The Ultimate No No by Tamika Newhouse

Nitrah Hill

I only wanted a quick fix, and now I am stuck on what to do next. It has been three long years and nothing but pure, unadulterated drama. I did not expect things to turn out the way they did, especially since my friendships were on the line. But no, I had to say yes and commit to something I knew I would regret. All I wanted to do was help my friend. Dahlia approached me with this bright idea, but I did not expect it to go as far as it did. What she asked me to do was like nothing I had ever done before. At first, I thought it would be harmless. You know that “payback is a bitch” kind of thing. Yeah, right!

My subject was Troy, short for Troyon—local gigolo of Fort Worth and the headmaster of heartbreak. You see, he had hurt so many women, including Dahlia, and we wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine. However, Troy Washington was no joke. Yet, my girls and I needed to break him down a little. Teach him a lesson. He needed to know how it felt to be cheated on, to have a broken heart, to have his mind twisted and, definitely, he had to know how it felt to love a cheater. Why was I the chosen one? It beats the hell out of me, but just like Superwoman, I am always coming to the aid of my girlfriends, who somehow always found themselves in some drama.

Troy has a brother, Robert, and a best friend, Michael. Although they hung out with Troy, they were not heartbreakers. Now, I still do not know why my girls chose me to do their dirty work, nor do I know why I suckered up and agreed to do it. However, there was one thing I did know, if nothing else. I knew I was playing with fire. Still, in the end, it could have helped plenty of women. Okay, at least that’s what I kept telling myself.

From the kiss to the fight to Dahlia’s screams of the truth being revealed, I constantly shook my head at this whole mess, thinking about everything that happened, simply because my dumb ass said yes. Ugh! I used to hear my friends’ laughter when thinking about the old days. I would do anything to enjoy those days again. How we would go to the lake and pull phone numbers. Get our hair done and buy new outfits, simply to impress. Nevertheless, as I sighed heavily, I realized how that all changed the moment I said yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Who would have thought that one little three-letter word would wind up being the death sentence for our friendship? All of our lives changed. I just did not know if it was for the best or for the worst.