Mr. Clyde was a means to an end. They all were. And if playing dress-up at a police ball got me six times my normal rate, Shit, I'd play dress-up all day.
This nigga Rylo though, I was cool on him. He just wasn't shit. He was just another nigga who thought he could play me, clown ass thought he could have his cake and eat it too. Fuck him and fuck Morgan. Both of them was dead to me now.
My uber, a grey Toyota pulled up. I checked the license plate to make sure it matched the app, then slid into the backseat.
"Yah-Yah?" the driver asked, looking at me in the rearview mirror.
"That's me."
"Alright, heading to South Side, right?"
"Yep."
He pulled off, and I leaned back against the seat, watching the city pass by outside the window. Downtown was all lit up, pretty, looking like something out of a movie. Chicago was really was a beautiful city, but it housed a lot of dirty mufuckas.
My phone was quiet now that I'd blocked Rylo. No more calls, no more texts, no more bullshit excuses. Just peace.
The Uber driver was playing some old school R&B Mary J. Blige.
I hummed along, feeling myself relax for the first time all night. The sex with Mr. Clyde was work, not pleasure, but the money was good, and at this point that’s all that mattered to me.
Rylo and Morgan could stay in the past where they belonged. I had bigger and better things ahead of me.
* * *
By the time I got home, it was past one in the morning, but the lights were still on. That wasn't surprising, we all kept weird hours in this house.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside, immediately hit with the smell of weed. The living room was a mess, Mya's shoes kicked off by the couch, Yatta's jacket thrown over the chair, empty White Claw cans on the coffee table, and I bet you that was courtesy of Mya.
"Yah finally home!" Mya called from the kitchen. My little sister came walking out with a bowl of cereal, her bonnet slightly crooked on her head, wearing one of my oversized hoodies that she definitely didn't ask to borrow.
"Where you been?"
"Working," I said, dropping my purse on the side table and slipping out of my heels. My feet were killing me.
"Working?" Yatta asked from the couch, not looking up from his phone. My brother had his feet up on the coffee table, a blunt between his fingers, grey sweats and a white tee. He looked relaxed, which was rare for him.
"Yea work, the shit that pays my bills," I shot back, walking over to plop down on the other end of the couch.
Mya sat down between us, tucking her legs under her. "Girl, you always so pressed about bills. Hoe the bills get paid around here,"
"Barely," I teased, reaching over to steal a Froot Loop from her bowl.
"Bitch!" She pulled the bowl away, laughing. "Go get yo’ own cereal!"
"I don't want a whole bowl, just a little taste."
Yatta passed me the blunt without me even asking. That's how we was, we just knew each other like that. I took a hit, letting the smoke fill my lungs before exhaling slowly
"So whats the tea though," Mya said, looking at me with that nosy little sister expression, "You was with Mr. Clyde again?"
"Don't be in my business, Mya." I passed the blunt back to Yatta. "But what y'all been up to? Why y'all still up this late?" " I just got in like thirty minutes ago," Yatta said, leaning back. "I been handling business all day. Shit is crazy right now, but in a good way."
"Yeah? What's going on?"
"Man, teaming up with Sosa was the best move I could've made," he said, and I felt something in my chest tighten at the name. "Ever since he became my connect, business been booming. His product is way better than what I was getting before."
"Sosa that nigga," Mya added. "He got the whole city on lock"