Ragz to Riches

Chapter 2

My first night in the streets was the worse night of my young life! So far that is. I slept in a convenient store bathroom and it was not fun! But at least it was shelter from outdoors. I barely slept at all. When morning finally came I got up from the cold tile floor, washed my face and brushed my teeth with some of the supplies I packed in my bag when I left my Mama's house. I took a quick hoe bath in the sink, sprayed some Marc Jacobs Daisy and threw on some cute ass jean shorts and a crop top with my all white Nikes and stepped out into the world again. I had to get on a hustle if I was gonna survive. I refused to sleep in another public bathroom ever again.

I pulled out my phone and dialed my homegirl Dee. She answered after the first ring. "Girl what's up? I've been texting you all night. Where you at"? I quickly ran through all of the events that took place the day before and told her to get her Mama's car and come get me. Within 20 minutes she's pulling up in her Mama's white short back Cadillac with the music banging out the speakers. I hopped in the car and turned the music down. "Hey b***h that was my song" Dee said. "I'm sorry I have a headache". I replied. I needed to eat. I had $50 to my name that I had saved from babysitting my niece. I asked Dee to pull through Mc Donald's and I grabbed a sausage burrito and a caramel Frappe. Once I ate I felt a little better.

Dee tells me she has a friend who owns a few apartment buildings and she's gonna take me to meet him so maybe I'll have a place to lay my head. We pull up to a run down building, clearly in the hood judging by all the garbage on the curb and niggas standing on the corner. We get out the car and I follow Dee to that corner and walk up to 5 niggas passing around a backwoods. "Yo Shine what's up bruh" Dee hollers. "Aye girl what it do"? He passes her the blunt and gives her a hug. "Shine this is my girl Lani". He reaches out and daps me up. "How you doing lil mama"? He asks "What's up how you doing" I replied. "Shine my girl got kicked out last night and had to sleep in a public bathroom, she could really use a place to stay. You got anything available " she asks? " I have something. Someone just moved out but I haven't had time to clean it out yet" he replies. "That's ok I'll help my girl get it right" Dee replies.

We follow Shine to a building and walk in behind him. The apartment is a townhouse and it's very spacious. The carpet is dirty and whoever lived here before left a huge mess! The fridge was full of rotten food and there was no electricity. We got straight to work cleaning it up. I had no idea how I was gonna get the electricity on. But at least I was off the streets for now.

That first night was tough. Dee had to go home and I was left in the apartment alone. It was dark and I could here all the hood niggas outside blasting their music and drinking and acting a fool. Drug deals were going down right in the parking lot and I was scared because I wasn't raised in this kind of environment. I lived in a nice neighborhood where it was quiet and peaceful. I eventually fell asleep watching my phone.