Pretty Girls in the Vip (9781617730283) by Daaimah S. Poole Read Free Book Online Page A

thinking, like, a bottle in a liquor store is only seventy, eighty dollars for the big bottles. Two hundred at the max, and the club charged us five times that. I hope we had a good time because I can’t remember shit.”
    â€œYes, we had a great time. I’m not so sure about your boyfriend, though. I was arguing with him. I’m really sorry. He was going off about the bill, and I said something like the bill was nothing and asked him why he wasn’t paying for it and just complaining about it.”
    â€œOh, wow. Yeah, he is mad. Anyway, forget him. I want to know how you can legally cheat people out of their money like this and get away with it. I should open a damn club.”
    â€œYou should!” Angelique laughed.
    â€œNo, I’m serious. I’ll charge fifty to get in and thirty dollars a shot, five hundred a bottle, and only let certain people in.”
    â€œSounds about right. Well, when you open this club, invite me, because I will be there.”

C HAPTER 5
    Zakiya
    O n Wednesdays Lisa didn’t do overtime; she came home and took Miles and Kyle to karate and I didn’t have to go to work. I was going to find a spot at this coffee shop on Spring Garden Street not far from school and open my textbook and study. I felt like a big cliché studying in the midst of people on their midday breaks; other students, and people just typing away on their computer. Cliché or not, I was able to complete so much of my schoolwork there.
    My phone went off and I saw my sister’s name. “Hey, Lisa.”
    â€œCan you watch the boys tonight?”
    â€œYeah, I’m not doing anything, just studying. Where are you going?”
    â€œI’m going out for drinks with coworkers. If you can’t do it, I understand and I’ll just tell them I can’t.”
    â€œNo, I can do it.”
    â€œOh, and can you take the boys to their karate class, too?”
    â€œYeah, I will take them.”

    I took my rock heads to their karate class. Their class was held in the basement of a church. There were a bunch of children kicking into the air screaming martial arts terms. The boys hurried and changed into their karate gear, and I took a seat against the wall and planned to continue to study during the next hour.
    One of the guest karate teachers came over and introduced himself. “Hey, I’m Brian.” I brought my head up long enough to give a faint hello and returned to reading my textbook.
    The instructor was cute. He had dark, wavy hair and an olive-colored complexion. He kept watching me and smiling and looking over in my direction. I knew he wanted to say something, but was trying to figure out what his approach was going to be. He was handsome and looked about my age. He came back over and said, “Your nephews, they are really good students. I never saw you bring them before.”
    â€œYeah, because my sister usually brings them. I have classes and I work.”
    â€œWhat school do you go to? I’m in school, too. I’m at Drexel.”
    â€œI just began classes at community college,” I said. In no way did it compare to Drexel.
    â€œMy dad went to community. It’s cool.”
    â€œYeah, it is. I’m going to stay there until I get my associate’s degree.”
    â€œSo, what are you doing later on? Maybe we can hang out or something.”
    â€œMaybe. I think we can do that.” I gave him my number and he said he would call me around eight and then we would figure out where to meet up.
    Â 
    I was so excited about my date with Brian. The kids had no idea that their auntie had snagged a date during their lesson.
    Lisa came in the house, and I couldn’t wait to tell her my good news. I had texted a little bit with Brian and found out more information on him. He was twenty-two and about to graduate school in the fall. His major was political science with a minor in business.
    â€œI took your kids to karate and I now