Torn by Keisha Ervin Page B

Maybe you're right, maybe by the end of the night we won't be together!" she spat before walking away for the last time. Mo stood outside the club, letting the cool midnight air soothe her face. Tapping her foot, she tried her best not to cry.
    The night was a bust. That was, until her cell phone rang. At first she thought it was Quan calling her. Mo wasn't gonna answer but then she realized that the ringtone wasn't his.
    Looking down at her screen she saw that it was Tez calling.
    "What?" she answered with an attitude.
    "Why you leave?"
    "Look ..." Mo sucked her teeth and sighed. "We need to talk."
    "About what?"
    "I'm not feeling this. After tonight, don't call me no more."
    "Why? What I do?"
    "Don't worry about what you did. That's not even important. Just don't call me no more," she quipped, hanging up on him. As soon as she hung up, her phone rang again. Thinking that it was Tez calling back, she answered the phone with an attitude.
    "What?!"
    "Damn shorty, every time I talk to you, you got an attitude! Life can't be that bad," joked the voice on the other end of the line.
    "Who is this?"
    "Boss."
    "Boss? Boss who? I don't know anybody name Boss."
    "You met me at the Loft last week."
    "Ohhhh, what's up?"
    "Shit, what you doing?"
    "Leaving Dreams."
    "Damn, yo' ass stay in the club don't you?"
    "Nah." She giggled. "Me and my boyfriend just wanted to kick it, that's all."
    "So what's good? You still wit that nigga, 'cause if not, let me come swoop."
    "How about I just meet you somewhere?" she suggested.
    "Cool. Meet me at Lucas Park Grille. You know where it's at?"
    "Yeah."
    "A'ight then lil' mama."
    "One."
    Shortly after their phone conversation, Mo arrived at the restaurant via cab. She immediately spotted Boss standing out front. He was talking on his phone. As soon as he saw her pull up, he ended the call. What am I doing? This boy is a baby , she thought as she got out the cab. He was ruggedly dressed in a black fitted cap, black T-shirt, Evisu jeans and black high top Evisu sneakers. Unlike Quan, Boss didn't rock a lot of jewels. He simply wore diamond studs in his ear and a watch on his wrist. He is a tender, though. She blushed.
    "What's good, ma?" He greeted her with a warm hug. "You look nice."
    "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself."
    "Come on, we was just about to order." He took her hand.
    "We?" She pulled her hand back. "Who else is wit you?"
    "Just some of my pot'nahs. They cool."
    "I don't know. I barely know you. I wasn't planning on being around a bunch of niggas."
    "I know you ain't actin' scared wit all the shit you be talkin'. Look, ain't nothing gon' happen to you while you wit me."
    "I'm not worried about none of yo' pot'nahs doing nothing to me. I'm worried about them knowing my business. What if one of them niggas know my man?"
    "They don't, and even if they did, ain't nobody worried about you or yo' lil' man. So don't trip. My niggas don't get down like that."
    "You real funny."
    "What's good, mama, you coming or what?" Not waiting for a reply, Boss took her by the hand and led her into the restaurant anyway.
    Mo decided, fuck it, and followed him. She didn't know Boss that well but for some odd reason felt at ease around him. He and his boys were seated all the way in the back of the restaurant. As they approached the table, Mo noticed that all of them were thugged-out as hell and nice looking, sporting motorcycle jackets.
    "Ay, this lil' mama I was tellin' y'all about," he announced.
    "Damn, she is a tender," one of his friends commented.
    "Right, so how in the hell this wack-ass nigga pull her?" another one said.
    "Fuck you, nigga. Mo, don't pay them no mind."
    "I won't." She laughed.
    "Let me introduce you to everybody. This big head muthafucka right here with the jokes is S. Dot and that other silly-ass nigga is Grizz. Over there to your far right is my boy BX."
    "What's up?" She waved.
    "Here, have a seat." Boss pulled out her chair.
    "Thanks. You a biker, too? Where yo' vest at?"
    "Yeah.