“What’s up, Nessa?” Cenise asked, full of attitude as she stood in the middle of the living room. She had her hand on her hip as Arnessa, Kisa, and Mish entered the apartment. “I’ve been waiting here for three hours on you. I thought it was such an emergency.”

Arnessa didn’t say a word. She walked over to her sister and jabbed her twice in the face with her left fist. Cenise didn’t know why Arnessa was jumping on her again, but this time she didn’t back down. Cenise swung back wildly. Unfortunately, she missed.

“Oh bitch, you fighting back!” Arnessa hit Cenise with a hard right in the mouth, busting her bottom lip open. Cenise lost her footing and fell back onto the couch. Arnessa hopped right atop of her. She pinned Cenise down by the neck with her forearm. “How long have you been meeting that nigga behind my back?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cenise panted.

Arnessa slapped her. “I saw you with him. Now you answer me, and if you lie, I’m going to stomp you out like a bitch in the street. Have you ever brought him here?”

“No.”

“Did he ever drop you off here or anywhere near here?”

“No, you told me not to bring anyone here.”

“You better not be lying to me, ’cause your stupid, sucka-for-love ass done put all of us in danger.” Arnessa removed her arm from Cenise’s neck and stood up.

“What are you talking about?” Cenise questioned, rubbing her neck with one hand and holding her swelling cheek with the other. “Black doesn’t want to hurt me. He wants me to move in with him, and he wants to start paying back the money you spent on my bail and the lawyer.”

“And your gullible ass believed all that bullshit he was feeding you?”

“Why does it have to be bullshit? You’re not the only one that can have someone love you. Black loves me, and you can’t stand the thought of that.”

“You are such a foolish little girl,” Arnessa responded, slightly hurt by Cenise’s accusation.

“If you were me and Butta was Black, you would’ve worn the charge too.”

“We could never be in the same situation ’cause Butta wouldn’t dare set me up.”

“Black didn’t set me up. One of his workers snitched.”

“And your naïve ass ate that shit up right along with the rest of it. Well, I hope he told you that he runs with Suef.”

A perplexed expression came upon Cenise’s face. “What are you saying?”

“That you may have been walking into a trap, you idiot, every time you lied and went to meet up with him. You think you know everything, but you don’t know shit. Them niggas could’ve kidnapped you. They could’ve followed you back here and merked all of us.”