A smoked filled room infused with laughter and loud music were two intoxicated friends freely conversing amongst themselves. They carelessly circulated around the scattered alcohol bottles and misplaced cigarette butts that were haphazardly sprinkled about the tattered carpet.
Nara Green and Isis Fox were best friends who were cooperating in agreement with the downfall of the day. There were no ambitions and no dreams. Their lives were all drama, no peace, and a façade covered their friendship from truth. The self-destruction they harbored added salt to wounds and continuously twisted the knife in the open scars that never healed. They were broken vessels flawed and then forgotten.
The two met in the ladies’ room at school. The colliding fate of broken spirits that happened upon one another. Nara was running late for her class, instead of going in late yet again; she opted to hang in the ladies’ room. Inside the restroom was a stench of marijuana drifting in the air. Behind the smoke was Isis who only moments ago was kicked out of her class for insubordination.
“Puff, puff, Pass!” Nara bantered to the person with no feet behind the restroom stall.
Isis struggled to keep the smoke in as she tried to determine if the voice was a teacher coercing her out.
Isis cautiously came out of the stall. Her eyes landed on the girl primping in the mirror.
“You ain’t put in on this!”
“Oh, it’s like that!” Nara chuckled.
Isis passed Nara the joint to join in on the fun.
Nara was a neglected teenager who was left alone for days at a time while her alcoholic mother went on binges. Isis’ situation was no better. She was put off on relatives because her mother could not contain her promiscuous ways, which was thanks to her many step fathers.
Nara and Isis developed a sinister friendship, and they occupied their time in deceiving men for sport and monetary gain. They loved notoriety, the material gifts, the endless liquid satisfaction and other affluent escape remedies that took them through a flight of imagination and probabilities.
They were friends who truly love each other from what they had to give. However, that affection turned catty, placing them in choke holds of aggravation and scorn. They were considered frenemies because the rivalry sometimes got out of hand. There was jealousy, contempt, and internal shame that fueled the fire of destruction.
Isis was very attractive with a magnificent physique, beautiful brown eyes who loved to live on the edge; she found herself in competition with Nara over the attention Nara received effortlessly. Men were drawn to Nara because of her bubbly personality, caring attitude, exquisite facial features, but mostly her generous endowments that Isis lacked in all areas.
“She is beautiful isn’t she? I would want her too if I were a man.” Isis would comment, showing off her sexy midriff and seducing behavior. This ploy was done to get the attention off of Nara, which often worked mostly with men with bad intentions. This became a diversion sport with the two girls once they became run-a ways from their loveless homes. Isis would get the mark interested in them, giving him clarity that he didn’t have to choose.
They would go dancing and while one was on the dance floor, the other would go in the jacket pockets to steal cash and credit cards, or they would accompany the men to motel rooms with false expectations of a good time but the scheme was to rob him of all possessions.
One day Isis pulled up in a blue metallic Cadillac, blasting music.
“Where did you get the car?” Nara asked horror stricken by what the answer may entail.
Nara loved Isis. She was literally all she had for a couple of years now and she considered her family, but her antics and living outside boundaries go too far. She knew she was out of character when she began robbing and boosting things out of department stores, but grand theft auto was another type of sport.
“Get in girl!” Isis yelled out of the car window.
“I pass on this one, you go ahead.”
“Come on, we won’t get in trouble.” Isis winked at her friend.
Nara’s intuition screamed for her to run, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. She reluctantly got into the vehicle with a sincere prayer of protection.
Isis pulled into a parking garage of an extravagant high-rise apartment building; Nara asked a million questions as they rode the elevator to the 9th floor of the building; Isis did not to answer any of them; she only grinned and nodded, leaving Nara in apprehension of what was to come.
Apartment 955 is where the journey concluded; Isis sounded the doorbell. A tall, dark complexion handsome man answered with dark eyes and an unwelcoming leer. Nora felt the snare of his consort and iniquitous demeanor. Once again her head yelled, run while you have the chance to survive, but her putty heart said, do not leave Isis alone.
“You were right. She is delightful! Come in, make yourselves comfortable.” The dark complexion man expressed.
"Here we go again.” Nara murmured under her breath.
“My name is Corbel and you must be the knock out queen your friend was telling me about earlier.”
"Yes, nice to meet you, Corbel. Do you give your car to anyone that comes along?” Nara asked skeptically.
“I trust her. We had a lengthy talk today, and on the practical side, I bear a tracking device on it.” Corbel chuckled as he poured himself and the girls a drink.
The trio sat around laughing and drinking; suddenly corbel mood altered to all business. Harshly extracting the drinks out of the girl’s hands he marched over to the CD player abruptly turning it off.
“This is how this is going to go down. Tonight, you two are going out on the boulevard; as you are new to the business, however, I won’t take no less than 350.00 separately.”
“Oh hell no, I’m not going on nobodies excursion, I came this far, I don’t need desecrate my body to make it, so no thank you, come on Isis, let’s roll up out of here!” Nara exploded out of anger mixed with fear.
Isis remained unmoved. She did not budge from her spot, and she wore a complacent look of a victor. “Shut up, Nara, and pay attention. This way we are protected and we would have a consistent place to lay our heads instead of moving from lodge to rat infested motel.”
Flabbergasted, Nara tried desperately to read Isis, to figure out what was the play, and why didn’t she feel her in to what her position was. She knew in her very being this was an Isis’ move. But, for the sake of friendship, she would see what her plan was, for surely she did not expect her to go out on the stroll for some looser.
“The both of you will go out. Be ready to make me money within2 hours.” Corbel commanded as he walked out the door and locked the top lock from the outside. They were left prisoners in a home of a so-called Mack.
“Please tell me you are joking, that this is a gag of some sort. What is the actual plan?”
“It’s not a joke, however I am amused. I am in Hollywood and I need actual cash to make it. I am tired of everyday coming up with different hustles. This way we are safe, protected and paid.”
“So, you think by giving your goodies to strangers and releasing your money to Corbel is going to get you anywhere. You are more unrealistic than you typically are.”
“Yeah, well, I am tired of thinking for the two of us and carrying you, so if I were you, I will start getting ready for the debut, and as normal I am going to get more attention than you, so I will be finished in no time.”
Nara was visibly traumatized. There was a way to get out of this, and all she had to do was think long and hard; as she played her position. She always wanted to break away from Isis and her offhanded ways. Tonight would have to be the night they part ways.
Corbel returned in 2 hours flat, he gave the girls a once over and nodded his approval. He had them wearing a spandex cami unitard jumpsuit that fit like second skin. Nora dressed herself in the royal blue because Isis was already dressed in the black one, preparing her walk to the stroll. He could not keep his eyes off of Nara. This drove Isis to fury.
They reached Hollywood boulevard; the girls were given instruction to walk 8 blocks east and 8 blocks west all night until he returned. Orders were given to have the Johns pay for the motel across the way at the Shane Motel and to make sure they give the cash up front.
Nara was the first to get a John to pull over, which scared her to death; she told him if he picked up her friend he could have double the fun. The John quickly agreed and anxiously drove to the other side to get the Isis.
“Isis, get in the car?”
Isis couldn’t believe Nara found a John first. “The price triples with two.”
“Get in. This is our escape.” Nara urged her friend.
Isis looked at Nara with repulsion and loosely sashayed down the street.
Nara disappointedly directed the John to the hotel across the way, when the John got out the car to pay, Isis spotted a city bus coming. Her adrenaline worked overtime; she bolted out of the car, with lightning speed she reached the bus in the nick of time.
As the bus pulled off, Nara's heart pound rapidly as she peered at the guy through the window. He had not yet noticed her absence. Nara rode the bus all the way to the end of the line. Her thoughts were searching continuously for a solution to what her next move would be. Nara could not fathom the transformation from friend to foe; she contemplated through her life’s journey of being a bastard child and her disparaging life’s choices; she wondered if her mother ever searched for her and would she would ever come into her truth.
(c)2022