Monique is in love with Armand her gangster, dope dealing, high-school drop out, pretty boy. When Armand shows up two hours late the night of a school dance he's promised to take her to, she blows off her disappointment. He deals dope just like her father Pete. The difference between the two, Pete has always protected her.
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Armand takes Monique to a low budget restaurant instead of the dance. They are severely overdressed for the place. She almost takes a bullet for him when a man approaches with a gun when Armand goes to the bathroom. He returns at the right second pulling Monique to safety while he is shot. Monique drives Armand's fancy car to a street doctor who patches him up. Shot but not too hurt for sex, they get down at Armand's penthouse. He had taken her virginity the year before and she displayed confidence in her ability to love him down.
When another shoot out goes down Armand does not protect Monique, he is too busy trying to hide his stash. He kills two men who work for Pete. He leaves Monique knowing that the men may kill her. They do beat her up pretty bad.
Monique has to make a choice and she chooses Armand over her father. Her half brother and sister Ricardo and Michelle, refuse to go up against their father on this one. Monique is angry that Pete slapped her when she was going crazy and disrespecting him in his house. She had repeatedly yelled that he meant nothing to her and that Armand was her guy. Pete locks her in his house.
Confused she knows she is wrong but she loves Armand. Being the daughter of a drug lord is hard. Her life has been full of secrets and her mother's efforts to keep her out of the life she was born into hasn't been easy. Her mother has a square job as a schoolteacher and Monique has been awarded scholarship money for college College cats don't interest her, Armand has her heart.
The drug world is hard and loyalties are challenged. Pete felt bad about slapping his daughter but she had been out of control. Her mother would not be any help. She is not accepting of his lifestyle and he respects her for teaching school for thirty-five years. But this is his life, his rules.
Monique takes her sister's keys and drives to Armand's penthouse. It's empty and she doesn't know which way to turn. Pete doesn't want her with Armand and she has to figure a way out to find him. When she locates him at his boy's house he is not particularly glad to see her. Monique curses him out for leaving her in and accuses him of setting her. She was kidnapped and almost killed.
Ricardo tells Armand to stay away from his sister or die. When Monique sees Armand on the street she accepts the fact that staying away from him will keep her alive. She returns to Pete's house where she will find the protection Armand can't provide.
Best part of story, including ending:
I disliked the story simply because it took Monique so long to wake up and see Armand for who he was. I also liked the conflict of having a hard working mother and a father who lived one hundred percent in the street, but still loved and provided for his kids.
Best scene in story:
My favorite scene was when Monique finally realized it was over between her and Armand and went home.
Opinion about the main character:
I disliked that Monique so weak for Armand, I wanted her to have more of her mother's qualities.
