Free King Divas by De'nesha Diamond Page B

dodge her eyes that gets her to cock her head.
    â€œAre you sure you’re okay?”
    â€œGoddamn it. I said that I’m fine!”
    â€œAll right. No need to snap.” She stands up. “I was trying to help.”
    â€œI know—but I’m past that now,” I tell her cryptically.
    â€œWhat is that supposed to mean?”
    Shit. Now I can’t control my mouth. If I’m going to keep it real with myself, I’m backed into a corner. I don’t know what to do. If I tell Li’l Bit and Adaryl about LeShelle’s pop up last night, they’ll lose their damn minds.
    I need a fucking plan—quick.
    â€œQiana, what the hell is going on with you?” GG asks, eyeballing me hard.
    I open my mouth to tell her to leave me the fuck alone, but to my horror, I burst out crying.
    GG is stunned. “Whatever it is, everything is going to be all right.” She settles on the floor next to me and then draws me into her arms. “I’m here.”
    Unbelievably, I cry harder.
    GG’s arms tighten. I want to push her away and pull her closer. What the fuck is wrong with me? My emotions are all over the place. I’m ashamed. This is not the way for a true Vice Lord Flower to behave. We roll and bang as hard as any muthafuckin’ foot soldier in the game. I’ve worked hard to prove that I’m a boss bitch, but now I feel like a goddamn child on a playground, whose toy has been stolen. Pathetic.
    â€œShhhh. It’s okay. It’s okay,” GG keeps saying. “You do what you need to do. I got you.”
    I hate to admit it, but I’m glad she’s here. An hour goes by before I settle down.
    I’m exhausted and my mind is fucking numb, but I push my way out of her embrace.
    â€œAre you all right?” she asks tenderly.
    â€œYeah.” I nod and wipe my eyes.
    â€œDo you want to tell me what happened? Did something go down between you and your new boyfriend?”
    â€œBoyfriend. Ha! Fuck that dirty nigga.”
    â€œOkay.” She waits me out.
    â€œLook. I appreciate your concern but—you can’t help me.”
    â€œYou don’t know that. Why don’t you give me a try?”
    Tears flow down my face. I hate myself right now.
    â€œC’mon. I’ve been in some shit before. And though me and Charlie aren’t married, I hope you know that I do look at you like a sister. We’re family—and I want to help.”
    â€œYou can’t help me. Nobody can.”
    â€œYou’re being dramatic.”
    â€œFuck. If you only knew—”
    â€œThen tell me! What am I missing? What happened between you and that nigga last night?”
    Silence.
    â€œDid something happen at the club? Is there another bitch—or are you still beefing with Profit’s girl?”
    â€œFuck that bitch,” I tell her.
    â€œThen what?”
    The silence grows to the point that my ears ring. The weight of GG’s stare feels as if it’s about to crush me.
    She takes my hand. “Please. Let me help you.”
    What do I have to lose?
    â€œI did something . . . bad.” I finally meet her eyes. “I fucked up,” I start, and then tell her the whole damn, pathetic story.

14
    Hydeya
    â€œW ho?” I ask. I’m sure I didn’t hear him right.
    Fowler nods. “Can you believe it? The woman is a legend, even in these sacred halls.”
    The floor tilts beneath my feet—enough so that I reach for the nearest wall to steady myself. The vertigo only lasts for a few seconds, but in that time, my mind races with a million questions. The first one being: How in the hell am I going to tell Isaac?
    â€œAre you all right?” Fowler asks.
    â€œYeah. Yeah. I’m fine.” I shake off my shock, but it doesn’t work.At most I buy time to recover. I struggle to pin down the exact emotion that I’m feeling. Relief? Joy? Sadness? Confusion? Hell. It’s a mix of them. After