split. She’d glare right back at him. He was only a year older than her and she would be damned if he would tell her what to do!
Then Scotty would continue dancing with whatever chick he was with at the time, but his eyes would never leave her. He’d sell his dope while glaring at her and despite how much she wanted to be able to ignore him it was hard to do.
And if a guy asked to dance with her Scotty would actually start a fight with the dude! Scotty wouldn’t let her drink, if he saw her try he’d knock the drink out of her hand and try to haul her out of the house. If she kicked him in the shin he’d let her loose but would just smirk at her.
She knew what that look meant—if she stayed he wouldn’t let her have any fun, wouldn’t let her talk to a dude or dance or anything. So in a huff she’d just leave. It got to the point that if she walked into a house party and saw Scotty she’d just turn right around and leave.
One day when Scotty was locked up she finally made it into one of the better parties. Phonso was there but he was too busy having fun to care about what she was doing. Besides, she was pretty sure that she could beat Phonso in a fair fight-she was older and bigger than him.
At sixteen Beatrice Tremont was that type of fine that everyone else wanted to be. Although part black and part white she wasn’t light skinned but a medium brown complexion. She kept her golden brown hair cut short like Anita Baker’s and she didn’t need the fake contacts that so many others wore to make her eyes hazel.
Someone had once told her that she was built like a brick-shithouse (though she didn’t see how that was any type of compliment), and she knew that she could pass for much older even if she wasn’t all that tall.
Boys liked her and she liked boys. Boys Beady knew how to handle. But not men …
She shuddered at the thought of a man touching her, but sex was something that called to her—even if she didn’t let a boy put it in her.
Sometimes she just needed to let him extinguish her desires before she dismissed him and his needs. Sometimes she would give in but it was rare for her to allow boy’s penis on or in her.
One day while Scotty was locked up she had finally made it into a decent house party.
The music was blasting down the street and although it was BYOB there was plenty of beer. She and her girls were dressed fly and they looked better than the older broads who were trying to get the attention of the coolest guys.
The crowd was older than her, which was cool since she looked older but she didn’t really know any of the people. They weren’t the same crowd she knew from when she used to live in the projects.
Phonso was there doing the hottest dances and selling mass weed. She avoided him on the off chance that he wanted to emulate Scotty. Beady began to enjoy the party, the beer, the music as well as the boys that noticed her.
But before long some guy started dancing up against her. Not only was he old enough to be her daddy, he was loud and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Even when she walked off the dance floor he followed her and cornered her, still talking smack. She finally had to tell him that she was sixteen and still he wouldn’t get it into his over-indulged mind that she had no interest in him.
Beady had been terrified. She liked to control the boys she dealt with and being a girl used to the streets she handled herself well. But this was a grown man and he wouldn’t leave her alone—not until Phonso popped out of nowhere and began slicing the man with his switchblade. Phonso kept cutting the fool until he scurried out of the house with blood streaming from several wounds.
Beady finally understood that she might be one tough bitch, but she couldn’t handle every situation.
Scotty paused outside of the bathroom door and Beady gave him a crooked smile.
“Thanks,” she said simply.
The smile fell from his face instantly. “What