Azmir invited me to Kim’s birthday party. From the moment we walked through the door I noticed the sheer difference in atmospheres between this club and Cobalt. The patrons ranged from ghetto fabulous to bottom of the barrel hood. I’m not quite sure why but it all took me by surprise. I had to check my bourgeois card at the door. No, in fact, the car! The women and men were eyeballing the hell out of us from the door. If I thought Azmir was “somebody” anyplace else, it came nowhere near his status here. He was like the President of the United States. The girls were breaking their necks, whispering to each other and sucking their teeth. I remained composed and maintained my stride. It was uncomfortable at first but the reverence that was paid to Azmir by most reminded me that I had little to worry about in terms of safety.
Not too long after our arrival, Chanell popped up. Seeing her familiar face did a lot for my comfort level. She had a few friends with her but you could tell they were not connected to the ‘Clan’ like she was. She had access to V.I.P. while they stayed at bay. She was as loud and vibrant as always. There was something very endearing about her personality. I understood that Azmir was our common denominator but I felt like she genuinely liked me. She was real. I’m sure Azmir wouldn’t have a problem if we weren’t friendly so she wasn’t obligated to befriend me. She complimented me on my attire and I shared how I admired her hair. Chanell wore the hell out of that tight curl style with her gold and brown highlights. It was gorgeous! She really strongly resembled the actress, Rachel True—until she opened her mouth.
In the middle of our chatting, a B.I.G. track came bursting through the speakers. We both jumped up in wonderment. Once I realized we shared the same sentiment I was compelled to hit the dance floor. We made our way there without thought. Once we found a spot we swayed and sashayed and bellowed out lyrics like they were our very own. It was invigorating. Her friends were right there with us and we formed a cipher. It was cool being with the girls from around the way as long as they stayed in their lanes.
A few songs later, this random guy walks up on me and grabs me by the waist. I jumped and managed my way out of his clench. I told him not to touch me. I hate when dudes act as if women are objects and invade our privacy as if we have none. This little prick really tried to flex by getting in my face with, “Bitch, you ain’t all that! I’ll snatch your dumb ass up outta here.”
Chanell jumped in with, “Yo, Mikey, take yo’ little ass somewhere. This Divine girl. You ‘bout to get yo’ ass handed to you,” she warned. When his facial expression went from upset to shocked, I realized that I knew him from somewhere.
“Dis’ right here is Divine girl? Fuck outta here,” the kid said in disbelief.
As Chanell continued digging in his ass my recollection returned. I realized where I knew him from. Not only was he the kid who tried to play me at the dance competition my first night at Cobalt but I’d seen him before then. Just as I was about to cuss his ass out, I see like five dudes swarming. They grabbed the kid off his feet as if he was a toddler. They yoked him up by his hood so hard and fast he literally gagged mid-sentence. I was shaken.
I shot straight back to the V.I.P. section to Azmir. As I got closer, I could see him calmly sitting there with his eyes glued to me. When I entered the section, he rose to his feet as if he were bracing himself. I immediately told him how I knew his little goon.
~~~~~~~~~~
Azmir
Petey’s old lady’s gig was at my club called The Joint in Compton off Long Beach Blvd. When I picked Rayna up, I didn’t realize how sexy she looked until we got out of the car.