God Don't Like Haters (7 page)

What the hell?

"Why would we do that?" I said, as if he
asked a silly question.

"That incident on the highway where we got
pulled over was a good scare," he said. "I feel like if we’re gonna
be taking the risks, we need to be seeing more rewards. Cocaine is
more profitable."

"No, Archie. We’re doing fine with the
pills. It’s safer. We can just step up our load. My mixtape is up
next for sure this time and I'm gonna need extra money anyway to
get some real good rappers on some songs."

"That's part of the problem, Kirbie. You're
putting pill profits into that music shit and that's dumb to me. I
feel like I'm hustling just to give my money to rappers."

"Don't look at it like that." I cut another
piece of tilapia, stuffing it in my mouth. "Look at it as an
investment."

"No, I look
at 
real investments
as investments. We can cut out throwing our
money away on that hiphop and put it into something tangible like
cocaine. We can scale back the pills and be bosses in Kansas City
with the coke
.
”

“Why are you talking about cocaine all of a
sudden?”

“Because the market is wide open. Feds
rounded everybody up last week in a 3-year sting. We can come right
in, me and you, Bonnie and Clyde, and clean up.”

“Then we’ll be locked up in the next federal
sting.”

“Not if we keep the operation between me and
you.”

“No, Archie. You know what kind of problems
cocaine brings. Let’s stick to pills. Let’s get more. We don’t need
cocaine. As soon as my mixtape gets finished and gets in the right
hands—”

“Can you hear how crazy you
sound, Kirbie?
Do you know how much money
you’ve put into that music shit already
?
You spent over one hundred thousand dollars last year on videos and
studio time and features. When is it gonna stop?"

"When I reach the top," I said harshly.

He shook his head in disappointment, then
forked some shrimp into his mouth. He was still shaking his head as
he chewed. "That's the only problem I have with you still being so
young. Eighteen years old, you're still a dreamer. You don't have a
grasp of the real world yet."

"I do too. In the real
world you have to chase your dreams hard. I haven't gotten where I
want to be yet so that means I need to go harder. And that's what I
plan to do. We just need to buy 
more
 pills, Archie. Not switch
it up to cocaine. I really need the extra money for the top artists
in the industry this go-round.”

"I'm tired of hustling backwards."

"It's not. What, you don't think I can
sing?"

"You can sing but—"

"You don't think I'm better than Jazzmine
Short was? Or just as good as Caylene Hope?"

"You are, but the music industry is about
connections and—"

"Archie, I'm not giving up on my dream."

"I just want you to be realistic," he
said.

I set my fork down. "I'm performing at the
Sprint Center soon. How is that for realistic? That's an
achievement, right?"

"How much are you getting paid for it?"

I rolled my eyes and picked my fork back up,
ate some more macaroni. "It's not about getting paid. It's about
exposure."

He fake-laughed. "Who fed you that bullshit?
Coras? I feel like he's pimping you. And that would mean he's
pimping me."

"Is that what this is about? Me being around
Coras? I'm not fucking him, Archie."

"No, you're just fingering yourself to his
raps."

"I was not!"

"I understand, Kirbie. You don't have to lie
to me. You haven't been with another man ever in your life and
you're curious. You're around Coras a lot and you find that lil'
nigga attractive. Women like rappers with tattoos for some reason.
But I'm not worried about you voluntarily sleeping with Coras.
You've been loyal to me since you were fourteen. I don't mind you
pleasuring yourself to thoughts of another man as long as it stops
there. But I am worried about what Coras might try to do to you.
Rappers are known for deceiving women to get what they want."

"I'm a big girl, Archie."

"I know it. And you keep your gun on you. But
I still don't think you need to be around him. What do you think
about starting your own label?"

I shook my head no. "I'm signed to Swope
Records."

"You actually signed a contract?!"

"Swope Records is one of the biggest
underground labels in the country."

"
Underground
, Kirbie. That means
nothing!"

"I wanna stick with Swope Records. I'm loyal
to them."

"You're loyal to me!"

"I am. But music is a different thing."

He sat back in his chair, smacking his hands
on his thighs. "Coras is pimping you."

I sucked my teeth. Archie had no faith in
me. If it didn't have anything to do with drug money, he thought it
was stupid or impossible to achieve. His mind was boxed in.

I wasn't going to let his shallow way of
thinking hold me back.

"After the Sprint Center show," I said,
"we're heading out of town to promote Coras’s mixtape."

"And why do you need to go?"

"Because I'm featured on the hottest song on
the CD. It has Slim Eight on it. I was hoping we could head out of
town to get another batch of pills so I can have a good amount of
money to travel with and so I can sell some on the road."

Archie started eating again, ignoring me. A
full minute passed when he finally picked up his napkin and wiped
his mouth. He took his phone out of his pocket.

"No more music talk," he said. "Let's just
enjoy the meal and each other's company. And I wanna get a selfie
of us and the food."

"You still haven't apologized for hitting
me," I reminded him.

"I didn't hit you that hard."

"But you still hit me."

"And why did I hit you?"

"I guess I'll just leave." I started to get
up.

"I'm sorry," he said rudely, like he
shouldn't have had to say it. "Now do I get an apology for this
bullet in my leg?”

“No.”

“Okay, whatever, Kirbie. Can we just take
the picture?"

I wiped my mouth with a napkin. Sighing, I
sat back down and said, "Sure."

He raised the phone up and I could see us on
his screen. A strand of hair was out of place so I tucked it behind
my ear.

"Can you smile, please?" Archie said. "Make
it look halfway real that we're having a good time."

I gave the best fake smile I could muster,
and then he snapped the picture.

ArchieGotSkittles36
 uploaded a photo

ArchieGotSkittles36
: This is what true love
looks like. Me and my girl go through our ups and downs but we
always end up back together. I don't know how I get her back
sometimes. It's either this dick or this cooking.
Lol!—
with 
KirbieAmor
 #OrBoth
#grilledTilapia #ChefArchie #MeAndMyGirlfriend #PowerCouple
#YouMadOrNah

CHAPTER 12

Andre "Coras Bane" McDougald

I was in a hotel room sitting on the edge of my bed,
cellphone in my hand. I had just gotten through fucking my manager,
Ashleigh Hedgman, who was behind me laying under the covers sound
asleep. Now I was looking at The Site on my phone, passing time
until Ashleigh woke up for round two.

I should have been feeling guilty for
leaving my girl Monifa Chavis at home thinking I was at the studio.
But the guilt I was feeling was for Kirbie.

I loved Kirbie. And by being here with
Ashleigh it made me feel like I was cheating on her and not my
actual girlfriend Monifa. And that's because deep down I knew I was
supposed to be with Kirbie. She had my heart.

I'm so fucked
up,
 I
thought. 
My love life is a holy
mess.

Mostly, I only used The Site for one
reason—and that was to keep tabs on my swanky crush Kirbie Amor
Capelton. She updated her status regularly so it was easy for me to
follow her day-to-day activities. Not only was she the secret love
of my life, but she was also my investment. I had invested a lot of
time and money into her sound and image. The majority of the money
she put up herself, but to me my time was worth millions.

Almost on its own, my thumb clicked Kirbie's
Site pic, which was a link that led me to her profile. Immediately
I got pissed off because there was a picture stamped at the top of
her page that captured her and Archie eating dinner. The picture
was posted 9 minutes ago.

"Dammit, Kirbie, you went back to that nigga
already?" I whispered to myself. "This is quicker than the last
time."

And that was alarming to me. Shorter
separation times meant they could be growing closer. And she and
Archie looked happy together in this picture. One of my worst fears
was that one day Kirbie would update her status with one of those
"I'm pregnant" life events.

I tapped the comments button on their photo
and a list unfolded:

Precious Milk&Honey Payne-Nixon:
You guys
look so happy together!

Kaylee Baker:
When’s the wedding? Am I
invited?

Scarlett Cooper:
Women love a man that can
cook. She has a winner in you, Archie. Nice going.

Thorton Jones:
grilled tilapia ain’t that
hard to cook.

Natasha YoloLife Anderson:
Save some
leftovers for me!

Charlene Ward:
I used to tell my husband
before we got divorced that real men know how to cook

Trillyoung Sav:
@CharleneWard, Does cooking
crack count?

Aubrianna PlaysNoGames:
I love you guys’
relationship! It’s what people should aspire to!

Coras Bane:
 I really wish yall the best
and I'm praying that you guys stay together forever. 

I started to get upset
about how many people were in support of their phony relationship
when I noticed that 
I was one of
them.
 I had commented on this picture
3 minutes ago somehow! 
Coras
Bane:
 
I
really wish yall the best and I'm praying that you guys stay
together forever
—I would never post that!
And I didn't know how to delete it either because The Site
changed/updated its functionalities too often for me to keep up
with. My biggest pet peeve about The Site was and always had been
that it posted statuses for you or clicked Like on products that
you could care less about. That was why I tried to stay off of The
Site as much as possible. These random bugs could give somebody the
wrong impression.

"What’chu doing?" Ashleigh said, as her arms
smoothly found their way around my neck. I was startled. She kissed
me on the cheek, working her hands down to my nipples.

I tried to close out The Site but I wasn't
fast enough.

"Why are you looking at Kirbie's profile
again?" She instantly pulled away.

"Her boyfriend posted a picture of them
eating dinner and I was checking it out," I said innocently.

I had to turn to see her. She had backed all
the way up against the headboard. Her arms were crossed under her
naked chest, giving her breasts a nice lift. Her hair was thrown
every whichway. And she was pouting.

"The only times I see you on The Site is when
you're checking out Kirbie's page," Ashleigh accused. "I'm starting
to get really worried about you and that little girl."

"Worried in what way?"

"You know what way, Coras. Are you fuckin'
her?"

"No. You know I'm not."

"But you want to, don't you?"

I sighed as I stood up and
went to the dresser, where there was a blunt roach sitting in the
hotel ashtray. Next to it was a 10-pack baggie
of 
Purple Gorilla
 pills that was now an 8-pack. Me and Ashleigh had
popped two pills just before coming here.

We both were addicted to Kirbie's drug.

I picked up the roach and fired it up.

"We can't be worried about females all the
time," I said, blowing out smoke. "Just imagine how many bitches
will be around when I finally make it. Are you gonna be tripping
over every single groupie that tries to get at me?"

"If you're checking their profile page every
day, then yes."

"Kirbie is our artist, Ashleigh. You need to
be checking her profile page every day too. You're her
manager."

"Only because you force me to be."

I flicked the roach at her and she scrambled
out of the bed. She swatted the roach off the mattress. "Coras,
that could have caught on fire!"

"You need to start taking Kirbie more
serious."

"Why? She doesn't take herself serious."

"She can sing."

"So can a million other muthafuckers in the
world. Just knowing how to sing will get you nowhere. You know
that, Coras. The same problems you see in her, I see in her too.
You just think she's gonna change. I don't."

"She's stepping up again. She hasn't been
late since that last time."

"That's because she wasn't with Archie.
They're back together again."

"How do you know that?"

Ashleigh smiled guiltily. "I checked her Site
page."

I smiled back. "So I get fussed at for
checking her Site page and you're doing the same shit?"

Ashleigh was standing there naked from head
to toe, her hands on her hips. She had a nice porn-ish body. And
that was a compliment. If you just looked at her pictures on The
Site, where she was always fully clothed, you would never know what
amazingness she was working with underneath.

Suddenly, Ashleigh buried her face in her
palms and started crying. I went to her and held her close.