Token 1 About that life

By Dimitria Davenport

Jersey girl Token has had an appetite for the finer things in life since the tender age of sixteen. While other teens were enjoying Sweet Sixteen parties and first boyfriends, Token’s first love was for money and she was a pro at finding ways to make lots of it. Token and her two childhood friends Zori and Kamori started boosting and, as they got older, what starts out as harmless after school fun quickly turned into a major underground empire of illegal check cashing and credit card scams. As time goes on and the money keeps rolling in, Token finds it a little too easy to leave her friends in the dust, and doesn’t even skip a beat when one of her botched plans leaves her best friend in the hospital clinging to life. Her obsession grows but, unfortunately for her, nothing lasts forever...
Will years of friendship be compromised for greed and jealousy? How long with Token be able to get away with stepping on others to live her lavish lifestyle and is somebody working to take her down? Who will stay? Who will go? A dramatic and sexy novel, Token: About That Life is a tale about the glamour and downfalls of one’s addiction to greed and a young woman who, on her rise to the top, realizes that what goes up must always come down.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dimitria Davenport
• Release date: Mar 8, 2016
• ISBN: 9780692641798

Dimitria Davenport

Dimitria Davenport was born in Jersey City,Nj. She is an author of 2 previous National Best Sellers 1) Token 1 -About that life 2) Token 2-Make it Reign those books were instant hits in that genre but now she's back with New improved Novels with story lines that will hit the home front.Dimitria is very personable and listens attentively to her readers by delivering what they want.They ask for good reads and she delivers. Dimitria is married to her wonderful Husband Jesse and has 3 boys Cj, Justin, and Elijah. Currently Dimitria is attending film school to live out her dreams as a screenwriter as well as movie director.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Run!

That was the only word I could yell out. I was slow on giving warning to Zori and Kamori as I came flying out of Joyce Leslie’s heading north on JFK. Toting three outfits, two pair of shoes and a few accessories, I flew directly past security as paying customers looked on in disbelief. Some were cheering; others were shaking their heads in disappointment. We didn’t look like your ordinary thieves, but we were! Every day after school, we would hit at least one apparel store, determined to get our gear up, and normally this wouldn’t be a hassle but today was different. I should have known some shit was flakey when I saw the short Korean woman with the shoulder length bob looking my way, but I was too busy trying to grip this new acid wash jean suit that hung nearby. Besides, if Cheeks and Kim took some responsibility sometimes, I wouldn’t be stuck playing sitter.

Zori (Cheeks), Kamori (Kim) and myself, Token (TK), were besties who grew up on Lexington Avenue and attended public school together. Although we were raised in separate households, we shared a common bond: the need to be fly. Our families had their own individual struggles but none of us was considered poor. Well, not by America’s standards. By all means, we were appreciative of our parents’ earnest efforts, but it just wasn’t enough. My grandma used to say, Enough is enough and too much is good for nothing. Shiiiit! I don’t know who made that shit up but too much is never enough.

Lexington Avenue wasn’t considered The Burbs of Jersey City, New Jersey, but to those who lived on the block, it was close enough. From spacious homes built in different designs and an array of colors to tall buildings stacked with families on top of one another, we were as close to mid suburbia as we were gonna get. However, to know Lexington was to love Lexington. On any given day you could roll through and feel our vibe. And if you had a vision, whether legit or illicit, we made it happen! There were teachers who taught us, pastors that prayed for us, lawyers who defended us, deli owners who fed us, and hustlers’ who protected us. Sounds crazy, but it was the truth.

By the time I made it as far as the doctor’s office, I considered myself to be in the clear. I looked around but didn’t see neither Kim nor Cheeks trailing behind. Thank God we were all clear on the rules: if we ever found ourselves in a situation like this, we were to make it to Kim’s apartment. So when I got on the block, I went directly to Kim’s building.

Kim’s mom worked damn near 24/7, which left her and her siblings to be latchkey kids. I rang the bell then spoke into the intercom asking Ky, Kim’s youngest sibling, to buzz me in. Once I made my way in the door, I channeled through the tiny halls until I came to Door 14. I rang the bell, then entered the apartment. Ky’s tiny hands waved from side to side like a tour guide gesturing me to have a seat. As I sat waiting for Kim to walk in, I took notice of how disciplined Kim’s siblings were. Their mom was a single mom, but you could tell she handled her business. Kayla, the thirteen year old, turned on the 27 Magnavox that sat on the stand a couple of feet in front of the sofa and pretended not to look while Arnold from Diff’rent Strokes was making his audience double over in laughter. After about thirty minutes, Kim’s key could finally be heard in the door. She walked in with a frustrated look on her face but didn’t say a word; she just swiftly walked towards the television, shut it off and motioned me to follow her into her bedroom.

You alright? I asked but already knew the answer. Out of the three of us, Kim hated to be shook up.

Yeah I’m good, she said, taking a seat on the bottom bunk bed that was draped with a beautiful sunflower bedding.

I began to take out the goods I copped.

Where’s Cheeks? I asked.

She’s coming. She stopped to talk to Moe down on the corner, she said. Token. We can’t go back there.

She looked at me with all seriousness; there was nothing else to be said.

By the time senior year rolled around, we were hitting shit Big Willie style. Kim had chilled out altogether because her mother had taken ill, leaving her to be the caregiver of her siblings. Today was a big day in the hood—the day of the M.L.K. parade! A day where everyone from everywhere came out flossing and shining in the newest shit. However, Cheeks and I already knew what to expect because most of Jersey City was our client. Gone were the days of petty shoplifting; we were boosting and taking orders. The money was flowing in and our appearance on the scene was becoming more and more popular. But not as popular as this one particular guy...

As we made our way to Jackson Avenue, I watched G with much admiration. The reason I admired him is because I watched him go from ashy to classy. He was a nondescript that evolved to a hood celebrity almost overnight. But he was smart, and that alone made him different from the norm.

What’s up, he said as he posted up next to the nearby mailbox.

I spoke but kept it simple, while Cheeks’ hot ass, on the other hand, wanted to be all in his face. I didn’t say anything; I just stepped back and gave them their space. Besides, in my mind, I already had what she wished to get. He just didn’t know it yet.

The representation from everywhere was bananas. I took a mental snapshot of all the potential clientele and started working on Plan B. I knew it wouldn’t be long before my grandparents started demanding answers to all the new products that I was running out of room to house; therefore, I needed to get started on the backup plan. Meanwhile, Cheeks was being all extra. I just wanted to snatch her ass by the hair and tell her it didn’t take all that, but opted to leave it alone. Instead, I dazed off thinking of G. In my mind, I had a love affair with him. The average chick wouldn’t understand him but I did. I knew why he was a man of few words. I knew why he moved in silence. I knew why his neck and wrist didn’t display all of the money he was getting. He was wise. Way too wise to get caught up in the fanfare that came along with hustling. He wasn’t just a drug dealer; he was a businessman and entrepreneur. By zoning areas, planning the next corner to monopolize, he was a mastermind of this shit. And I was impressed. He was taking me to school and he didn’t even know it. Our hustle was different but the grind was the same.

By the time we reached the end of the parade, I had another plan. It’s amazing how someone’s presence can influence you. It was time for us to step our game up. I called Cheeks over to let her know it was time to roll. She was looking crazy, but she complied. We reached Bramhall Avenue and there G stood. I stopped dead in my tracks. It had to be obvious. We looked at one another but he was too busy yapping on his cell phone to pay me any attention. I had so much I wanted to say to him but this wasn’t the time. I was sure the opportunity would present itself again and it would be then that I’d jump on it with both feet.

School had become a bore. When the clock struck 12 p.m., we were out. That would be the time we would jump on the PATH train and head to New York. Between Macy’s and A&S Plaza we were monopolizing the Boosting game. We were something else. We would walk in with our long leather trenches on and start filling up our girdles with the extensive requests. Cheeks had gotten an alarm tag remover and went to work. My job was to bring her the goods to the dressing room, where she would remove the sensors and stash the goods for us to load up later. It was becoming toxic. No matter how bad it was for us, we needed it. It seemed like the higher the price tag, the higher we felt.

Today was the big day. It was time for Plan B. One Friday night, we decided to rent out a suite at the Palace Hotel, but fucking was the furthest from our minds. We were hosting a shopping party. No formal invite needed in the hood; word spread like wildfire. If you had the dough, then you were invited. The room was tight work. Although it was designed for more of a romantic rendezvous, we had no intentions of that. It was time to cake off. Prior to arriving at the hotel, I had spoken with the concierge and requested several must haves that would further exceed the expectations of our clients. Once the hotel’s chattel arrived at the room, Cheeks and I began to rearrange the furniture to our specifications. We then spread all of the goods on the bed according to brand, took one of the many hanging racks and began hanging clothes to better display them. As far as the shelving; we moved the books and all the other propaganda that would usually be for the enjoyment of tourist. We had no interest in that, we were very familiar with Jerz; no intro needed. So we tossed all that shit. The shelves would now be used to house our colorful array of designer purses. After an hour of setting up the room, we were ready to open shop for our peeps that had started to arrive. Shit was crazy. I saw people from all over the city. Some faces I was familiar with and others I had never seen before, but I carefully scanned the room, determined to memorize every face. Thank God we employed my little sister Reign along with Zori’s two cousins, Tiffany and Tori, because we wouldn’t have ever been able to pull this off alone. Even Kim reappeared to help keep track of all the loot we were bringing in. The Palace Hotel probably had never seen so many young black faces in one day. We gave Black Friday a new meaning. Retailers were offering doorbusters and so were we. Seven thousand dollar authentic Gucci purses were going for three thousand dollars, leather coats were sliding for one thousand to two thousand dollars, and shades were walking for less than half of the ticket price. Shit was moving like hotcakes. The look Cheeks and I gave one another confirmed our exact thoughts: we hit the fucking jackpot.

By the time eight o'clock rolled