She Used to Be the Sweetest Girl(29)

“I understand your frustrations, I really do, but aren’t you the one who said you didn’t want a relationship? You can’t really be mad at him for giving you what you asked for.”

“Yeah, but things are different now. I mean, shit, I done caught feelings and I know he has too, but it’s like whatever we got going on isn’t going to be more than what it is now,” she said, laying her head down next to Brix.

“You sad best friend?” Brix asked, grinning.

“Bitch, yes. That nigga dick is too good and got me all in my feelings, but whatever. He don’t want to be with me, so I’ma find me a man that does.”

“Mhm, and watch him mess you up,” Brix said and they both laughed.

“You’re one to talk. All them niggas who were drooling over you last night. Shemel gone have to put his hands on all them.”

“Don’t even mention last night. I can’t believe I got that drunk and he made me come on stage,” Brix said, rolling her eyes.

“You were all over people’s Snapchat and Instagram. At least you didn’t look as drunk as you were. Shoot, I thought you was poppin’,” she said, imitating Cardi B.

Covering her face with her hands, Brix shook her head. She hated that she got on stage with Shemel. If she would’ve had only one drink, she was sure she could have declined his offer. It was the second Tequila Sunrise that made her brave enough to go up there. The only good thing she could think about coming from this, was more clients for each of her side hustles.

“Ugh. I hate that. Wait until he texts me back, I’ma let him know that was so wrong.”

“Yeah okay. Y’all cute Brix, foreal. Just give the man a chance. He is obviously digging you and you feeling him too. What’s the big deal?”

“Him. It’s his lifestyle, the females, the late nights. I’ve read about it all and I’m just not down for that.”

“Read where? In them urban fiction books? Girl. For one, them stories are made up. Two, who says y’all relationship will be like those in a book? Let’s be real here.”

Sitting up some, Brix replied, “I am being real. Those books are based off of real life situations. The characters may be made up, but the stories hit home. It’s also just common sense. He’s a rapper. There are always going to be late nights in the studio, tours, groupies, rumors etc. You saw how crazy last night was.”

“Yeah and you also saw that out of all those girls, he showed you the most attention. You're thinking too much into this and gone miss out on something good. You and I both know the real reason, but I won’t bring it up today. Just give Young Mel a chance shawty.”

They both chuckled and began talking about their plans for the remainder of the day. Brix knew Carissa was making a valid point, and her opinion meant a lot to her. She was going to take both her mama’s and Rissa’s advice and give Shemel a chance. Hopefully, it wouldn’t turn out to be a bad decision.





Seven



At the warehouse with his brother’s, Shemel was doing what he loved most almost equal to rapping… counting money. Everybody had just gotten paid and he had also been selling tons of copies of his mixtapes lately. It seemed that after the performance a few weeks back, everybody wanted a hard copy. Being the hustler that he was, Mel didn’t hesitate to hit his manager up to get shit rolling. He had income coming in from everywhere. His YouTube account was in the hundred thousands, and they were paying him as well.

Wrapping a rubber band around the stack of hundreds, Mel tossed it in his duffle bag with the rest. After counting it by hand and running it through the money machine three times, he felt like the count was accurate. He had planned on taking it right to the bank once he left, but quickly changed his mind and decided to stash it in his safe. His bank also happened to be where Brix worked. Ironically, he had never seen her up there. Mel was planning to pick her up from work in the next hour or so and couldn’t wait to see her.

Brix had finally talked herself into giving him a chance and she was glad that she had. Shemel stayed making her laugh and was so attentive. He pulled out a side of her in the short couple of weeks that no male, including Drew, had in a long time. She did talk to a few guys after his sudden disappearing act, but only on the phone and through text. Nothing more, but definitely less than Shemel was receiving. They had already been on a few dates and Shemel was planning to have her meet his folks.

Although them talking was still fresh, they had learned so much from each other. Brix had him investing his money into stocks, which he knew nothing about, and as promised, Shemel had Brix rapping his lyrics. They hadn’t done anything sexual yet, which was both of their decision. Brix felt like it was way too soon and would only cause confusion. Shemel, on the other hand, knew he was going to be addicted to her once he got a sample.