SALUBRIOUS

SB18

Dakota Smith

8:31 pm - November 9th 2023

"It's definitely tea—I thought you was getting a sleeve, though?" Paris spoke while examining Dakota's tattoo through the second skin layer of plastic on her arm that protected the tattoo. "Bitch, I tapped out...a few times." Dakota replied, pursing her lips together to hide her growing smile.

Paris raised her eyebrow in curiosity before laughing, "That's why it ain't done, cause y'all was in there hunching." She joked, causing them to share a laugh.

"You still really think he's your soulmate, Kota?" Paris questioned as she adjusted the towel that was around her neck. After movie night, somehow Dakota ended up dying Paris' hair jet black. Paris was a natural sandy brown girl, but preferred for her hair to be jet black at all times, even her extensions whenever she got them.

"He said the word, Paris—why you so against it? Cause he gotta kid?" Dakota questioned, slightly rolling her eyes. "Yes." Paris bluntly answered, Dakota kissed her teeth before laughing.

"And bitch you did all that about what he didn't have, but he has a car now, so now what?" Dakota quizzed. She wasn't trying to be all my man my man my man so early, but she loved that Nas was beating the odds and handling his business. "And so do most 16 year olds." Paris replied.

"Were they locked up five years prior...or?" Dakota questioned, not sure how Nas having a car and most 16 year old correlated. "You dry picking shit about him and you haven't even met him yet!" She added.

"How old is the baby?" Paris questioned, once Dakota had Paris' hair covered in black dye, she removed the plastic gloves off of her hand and set a timer. "Bitch don't move a inch—don't even turn yo head, I don't want that black dye no where in my house." Dakota instructed, causing them to chuckle.

"And she's 5. I didn't even get to tell you what happened cause of the damn brawl." Dakota spoke as she sat on the covered toilet. "I ended up planning his daughter's party, but didn't know until I saw him at the party." She announced, Paris' eyes widened before she started to shake her head.

"See—I feel like shit like that is bound to get messy." Paris spoke. Dakota couldn't lie like she didn't wonder if Nas ever ended up telling her that they knew each other. In that moment, Dakota reached for his hand as if she didn't know him out of nervousness. She wasn't expecting to see him, and it triggered her fight or flight.  "If the lil' girl five, that mean he must've went to jail right after he got the baby mama pregnant." Paris added.

"That's the only logical explanation." Dakota shrugged. "I haven't asked about any of that, honestly." She added.

"Have you asked why he went to prison, or are you still waiting for him to tell you?" Paris asked, she used the camera of her phone to take a peek at her new dye job. "I know why he went to prison, I just don't know he reasoning behind doing what he did." Dakota replied. She felt like the whole situation was touchy for him, and she didn't want to force his hand. Dakota figured he'd open up at his leisure, and she was fine with that.

"Good news is, If you get pregnant, it'll technically be his first time experiencing everything." Paris announced, making Dakota slowly nod her head, she never really thought of it like that. "Yeah, but I'm on birth control...so." Dakota replied.

"Still?" Paris furrowed her eyebrows together. Dakota was the first out of the friend group to get on birth control while they were in high school. Witnessing Brittany be pregnant so early sorta scared her straight, especially with Dakota being active way before Brittany, it quickly made her realize that she could've been in Brittany's shoes.

"Yeah." Dakota nodded her head yes while grabbing her phone to look at the timer, "I had to get off of it—I was bleeding for like two months straight." Paris replied.