Dirty Work: Part 1

“Eshon, you okay?” Brandy asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just needed some air.”

Brandy knew it was much more than her needing some air. She knew Kip had said something that had unsettled Eshon.

Twenty-One

Eshon heard the rumors, but she didn’t want to believe it, nor did Brandy. The two girls sat in Brandy’s bedroom on a warm Sunday smoking a blunt. The tension and drama between them and Jessica had come unexpectedly. They’d heard that Jessica had been talking shit about them. Jessica had become vulgar and disrespectful to her friends out of the blue. What could’ve sparked it? She had separated herself from them and the projects and started acting shadier and shadier. Eshon felt it was because of the stranger she had been seeing for the past month. Neither Eshon nor Brandy knew who Jessica was seeing. Was he getting inside her head? Was he brainwashing her with nonsense, trying to turn Je

ssica against her friends and family? The one thing both girls did know—Jessica had changed and become a major bitch, and not just with her friends, but her family too.

“She said what?” Brandy hollered through the cell phone, standing suddenly from her bed. “Who that bitch think she is?”

Eshon sat in the background watching Brandy become upset. It was a mutual friend of theirs on the other end, feeding them with the latest Jessica nonsense. Judging from Brandy’s reaction, it was something big.

“Yo, that bitch ’bout to get sent packing back to L.A. Who the fuck she think she is?” Brandy griped loud and clear.

Eshon was itching to know what had happened or what was said. Lately, Jessica had been strutting around the neighborhood like her shit didn’t stink. She was wearing the best clothing, showing off the priciest shoes and pocketbooks, and acting brand-brand new. She moved like she was the one calling the shots. It meant that whoever she was dealing with was a boss nigga and a man with wealth and status. He’d amplified the arrogance and conceit in Jessica.

Brandy hung up.

Eshon asked, “What happened?”

“Yo, we need to fuck that bitch up,” Brandy growled with contempt for their former friend.

“What the fuck she said?”

“She called you and me Kip’s whores, screaming to niggas about how he pimping us for bread crumbs.”

“What?” Eshon shrieked.

“She talkin’ shit, Eshon—out there telling people how she made us look good. If it wasn’t for her, we would still be some bum bitches.”

Eshon was now on her feet with her fists tightened. Jessica had gone too far. All they had done was be friends with her, and now she was trying to ruin their names by spreading lies about them. But why, though? Eshon couldn’t understand it.

Eshon had heard enough. She wanted answers, and then she wanted to beat Jessica’s ass.

Brandy exclaimed, “I knew that bitch was fake.”

Eshon marched out of Brandy’s bedroom and stormed to the front door with Brandy right behind her. Jessica needed to be taught a lesson. So what she was from L.A. and her family was connected with some gang? This was Harlem, and bitches got stomped out like roaches in this city.

Eshon and Brandy stormed into the building, took the elevator to the eighth floor, and walked to Jessica’s apartment door. There was no hesitation or fear of confrontation with her. Eshon balled her fist, raised her arm, and banged intensely on apartment 8E.

“Who is it?” a lady asked from the other side.

“Is Jessica home?” Eshon asked.

They heard the Spanish lady scream out, “Jessica, alguien está a la puerta para ti!”

They didn’t know what the bitch said. But they were waiting eagerly in the hallway to confront her. Soon, the apartment door opened, and Jessica came into their view, dressed like she either was going out or had just come in.

“What y’all want?” Jessica asked them with an attitude.

“Why I keep hearing that you talkin’ shit about us? Huh, bitch?” Eshon shouted. “What’s up with that?”

“Look, bitch, don’t be fuckin’ comin’ to my door wit’ all that drama. I don’t know what you heard, but you fuckin’ heard wrong, puta!”

“Nah, you the one lying, bitch! What? You got some rich dick in your life and now you wanna act like we’re beneath you, bitch?” Brandy chimed angrily. “Don’t get it twisted and get fucked up, bitch!”