Bad as in Good by J. Lovelace Page B

Teona.” I helped her to her feet and led her to myliving room sofa. Whatever led her to my doorstep had to be something serious, but I didn’t wanna risk my neighbors findin’ out about it as we discussed it in my hallway.
    When she swiped the few flyaways from her forehead, she scanned my apartment and smirked. “You have a really nice place. Damn! How much does a copy editor make?”
    â€œTeona, what are you doing here?”
    Teona opened her mouth to say something before she drunkenly scurried to my kitchen sink to throw up. “Fuck!” was the last thing she yelled before filling up my sink with yesterday’s stink. She kicked off her heels and hugged my counter as she let the water pour over her head.
    â€œDoes your sister know you’re here?”
    After coughing up her own spit, she wiped her face, smeared her makeup, and washed her hands. “My sister doesn’t give a fuck where I am.”
    â€œYou know that’s not true. How did you even get here?”
    â€œI’m surprised I remembered how to get here.” Teona turned around and slid down to the floor with her elbows on her knees and her head sunk in her lap. “I have someone waitin’ on me.”
    â€œYou do? Where?” I took out a washcloth and ran it under some warm water.
    â€œDownstairs.” She struggled to stand back up but fell atop my kitchen counter. I grabbed her arms and led her back to my sofa. As she laid her head on the back of my sofa, she wiped her eyes with the sweaty palms of her hands. “I was supposed to come up and see if you were home so we could come inside.”
    After handing her the washcloth, I snapped. “Who’s we?”
    â€œTimothy…or Travis…or Rick or maybe it was Alfred o’ somethin’. Whoever he is, he’s downstairs.”
    â€œTeona, you have some random man downstairs waiting to come inside my apartment? What the hell is wrong with you? Don’t come bringin’ some man you don’t even know to my home.”
    â€œCalm down, Erin. You sound like Loraine right now.”
    I walked into my kitchen and grabbed a cup from my cupboard. I filled it with tap water and shoved it in Teona’s face. “Drink this, lil’ girl.”
    â€œI’m not a fuckin’ lil’ girl, old woman. Calm down. Todd or Mike is harmless; he wanted to have some innocent fun.”
    â€œHow long have you been here?”
    â€œSince like ten o’clock, I think.”
    â€œTen in the morning?”
    â€œYea, what time is it now?”
    â€œIt’s almost six at night!”
    â€œOh!” She burst into a hysterical laugh that caused her to slide off the sofa trying to hold her balance. When her bottom hit the floor, she yelped. “I guess Alfred or Jonathan ain’t outside no mo’ then, huh?”
    â€œYou been here since ten in the a.m. and no one called the police?”
    She shrugged her shoulders and mumbled. “Some nigga named Toronto…Rudolpho…Reynaldo or somethin’ said he’d check up on me ’til you got home. He tried to invite me in but I wasn’t tryna be alone in that weirdo’s apartment.”
    â€œAlonzo.” I corrected her. I grabbed my cup from her hand. Trying to help her up, I jumped when I heard someone banging at my door. Hopefully, it wasn’t Tariq, Alonzo, or the random man she had waiting downstairs for half the day. When I opened my door, Loraine brushed past me, going straight for Teona. “Girl, what the hell are you doing here?”
    Teona rolled her eyes at Loraine. Then she glanced over at me and snarled. “You called her?”
    Loraine turned her around to face her. “Lil’ girl, what the hell is wrong with you?”
    Teona pulled on my sofa cushion to pull herself up to a standing position. “I thought I tol’ you not to call me lil’ girl.”
    Loraine grabbed her arm. “Let’s