CHAPTER 1

She was late and it wreaked havoc in her mind. All eyes turned to face her as she barged into the run down bar that also served as a stripclub once the sun had gone down running toward the bar section and behind the counter. Her locs had loosened in her haste and all she could manage to get out of her mouth were exhausted pants.

"Late again Halo" Rosie, her chubby colleague and long time friend with short hair that was dyed green and skin darker than charcoal announced in a sing song voice.

"Shit, I'm sorry Rosie," Halo managed to utter as she dropped her worn backpack on the floor and used her sleeve to wipe the sweat that covered her eyebrows. Rosie handed her a glass of cold water, "Thanks"

Halo gulped the water greedily while her friend watched and shook her head. "Keep that up and you're going to choke girlie"

Halo handed the glass back to Rosie after emptying it of its content and let out a grateful sigh. "You have no idea how much I needed that"

"Ain't nobody ask you to run all the way here"

"You said it yourself, I'm late"

"So?" Rosie leaned on the counter, "I'm late all the time and you don't see me running. Look where we work at Halo, ain't nobody in a hurry to get here" She rolled her eyes at one of the customers who winked at her, "Screw this place bruh"

Halo let out a small laugh. "You're in a delightful mood today. Did Victor do something?"

"Girl ain't nobody worried about that man. I'm just sick of this job is all"

"Well, I am too but we need the money. I need it to pay for community college and you need it to pay rent"

"Yeah, yeah whatever. You wouldn't have to do none of this if Dominic would get his head out the gutter and do something"

Halo let out an exhausted sigh. She didn't like to speak or think too much about her brother and his issues that always seemed to affect her regardless of how much she tried to distance herself from it.

Regardless of this, the situation always annoyed Rosie to no end. She despised the fact that her friend was working all the time in a shady establishment to fend for herself and her older brother who hardly offered any assistance all the while trying to put herself through school.

"Girl come on, I don't want to talk about Dom right now. I'm exhausted"

"You're always exhausted and it's his fault. Has he gotten a job yet?"

Dominic and employment were two words that hardly found themselves in the same sentence but it was her job to try to cover his inabilities the best that she could. "He.... well, he's working on something"

"Working on how to go gambling as usual?"

"Dominic is trying Rosie. We just need to have a little faith in him that's all"

"I'll have faith when he starts doing something with his life. How long will he keep depending on you bruh?"

Halo gave Rosie a look that said that she was doing talking about her brother and the latter threw her arms in mock surrender.

"Okay, okay I'll drop it," her eyes settled on her friend's backpack that was in desperate need of changing, "how's school going? still have a crush on that professor of yours?"

Halo laughed. "Rosie, I do not have a crush on that man. I just said he has cute face that's all"

"I think he's cute too and I have a few ideas on where he can put that cute face of his"

Rosie's subtle sexual joke and mischievious expression made Halo blush and slap her friend's arm playfully.

"Girl, he's a married man"

"What? does his wife have something against sharing?"

"You're crazy Rosie"

"Wait until I drive your little professor crazy. You'll be having so many A's because of me your GPA won't believe what hit it"

Halo shook her head at her friend, smile still on her face. Rosie just knew how to make her laugh even the day had failed to give her a reason to do so that was the reason that she loved her so much.

"Hello ladies" a tall, lean man in his late twenties leaned his folded arms against the counter, the sleeves of his green sweater picking up stray dirt. He had a wide smile on his face that was mostly directed at Halo and his eyes seemed to sparkle.

Rosie wiggled a flirtatious hello at him. "Hey there pretty boy"

He gave Rosie a small wave, smiling politely. "Hey Rosie. How have you been?"

"I've been good baby boy. How have you been?"

"I've been good"

"Damn right you've been good," she let her eyes travel up and down his body,"You look good too"

The man threw Halo a playful, pleading look. "Help me out here Lolo"

"Hey, it's not her fault that you're cute as hell"

"Thank you bestie" Rosie and Halo fist bumped and all three of them shared a laugh, "Don't mind me Daniel I'm just messing with you. How you been?"

The young grey eyed man took the bar stool closest to him and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know anymore Rosie," Halo poured beer into a glass mug and handed it over to him, "thanks Lolo"

"It's all good Danny," she replied and watched him take a sip of his beverage and wipe the foamy remnants that settled above his lip, "Being a nurse weighing on you that bad?"

"You have no idea. It's crazy out there. I wish these kids would quit playing around with all these drugs"