A Hustler's Son

by T. Styles

  “For what?”

  “I gotta go to the restroom.” I lied. I didn’t know where the fuck I was going but for now, I wanted to get out of the class.

  “Like I said it’s a good time so take a seat, Mr. Davis.”

  Maybe if I didn’t know who killed him, I would have sat back down, or maybe not, since I couldn’t stand the bitch. I was the only one in the world who could assure her that whoever killed Charles, wouldn’t be coming back for me.

  “Ms. Temples, I’m trying to be respectful by asking, so may I please be excused?”

  “Mr. Davis, I said no. Now sit down and finish your work!”

  “Fuck you, bitch!”

  It came out and it couldn’t be stopped. I’ve thought about calling her out of her name before and it never slipped, but today it did. Ms. Temples had a thing about embarrassing people that fucked me up. I didn’t care for her at all.

  “What did you just say?”

  Silence.

  There was no need to repeat myself because she heard me loud and clear. Everyone stopped talking about Charles and started looking at me. I got my shit together and was ready to leave.

  “I said, ”She said as if she were singing. “What did you say to me, Mr. Davis?”

  She heard what the fuck I said the first time. People killed me when they did that shit. Then when you repeat it, they wanna act all shocked and shit, like they didn’t expect you to repeat yourself. If that was her way of trying to get me to take back what I said, I ain’t have no intentions of doing it.

  “I said fuck you, bitch,” I repeated as I grabbed my dick. “I’m outta here.”

  I couldn’t take it no more. All she had to do was give me me a couple of minutes to clear my mind and to sort things out but she was insistent on embarrassing me and making me look like a fucking idiot in class.

  I opened the classroom door and bailed out. At that very moment, I felt free. I decided to go home and get my shit together because if anybody asked me what I knew today, I would have definitely lost it.

  On my way down the hall, I saw Lakeisha again. I saw her earlier in first period and she didn’t say shit. She had a dress on and everything and her legs were closed shut. I figured she was still mad because I didn’t answer the phone last night when she called.

  She was going into the bathroom when she saw me. She stopped and looked at me. I acted like I didn’t know her and walked out of the double doors.

  “So you not talking to me no more?”

  I turned around and saw her behind me. School wasn’t out just because I walked out of class, so I wondered what she was doing.

  “Keisha, you better go back in there. You know they’ll suspend you for coming outside during school hours.” I started walking.

  “Well where you going?” She was walking toward me.

  “I’m leaving for the rest of the day!”

  I didn’t face her and I kept walking. If I looked at her she would have messed my head up and I needed to focus.

  “Kelsi, please talk to me! I need someone to talk to!”

  I turned around and pulled my cap all the way over my head so the only thing I could see were her feet. I couldn’t face her I couldn’t face nobody. I felt like a sign was on my head that said, “I murdered Charles Rick!”

  “Did you hear? Did you hear what happened to Charles?”

  “Umm, uh, yeah…I heard. That’s fucked up.”

  “I know,” she said as she sniffled. I couldn’t see her face but I could tell she was crying. I couldn’t console her because I didn’t feel sorry that he was dead, considering, I was the one who was looking at the barrel of his gun eye to eye. All I wanted to do was protect my girl, my moms and myself. I ended the beef the day we punished his ass in the parking lot but he showed up at my place.

  He didn’t get the message.

  If I had to put him six feet deep in order for him to know I wasn’t fucking around, so be it. He was warned.

  “Kelsi, can I ask you something, and promise not to get mad?”

  There she go with the questions again. I knew she was gonna ask me if I had anything to do with Charles being dead but based on my moms, the more she knew, the more dangerous it was for her. I decided to do her a favor by ignoring her.

  “Lakeisha, I have to go. I ain’t got time for this right now. For real. I’ll get at you later.” I turned around and started walking again.

  “Please, Kelsi!! Give me five seconds!!”

  I stopped in my tracks and put my hands in my pockets. For her sake, I was gonna try my best to lie to her but I ain’t know if it would work.

  “Go ahead, Lakeisha. Make it quick, I got somewhere to be.”

  “I will.” She walked over to me and grabbed my left hand with her right and wiped her tears with the left. “Kelsi, is there somebody else?”

  “What?”

  “I said, is there somebody else?”

  Damn. This girl was tougher than I thought. She never ceased to amaze me. Here it was, Charles was dead, and I’m pretty sure she knew I did it. All she wanted to know is if I was seeing somebody else or not.

  “Is that why you crying?”

  “Yes,” she said as she wiped her tears again. “I miss you, Kelsi.”

  “You still my shawty.” I told her, although I wasn’t in a mushy mood. “So how can I be fucking with somebody else already?”

  “Well what’s going on with you Kelsi? Why aren’t you opening up to me?”

  “Keisha…everything isn’t meant for you to know. Some things I don’t tell you because I’m trying to protect you.”

  “But I can handle more than you think I can.”

  “And I know that,” I said as I ran one finger down her face. “That’s why I got you by my side. But you also fuck with a nigga when a nigga don’t feel like being fucked with.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean Kelsi?”

  “Like yesterday, I asked you to let up off a nigga and you kept coming at me. You worse than the FEDS Keisha.”

  “No I’m not. You wouldn’t tell me nothing. Every time I asked you what’s wrong, or what’s going on, you shut me out.” Her voice quivered like she was going to start crying again.

  “That’s because I don’t have to tell you nothing, Keisha.”

  I knew that hurt but it was the truth. I didn’t have to tell her shit. And if she wanted to be with me, she was going to have to accept that.

  “Can I leave with you now?” She asked as she hugged me.

  “Your moms gonna fuck you up if she finds out you played hooky today.”

  “We have less than an hour left before school lets out. They won’t even know I’m gone, especially with all the stuff going on in there.”

  Truthfully I had a lot of shit going on but I could use her company. No matter how bad I treated her, she was still there. If she wanted to be around me, even after I warned her the other day that I was dangerous, then fuck it! It’s on her.

  “You got all your shit with you?”

  “All the shit I need.” She smiled as she jumped up and down.

  “Well, I guess you coming with me.”

  AT THE STORE

  2:16PM

  “Where you calling me from?”

  “I’m on a phone at the corner store by my house.”

  “Good. When you gonna get a cell man?”

  “I don’t know. Everywhere I go is right around the corner, so I ain’t thought about it before.”

  “Yeah well, you need one if you wanna keep working for me. Make it happen as of yesterday.”

  “Aight, Skully.” I wasn’t feeling his tone but he was always the same. That’s one thing I liked about him.

  “Well what’s up?” He asked.

  “Shit’s thick around here now. They found somebody dead and the block may be hot for a couple of days.”

  “Yeah I know, just lay low. You know anything about it?”

  I wondered why he asked me that. Although I’m sure I could have told Skully I kil
led him and why I did it but I decided to keep my business to myself.

  “Naw, why you ask me that?” I smiled at Lakeisha coming out the store with a bag of Doritos. Damn that girl’s fine!

  “I’m asking because if they start knocking on doors, I don’t need them knocking on the ones with my shit in ’em!”

  “Sorry, man. I don’t know nothing ‘bout that.”

  “Good. Don’t ask too many questions, Kelsi. I hear the man in your voice now. I don’t know where it came from but I appreciate it. Just don’t let it get in the way of our business. And don’t ever let it cloud your judgment and make you forget who’s really running shit. I put you on cuz I saw the fire in your eyes and you were about business, but stay the fuck out of mine.”

  I heard him but after what I just did, I felt like I was running shit. The more I thought about it, I could be running a lot more.

  “Okay, Skully. I’ll fall back for a couple of days and keep you up on what’s happening.”

  “Cool. I’m out.”

  When I hung up the phone I wrapped my arm around Keisha’s waist and squeezed her ass.

  “You know I’m getting ready to hit that right?”

  “Yeah, I know. Why you think I wanted to come home with you?” She reached down and ran her hands across my dick.

  When we reached my building, I saw Kenosha out front. She was sitting in her silver Mercedes CLK320 listening to the radio. The moment she saw me in her rearview mirror, she hopped out with the car still on. I knew she was pressed for me to check her out, because she stayed in the latest gear. I ain’t know no female freakier than Kenosha, outside of Keisha’s girl Sparkle.

  “What she doing here, Kelsi?” Lakeisha asked. I knew she was about to be real salty the moment we saw her car but I ain’t know why her ass was over here. Kenosha popped up whenever she got ready to.

  “I don’t know what she doing here and don’t start shit, Keisha.”

  She knew the old Kelsi, who never laid a hand on her, was gone and the new Kelsi wouldn’t have any problems slapping her ass.

  “Whatever, Kelsi,” she said as she rolled her eyes.

  “I’m not fucking playing with you, shawty.” I shot back. “Chill out.”

  Kenosha walked over to us in a black mini dress, with her cleavage showing and her hair down. Now there weren’t too many girls who could stand next to Lakeisha but Kenosha was close. She was 5’7” and had a ass so phat it was the first thing you saw from the front. She was the truth! With honey brown skin, thick pretty lips that she kept moist constantly with her tongue, she was definitely a winner.

  “Kelsi!” She ran over to me, gave me a hug and planted a kiss on my cheek. “I miss you, boy!” She kept the kiss there a little longer just to piss Keisha off and it worked.

  Lakeisha couldn’t stand her and swore she was fake. Her high-pitched voice bothered me a little but other than that, Kenosha was cool.

  “Hey, Keeesshu!” Kenosha said as she reached in for a hug.

  “Don’t even try it, Kee-no-show! Let’s not even go there. I don’t like you and for real, you don’t like me. So I’m not about to let you make me fake.” She turned around giving me her full attention. “Kelsi, I’ll wait for you in the house. Give me the keys please.” I hurried up and handed her ass the keys before she snatched that girl by the hair.

  With girls if they couldn’t stand each other, you’d know it. There was plenty of dudes I didn’t fuck wit’ but I’d never show it, just as long as they stayed out of my way.

  When Keisha was out of sight Kenosha looked at me.

  “What in the fuuuuck is wwwroong wit’ her?” She said pointing her finger.

  “Hold fast, Kenosha. That’s my girl,” I said doing the best I could to prevent the disrespect.

  Why in the fuck she have a problem with Kenosha is beyond me. She continued still drumming up shit.

  “What up, Kenosha,” I said not feeding the drama. “What you doing here?” Now I was free to look her up and down like I knew she wanted me to.

  “I’m looking for my cuzzzin boy! Where he be at?”

  “I don’t know. He should be in the house,” I said as my eyes roamed from her titties to her ass.

  “No he ain’t. I been sitting out here all day waiting. I hongry and errythang,” she slurred as she ran her hands down the sides of her hips.

  Damn this girl sexy.

  “And look at you, Kelseeee! Damn you getting big. You ready now,” she said looking at me up and down. “You ready for errythang.” She walked up to me and grabbed my t-shirt like she wanted to devour me. We were doing too much in the parking lot but this girl wouldn’t stop. All I could do was make sure the blinds in the living room weren’t moving with I-Spy and so far so good.

  “Yeah, you getting real big,” she said as she ran her hand across my dick.

  I usually got mad when women told me I was getting big, because the mind made the man not the body; but for some reason, when Kenosha said it, my dick got hard. Maybe because her hand was on it.

  “Yeah I’m big aight. But you better stop playing before Keisha fuck you up.”

  “Boy that little girl bet not fuck wit’ me,” she said as she released me. “It ain’t my fault she got something I want.” She winked at me and smacked her lips.

  Kenosha was sexy but so fucking stupid. When you talked to her, all you thought about was fucking her because she wasn’t good for anything else. You couldn’t have a conversation with someone who broke up every word. Don’t get me wrong, I use slang like the next nigga. But Kenosha’s ass couldn’t even hold an Ebonic conversation. She made up words on top of words.

  “You not ready for this.”

  “Don’t play with me boyee cuz if you ready for a reeaal woman, I’m game.”

  We were in the middle of a conversation when she heard a song on the radio and ran to her car to turn it up.

  “Ooooooh shit, Kelseee!! That’s my shit!! And you don’t eeeben fucking know what I be doing when I hear my shit, Kelsee!”

  In the middle of the parking lot, she was blasting Kanye West’s Gold Digger.

  “Now I ain’t say she’s a gold digger. But she ain’t messing with no broke nigga.” She was singing loud as shit. And finally she was forming sentences.

  “Kenosha!” I yelled. “Turn that shit down man!”

  She looked so stupid dancing around the parking that she almost got my dick soft. Almost.

  “Look, I’ll tell Delonte you came by,” I said trying to get rid of her.

  There was no need for me to tease myself with her ass in the parking lot when I had pussy already waiting for me.

  “Ooookayyy, Kelsey.” Kenosha had a tendency to drag out words and she was doing it again.

  “Now let me go see ‘bout my girl.”

  “You need to be seeing about these.” She squeezed her titties with my hands and jumped in the car. I shook my head, smiled and walked away. I ain’t fucking with that girl. I just like looking at her. So I thought.

  I realized my dick was still hard fucking with Kenosha when I opened my building’s door. Shit! Keisha was gonna flip if she saw me like this. What I saw next immediately made me soft. Two plain-clothes police officers with badges hanging down their necks were walking down the steps. One was a model type nigga and the other was white. My heart almost dropped and I wondered if I shoulda taken off running but they passed me without confrontation. Keisha was standing in front of my door with it slightly open staring at a card in her hand.

  I walked up to her. “What they want? What they want, Keisha?” I asked as I grabbed the card out of her hand.

  She just walked into the apartment.

  I knew then that she had said something she shouldn’t have but what I didn’t know was what she said. I followed her inside and closed the door.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  SEPTEMBER 20th

  TUESDAY, 5:20PM

  JANET

  I made the decision when I left work today that I was never going bac
k. There are plenty of other things for a woman like me to do and anything is better than working a 9 to 5. So now having left my first and second job, I am officially unemployed and loving it. I tried to be a better person for Kelsi and even kept a stable job but once he got caught up in the game, I had to reprioritize things. I realize quitting jobs to put shit in order sounds crazy but when it comes to working all hours and not being able to see Kelsi as much as I use to, the decision was easy. I had over six grand saved and had a few connections. With those two things going for me along with the plans in my head, I’m going to turn the lifestyle that won’t let me go, into an empire for my son and me.

  When I walked into the apartment, I wondered why Lakeisha was there on a school night. I had planned on telling Kelsi I quit my job and to see if he gave any more thought to taking Delonte out. If he didn’t do it, I had all intentions on doing it myself because whether Kelsi understood it or not, it had to be done.

  Kelsi’s door was open and I saw Lakeisha sitting on the bed crying. Instead of consoling her, Kelsi looked pissed. When the door closed seconds later, I wondered if they were doing it for privacy. They must have got into a fight and she came over here to talk to him about it. I never cared much for her and with everything going on, I cared for her even less now. One day, Kelsi looked me dead in my eyes and said, “This one’s for me, Ma. Be easy on her.” I tried, but she’s too needy and requires too much attention. With everything that’s going on now that type of person can be dangerous.

  I put my purse down and went into the kitchen to grab the orange juice and the vodka to make myself a drink. Kelsi and Lakeisha were so involved in a conversation, they began to get louder. I grabbed a glass, rinsed it out and made my own Screwdriver. I even added a few cubes of ice and they still didn’t hear me. Something definitely happened. I downed over half of the drink just standing in the kitchen and made myself another. That’s when I heard Kelsi say, “But Keisha, why in the fuck would you tell 5-O I was fighting a dude who’s dead? It makes no fucking sense!”

  The glass I was drinking from slipped out of my hand and shattered all over the kitchen floor. I walked briskly over to Kelsi’s door and put my ear up to it. I was concerned with what was going on on the other side. Damn, what were they talking about, I wondered, as I pressed my ear further into the door. My heart beat so fast it nearly felt as if it were coming out of my chest. Fuck that I’m going in!