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3:12 AM

I ended up staying over later than intended. It was now a little after three, and to say we were geeked was an understatement at this point.

Marie and Desi were sprawled out in the middle of the kitchen floor, engrossed in conversation, though I couldn't quite catch the topic.

"And one thing 'bout it, I'm stepping on shit for sure," Desi remarked.

"Girl, what the fuck is you talking 'bout?" Marie burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, I found myself on the floor amidst Mikey, Asher, Isaiah, and Benji.

Benji remained in the same spot as before, while Mikey and Asher were in peculiar positions beside me. Our eyes were heavy, and I was lost in my thoughts, everything seemingly moving in slow motion.

"Let's go grab some food," Asher exclaimed suddenly, breaking the trance.

"Oh, yes!" Desi agreed enthusiastically.

"Give me a minute, man, I'm seeing stars and shit," Mikey groaned, earning laughter from all of us.

As I gazed into space, I noticed Benji's low-eyed stare from my peripheral vision. Meeting his gaze, we locked eyes for what felt like an eternity. I couldn't deny he looked attractive. Breaking the eye contact, I started scrolling through Instagram.

"Alright, let's go, peoplee," Desi sung shortly after.

We gathered our belongings and headed to the parking garage. "Who riding wit who?" Isaiah inquired as we approached the cars.

"I'll ride with you," Asher said, stepping over to Isaiah's white BMW. "We riding too," Desi, Marie, and Mikey chimed in.

Glancing over at me and Benji, I stood there bashfully, avoiding eye contact and fiddling with the charms on my nails.

"Come on, shawty," Benji muttered, leading the way to his black Audi R8. Glancing back at the group behind us, I gave them a sullen look. We all got into the car, and as I sat beside Benji, he turned to me and asked, "You cold?"

"Yeah, a little bit. Why you ask?" I replied.

Without a word, he glanced down at the thin cropped white tank I borrowed from Marie after Asher spilled fruit punch on my denim jacket. I looked down, realizing my hardened nipples were visible, and covered my chest shyly.

Benji let out a low chuckle and turned the heat on, pulling off while trailing the group. We sat in semi-awkward silence until Benji finally spoke up.

"Why do you dance?" he asked.

"Huh? Why do you want to know?" I responded.

"Just curious. I asked Des and Marie the same thing eventually," he explained. "Well, it's easy money. I don't really know what I want to do at the moment, so it's just a placeholder until I figure out my purpose. I didn't really want to dance, but it's a long story," I explained softly, not wanting to delve into details.

"Oh, I see," he acknowledged as he pulled up to the Waffle House. We all sat at a booth and ordered our food. When it was my turn, I hesitantly placed my order.

"I would like an orange juice, no pulp, and an All-Star Special, scrambled eggs with extra cheese," I spoke softly, my social anxiety creeping in.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" the waiter leaned in, trying to hear me over the noise.

"She wants an orange juice, no pulp, with an All-Star Special. Scrambled eggs with extra cheese," Benji smoothly intervened, glancing down at his phone.

"Oh, okay. I'll bring your food out shortly," the waiter replied. The group glanced around, and I twiddled my fingers nervously on my lap, earning a small glance from Benji.

"Not that, nigga, Ben don went out of his way to order for Zuri," Mikey remarked, giving me a new nickname.

"On bro, never thought I'd see the day," Asher agreed.

The rest of the night was filled with loud laughter and conversation as the group got to know me better.

"What do you do in your free time, Zuri?" Isaiah asked loudly, gaining glances from other customers. With a small giggle, I replied, "I read, journal, paint, work out, and cook."

"Damn, you're really different," Asher remarked.

"Right, these days, bitches only party and hang out at the corner store looking for niggas," Marie added.

As we engaged in more conversation, the random girl from the club walked in with a group of five, including three guys and two girls.

"If it isn't them loser ass hoes," the girl sneered, earning laughs from her companions.

"Who a loser?" Desi shot back.

"You, bitch," the girl retorted.

"Aye, don't bring that ghetto shit in here," Isaiah warned with a side-eye.

"Nobody was talking to you," another girl interjected.

"Man, Asia, chill with all that," Asher argued, pointing to the girl from the club.

I excused myself to the restroom, with Benji silently sliding out of the booth to let me through. As I walked past the group, one of the girls threw a utensil at me, narrowly missing.

"Dumbass lil bitch," she spat.

"What the hell—" I heard Desi begin as I continued walking. In the restroom, I adjusted my tank and denim skirt, then washed and dried my hands as I heard more arguing outside.

"Octavia, I will slap you, don't throw shit at her," Marie's voice rang out.

Back at the table, Alyssia glared at me. "dummy bitch."

Fed up, I snapped, "Ian gon' be too many more bitches before I start lining all you hoes up in this damn Waffle House. TREAD LIGHTLY, BITCH. I don't give no fucks what you talkin' 'bout!" I yelled, emphasizing each word, pointing my finger at them.

Everyone stared dumbfounded, and I stormed outside for some fresh air. Desi, Marie, and Mikey came to comfort me, and we eventually returned to finish our meals. After paying, we cleaned up the table, and I grabbed my shoulder bag, eager to leave.

As I finished gathering my things, a sense of unease settled in the pit of my stomach, like a storm brewing on the horizon. Little did I know, that storm would soon erupt in a violent frenzy.

With my shoulder bag slung over my shoulder, I prepared to make my exit, eager to put this uncomfortable encounter behind me. But fate had other plans in store.

As we prepared to leave, a sudden commotion shattered the fragile peace of the restaurant. Without warning, Asia, Octavia, and Alyssia stormed over, their faces contorted with malice and aggression.

Before I could react, Asia launched a glass of orange juice at me, the liquid splattering across my clothes, staining them with sticky, orange droplets. Shock and fury coursed through my veins, igniting a firestorm of rage within me.

Without hesitation, I lunged forward, my fists flying as I sought to confront Asia for her brazen attack. I threw straight face shots, and she got a hold of my hair, pulling me down slightly.

In return, I grabbed her red braids and yanked her down harshly. I then lifted my head up and started beating the back of her head in. I slammed her on the floor and started stomping her.

Octavia jumped in, swinging and windmilling at me recklessly as I dodged most of her hits. Desi and Marie ran to help me, each taking on a girl of their own.

The boys tried to break it up as me and Octavia fell on the floor, hitting the table. Resulting in food falling on her. I got back on top of her, sending face shots as blood started spraying from the open wounds on her face.

Asher and Isaiah broke up, Desi and Marie's fight. While Mikey and Benji pulled me out of mine.

My hair was messy and a few of my nails broke, leaving my nail bed bleeding. My knuckles were bruised and sore, my tank was ripped down the middle and my skirt was up on my stomach, revealing my underwear.

The manager kicked us out, and I walked swiftly to the car, not bothering to fix my clothes or my hair, just wanting to leave. The car was locked and Benji took his sweet time coming towards the car.

As I tried to open the car, tears welled in my eyes, and I fought to hold them back.

Everyone finally exited the restaurant and Benji approached the car, his expression unreadable.

"What now?" I muttered, exasperated.