"Rich bitch, still shop on Shein!" Kendra rapped along with her friends as Monserrat drove to the party Seth Gibbs was throwing. Kael Serrano and Seth were like those troublemaking kids in school who always got separated, but Kael was cool in Kendra's book because he treated her best friend Rayna right. Seth, however, was merely tolerable.

As the song continued, a particular lyric lingered in Kendra's mind: 'Please don't let another nigga damage you...' It brought back memories of her six-year relationship with Shamir Marquez—time she now regretted wasting. Their love had seemed eternal in high school, but outside those walls, he'd grown manipulative and unfaithful, ending things with lies instead of honest communication.

The music snapped her back to the present. 'Fuck that other nigga, he can't handle you...' The lyrics resonated with her current relationship. For the first time, Kendra felt truly cherished, like she might have found someone with whom she could build a real future.

Monserrat parked, and the four girls stepped out into the cool night air. "Can we pour up for Tamia?" Rayna asked, referencing their friend who'd stayed home sick. Laughter erupted as they playfully argued about proper party etiquette before entering the house, where bass thumped through the walls and a cloud of perfume and cologne hit their senses. Rayna led them straight toward Kael, who stood by a dark brown couch talking to a mixed girl with noticeable scratches on her face and a blonde-highlighted wig with lifting lace.