Donnell was now in the off season, but his agent kept him busy during charity drives and interviews. Word had been buzzing that the Miami Heat were picking him up, but he left it in God’s hands. Wherever God wanted him to go, that’s where he would go.

  Sharonda studied a lot, but it never bothered him. He was cool with watching her whenever they weren’t studying together. They had a real Love & Basketball situation going on, but it worked for them, and he didn’t have no complaints. He never thought the day would come where he wanted to just be with one girl but being around her brought him peace.

  They hadn’t revisited the conversation about her officially becoming his girl although he treated her like it. Letting go of all the females he dealt with didn’t come easy because it was them who didn’t want to let go, and the last thing he wanted was to bring drama to Sharonda’s front door. She’d recently told him about the phone call she received in the salon months ago and he was surprised she held that to herself that long. He had no idea who that could’ve been, but he knew one thing for sure; nobody was ever popping up saying that he was the daddy because he made sure that he always protected himself. He was very aware that he himself was an investment and he had to protect that.

  He removed his hands from her hips and allowed them to slide down to her soft ass cheeks where he rested them. Caught up in the moment, he could feel his dick jump patiently waiting for the day he could feel her sweetness. Sharonda melted like glue to his touch every single time and the more she thought about it, the more she felt like she was ready to give herself to him, she just had to muster up the strength. Pinky told her to go for it numerous times but every time it would cross her mind, she would back out.

  They were at one of the biggest house parties in the hood and like always, everybody was there kicking it. When the song went off, they decided to go outside and get some fresh air where it seemed like a whole other party was going on. Cars were lined up and niggas with big chains and snap backs filled the street. Sharonda grabbed some licorice, a peach flavored Big Slice pop, a box of Mike and Ike’s, and a pack of Now and Later’s from the candy bowl and placed the candy inside of her purse because she always had a sweet tooth at night.

  Her sister Niecy and her crew had just arrived looking fly as ever rocking mushroom cuts, long nails, and gold two plated name plate necklaces with rings on every finger. Whenever they would come around, they always shut shit down. One look at Sharonda and Niecy and one would know they were sisters because they looked identical and only had a two-year gap in age. Niecy was just way faster than Sharonda and always had been. Partying was her life, and she lived the hot girl era to the fullest that’s why she was never home. She was busy chasing the dope boys.

  She smiled when she saw her fly ass little sister with Donnell. They’d already met but it always made her smile seeing her with him because she knew Sharonda snagged a big fish. “Look at you. You always trying to be wherever I’m at.” Niecy teased smelling all good.

  “You wish girl.” Sharonda chuckled. “What ya’ll doing here anyway? I thought ya’ll was going to Cali for the concert?”

  “Yeah, we leave tomorrow. We just kicking it tonight.” She replied. “What’s up Donnell?”

  “Ain’t no thang but a chicken wang. You know what it is, sup Niecy.” He replied in a cool voice.

  Niecy really liked him for Sharonda. When she heard about Tyrone and Tricia, she called Tricia and told her as soon as she had that baby she was going to stomp her ass. Niecy was so upset that she didn’t make it to the cookout. That had to be God on her side because Lord knows she would’ve tried to kill Niecy and Tyrone too. She didn’t like seeing her sister hurt.