Moth to a Flame Read Online Free PDF

you, but you need to be careful with him.”
    “I will, ma. I promise,” Raven answered as she got up and headed to her room.
    “Oh, yeah, and Raven!” her mother called, stopping her in her tracks.
    “Yeah, Mommy?” she responded, turning around to look at her.
    “The next time you bring your ass in here high I’ma beat the black off of you. Divas don’t smoke. You leave that to the niggas. As long as you conduct yourself like a lady then everyone around you will have to treat you like one. Also, Morgan looks up to you. She’s your baby sister and she’s watching everything you do. She wants to be just like you so you got to show her how to be a lady the same way I showed you, understand?” her mother stated sternly, wisdom lacing her tone.
    Raven nodded her head and replied, “Yeah, Mommy, I understand.”
    “Now go take a shower and wash the smoke out of your hair before your father smells it on you,” Justine instructed. She shook her head as she watched her daughter walk out of the room. I swear, that girl is too much like me when I was her age. I’ma have to keep a close eye on her. She think she’s grown, but I’m queen bee up in here. With her little cute self, Justine thought with a smile while shaking her head. She couldn’t help but think back to the day a hood fella came into her life ... back to the day when she got caught up in the love of her life, Benjamin Atkins.
     
     
    1975
    Sixteen-year-old Justine Washington was a fly girl. In roller skates, a stone-washed mini skirt, and a halter top she leaned against the banister of TLC Skating Rink while chitchatting with her girlfriends as all the guys rolled by showing off. She was a beautiful distraction as her pretty, long, freshly oiled legs shined underneath the colored strobe light, and she bopped her head to the sounds of Parliament and Funkadelic.
    “Hey, Corey!” she called out as the most popular guy in school went past her, full speed. He turned his head and winked at her as he spun on his wheels, trying to impress her. He began to skate backward as they stared at each other while he did circles around her. Staring a moment too long at the most popular girl in school, he lost his balance and went ass first falling to the floor. Justine and her girls cracked up as they turned and skated away.
    “Damn, Jus, girl, the boy gon’ break his neck trying to get at you,” her best friend, Minnie, exclaimed.
    Justine laughed as she commanded the skating rink as if she owned it. Her hips swayed from side to side as she raised her hands in the air snapping her fingers to the beat. Everybody who was anybody was there on the Saturday night when the eighteen-and-up crowd commanded the club. With her grown-up looks and fake ID, she had gotten into the rink without problem. She was easily the belle of the ball. Her infatuation with attention came from the lack of it she received at home. Her mother was a mean drunk who despised her daughter for “taking the best years of her life.” She blamed Justine for robbing her of her figure, because after she gave birth, she went from a voluptous size twelve to a sloppy twenty-eight. When her mother’s size bounced, so did Justine’s father, and now her mother was miserable, allowing man after man into her life to make her feel good. Most days she acted as if Justine did not exist, which left Justine feeling alone in a world so cold. With an absentee father and a selfish mother, this left a huge void in her heart. So any amount of attention she got was a good thing to her, which was why her skirts were always a little high and her blouses cut a little low; to turn heads.
    Being center stage, Justine floated on four wheels like a professional, when she noticed she had an audience. Dripping in gold and leaned up against the wall with one foot propped up sat Benny Atkins, the finest man she had ever seen. He was surrounded by an entourage of men, and as he stared at her cooly, she felt power emanating from