saw one. Sunny was fidgety, wild-eyed, and agitated. She was skinnier than the last time heâd seen her, only weeks ago. She kept sniffling absentmindedly, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. She was longing for another hit, and Patrick shook his head in pity as he watched her.
âMy mother is a nicer person than I am. She likes to pray about things, and she stays calm in situations like this because she donât like confrontation. So sheâs willing to let you off the hook right now, because she can see that youâre upset. But Iâm not like her. I didnât come all the way over here to get disrespected. And I donât care how aggravated you get. You donât scare me.â
Sunny sucked her teeth hard. âPlease, Patrick! You donât scare me either!â
âGood,â he said, calmly. âIâm not trying to. But I am gonna say whatâs on my mind. And after that, Iâll leave.â
âNo,â Sunny said, her voice raised. âYou can leave now ! I donât give a shit about whatâs on your mind!â
âMaybe youâll give a shit when you get served with papers!â Patrick was done handling Sunny with kid gloves. âIâm gonna make sure that my niece is okay.â
âYou donât even care about your niece! This shit is all about the cash, Patrick. And you can kiss my ass, cuz you will never get your hands on Dorianâs money!â
âYouâre paranoid! See what Iâm saying? What the hell does this have to do with money, Sunny?â Patrick demanded.
âYou tell me!â she yelled back at him. âWhatâs the plan? Get Mercedes and then sue me for support? You must be crazy!â
Patrick laughed. âNah. Youâre the one whoâs crazy.â
Jada approached the door to Sunnyâs parentsâ house and heard raised voices coming from the other side of the door. She could make out Sunnyâs voice above the others, and a booming baritone countering her. Jada wondered what hell had broken loose in there, and for a moment she considered leaving. Perhaps this was a bad time. But she had to see Sunny. She needed to give her friend a hug and some reassurance, and to hear her version of the events in Mexico. Jenny G had answered the phone at Sunnyâs apartment when Jada called, and warned her that the press was staked out all around Sunnyâs high-rise. She said that Sunny and Mercedes were hiding out in Brooklyn and Jada had sped right over. She couldnât leave now without seeing her friend. She took a deep breath, said a quick and silent prayer, and rang the doorbell. A minute later, amid the noise of the continuing argument, Marisol opened the door. An expression of pure exhaustion was etched on her face. She sighed with relief at the sight of Sunnyâs one true friend.
âJada!â Marisol unlocked the screen door and ushered Jada inside. Pausing in the foyer, she turned to Jada and shook her head. â Mami , thank God you are here. Sunny really needs you.â Marisol stole a glance toward her kitchen before turning back to Jada again. âDale ran out to get us some groceries. Dorianâs mother and his brother are here. They are threatening to fight her for custody of Mercedes.â
Jada sighed. This was the last thing Sunny needed right now. âWhat the hell happened?â Jada asked in a muted whisper. âLast I heard, Sunny and Malcolm went to Mexico to celebrate her birthday. The next thing I know, Mindy Milford and TMZ are showing pictures of Sunny surrounded by cameras at JFK.â She searched Marisolâs face for answers. âIs it true what theyâre saying? Sheâs getting high again?â
Marisol nodded, then looked down at her hands and burst into tears. She sobbed silently, squeezing her eyes shut as she wept. Jada hugged Sunnyâs mom, rubbing her back comfortingly.
âMy God.â Jada whispered. âDonât
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