Looking For Trouble Read Free Page A

firms in the city. You work closely with one of the senior partners, and they even handpicked you to present and testify before Congress last year, which got you that major raise you’re enjoying now.”
    â€œYou act like you’re giving me information that I don’t already know.”
    â€œOkay, since you already know that, you also know how many people would kill—and I mean that literally—to stand in your shoes.”
    Alexandria looked down at her neatly polished toenails, then up at Peter. “I’m not concerned about other people. I’m talking about me, and what I really want. Being a performing artist is my calling. I’ve always known that, and now, every day, I feel it more than ever.”
    â€œWhy did you work so hard in law school if this wasn’t what you wanted?”
    â€œThat’s just it. I didn’t work hard in law school at all. It came easy for me, just like high school and undergrad. I went through the motions and I did what I was expected to do. But now, I’m ready to pursue my passion like my mom did.”
    Peter looked up at the ceiling. “Here we go with that again.”
    â€œI’m one of the best spoken-word artists in the city—hell, in this region. Whenever I perform at the Lazy Day, people pack the house to hear me.”
    â€œYou know that’s not a sustainable profession, don’t you? What do you make doing that? Fifty dollars a night?”
    â€œYou know what . . .” Alexandria drew in a deep breath. “Never mind, I’m leaving.”
    Feeling tired and frustrated, Alexandria didn’t say another word. She gathered her handbag, picked up her leather overnight duffel, and walked toward the door.
    â€œHold on,” Peter said, gently clasping his hand around Alexandria’s slender wrist. “I don’t want you to leave like this . . . upset with me.”
    â€œI’m not upset with you. Like I said, I need to be alone right now so I can clear my head.” She leaned into him, planted a small kiss on his right cheek, and told him she’d come by the next day.
    Â 
    Twenty minutes later, Alexandria found herself sitting alone on her couch in her small one-bedroom apartment, devouring a small bowl of Ben & Jerry’s chocolate ice cream and three dark chocolate truffles from her Godiva box. Whenever she felt down and out, ice cream and chocolates always seemed to lift her spirits. The cold, chocolaty sweet taste tickled her tongue and almost made her forget about the voice that kept repeating the same words inside her head: “I’m ready for the fight.” The words were fragmented bits and pieces of a longer sentence that Alexandria couldn’t fully understand.
    â€œStop it!” She hissed into the stillness surrounding her. “I don’t care about your fight. All I want is peace and quiet. Leave me alone.”
    She rose from her couch and went into her bathroom. “This has got to stop,” she said as she pulled her long hair back into a ponytail and reached for her facial cleanser. “I can’t take this any longer. Why can’t I block out this voice, like I can the others?”
    After washing and exfoliating her skin, Alexandria looked into the mirror and studied the nude face that stared back at her. She hadn’t inherited her mother’s chocolate hue, but her light caramel-colored skin—compliments of her white father—was smooth and so even that she looked as though she were wearing foundation. She appraised her sultry brown eyes, perfectly arched brows, and full, bow-shaped lips. She was thankful that despite her stress, she still looked good.
    â€œThis is taking a toll,” she said, crawling under her soft, cool bedsheets. She prayed for a restful night’s sleep, but she could already tell that wasn’t going to happen because of the buzzing that just returned to her ear. Hearing voices and seeing