Diva: Won't Stop The Hustle: Prequel

Part 3

Beyoncé's POV
A Year Later-Late 1995

I sat in a lawn chair sucking on a blow pop . I looked over my shades out at the block. I had two corners, three guys and two girls. Nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

I felt someone brush against my foot and I looked.

"Nicki, what you doing out here?" I asked. "I thought you had class?"

"That was two hours ago. Decided to see how you doing." She said taking a seat.

Nicki started college not too long ago. I was so proud of her. She got a full ride to NYU and everything. Me, I barley even went to school anymore but that was my decision. Darnell stopped having me run around the city with a backpack. Instead he gave me two corners and I've been working them strong.

I just sit back and watch now. I make sure the people I hired do their job and don't fuck up the count.

"Tell me everything about college." I said. "Is it really like A Different World or you would've had to go to Howard or something for that?"

She laughed. "Yeah, I would need a HBCU for that experience but NYU is cool too. I think you would like it."

"Nah, that ain't for me." I said shaking my head but looked around the block. "This right here is for me."

"The world is bigger than Harlem." She said.

"I know. We was just in the Bahamas for my sixteenth birthday. Remember, you were there." I said and she laughed.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do." I said. "But what sixteen year old you know doing what I'm doing? Everybody on this block older than me. Even the people I hired but they not calling the shots."

"I get it. I groomed this boss bitch." She said.

"I wouldn't be me without you." I said. "You groomed this mini diva and you did a great job."

"I know I did." She said smiling. "Scares me a little though."

I looked at her wanting her to elaborate.

"Little by little you're not Beyoncé anymore." She said.

"Ain't that the point? We created this boss ass, tough ass bitch that no one can touch." I said. "To survive out here I can't be soft."

"I know." She said. "It's just little by little Beyoncé is fading away and Diva is full force."

"With the things I've seen Beyoncé can't exist." I said.

Nicki nodded understanding. I caught my first body a while ago and I haven't been the same since. Nicki notices more than I do. I personally don't mind my change. I'm a little harder. A bit colder but you have to be anyway.

I got my first gun for my sixteenth birthday thanks to Gabby. It was a little P380. Nothing too big. I can fit that shit in my pocket. I always keep it on me. I've already had to duck and dodge bullets which is how I caught my first body.

After a while we got up and walked up and down the block just talking and laughing.

"Diva! Diva!"

Jamal came running up to me.

"What nigga?" I asked.

"They tryna jack Kareem." He said.

"Why you ain't help his ass?" I asked.

"Cause you the one packing." He said.

"I told you to get a fucking piece." I said running with him while Nicki ran behind me.