Chapter 1

Tashima:

      “Jeans again, Shima?” my mother questioned when I joined her for breakfast, dressed in my normal clothing; a pair of blue jeans, sneakers, and an oversized plaid shirt. “Would it kill you to put a little effort into your appearance?”

      “Can you, please, not start with me today?” I asked her before biting into a warm piece of buttered toast.

      Her nagging about how I didn’t make the most out of my “beauty” wasn’t what I was trying to hear. Especially not since Shad was picking me up today with his girlfriend in tow. Ugh, that makes me sick just to think of it. She didn’t even deserve him and yet she got the title. Didn’t he see me? How could he not realize that I loved him and in a way none of the girls he messed with could? Probably because I wasn’t one of those prissy princesses who were afraid to be seen until everything was forcibly in place or maybe it’s because we’ve been friends for so long that he thinks of me as family.

      Sheena, that’s Shad’s girlfriend, was perfect. She wasn’t thick, not by any stretch of the imagination, but she was perfectly proportioned for her body type and dressed her ass off. The girl never wore the same thing twice and had her pick at just about any guy in school; it was just my luck that she had to pick the one I wanted. Isn’t that a bitch? What made things worse was the fact that she wasn’t exactly unfortunate looking in the face. Who am I kidding? The girl was beautiful, which left me absolutely NO chance to compete. Who would want comfort food when you had filet mignon?

      “I’m not starting with you,” my mother disagreed. “I’m just saying, that you’d look…better if you actually took a little pride to your appearance. How about a little gloss every now and then and a skirt! A DRESS! It’d be nice to see you in more feminine attire.”

      “I’m in low rise skinny jeans mother-”

      “Yes,” she interrupted, “with a man’s shirt and sneakers.”

      “Ma,” I called out and she raised her hands.

      “Fine, Tashima,” she surrendered as she picked up her fork. “I won’t say another word.”

      The rest of breakfast was done in complete silence and I was glad for the interruption of the doorbell. I all but knocked my chair down on my way to the door in an effort to escape the uncomfortable silence my mother and I occupied. A smile immediately brightened my features when I opened the door to see Shad standing casually on the other side.

      “So this is where my shirt went?” he spoke, more so than asked, as he fingered the collar of the cotton button-down. I shrugged and moved back so he could come in, making sure not to reveal how excited I was because of his presence. “Where’s your mom?”

      “In the kitchen,” I answered as I locked the front door. I trailed Shad as he led the way to the kitchen and diverged to the left to grab my glass of orange juice as he bent down to kiss my mother on the cheek.

      “How’s my other mother doing this morning?” he asked her as he leaned over to my plate and snatched a crisp piece of bacon.

      “Excuse you!” I snapped as he chewed the piece of pork with a smile on his face.

      “I’m fine sweetie,” my mother answered his question before taking a sip of her tea. “How’s your mother?”

      “Oh she’s fine. She asked me to remind you about your spa date tomorrow,” Shad spoke before glancing at his watch.

      “Honey, I NEVER forget a trip to the spa,” my mother shared with Shad.

      “Okay. We need to go,” I spoke, reminding the pair that I was still in the room as I grabbed my black Jansport book bag and left the kitchen.

Shad:

      “What’s wrong with her?” I asked Tashima’s mom as I watched her leave the kitchen.

      She shook her head and said, “She’s just a little angry with me right now. I suggested that she should start putting a bit more effort in her appearance and she didn’t agree.”

      “Come on ma,” I started as I stole another piece of bacon off of Shima’s discarded plate, “you know how Tash is. Remember when we were little? You used to have to beat her into a dress. Now isn’t any different.”

      She laughed at that. “You’re right. That girl has NEVER liked dresses. I guess I was just hoping she’d grow out of it. She has such an amazing figure, much like me when I was younger-”

      “And that’s my cue,” I joked before kissing her on the cheek and leaving the house.

Sheena:

      “I love your bag!” my best friend Monique gushed as she took in the teal patent trapeze Yves Saint Laurent bag I held daintily at the crook of my elbow. “Is that YSL?”

      I hid a smirk knowing she was envious. As my idol Puff said, I gotta do it like I’m doing it for TV. Now, no I couldn’t afford to own a YSL anything but thanks to the wonderful people at Bag Borrow or Steal, I was able to keep my accessories premium and authentic while working on a budget.

      “Yes it is,” I affirmed as I shrugged off the grey leather jacket I’d begged my parents for to show off the gunmetal backless tunic I’d layered over a pair of teal colored skinny jeans. I looked at my reflection in the mirror glued to the inside of my locker and smiled lovingly. I’m the shit. There’s no doubt about that.

      “Have you decided on what you’re going to wear for the winter formal?” she questioned as I picked off my aqua colored leather driving gloves and placed them in my large purse.

      “Girl yes,” I replied excitedly. “It’s this cute little black dress that match these shoes I’ve bought to a T!”

      About a month ago I’d splurged on THE hottest pair of Nicholas Kirkwood peep toe pumps. They cost me damn near three paychecks but I knew, for a fact, that no one else would have them and that was all I needed to keep my buyer’s remorse at bay. I had to set the trend; make these hoes envious and I did it well. I was about to go off on a deeper descriptive when I noticed Monique staring off to the side. Being the inquisitive person I am I turned towards her line of view and a smile graced my lips as I saw my man walking down the hall.

      Shad Moss was fine; point, blank, period. He was 6’2” with an even brown complexion and the clearest honey coated hazel eyes I’d come across. He was smart, his mom was well off, and he was one of the top high school basketball players in the country. Every girl in our school…hell our DISTRICT wanted him but I got him and wasn’t letting go.

      Now, I’m no slouch. In fact, I’m a bad bitch and that’s not just my esteem talking. It’s a fact. I’ve had my choice picking of boys since I hit puberty and, like my momma taught me, I only dated guys who could up my status. I’ve dated a few street pharmacists in my day but Shad was security. If I could hold onto him long enough, I’d ride him all the way to the NBA.