As if I had cracked open a hard-boiled egg to reveal the soft inside, Paris’s angry face softened and her voice wavered as she spoke. “Damn, you still on that Jesse crap? How many times I gotta tell you I’m sorry? You wouldn’t even be with Harris if I hadn’t helped you to break up with that loser.”
She was right. I wouldn’t have even met Harris if it weren’t for her, but that didn’t change a damn thing. She could say she was sorry a million times, but it would still never be enough. Not after what she did. Not after she broke the sacred rule and our sisterly bond. The pain of her betrayal still stung as if it had happened only a day ago.
It had happened at the beginning of my senior year at George Washington University, when I invited Paris down for the weekend before she went off to private school in Europe. We were four years apart and had a fairly close relationship. Paris actually seemed to look up to me back then, probably because I knew what it was like to be a teenage girl in a household with LC for a father and three well-known, overbearing older brothers. My parents wanted me to talk to her about the trouble she’d been in and why she needed to stay focused on her studies while she was in Europe.
“So, you ready for Europe?” We were sitting on the grass outside my dorm the day she arrived. I wasn’t an ugly duckling, but it was amazing to see all the guys checking her out as they walked by. I have to admit I was a little jealous of my eighteen-year-old sister’s knack for attracting male attention and making it seem so effortless.
“I guess, if that’s what Daddy wants,” she said, pouting.
“It’s not what he wants, Paris,” I said. “It’s what he thinks is best. You have to admit you do have some anger issues. It’s your senior year, you’ve only been back to school two weeks, and you’ve already been in two fights. What do you want Daddy to do? They expelled you.”
“He could have backed me up. Okay, maybe I was wrong for hitting Lisa Jackson, but that bitch Trina ... she deserved it.”
I shook my head and laughed. “She caught you giving her boyfriend head under the bleachers. What would you have done?”
“I would have whipped my ass. But obviously, she can’t whip my ass. That’s why her jaw’s wired shut now and I’m still looking as flawless as ever.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. I know I shouldn’t have encouraged her, but the things she said were so funny sometimes. God knows I loved her, but Paris definitely did not see reality the way most people did.
“Nonetheless, your only other choice is to get a GED, and you know LC ain’t having that. From what Momma told me, this school is going to help you to hone that aggression you have inside you. Make a lady out of you.”
“Hone my ass! All they’re gonna do is try to change me, London, and that ain’t gonna happen. You can take the girl out of Queens, but you can’t take Queens out of the girl.” She folded her arms, posing in a B-boy stance. “Southside! Jamaica!” She started throwing her hands up in the air, not caring who walked by and saw her doing it. Back then I wished I had half of her confidence.
“You know what? I’m glad you came here before you left. I missed my little sister.”
“Missed you too, London.”
I pulled two apples out of my bag and tossed one to her. She caught it, then took a bite.
“So, you thinking about college when you come home? If so, I have nothing but good things to say about GW,” I offered.
“I hear you, but I doubt it. I wanna work for Daddy, like Junior, Vegas, and Orlando. He said that when I get finished with these two years in Europe, I’ll have a job waiting for me,” my sister said, grinning as if eager to prove herself.
“Don’t be in such a rush,” I admonished her. “Trust me about that. Junior and Vegas have told me stories. When it comes to the family business, enjoy your youth. Have fun, sis. I’m only telling you this out of love.”
“Hey, London. You ready to go?” I turned to the familiar voice belonging to the tall, dark-haired, olive-skinned man with a backpack. He wrapped his arm around me and planted a kiss on my lips.