"Here you go" Kelis said as she handed me a gift bag.

"Um, it's not my birthday sis."

"I know silly. It's just a gift to brighten up your day" Kelis said.

I smiled, "awwww! You didn't have to do this lele. Thank you so much."

Kelis waved me off, "it's nothing. Now open it up."

I removed the wrapping tissue then pulled out a Christian Dior shoe box.

"These are so bomb. I've been wanting these for so long" I said as I opened the shoe box, revealing a pair of tennis shoes.

"I know! I'm so glad I found them for you" Kelis said.

I hugged her, "thank you sis. I appreciate this so much."

"It's not problem. I see how hard you work, and I just want you to feel appreciated. I know I'm older than you, but you inspire me so much" Kelis said, causing me to smile.

"Awwwww! Bitch don't make me cry" I said as Kelis laughed.

"I'm taking your advice" she said.

"What advice?"

"I'm gonna give Kareem a chance. He has ONE time to fuck up, and I promise I'll kick his ass to the curb. He better come correct" Kelis said.

I laughed, "period sis. I think he'll do right by you though. I see the chemistry that you two have. Kareem seems to like you a lot."

"It's too soon to tell. I'm giving him a chance to prove himself. We're not together or anything, but I guess you can say we're in the talking stage now" Kelis said.

"What stage were y'all in before that? I mean, y'all already fucked."

"Oh that wasn't a stage. That was supposed to be a one night stand, but I had a change of heart" Kelis said.

I laughed then shook my head.

I walked around the club, serving drinks to customers and making small talk with some of the men. Cheetahs is jumping tonight, and I knew the tips would be good. I love when we're busy because I usually end up with $800+ in tips on busy nights.

"Aye baby, let me get yo number" a guy said as I walked past him.

I turned around then glanced at the gorgeous chocolate man that was sitting at a table with a few other guys. I quickly noticed that he was a popular upcoming rapper. A blog just exposed him for giving a girl chlamydia. He's fine and all, but I don't do STD's.

I smiled politely, "I'm good love."

"Fuck you too then bitch" he said.

I wanted to turn around and cuss his ass out, but I just kept walking. I am not about to lose my job over a STD having bozo. I wish Kelis was working tonight because she would've got on that nigga's ass. She's been working here way longer than me, so she can get away with shit like that.

"You look tired girl" Chelsea, the bartender said.

"I am tired. I need to find a new job ASAP. I make good money here, but this job is exhausting."

"Tell me about it. That's why I'm moving to Atlanta soon. There's better opportunities out there, and the cost of living is cheaper" Chelsea said.

"I love LA though. I just can't see myself moving to another state. There's no place like home."

"Well I'm not from here, so moving is nothing to me. I understand how you feel though because I felt the same way when I left New York" Chelsea said.

"What do you plan on doing when you move to Atlanta?"

"I wanna start a business. I'm tired of working for people. I wanna be my own boss from now on. My plan were to finish school and become a doctor, but I was going broke paying for school. I can't pay for school AND support two kids. School is not cheap" Chelsea said.

"Oh trust me, I know sis. I'm in school right now, and it's running me thousands of dollars. I know it'll be worth it though."

"You really believe that? You'll spend thousands on school then continue to work for somebody for the rest of your life. You'll finish school then spend another year or so looking for a job. What if you don't like the job? What if you become unhappy? That's thousands of dollars down the drain and years of time wasted" Chelsea said.

Chelsea had me looking at things differently. Of course I'm still gonna finish school, but now I'm thinking about the future. I'm not passionate about criminal justice, but I feel like it'll support me and my son in the long run. Maybe I should consider doing something that I'm passionate about. We'll see where God takes me.

"Good night Gen" Rico said.

I smiled, "night."

After a long night at work it was finally time for me to go home. My feet were sore, and my body felt like I'd been hit by a bus or something. A hot bath and a glass of Chardonnay was calling my name.

I heard somebody whistle, so I turned around to see who it was.

"Remember me?" The guy from earlier asked.

Him and his friends started walking closer and closer to me. I turned to walk away, but I bumped into one of his friends in the process.

"Where you going?" the guy asked.

"Leave me the fuck alone. I'm trying to go home."

I was waiting for one of them to try me. They didn't notice the small can of pepper spray that I had on my keychain.

"Let me go home with you. My name is CJ by the way" he said.

"I don't give a fuck about you or your name. You and your friends need to back off."

"And if we don't? What's gonna happen?" CJ asked as he smirked.

I attempted to walk away again, only to be pulled back by my arm. I didn't hesitate to use my pepper spray.

"FUCK" CJ shouted as he rubbed his eyes.

I was immediately pushed to the ground by one of his friends. They started kicking me and ripping my clothes off. One of the guys snatched my purse away from me. Everything was happening in slow motion. It just didn't feel real to me.

"AYE" somebody shouted.

The sound of gunshots echoed throughout the alley. CJ and another guy got hit by the bullets, but the rest of them managed to get away. I couldn't see the shooter's face because he had a hoodie on. I used that as my opportunity to run away. I immediately hopped into my car then pulled off.

I slowly limped into my apartment. My clothes were ripped, and my body felt weak. I was still in shock. I started to have flashbacks of my ex beating me. Never in a million years did I expect this to happen to me. I do everything right in life, and somehow I still end up in shitty situations.

A loud knock on my door caused me to jump. I looked through my peephole and seen East. I was confused as to why he was at my house this late, but I opened the door for him anyways.

"You good? Where lil man at?" East asked as he started pacing my apartment.

He handed me the purse that I left in the alley. In that moment, everything dawned on me. East is the one who shot those guys in the alley.

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