Janeka and I instantly jumped to attention, wondering what the fuck was going outside and why our girl Florice was thrown into the mix. Before I could even hit the door with Janeka, I heard my name being called over the dressing room speaker.

"Cherie Blossom to the stage. Cherie Blossom to the stage. It must be springtime how you got these niggas blooming for you, girl!"

"Shit!" I frowned, watching Janeka already beginning to push the emergency exit door open, the wider the door became the louder the screams and shouts had gotten.

Beat that hoe ass, Quan!

Don't nobody jump in, neither! This shit a one on one!

Show that bitch what happen when she fuck with your babydaddy, Quan!

I looked at Janeka, then back at the speaker. I knew if I was gonna risk my time on stage that was gonna be a 50% fine on Koji behalf. But then again I couldn't risk Florice getting dragged across the parking lot pavement, neither.

"Go on stage, girl." Assured Janeka, snatching off her hoops, necklace, and chains. She removed the jewel in her middle finger ring and left nothing but the spiked attachment to hold the ring. Luckily for her, she ain't have to worry about no hair since she kept a finger-wave style.

"I got Flo, go ahead." Shooed Janeka. I watched her dash through the door and shut it close behind her. My inner instincts told me to boss the fuck up and go outside but my better judgement told me to do what Janeka was gonna set shit straight.

"Now who the fuck fighting who? Ain't no one on one no ore, bitch, I want all the fucking smoke. Get the fuck up off her!"

The shouts escalated, some for Janeka and the other for the anonymous girl Quan. Now, I didn't know much about much but something told me that whoever Quan was had to be some kind of people to Koji. And by the way Florice was beginning to show, word must have gotten around the block that Florice was carrying Koji baby.

I didn't know much about Koji besides the fact he was handsome, had a good business mindset, was Rich's homeboy, and Florice's man. He never mentioned to us about kids or anything like that. And, even so, if he had kids Florice would have been spilled the beans.

So what was the fucking deal?

Cherie, oh Cherie, where art thou tree, girl?

I sucked my teeth, squinting at the speaker overhead in the dressing room. The other girls inside looked over at me with a sneer expression, but I ignored it as I applied my gloss. I didn't even have the attention to go out there and shake ass like business as usual. I didn't know how to fucking fight but I would have jumped in to help my girl, without a doubt.

Fuck it then, I guess. Money calling.

I fixed my rhinestone bikini bra and matching thong so it was hiked over my hips and accentuated my curves. Giving myself an additional one-over, I smirked in approval and twisted my hips as I walked out the door.

Money bag in hand, I didn't even make it to the stage before an unwanted figure stepped in front of me and blocked my way to the stage.

It was Rich, and he reeked of Hennessey and Teriyaki sauce. It took everything in me not to embarrass this nigga and cover my nose, so I did my best to keep it cute. I could see Peanut off to the side watching me, making sure I was straight. I nodded at Peanut to calm down and he did just that, looking straight ahead into the distance.

"Damn, ma," Rich slurred, his lips spreading into a charming smile, "So you not returning my calls now? I thought we was cool."

"We are cool, Rich," I frowned, "But just because we're cool doesn't mean I gotta hit you up every day on the hour."

"But I'm saying," Rich reached out to grab my arm but I stepped back, playing it off cool by grabbing the money bag in a way that looked like it fell from my hand. "You don't gotta play games wit a nigga. Just gimme another chance, ma. I promise you won't have to come back to a nigga room. We can just vibe." The smile on his face said everything but "chill" and it practically offended me that this nigga thought I was born yesterday.

"I'm good." I gave him the nicest "fuck you" smile you could ever imagine, leaving him where he stood with his shot cup of dark liquor permeating my nostrils. Whatever it was he was drinking on was either cheap and strong or expensive and stank. Either way, I wanted no fucking parts of it.

"Ayo," Rich's school-boy charm suddenly turned dark. In a blink, he grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to him. I stumbled in my 6-inch heels, gasping at the sudden jerk in direction. Peanut stood to attention, muscling through the crowd to get to me. A few other girls saw the interaction between us but didn't say or do shit, they just continued to shake their ass and grind on their customers.

"If you not gonna give me no pussy at least give a nigga some head. I'll pay you. Name your price, I'm good for it. And if the shit good I could make you way more money than you making here."

If the urge to vomit wasn't any stronger than it was now, I'd be fucking lying.

"I'm not no fucking hoe, Rich. Now get the fuck off me." I shook his grasp off me, and in due time. Peanut stood next to me with his arms crossed and a burning glare behind his shades. His 6"8 350 build towered over Rich's 6"2 and slender frame, making him swallow hard as fuck just looking up at him.

"Now, what were you saying, Rich? That you respected my decision and that you were going to lose my number? I do appreciate that." dusting myself off, I tied my money bag to my thigh and patted Peanut on his arm as I walked off and onto the stage. Rich burned a hole in my back as I walked away, but Peanut stood between his glare and my body, signaling him to go on.

"Alright- alright, man. I'm going. I was looking for my usual girl tonight, anyway." Rich stormed off in the opposite direction, embarrassed and intoxicated. From what I knew, I saw him wander about the club for an hour more, paired up with another girl named Suki—one of the newer dancers, and left for the night. I hope Suki didn't think nobody peeped that an hour after Rich left, she all of a sudden had an emergency to attend to and dipped as well.

Oh fucking well, let him be her problem.

-

Neither Janeka or Florice came back into the dressing room, which I suspected considering the flashing lights of ambulances came shortly after I went on stage. My heart was fluttering in my ears, to the point I couldn't even count my money right. I stuffed it in a large garbage bag and into my locker, making a mental note to put it in the money machine I had at home.

"Hey, Ari," one of the receptionist girls named Breezy came into the locker room, chewing on a single stick of gum hard as fuck, "Koji wanna see you."

Fucking finally. I took a deep breath, closed up my makeup bag, stuffed it in my locker and headed straight into Koji room. He was leaned back in his chair, scrolling through his phone with his eyebrows scrunched together.

I knocked softly twice, signaling I was here, but that shit didn't pull him from his phone. I let myself in and sat down in one of his tufted upholstery chairs.

"Hey, Koji." I greeted, my lips in a straight line.

"Hey." He responded flatly.  There was an awkward silence between us two until I cleared my throat, bringing him back into the present.

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry, Ari." He put his phone down face down and leaned forward,  planting his elbows on the table and cupping his fists together to rest his chin on.

"I don't know what you heard so far but, Flo and Janeka got into a fi-"

"I know, Koji. I was about to jump in, too. Can we skip the formalities and tell me if she's okay? And who the hell is Quan?"

Koji's eyes widened in surprise, as if I had found something out. When his eyebrows returned to a normal position, he shook his head and sighed.

"Quan is my ex. She swears me up and down that she has a baby by me but we've taken multiple tests and shit-all negative. Now she's mad that Florice is actually pregnant with my child and has been blowing up me and her phone nonstop. I don't even know how she got her number. I wasn't even in the building when I found out she got jumped. And now," he massaged his head for a few seconds, pulling his face down with a long, stressed breath, "They saying Florice might have lost the baby because she keep bleeding and shit. Janeka all scratched up and shit. And now Quan keep blowing up my phone talking bout pressing charges-"

"Okay, lets pause one second." I held up my hand, sensing the stress coming from his voice.

"Firstly: where is Florice?"

Koji paused, checked his messages, and looked back up at me, "Emory University hospital in Midtown."

"Okay, that's a check. Next thing, we're gonna pack up shop and head down there. Don't worry about Quan or whoever the fuck she is. If the baby not hers then fuck it, let her be in denial. But we gotta see about Florice, first. Deal?"

Koji nodded, massaging his head again. He took an even longer exhale, scrunching the space between his brows together. "There's something else," he started.

I was already out of my seat, my hand on the doorknob. I turned to look at Koji with a raised eyebrow.

"What's up?" I asked, nervously.

"Has anyone named Chyna come up to you in the club?"

I thought for a second, looking up at the second to recall anyone of that name. I shook my head in decline when nothing came to mind.

"Okay," he breathed, "Okay, good. Listen, if someone of that name comes up to you, come to me, okay?"

"Koji, what-"

"Just do as I say, please." He begged, standing to his feet, turning off the TV and meeting me at the door.

"Go and pack your stuff, I'll be waiting for you outside and we can ride to the hospital together.

𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑

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ｄｉｓｃｕｓｓｉｏｎ ｔｉｍｅ

- 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛?

- 𝚍𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚀𝚞𝚊𝚗 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚘𝚓𝚒 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚜?

- 𝚍𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢?

- 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚍𝚘 𝚠𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚁𝚒𝚌𝚑?  𝙳𝚘 𝚠𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝙳𝙸𝙵𝚃𝙱?

𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭. 𝐈𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭!
𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝!

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