PRETTY BRIGHT (7 page)

Needing her bestie to talk to about the drama at the motel, Bright hooked back up with Treasure, smoked a blunt, and then asked her to take the cab with her to pay the phone and cable bill. After explaining the situation, Treasure was appalled.

“That nigga got a bitch at home, Bee?”
“A wife, girl!” Bright replied nodding her head. “And that’s why I’ma milk that fool dry,” she said spitefully.
Bright was the child of a mistress and a married man, a filthy rich white man at that, who died from a heart attack and didn't acknowledge her or even mention her name in his will. At his repast, when her wicked grandmother introduced her to the rest of the family, the looks and things they said behind Bright's back hurt her deeply. Here she was, an innocent child, yet everybody saw and treated her as a disgrace. Growing up, Bright hated when her mother would allow her to spend the night at her white grandparent’s house. While she thought Bright was having a great time meeting and mingling with her father's side of the family, she was being hidden in their house, and terrible things were happening to her - things that she had never spoken about and tried hard to erase from her memory. But them both dying of heart conditions, one shortly after the other, was enough payback for her.
Bright didn't hate or blame her mother for it, she just wished she had a father like her siblings did. Deja and Cordell’s father was sentenced to life in prison, and even they spoke to him a few times a month, whenever their mother asked for help which was hardly ever, his family helped out as much as possible. Ryonna and Ramon’s father called them from time to time too and sent them money from Texas every birthday and Christmas. But Bright was the fatherless child, and she had no family other than her mother and siblings. And no matter what, or how old she got, it continued to be an on-going issue that would haunt and taunt her. That was reason number one why she promised herself to have kids by a wealthy man, she wanted them to have everything that she was supposed to have growing up as the child of a rock star. She would say, “My pussy ain't for sale, but it damn sure isn't free either.” Bright knew her future was secured, she had a future NBA star and she knew once they got married and had children, she would never have to want or need for anything ever again; and her children would have something that she never had: a father.
Once Bright paid the phone bill, on the cab ride back home, she and Treasure had a real heart-to-heart talk about both of their family lives. When the cab dropped them off in front of Treasure’s house, they rushed inside to freshen up before her mother and grandmother made it back home. The last thing they wanted to do was to get caught smelling like weed by Treasure's mom, Ms. Jackie. “Damn, bitch, I gotta pee!” Treasure announced, unlocking the door, then she ran inside the house to release her bladder. “Grab the mail, Bee, and put it on the entertainment center,” Treasure yelled from the bathroom.
Bright grabbed the mail, and surprisingly, the first piece of mail she noticed was a letter from state prison to Treasure from Jonathan Carver, A.K.A. Chrome. Feeling anxiety, build Bright quickly grabbed the letter, folded it up, put it in her back pocket, and then placed the rest of the mail on top of the entertainment center like Treasure asked her to. When Treasure came out the bathroom, she looked through the mail, then they headed back out to the porch. Since the letter was burning a hole in Bright's pocket, she made up a quick excuse to go home so she could find out what Chrome was trying to tell Treasure.
“I’m about to bounce, Treasure, it's laundry night,” Bright announced, then headed out the gate.
“A’ight, bestie, Reggie supposed to be coming over in a few, and I have a movie date with this fine ass boss gangsta from Compton named Lil Boo. He balling out of control and is rolling a slick ass Benz...yeah Bee, he so fly!” Treasure yelled down the street to Bright.
“Balling...have fun, girl, and if ole boy got a friend, holler at me! Hit me on the cell when you get back home and tell me all about it!” Bright laughed, then continued walking home.
“I will!” Treasure yelled back then ran inside the house.

“Bright, talk to your sister,” Rosette yelled, passing Bright the telephone when she walked through the front door. Bright couldn't stand the fact that Deja had to spend the rest of her summer in Los Padrino's Juvenile Hall, and even more so that she wasn't at home watching them like she was supposed to have done in the first place.

“Hey Dejaaaaa, baby!!!”
“Hey Queen Bee,” Deja teased, calling Bright the name their mother called her. Bright was so happy to hear her sister's voice, that she planned on speaking to her until her phone time was up.
“Me and Larry gone come see you in the morning, and remember, don't let them little girls try to turn you out and take ya snatch from you, you hear me?”
“I already know, sis,” Deja laughed.
“The first female that try you, you bust her right in the mouth,” Bright instructed her seriously.
“Don't be hyping Deja up to get into any more trouble, Queen Bee...I want my baby to hurry up and come home!” Rosette yelled out from the kitchen, where she was preparing dinner.
“Maaaa, I'm just telling Deja to protect herself in there, that’s all,” Bright yelled back to her mother from the living room, then she whispered into the phone. “Like I said, bust any of them bitches that try you fresh in the mouth. You cute with long hair, and them dykes gone be on you.”
Deja laughed. “These girls know what I'm here for, and trust me, they don't want it, Bright.”
“I love you, sister!” Ryonna yelled, hanging off of Bright's lap.
“Me too,” Ramon and Cordell chimed in.
“Mama loves you too, Deja, and you behave yourself in there so you can hurry up and come home!” Rosette said, becoming teary-eyed and emotional.
“I love y'all too!!!!” Deja yelled after Bright put her on the speaker phone.
After the phone call with Deja, Bright went into her bedroom, tore open the letter that Chrome wrote to Treasure, and then began to read it to herself.

Dear Treasure,
I hope this letter reaches you in the best of health and spirit possible. As for me, not that you may really give a damn, I'm managing and hangin' in there, and trying to accept the fact that I may have to spend the next fifteen years of my life in prison over your fake ass homegirl and her lies. And even though you and this whole fucked up judicial system may never believe me, I swear, I never raped your friend. I admit I did beat her ass up, but I NEVER RAPED HER and I'm telling you what God loves and that's, the truth! That rat gave that shit up to me openly and willingly, and the ONLY reason I fucked her stanking ass in the first place was because she told me you had moved on with some other nigga. After that she started throwing the pussy at me and gave me head in the front seat of my car in the Burger King parking lot. I wouldn't even waste my time writing or lying to you, Treasure, if I wasn't telling you the truth. I feel I owe at least that much to you. And even though I know there will never be a chance of us getting back together ever again in life, I just honestly want you to know what type of back stabbing ass homegirl you rolling with. She thinks she's better than you and will try to sleep with any dude you may have future relations with just because she thinks she's all that. So you watch out, Treasure, cause Bright ain't nothing but Poison and she's not that true friend that you believe or that she portrays herself to be. That girl doesn't care about nothing or nobody but herself. P.S: If you write me back, just to let me know that you have received my letter, I will promise that I will never bother you again.
Sincerely, Jonathan Carter
“I am Treasure's true friend, stupid ass nigga!” Bright said out loud to herself. Then she ripped his letter up to shreds. Happy she hadn't torn the envelope up with Chrome's address on it, Bright smiled. “Treasure gone write yo ass back alright, Mr. Carter,” she said devilishly, reaching for the notebook and pen that sat on top of her night stand. After writing Chrome a short, sweet, “I don't give a fuck letter”, Bright forged Treasure's name on it then searched for an envelope around the apartment. Unable to find one, Bright tucked the letter in Chrome's envelope until she could get her hands on one, then tucked it under her bed and went about her evening.

The next morning as promised, Bright and her siblings went to visit Deja at the juvenile hall center in Norwalk. Larry borrowed his mother’s van so that he could drive them all over for the visit. Afterwards, Bright treated everyone to lunch at Friday's in hopes of cheering Ryonna up. She was extremely sad that Deja couldn't come back home with them. When Larry pulled up in front of Bright's apartment, as usual she dreaded parting ways with him.

Larry said as he kissed on Bright’s soft lips.
“I love you, Larry Lane,” Bright told him as she
exited the van.
“I love you more, Mrs. Lane,” he said, then drove
off.
“Ryonna and Ramon, go take y'all showers. Cordell,
take yours before you go to bed,” Bright ordered upon
entering the apartment. Since Cordell was the next oldest
sibling in the house, Bright felt it was time to stop treating him like the youngest two and start giving him a little
more leeway. “Tie your hair up, Ray,” Bright said, calling
her sister ‘Ray’ for short. “And when you get out of the
shower, pick your Bratz Dolls up off the living room
floor, and go to bed.” Bright took a stretch, then walked
in her room to relax and count her money. She wanted to
buy Larry a few new outfits and another pair of Jordan’s.
In the middle of counting her money, Terrence start
blowing her cell phone up, and instead of ignoring his
calls as she had done for the last couple of days, she
decided to answer and play the victim role so that she
could start collecting her money in full.
“Hello,” Bright answered as if she was miserable
and depressed.
“Baby, this Ice, what’s wrong, why you sound like
that?” Terrence asked, concerned. “Why you haven't
been answering my calls, baby? I need to talk to you, I
miss you,” he pleaded. “Do you miss me too, Bright?” he
asked.
Bright sniffed into the phone. “Why you do this to
me, baby? You should have told me,” Bright said, then
begin to cry.
“I wanted to baby, I did... and matter of fact, I was
gone tell you, but it was hard for me, I was scared I was
gone lose you, and I love you baby, I don't ever wanna
lose you.” After a few moment of listening to Bright
sniffle and cry, Terrence asked, “Do you still love me,
baby?”
“I need time right now, Terrence. I'm tryna come up
on some extra money to go visit my grandmother in
Vegas, I need to clear my head,” she cried in between
sobs.
“Let me give it to you, baby, I did the shit to you,
and I'm willing to do anything in my power to make it
up to you baby. I love you, Bright,” he said in a comforting and sincere tone.
“No, I can’t see you right now,” Bright cried. “It's
gone be too hard to face you Terrence. My heart is so
broken,” she cried.
Terrence felt bad and didn't want to lose Bright, so
he told her he would drop the money off to Treasure and
that when she got back he wanted to see her. Bright hung
up the phone crying. An hour later, Treasure called
Bright and told her that Terrence had just drove over in
his 64 Chevy Impala low-rider and dropped an envelope
full of money off for her. Bright began smiling, then after
putting her shoes on, she told her brothers and sister to
watch cable in their mother’s room until she got back,
and for them not to answer the door for anybody. Then
she made her way over to Treasure's house.
“He broke yo ass off!” Treasure said after they
counted out twelve hundred and fifty dollars. “And you
should have seen that fool too, Bright, he said ‘tell my
baby that no matter what, I love her, Treasure.’ He was
looking all sad and pitiful,” she laughed.
“Girl, I put it on good too. I was crying and sniffling,
and he was like, ‘Bright baby, I love you girl, do you love
me?” She teased, trying to disguise her voice like a man.
“He just don't know he about to get milked for all that
money, messing with me,” Bright said, then passed
Treasure two hundred dollars. “I'm going to spend half of this on Larry tomorrow at the mall, then I'ma call that nigga Terrence in a few days and milk his ass again,”
Bright laughed.
“Thanks, girl,” Treasure said putting the money in
her purse. “I'm going out with that suwoooo nigga from
Compton again tonight, he such a boss that I wanna
spend all my money on him,” Treasure teased.
“Damn, like that?” Bright laughed. “Looks like you
got a Larry on ya hands,” she teased. “You said his name
is Lil Boo?” Bright asked.
“Yeah and he fine as fuck, all thugged out and shit,”
Treasure said, really feeling him.
“So I guess you not rolling with us to the frat party
tonight, huh?” Bright asked, disappointed. “Reggie
gonna be there,” Bright said, hoping that Treasure would
change her mind.
“I like Reggie too, Bright. But you already know how
I get down when I really like a guy. I let them chase me
around and give 'em the cold shoulder so that when they
get my time, they will appreciate and value it,” Treasure
said, honestly.
Bright rolled her eyes and nodded her head. She
didn't believe in or use that method to get or keep a
dude. She believed the more she gave, the more she'd
get. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, Treasure, what’s up with Suge
though?” she asked. She hadn't seen or heard from her in
over a week.
“She still on punishment,” Treasure said, shaking
her head in disbelief.
“Poor Suge,” Bright said, missing her little homegirl.
After
talking for a few more minutes, Bright went home to get
prepared for her evening with Larry. Once her mother came home, she called Larry to pick her up so that they could go out and get their party on.

week after Treasure's seventeenth birthday, Lil Boo had picked her up to take her out to the movies. She was enjoying herself with her

suwoooo gangsta from Compton. He was indeed one of the most swagged out guys she had ever been out with. Dressed sexy in a fuchsia tube dress, sliver sling backs, and her hair pressed out in a silky wrap, Treasure and Lil Boo were having a great time. After they left the movies, he invited her back over to his house.