tight and never made a movewithout each other, but now she saw the breakdown of their friendship right before her eyes. She didn’t like what they had become.
“You trippin’, Nette!” She looked at Monique. “And what about you, Monique? I know you ain’t runnin yo’ damn mouth, and for what? Hell, we done worse shit before and they ain’t fuck with us.” There was an uncomfortable silence that filled the air. “Look . . . we the South Bronx Bitches and nothing can come between that. I ain’t tellin’ y’all to kiss and make up, but damn, one of us is already dead. We gotta stick together. Y’all need to squash this shit before somebody else get hurt!”
Tonette and Monique were still breathing heavily, like pit bulls after a dogfight, and glared at each other with evil looks.
“Let me go!” Tonette broke free of Shaunna’s grasp and started pacing the room. Her mind ran a mile a minute. Everything that could go wrong in her life had. Then suddenly, the smile that she saw in her dream came back into focus.
“It’s all that bitch’s fault!” Tonette snarled.
“Who?” Both girls asked, startled by her sudden outburst. “Crystal?”
“Naw!” She looked at them in bewilderment, and then shook her head. “That bitch, Laci!”
“How you figure that?” Monique questioned.
“If it wasn’t for her stuck-up ass, none of this shit woulda happened.” Tonette paced again. “We gon’ find her ass and when we do—”
“Hey . . . hol’ up Tonette, you trippin’,” Monique finally spoke up. She’d already been tired of Tonette blaming everything on Laci before, but now this was over the edge. She looked at Shaunna, but Shaunna looked indifferent.
“What?” Shaunna questioned Monique.
“You don’t feel bad for what happened to that girl?”
“Um . . .” Shaunna hummed, “no.” She rubbed her belly. “We had to have something to do in the summer.” Shaunna laughed like she had just told a funny joke.
“You got that right,” Tonette cosigned.
“We ain’t make her do anything. Now, if that bitch layin’ up in a crack house on her own funky mattress tweakin, shoo’ . . . that’s on her.” She gave Tonette a high-five. “Mo, seriously though, you need to get over it and move on,” Shaunna said.
“I can’t believe you!” Monique yelled to both of the girls. “That shit was foul, y’all.”
“Girl, get the fuck on!” Tonette said, attempting to dismiss Monique. “This about that bitch Laci.”
“It’s not just about Laci, Nette. My life been fucked up because of drugs, man. My mother was fuckin’ with a goddamn addict, got HIV and died.” Monique wiped her now wet face with the back of her hand. “And you, Shaunna, you keep on getting knocked up by these niggas out here who slangin’ that shit and ain’t benefiting from it, damn!” She turned to look at Tonette. “Nette, too many people got hurt behind your little game. Not only is Crystal dead, but shit, Laci could be too.”
“Look, I’m sorry about yo’ moms and all, but I ain’t have nothing to do with that shit. Everybody know not to fuck an addict,” she said without emotion, “because they fuck anything, but what the hell you care about Laci for? She thought she was better than all of us, and that includes you too.”
“Damn, Tonette! She was, so what?”
“What the hell you mean, so what? She ain’t have no right judging us or what we do!”
“And you had no right turning that girl into a goddamn crackhead!”
“Me?” Tonette huffed. “Bitch, you knew it was Crystal’s idea, but I guess because it was her idea, you were cool with it, huh? You knew what was happening just like the rest of us and you ain’t do shit to stop it, so you just as much to blame.”
Monique got tired of hearing Tonette’s mouth. She shook her head in disgust and limped over to the couch. Instinctively, she rubbed her still-wounded leg as she gathered her things.
“That’s right, get the fuck out, you
“You trippin’, Nette!” She looked at Monique. “And what about you, Monique? I know you ain’t runnin yo’ damn mouth, and for what? Hell, we done worse shit before and they ain’t fuck with us.” There was an uncomfortable silence that filled the air. “Look . . . we the South Bronx Bitches and nothing can come between that. I ain’t tellin’ y’all to kiss and make up, but damn, one of us is already dead. We gotta stick together. Y’all need to squash this shit before somebody else get hurt!”
Tonette and Monique were still breathing heavily, like pit bulls after a dogfight, and glared at each other with evil looks.
“Let me go!” Tonette broke free of Shaunna’s grasp and started pacing the room. Her mind ran a mile a minute. Everything that could go wrong in her life had. Then suddenly, the smile that she saw in her dream came back into focus.
“It’s all that bitch’s fault!” Tonette snarled.
“Who?” Both girls asked, startled by her sudden outburst. “Crystal?”
“Naw!” She looked at them in bewilderment, and then shook her head. “That bitch, Laci!”
“How you figure that?” Monique questioned.
“If it wasn’t for her stuck-up ass, none of this shit woulda happened.” Tonette paced again. “We gon’ find her ass and when we do—”
“Hey . . . hol’ up Tonette, you trippin’,” Monique finally spoke up. She’d already been tired of Tonette blaming everything on Laci before, but now this was over the edge. She looked at Shaunna, but Shaunna looked indifferent.
“What?” Shaunna questioned Monique.
“You don’t feel bad for what happened to that girl?”
“Um . . .” Shaunna hummed, “no.” She rubbed her belly. “We had to have something to do in the summer.” Shaunna laughed like she had just told a funny joke.
“You got that right,” Tonette cosigned.
“We ain’t make her do anything. Now, if that bitch layin’ up in a crack house on her own funky mattress tweakin, shoo’ . . . that’s on her.” She gave Tonette a high-five. “Mo, seriously though, you need to get over it and move on,” Shaunna said.
“I can’t believe you!” Monique yelled to both of the girls. “That shit was foul, y’all.”
“Girl, get the fuck on!” Tonette said, attempting to dismiss Monique. “This about that bitch Laci.”
“It’s not just about Laci, Nette. My life been fucked up because of drugs, man. My mother was fuckin’ with a goddamn addict, got HIV and died.” Monique wiped her now wet face with the back of her hand. “And you, Shaunna, you keep on getting knocked up by these niggas out here who slangin’ that shit and ain’t benefiting from it, damn!” She turned to look at Tonette. “Nette, too many people got hurt behind your little game. Not only is Crystal dead, but shit, Laci could be too.”
“Look, I’m sorry about yo’ moms and all, but I ain’t have nothing to do with that shit. Everybody know not to fuck an addict,” she said without emotion, “because they fuck anything, but what the hell you care about Laci for? She thought she was better than all of us, and that includes you too.”
“Damn, Tonette! She was, so what?”
“What the hell you mean, so what? She ain’t have no right judging us or what we do!”
“And you had no right turning that girl into a goddamn crackhead!”
“Me?” Tonette huffed. “Bitch, you knew it was Crystal’s idea, but I guess because it was her idea, you were cool with it, huh? You knew what was happening just like the rest of us and you ain’t do shit to stop it, so you just as much to blame.”
Monique got tired of hearing Tonette’s mouth. She shook her head in disgust and limped over to the couch. Instinctively, she rubbed her still-wounded leg as she gathered her things.
“That’s right, get the fuck out, you
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