Talk Yo Shit! (Amani) Part II

"Nelly, you don't have to—"

"Nelly?" Salimah giggled with Fatima and me as the misty-eyed girl's cheeks burned red. 

In a way, she reminded me of Fatima... Especially the way the red in her cheeks meshed perfectly with her brown skin. A little taller and more slender than my baby sister, they still seemed to share similarities. That unexplainable essence Fatima had to her—Like her aura or whatever you wanna call it was pulling you. That's what this girl had, too. It was almost immediate intrigue like you couldn't help but stare at them. And that's what I used to envy the most about my baby sister, growing up. Probably why I took offense to Nelly in the first place. Sizing her up as I stood a foot behind Fatima, I wondered if she was BJ's ideal type. Glancing down at the skin on my hand, the toasty glow I held onto in the summer was long gone. And come to think of it... Most of the women BJ entertained were my little sister's color or darker. Folding my arms over my chest, I felt foolish for even calling my sisters here.

"Amani, can we talk in private?" BJ's voice interrupted my pity party.

Shaking my head, he dropped his shoulders, holding onto the idea that I would cave but I didn't.

"I don't think that's a good idea—"

"But you think barging into my crib with your street rat sisters is—"

"Street rat—Nigga, I ain't no street rat!" Salimah cut him off as Fatima shifted her weight to one foot to look at him sideways.

"I gotcho street rat..." Fatima spat angrily with a slight roll of her eyes. "All I gotta do is make one phone call and my baby daddy will air this whole bitch out!"

Salimah and I were floored to hear our baby sister talking like this. Granted, we were bred on the Southside, Jewel never allowed us to get caught up in any street activities. Despite the different schools we went to, none of us even dared to become a product of our environment while Jewel was alive. Funny how we each turned and did just that. Well me, more than anybody else, considering Salimah was a married woman with a child. And I don't know if Torin married Fatima but she wears a ring big enough to pass off and her building tenants and staff refer to her as Mrs. Taylor. I was the only degenerate of our family--The Community College burnout.

"Amani, I really need to speak with you—"

"No, Brandon!" I sliced the air as I spoke. "Whatever you wanna say to me, you can say it in front of you—your bitch—" That last word felt as weird coming out of my mouth as me saying it.

"I'm not about to be too many more bitches—"

"You gon' be who the fuck we say you is—"

"Bitch, run up!" Nelly was now pushing up against BJ, creating a sandwich with him in the middle. "I'm sick of yo mouth!"

Yanking and pulling on Brandon to get him out of their way, Nelly was just as strong as my sister and I think that pissed Salimah off even more. She was yelling and cursing Nelly out who responded in Spanish, probably saying the same things as Salimah. Speaking another language made her even more appealing—Ugh! I gotta get out of my head. Shaking my negative thoughts away, I tuned back into the scuffle where Fatima was now pulling on Salimah who wouldn't let up, just yet.

"Ouch!" Fatima screeched as she took a step back to examine her nail. "You broke my nail, Lima!"

Scratching and slapping each other around, BJ managed to keep Salimah and Nelly from doing too much damage to one another. At best, their hair was strewn and their clothes were pulled but I think Brandon caught most of their blows. Smirking as I watched them swirl around like the hall like the Three Stooges, I noticed Fatima looking back at me, annoyed.

"I'm about to go!" She growled in agitation, stomping her feet to the door when she stopped in her tracks.

"Is that a baby crying?" Fatima's face scrunched as she listened a little harder.

Watching Nelly and BJ stop completely, as her face shifted, I had this queasy feeling form in the pit of my stomach. No, no, no, no, no... BJ wouldn't do this to me!

"Ay Dios—" Nelly darted to the back of the house as Salimah followed and the rest of us tagged along.

"Bitch hold the fuck—" Salimah gasped just as she entered Brandon's room. 

Reaching BJ's room, there was the cutest cooper-skinned baby, wailing to the top of his lungs. He was definitely her son. If his skin wasn't a dead giveaway, those eyes would tell. Clutching my chest as I looked to BJ who was already staring back at me and shaking his head, I wanted to slap him.

"That's not my baby—"

SLAP!

Touching the side of his face where my five fingers had left their mark, BJ was astonished. I didn't even care if she wasn't his girl or just his baby mama... It just hurt me that he continued to lie. And he had her lying and fighting my sisters along with this lie.

"I should've never come here and I won't ever come back—"

"Amani—Would you shut the fuck up and listen to us!" Brandon had finally snapped as I watched the wrinkles on his forehead cave. "For the last time—Nelly—"

"YELLY—My name is Yelly—As in, Nayelis!" her accent was much thicker now that she was frustrated. "And I'm not his girl!" Nayelis shouted while trying to console her child. "Calmaté, Papa—Shhh..." 

Watching her plop down on BJ's bed while cradling her son, I kinda felt bad for her and the mess I created for her. I'm kind of a monster, now, I thought as I watched Nayelis swipe away tears from her cheeks.

"She's a friend of my cousin—I'm helping her out until she can figure out her next move."

"What?" Salimah shook head in disbelief. "Who's baby is this—" 

"Mine and not his," Nayelis nodded towards BJ to clear his name. 

"Why you here?" Salimah continued to run the conversation. 

"I don't know..." Nayelis's eyes pierced my soul as she gazed over at me. "But I'm starting to regret even coming here in the first place..." 

To Be Continued (June 18th)