𝖲𝗍𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗍 𝖠𝖿𝖿𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇

𝟩𝟣 | 𝖲𝖴𝖵

AFTER DINNER WITH THE GIRLS, Corinne started getting closer with all of them, especially Dominique. Nobody was getting left out because whenever they talked they would use the group FaceTime feature in their group chat so if you wanted to pop in, you could. This was exactly why Corinne was on the phone with Dominique when she realized that a black SUV had been following her since she left her salon suite. "I think this tinted ass car following me," Corinne tells her. "For real?" Dominique asks. "Yes."

"Um...go around the block and see if they still behind you," Dominique tells her. Corinne follows her instructing making four consecutive right turns with the black SUV still behind her. "Okay, you gone call Priest?" Dominique asks. Corinne nods, not wanting to explain why she felt like this was because of her father getting drunk and talking recklessly to people who wanted smoke. She was disappointed because he had finally started doing better as a parent.

Priest had been calling Corinne every day just to check on her and see how she was doing. He asked how school and work were going and if there was any way he could help. He had been keeping up with her since July and Corinne started getting used to it in September. Calling him to say good night every single night since he called in the mornings.

"I'mma stay on the call. Just come back if he don't answer and I'll come meet you wherever." She says. Corinne nods leaving the call before calling Demon. He fails to answer his main phone so she calls his trap which goes straight to voicemail. She smacks her teeth reluctantly checking her location app to see where her brothers were and if they were and they were all in Matteson. She calls her father last who answers the first ring.

"I should've called him first." She thinks.

"Daddy?" Corinne starts. "Hey princess." He says. "There's this black truck following me." She tells him. "You sure they following you and y'all not just going in the same direction?" Priest asks, wanting all the details despite grabbing his gun and keys. "No...I went around the block and they did too. I don't know what to do or where to go cause I don't wanna go home." She tells him. "Where you at?" He asks. "Driving up Van Buren. Towards Ashland." She says. "Okay...pull in that BP right there and go in. I'mma be there in ten minutes. Five if I don't get pulled over." He tells her. "Okay."

"Stay on the phone with me, baby girl. You see what the nigga driving look like?" He asks. "No. The windows tinted." She tells him stopping at the red light. "What's the plate?" He asks. "LLJ2," Corinne says confirming that they were custom plates.

"I'm finna get Slim on the line so we can see who if it's registered and who it's registered to." He says, not giving her room to object. "I- okay." She mutters putting herself on mute. She prepared to get out of the car as soon as she turned into the gas station.

As soon as the light changed, Corinne turns into the gas station turning off her car as she pulls in the park on the side.

She gets out of the car, putting on her mask while she walks into the gas station. She stays by the ice cream freezer looking out of the glass door seeing the Lincoln keep straight. She moves around the back of the store getting an Oreo F'Real before returning to look out the window to see the Lincoln turning off of Ashland onto Van Buren.

"Daddy...they keep circling the block," Corinne says, getting chips to seem inconspicuous to the people in the store. "Get down, princess." He tells her.

"What?" Corinne asks before hearing two shots sound making her get down. About ten more shots get fired before she stands up. "You don't gotta worry about them no more. Now go home and stay there until I figure out what these niggas want." Priest says. "Okay." She nods. "I love you." He tells her. "I love you too." She says softly before hanging up. She pays for her F'Real, cheese Ruffles, and Flamin' Hot Cheetos before getting in her car as police officers and ambulances arrive at the scene. She starts her drive home when Dominique rings her. "You good?"

"Yeah, I'm still a lil scared though but I'll be okay." Corinne tells her. "You want me to come over? I'll bring WingStop." She offers. "Okay, I'll see you in a minute," Corinne says before they say their goodbyes.

$ $ $

"Baby," Demon says sitting down on the couch. "Mamas." He continues to attempt to wake her up putting his hand on her hip, shaking her body lightly. "Stop." She groans sitting up. "You good? Dom told me what happened." He tells her. Dominique had left when he got there cause she knew Corinne wouldn't be alone.

"Yeah, I'm good." She nods laying her head down on his bicep, still tired. "I ain't know you called me." Demon adds rubbing her arms. "It's okay. Your life doesn't revolve around me." She tells him. Corinne was set on becoming less dependent on him after learning that he didn't know how to differentiate and separate his feelings for different people and situations.

"Nah, I'm always supposed to answer when you call." He shakes his head. "It's okay, stink." She says tilting her head up and puckering her lips. "So what was the license plate?" He asks after kissing her. "Priest handled it. It's cool."

"So he don't think they gone come back?" Demon asks. "I don't think he even know who these people were cause he ain't say nothing. When I call him and tell him something happened that gotta do with him, he be talking shit. He was quiet." Corinne tells him laying back down with her head on his lap.

"Maybe it's one-sided. They got beef with yo pops and he ain't giving them no attention. So what was the plate number?"

"It don't got none to do with you." She says. "If it got some to do with you, it got everything to do with me. Now I'm not gone ask nicely again." He tells her. "You ain't say the magic word, honey."

"Please?" Demon sighs making her mumble the license plate.