messie. rio, g.g

TWELVE

atlas !

IT WAS AT least 2 in the morning by the time I made it back to my apartment. With the feeling of exhaustion catching up with me, I easily walked in—slipping my mind that the door was already unlocked.

I threw my things onto my coffee table and went straight to my room. While doing so, I pulled my dirty shirt over my head and curved my way into the bathroom. I discarded my shirt into the laundry basket that sat by my shower and looked at myself in the mirror. My skin had gone pale, showing off my dark under eyes. My frame looked smaller due to the lack of things that I ate today and my hair was in knots.

"Wow. Lookin' hot [y/n]."

I flinched in shock and covered my front self as I snapped my head towards my bedroom. My stomach relished a swirl of familiarity as I see a glow of light, chocolate skin glistening underneath my lamps illumination, creating a silhouette of a petite woman. Kinky curls cascaded down to her waist and I can vaguely see her freckles dusting over her nose and onto her cheeks. She was smiling at me with her plump lips that wore a burnt out red lipstick. Her legs were crossed over one another as she slyly sat back on her arms.

I was staring at Atlas.

She was an old colleague in my fun dangerous days and stood by my side as we dominated neighboring gangs; sometimes even beyond that and into other states. We sure did make a name for ourselves as well as the former family that surrounded me. She didn't change much, considering the fact it's only been a year since I've seen her; her hair remained the same but she got bangs and it suited her well.

"Atlas?" I lower my arms and put one out, leaning on my bathroom counter.

"One and only," she smiled. "Oh, and you should really lock your door when you leave. You don't know how many creeps can get into your apartment."

She can say that again, but I without a doubt, remember locking it.

I stared at her in silence trying to give her a reaction but it only came out in a constipated look. I was unsure if I wanted to hug her, let alone see her.

"What're you doing here?" My brows naturally furrowed. Her smile slightly dropped at my tone of question as she had expected me to burst into happiness.

"Just dropping in. Wanted to say hi. You certainly are not one to keep in contact," she chuckled, trying to mask her bitterness.

"Atlas—"

"No, I really understand. I just wanted to say hi and see how you were doing," she said, her voice changing into a false tone.

"I know you aren't just dropping in. How did you even find me?" I ask as I walk out of the bathroom to my drawers. Not wanting to be bare with nothing but a bra, I rummage through them, looking for a t-shirt.

"Pretty easy when word on the street is that you're messing with the counterfeiters."

I stop my hands and rest them on exposed clothes and take a moment staring at them before I slowly turned around to face Atlas. Her head was facing me, but her body remained in its same position.

"Okay, it's not like that. I—"

"Please don't try to explain anything. I didn't come here for an explanation. I genuinely came to check up on you."

"But it really isn't like that. I just got into it. . . by accident." My finger tips played with one another as my voice softened.

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "How does the boss of the Cobras get into it by accident with some counterfeiters?"

I couldn't tell if she was mad, irritated, upset, or all of the above with me. She isn't one to show it and is just one to mask everything over with her reasonable side.

Counterfeiting gangs though,—especially the main man one that's causing trouble for me—are in it with the Cobras. Perfect for my situation, but they're only disliked by the high elite of us because they've double-crossed us way too much and for that reason, we've cut ties with them

"Don't call me boss. I'm not that anymore," I respond, ignoring the actual question.

In response to my comment, she scoffed, "Yeah, okay. But you can get into it with the money washers," she took a small pause of silence, "y'know. Stella's giving hell."

My forehead crease shows my confusion and seeing it, she chuckled bitterly, "After you left, Stella decided to step up and take your place. To speak for everyone, we are not happy."

I stared at her and her expression softened as she sighed. "You didn't come here to check up on me."

She shook her head solemnly, "We really need our boss back."

author's note ! — thank you so much for reading this chapter! this is the point of the story where i go onto my own agenda, so i'm sorry for those who like fan fics that strictly stick with the original plots of the original creators. . . and some characters are mine, but not too many where the other characters from Good Girls are nonexistent, but i am also so sorry if everything sounds so cheesy, corny, and cliche. i don't mean to pull the "you traitor! you left to be with them?" typa shit . . . but until next time <3

love, bela