Nothin’ could touch the high I felt while onstage. That’s the part of all this that has surprised me the most: I’d never been the kind of person that was-you know-stuck on myself. I am by no means ugly, but at the same time, I am by no means the prettiest girl in the room. There are women with better bodies, and there are a bunch of women that can shake their asses off. What separates me from the rest is my presentation. I just worked harder than every other woman in there, because I wanted it more than they did.

I tried to ease up out of bed, only to lie back down. My head was pounding in the worst way. When the phone rang, I would’ve paid someone to make it stop. I snatched it up before it could scream again.

“Heeeeey, girl, I’m on my way to pick you up now. Nine West is havin’ a fierce sale. I know you down, right?” Diane was hollering in my ear.

I slapped my forehead. “Damn. Why are you callin’ here all early with this shit, Dee?”

“Early?” she screeched.

“Shit yeah. I’m a wreck.” I tried to reason.

“Bitch, pull yourself together and let’s roll,” she said, sounding far too giddy to me.

I turned to face the wall and caught a glimpse of the digital clock. “Damn, is it five o’clock for real?”

“Yeah, that’s what I been tryin’ to tell you, Miss Kitty,” she threw in somewhat sarcastically. “We hit Nine West, do the rest of the mall, grab some food, then get out to the club and make some cheddar,” she said.

I rubbed my face and yawned. “Okay, how far are you?”

“I’ll be there by the time you wash your ass and brush your teeth,” she said.