Free Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless by Noire, Kiki Swinson

excited. I wanted to make it clear to Eric that my father was not to be hurt. I was shocking myself with some of the things I was saying.
    “You really think they just gon’ hand over a million stacks just like that?” Eric asked skeptically. He was rubbing his chin, something he did when he was deep in thought.
    “I know so. My mother will be so spooked she will call the accountant right away. We could probably get the money within a few hours,” I assured him.
    “Yo, rich girl, I didn’t think you had that devious shit in you. I’m impressed,” Eric said, smiling.
    I was so happy to see him smiling. I started grinning from ear to ear. “I told you I would do anything for you, Eric. I love you so much. You were here for me even when my parents were not. I would do anything to keep you happy,” I said, letting my voice take on a serious tone.
    “That’s good to know. So when we gonna do this?” Eric asked, tossing a pack of crystal at me.
    The packet landed right in my hand. My heart jerked with excitement.
    “My father comes back in less than forty-eight hours. When he gets back, I’ll drive to his office and I will find out his new routine. If he thinks I wanna go begging back to them he will talk to me,” I said, making up the plan as I went along. In the meantime, I was anxious to get into the bathroom and get high.
    “Sounds good to me. I like a bitch that can come up with a master plan when her back is against the wall. Shit, it’s a good thing I threw your ass out and made you think about things. You know where the fuck your bread is really buttered at, don’t you?” Eric replied.
    “I sure do, baby. I never doubted you for one minute. I know everything you do is for the both of us,” I said. I would’ve agreed with whatever he had said just to go get high. Even though I thought what he had said was kind of fucked up and nasty, I would’ve never protested at that point. I guess Eric’s constant cruel words couldn’t be any more fucked up than the plan I had come up with against my own father. I didn’t know if it was my addiction or my serious infatuation with Eric, but I was turning into someone I didn’t even recognize myself. Gone was the little rich girl from Virginia Beach.
     
    I could not control my hands from trembling and my teeth from chattering as I pulled up at my father’s office. I purposely drove around the back and parked my car at his service entrance. Before I got out to walk back to the front doors, I looked at myself in my car’s visor mirror. “Still not the greatest, but I guess I got no choice,” I whispered as I examined myself. I looked like I had aged a couple of years since I’d been away from home. My hair was desperately in need of a good salon visit and my nails were horrible. I had put on some makeup to mask the remnants of the bruises that were on my face. I tried to make my face look as vibrant as I could with what I had. I had also washed my own hair and left it wet. It hung in long curly locks, which also helped to hide some of my facial flaws. I thought that I looked better than I had in the past couple of weeks when all I had been doing was getting high and fighting with Eric.
    “Ok. You look fine, now go do this,” I spoke out loud to myself. I inhaled and tried to get my nerves under wraps. The track phone Eric gave me rang and caused me to almost jump out of my skin. I sucked my teeth as I grabbed for it. He had already called me at least ten times on the way over to my father’s office. What the fuck does he want?
    “Hello,” I whispered into the phone, my voice shaky and unstable. Although I was in the car alone, I still felt the need to be secretive and whisper. I peeped back in the rearview mirror and I knew Eric was in a vehicle close by watching me. I don’t think he trusted me to go through with the plan.
    “Why you just sitting there? Hurry the fuck up and go inside. Remember, get him to come outside ... to the back of the building.