by Sa'id Salaam
“Shit what about him? That nigga is local, he got what he want. Trust me shawty, once I touch some weight, we gone be out his way in a month. He can have that shit.” Trigga said quite believably, even though he didn’t believe it himself.
Troy followed his leader and picked out his first pair of slacks. Of course it took the entire sales staff and manager to convince him to buy the right size. He wanted them to hang off his ass like the jeans he came in wearing. What’s the sense in buying colorful boxers if you can’t show them off. He bitched and complained until he saw the finished product in the mirror.
“Ok then.” He laughed happily. “I look like one dem male models.”
“You gotta say ‘no homo’ when you say shit like that.” Trigga laughed.
The dark skinned goon did indeed look like a male model in the off white linen pants and shirt. Even he had to admit it beat looking like a thug.
****
“Ooh he’s cute!” Aqua cheered way too loud, pointing at a guy passing their table in the food court. It was just like old times with new friends as they talked about everyone who passed.
The guy on the receiving end of the compliment frowned and turned his nose up at them. He switched his narrow ass over to his buff boyfriend and hugged him.
“ATL” Cameisha said shaking her head.
“There go a cutie.” Jackie said turning their attention to another handsome man.
“Nice!” Dasia nodded even though she was looking at the pretty girl with him.
“Not dark enough.” Samantha said crinkling her nose like the T.V. witch by the same name.
“That’s right, our white girl likes that dark meat!” Meisha laughed.
“Is it true white guys have small guys?” Aqua asked.
“How would I know? I’ve always dated black guys.” Samantha replied.
“There go a black one.” Jackie said as Trigga and Troy entered their lives.
The two handsome thugs casually surveyed the food court as they entered. As usual, they were engaged in small talk about big dollars as they walked. Troy caught Samantha staring and smiling so he smiled back. Trigga turned to see what had his friend cheesing and saw Cameisha. She saw him too and they locked eyes just long enough to implant on each other’s soul. Cameisha was about to crack a flirty smile but Trigga turned away.
“No he did not!” She demanded at the snub. “Did dude just turn his nose up at me?”
“You know this is Atlanta.” Jackie reminded. The gay thought was quickly shot down as Trigga openly watched a fat booty walk by. And since Troy was still flirting with Samantha, they couldn’t be together, together.
“I need um…a…yeah.” Samantha muttered and took off. Whatever it was that she did need just happened to be sold at the same pizza counter Troy and Trigga stopped at.
“Me too!” Cameisha decided and marched over. She walked past them right up to the counter and accidently dropped her purse. Once she was bent all the way over aiming her ass at her target; she looked up at him.
Trigga chuckled at the obvious move and turned away. Sure, she was pretty but this is Atlanta. It may be the gayest city in America but is home to some of the baddest chicks on the planet. There were pretty girls every where the eye went so he let his eyes roam free and enjoy themselves.
“Psh!” Meisha huffed and stormed off mumbling curses. She actually ignored come-ons by a couple of guys as she marched back to the table.
Dasia, Aqua and Jackie all shoved food in their mouths to prevent laughing. All three failed sending food flying across the table as they cracked up.
“You dropped something…your face!” Jackie managed between guffaws.
“Yeah right in front of some gay guy!” She spat back twisting her lips in disgust.
“That gay guy?” Dasia asked as Trigga chopped it up with a pretty girl.
“How you gone make that man gay. He ain’t holla and you put a dick in his life.” Jackie demanded.
“Don’t look gay to me.” Aqua said squinting at him to be sure. “But then again neither does Dasia.”
“Me? I ain’t gay.” Dasia shouted causing the white lady dining with her children on the next table to frown. The truth often hurts and hearing her lifelong friend call her gay stung.
“If you was eating coochie, you gay.” Meisha chided hoping to switch the attention from her own embarrassment.
“Well, if you just let her eat you that’s not gay.” Jackie suggested. She was really defending herself more so than Dasia.
“Get the fuck outta here! So if Ralphie let a nigga suck his dick you wouldn’t have a problem with it?” Cameisha shouted earning a deeper frown from the lady at the next table.
“I know Steven better not let no nigga suck his dick!” Aqua shouted. The white lady wrapped her children’s food back up and stormed off.
“Nah, guess not.” Jackie admitted. She often wrestled with that memory, but fuck it. It was just that, a memory.
“Girls ain’t the same as guys.” Dasia added hopefully.
“How the fuck you figure that?” Meisha wanted to know.
“Figure what?” Samantha asked as she came back to the table.
“Dasia’s gay.” Aqua said nonchalantly and bit back into her burger.
“Oh cool.” Samantha said and bit hers.
“Girls are just naturally affectionate. We hug, we kiss, we get dressed and undressed in front of each other.” Dasia reasoned. “It’s just girl stuff.”
“Well, I ain’t bout to lick no girl’s stuff.” Meisha frowned.
“Me neither!” Jackie and Aqua announced concurrently. All eyes shot over to a guilty looking Samantha.
“No, not you too!” Cameisha laughed.
“No, I mean…well there was this one time in band camp.”
Chapter 1 1
“Eww! I can see you V-JJ.” Meisha frowned when Jackie came out the bathroom in her outfit.
“That’s because it’s nice and fat.” Jackie laughed. “Gonna go feed it to Ralph as soon as we leave the club.”
“Wish I had someone to feed my lonely nana to.” Meisha sighed and took her turn in the bathroom.
Once in the shower, she popped the guard off of a pink razor and removed all the hair from all the places women should not have hair. Luckily, she didn’t nick herself as usual and commenced to washing. The little diva used facial soap on her face, body wash on her body and feminine wash on her feline. Her hair was already done and got spared from two shampoos and three conditioners.
There wasn’t enough to the dress to conceal underwear so she didn’t wear any. After admiring herself in the mirror, she went out to get Jackie’s reaction.
“Damn that shit is fierce!” Jackie shouted.
“Thanks you.” She giggled. “I hope Samantha has something to wear. I feel bad she ain’t get nothing.”
“Hope she don’t wear no sweats.” Jackie added since the cute girl wore a different pair daily. “Well, let’s go get her.”
Jackie and Cameisha walked unnoticed through the nearly deserted dorm to pick up Samantha. Most kids had went home for summer but the dorm stayed open for summer school as well as those emancipated minors without homes to go to.
“Hey ladies! Almost ready!” Samantha sang when she opened the door. Cameisha and Jackie just stood there with their mouths open.
Samantha looked just like a movie star with her blonde hair cascading around her flawlessly made up face and onto her bare shoulders. The spaghetti straps on the dress had their work cut out for them holding up the heavy jugs. The little black dress showed a lot of tan skin. Tits and thighs vied for attention.
“You guys look nice too.” She laughed. “Probably thought I was gonna wear some sweats huh?”
“Nah! I, um…yup!” Meisha laughed.
Dasia was fly as the sky in a mini tube dress that stopped mid-tittie up top and mid-thigh below. Her hair was braided into two thick braids looking like Pocahontas.
Aqua didn’t do too badly herself in kn
ee length skirt and plunging blouse. Her hair was pulled into a tasteful bun held in place by a faux diamond clip. Matching costume jewelry adorned her neck and wrist. They were all set for a night on the town.
Club Jelly was the premier night club in the city of Atlanta, at the moment. It had thrived for years as a white club but a rapper had just made it popular by mentioning it in a song. Now blacks who needed validation by labels and brands flock to spend their money. The owner knew it was the beginning of the end and raised the price of everything. He knew it was a matter of time until one nigga killed another nigga and shut the joint down.
The large upscale club featured human sized bird cages hung around the place. Inside were either male or female strippers gyrating to the thundering mix of techno and rap music. Being a trendy spot and all, the drinks were all blue, or green, red, pink and orange. Colorful they may have been, but were packed with potent alcohol combinations.
The dress code was fly. One had to be fly to gain entry. No jeans, no sneakers and definitely no knock-off or bootlegs. Burly bouncers continually turned patrons away for not being fly enough.
“Look at the line!” Aqua moaned when they pulled onto the off block where the club was located.
“Man we gonna be waiting all night to get in.” Dasia added looking at the throng of people hoping to get in. Most wouldn’t and still wouldn’t learn their lesson about living within their means.
“Bad bitches don’t wait in lines.” Cameisha stated and pulled into the valet parking line.
“Not you using the B word!” Jackie exclaimed.
“For real though. You usually beat bitches up for that.” Dasia recalled.
“The bitch rule is suspended for tonight since it’s my birthday.” She announced spreading her arms as if it were some legal proclamation.
“Happy birthday bitch.” Dasia shot quickly. “Bitch, bitch.”
“Yeah bitch.” Aqua said patting her on the shoulder.
“You know you my bitch.” Jackie added trying to keep a straight face.
“Well, I’m not calling you a bitch.” Samantha said proudly. “I used the N word one time and…”
Luckily, they reached the valet and got out before she had a chance to go in on that story which of course had several sub-stories, sequels and a prequel.
Everyone seemed to know what was going on except for Aqua. She looked so confused when the valet jumped in the car and drove off.
“You gave him the car so we can get in?” She asked incredulously.
“There go Steve!” Cameisha said spotting Aqua’s boyfriend. “Please come get her!”
“You know you gotta explain this part to me.” Jackie leaned in and whispered. It was odd that at the last minute, Meisha insisted Aqua bring her man along. Even paid for the 5x suit he was wearing.
“My uncle Killa told me about when he was beefing with the Black Mob, only the Black Mob was run by a white guy but he had a big black guy that errbody thought was the man but he wasn’t the man he really was just the man next to the man but the white guy acting like he worked for him but he ain’t even know what was going on!” She said in one breath.
“KILLA SEASON?”
“Exactly! Now let’s go get our party on.” Meisha said adamantly. She led the group to the large man at the velvet rope and handed him three crisp hundreds.
Steven led the way with Aqua on his arm. To everyone watching and they were watching, Steve was the man surrounded by a bevy of beauties.
“Oh my gosh!” Samantha exclaimed then covered her mouth with one hand while pointing at the naked man in the bird cage with the other.
“Heeey! Throw that D, throw that D!” Cameisha cheered, laughing at the stripper swinging a long penis from side to side.
Seeing he had an audience, the bald headed man threw it into overdrive. He swung his hips making his dick slap his thighs loudly.
“Now that nigga is definitely gay!” Dasia shouted loud enough to be heard over the music. He heard it too and rolled his eyes proving her right. His boyfriend was hanging in a cage near the D.J. booth.
“That’s us over there.” Meisha said pointing at the coveted V.I.P. section. Another bouncer, velvet rope and six figure incomes separated the elite from the common people. A large enough tip could allow fronters to front for the night.
“Six” Cameisha said handing over six one hundred dollar bills this time. It cost to floss and of course that cost is passed on to the boss. She had spent 900 dollars already and hadn’t even sat down yet. But, it ain't tricking if you got it.
“Here you are.” The bouncer said as he led them to a semi-circular booth.
Jackie frowned again when Cameisha insisted Steven take the seat of honor while they draped him like groupies. Again she pretended not to see it and played the role of sidekick. When they all poured into the booth Meisha signaled for a waitress.
“What can I get you guys?” The pretty brown skin girl half dressed in tiny shorts and half shirt asked. She spoke directly to Steve which made Jackie suck her teeth. Meanwhile, Dasia ran her eyes over her firm body lustfully.
“Five bottles of Dom Pease.” Cameisha said stealing the waitress attention.
“Right away.” She smiled with a curtsy and took off. Cameisha watched Dasia watch her ass as she left.
****
“Man why yall going to that sissy club shawty? Yall need to come down to the hole with the rest of us.” Keith advised his younger brother.
The hole was just that; a low budget hole in the wall on Atlanta’s notorious west side. It was currently in a 10 week consecutive murder record. The old record was broken by a strong willed survivor clinging to life in a coma.
The club had more ratchets than a tool box. This was hood rat central. The place was full of the type of hoes that fucked on the first night. Quite a few would and will fuck in the parking lot or bathroom. This was exactly the type of chick Trigga sought to avoid.
“Bout to spread my wings a lil bit, expand my horizons.” Trigga said admiring himself in the mirror. He wasn’t so smitten with himself that he missed the hateful sneer on his brother’s face. It was pretty much the same look Cain gave Abel.
“You dressing funny and err thing.” Keith complained. He tugged his oversized jeans down another notch in protest and stormed out of the room.
“Sup wit yo brudda dem.” Ricky asked in his native ebonics, when Keith came out alone.
“That nigga think he too good to hang out in the hood. They going to that gay ass Jelly’s!” Keith replied in fluent haternese. That’s the language haters speak.
“Club Jelly! I’m finna go 'wit dem.” Ricky shouted turning to go back until Keith snatched his collar.
“Nigga stay put.” Keith shouted inches from his face.
“Remember who run this shit ‘round here. Pick a team nigga. Who you 'wit?”
“I’m 'wit you shawty.” Ricky vowed allegiance.
****
“Yo mama let you hold the whip or you stole it?” Trigga inquired as he slid into the Cadillac’s passenger side.
“We traded for the night. She got the donk.” Troy replied and passed a smoldering blunt.
“Fuck she going in a donk?” Trigga wondered aloud.
“You know she be hitting the hole on Saturday night.” Came the answer. Troy was twenty but mama was only thirty three and loved to party.
Trigga pondered on that as he took a deep drag off the blunt. He inhaled and held the smoke long enough for it to seep into this psyche before blowing it out. The friends passed the weed back and forth between them as they glided towards downtown Atlanta, a world away. The scenery changed from bleak to bright in an instant.
“Pull up to the valley.” Trigga said mispronouncing valet. Troy couldn’t correct him because he didn’t know any better. The two knew they had a lot to learn but knowing that was half the battle won. Now all they had to do was learn.
“Shit shawty, I ain’t bout to let some nigga drive off in my momma shit." Troy insist
ed as he drove past the club.
“Nah shawty, they gone give you a ticket for it.” Trigga tried to explain as much as he knew.
“Picture me tryna ‘splain that Jack in the bean stalk as shit to Althea. I traded yo caddie fo a ticket!”
The nursery story cracked them both up as they pulled into the parking lot two blocks over. Troy locked the car up tight and they made the short walk to the long line.
“Shit, I wish I would.” Trigga laughed and walked over to the V.I.P. entrance. Cash is king and King Franklin told the bouncer to lift the velvet rope and let them in. The large man put that C-note in his pocket with all the others as Trigga and Troy sauntered inside.
“The fuck!” Trigga said as a swinging dick in the bird cage invaded his vision. “My eyes!”
“Hell nah!” Troy cracked up at his friend and led him away by the elbow. “Come on, I got cha.”
They both cast a glance at the V.I.P section as they passed. There were some beautiful women in the elevated area but the club was full of them so they hit the bar. They took two empty stools and waited for the bartender.
“Hey fellas.” The gay man sang, “What can I get yall?”
“Two malt liquors.” Troy blurted before Trigga could stop him. Even he knew this wasn’t that type of joint. Unlike the ‘Hole’ where you could buy a 40 ounce at the bar.
“Do what?” He asked frowning and batting his false lashes. He acted as if he never hear of the stuff. He had of course, just not in here. “The only beer…we sell is ‘jelly ale’. It’s brewed right here on the premises using the finest….”
“Give us two shawty.” Trigga cut in, cutting off the long list of ingredients that nobody gave a fuck about.
The bartender switched over to the tap and filled two tall glasses. Trigga and Troy wrinkled their faces when he sat the frothy yellow fluid in front of them. It still had seeds and hops floating around in it.
“Keep the change.” Trigga offered passing the man a twenty dollar bill. Now it was his turn to frown.
