I grew up in this godforsaken neighborhood back when the street was named Stewart Avenue and its reputation for drugs, prostitution, and murder were known statewide. The tall brick buildings were crack houses, and dodging bullets was how niggas got their daily exercise. Though I wasn’t so lucky one time. Caught a bullet when I was fifteen, walking out of a Freddie’s Hot Wings joint. It was bullshit because it was all over shit that didn’t have nothing to do with me. Some miscellaneous nigga got hot over some other nigga for scuffing up his white Air Jordans. That non-aiming muthafucka just started shooting. The bullet that nailed my left shoulder felt like straight fire. I remember hitting the sidewalk—hot sauce flying everywhere and my ass thinkin’ I’m about to die.
My boy, Alonzo, claimed I was screaming like a bitch, and to this day his ass hadn’t let me live that shit down. That’s alright, though. What goes around comes around—and as big as my dawg’s mouth is, it’s just a matter of time before some nigga blazes his ass up. Now I wasn’t wishin’ that shit on him. I’m just sayin'. Muthafucka thinks he knows every fuckin’ thang.
Alonzo and I were cool and everythang, but I’d be lyin’ if I didn’t say that every once in a while we got a friendly competition between the two of us goin'. Nuthin’ serious or anything. Though I might have crossed the line when I hooked with one of his baby mamas before I got locked down. But shit, what the nigga don’t know won’t hurt him. Besides, if he was so crazy about her, he would’ve given her his last name.
I survived that night outside Freddie’s.'Round here what doesn’t kill ya makes ya stronger.
The crack houses were gone, but the buildings still felt like brick bars for people who were still strugglin’ to make it out. That included my ass. Gettin’ out wasn’t as easy as it sounds. The street game ain’t no joke. Most niggas I knew jumped into this shit ‘cuz money didn’t come no easier. The one true thing about drugs was that the product sold itself. But easy money knew how to hypnotize muthafuckas too. It convinced our weak asses that ballin’ out of control was gonna last forever.
It never does.
And if you didn’t wind up facedown on some hard concrete, then you’re certainly gonna feel the cold pinch of the po-po’s handcuffs when you least expected the shit.
“Delvon, yo ass ain’t worth shit!” Tiffani, a dime piece I’d spent the last two nights fuckin', shouted from across the way.
I rolled my eyes at the sound of that bullhorn she called a voice. I kept it movin’ though, hopin’ I could outwalk her.
“I know you hear me, Delvon,” she shouted, practically blowing my damn eardrums out when she rolled up on me.
I finally stopped. She mushed me on the back of my head. “I shoulda known that your ass hadn’t changed a damn bit.”
I laughed at her stupid ass. The only reason I was putting up with her shit was because she was ghetto fine and had pussy that tasted like candy. “Hey baby.” I attempted to pull her into my arms, but she pulled back.
“Don’t baby me, Delvon. You said you were gonna give me twenty dollars so I can get some damn diapers for Kanye.” She ran her hands through her tight weave and then crossed her arms, waiting for the next lie I was ‘bout to tell.
“Look, I’m gonna get you your twenty.”
“And what—my baby is supposed to just chill in pissy diapers ‘til you feel like showing back up?”
“What the fuck? It ain’t like that l’il nigga has my DNA.”
Tiffani’s face twisted so hard, it looked like it was about to pop off. Still, twenty dollars for two nights’ worth of pussy was a bargain no matter how you sliced that shit up. “Look. I said I’ma gone get you your twenty. I just haven’t swung by the ATM yet.” I reached for her again, and again she stepped out of reach.
“Nigga, does it look like I have Boo Boo The Fool stamped on my muthafuckin’ forehead? Yo ass ain’t never dreamed of having no damn bank account.”
I laughed because she was straight up tellin’ the truth.
“The shit ain’t funny, Delvon.” She held out one hand while cradling a fist in the center of her hip. “Give me my shit.”
I thought about fuckin’ with her for a bit longer, but judging by her mean mug shot, she seriously wasn’t in the mood for it. Fuck it. I was tired of dealing with her triflin’ ass anyway. “Here. Take your muthafuckin’ twenty.” I pulled out a fat roll from my mornin’ hustle and peeled off a bill, and to show just how generous my ass was, I peeled off an extra one. “Here. Consider it a tip.”
Tiffani snatched the two bills out of my hand, but then eyed the roll I was stuffin’ into my pocket like a Doberman drooling over a ham bone. Flippin’ the script, her voice suddenly dripped with honey. “You comin’ back over tonight?” She eased up on me, rubbin’ her titties on my arms. But I ain’t going out like that. I’ve gotten my nut. Now it was time for me to find a better grade of pussy to get me through this hot-ass summer. It wouldn’t be hard. A pretty nigga like me ain’t never had no trouble slidin’ into home base.
“Nah. Nah. I’m cool. Thanks for the pussy, though. I’ll recommend ya to a coupla my partnas.” I stepped back and spotted a new dime piece sportin’ some short shorts that had the bottom of her ass cheeks peekin’ out and winkin’ at me. “Goddamn!”
Li’l shawty hit me back with a wide smile. I bet I could bust that shit wide open behind one of these buildings. I reached down and readjusted my hard dick while lickin’ my lips—a sign to let li’l shawty know I was down for whatever.
“Oh, hell naw.” Tiffani jumped into my line of vision and got her cobra neck workin'. “How the fuck you gonna play me like that?”
“What?” I asked, blinking and playin’ dumb.
“Fuck you, muthafucka. Yo ass will never change.” Tiffani’s nose twitched like I was somethin’ nasty stuck to the bottom of her Pay-less shoes.
“Why? Because I keep shit real? Girl, you better go on with that.” I laughed. “You know what I was about when you hooked up with my ass.” From the corner of my eyes, I see Alonzo strollin’ down the block, bouncin’ a basketball and chattin’ with that Crazy Larry. “A-yo! Alonzo! Wait up!”
“What the fuck? We’re talkin',” Tiffani whined.
“Correction: you’re talkin'. I’m walkin'. Later.”
“Nigga, hold up,” she shouted after me.
I tossed her a couple of deuces and kept it movin'.
“Alright,” she yelled. “You’re gone get yours one of these days. Watch!”
Alonzo and Larry seen me comin’ and held up. As I rushed across the way I saw a couple of other niggas that had been hangin’ on the block since my ass was in diapers. The original gangstas they called themselves—or O.G.'s. They used to be hard; now they look as if they were allergic to cocoa butter or Vaseline. Ashy from head to toe and lookin’ as if they hit the glass dick on the regular.
Their surprise at seein’ me back on the block was clearly etched into their faces. Truth be told, nobody was more surprised than my ass when my sentence was reduced because the state couldn’t afford to hold so many niggas on bullshit charges.
Hell. What amount of weed they busted me for couldn’t have gotten a cockroach high.
“Yo, nigga.” Alonzo laughed, swappin’ daps. “I thought you’d still be gettin’ your dick wet or I would’ve hit you up sooner.”
We did a one-arm hug and then pulled back like the shit never happened. “Just takin’ a little break.” A coupla more honeys squeezed past us standing on the sidewalk. I turned, my dick following the one with the jiggling booty like a homing device. “What—y’all can’t say excuse me?” I asked with my slick, on-the-prowl smile already in place.
The one chick that was so high yella she practically belonged in a Crayola box smiled. As her hazel green eyes performed a slow drag down my six foot two, muscular frame, I knew my pretty caramel complexion and my honey-colored eyes was making her think how pretty a baby between us would be.
Alonzo stepped out front. “What’s your name, li’l mama?
”
I bit back my annoyance at the nigga interruptin’ my flow.
“Jelissa,” she purred.
“Jelissa, nice.” Alonzo reached up and lightly brushed a curl away from her cheek, making sure to caress the side of her face. When she smiled, it was over his shoulder at me and I knew my ass was in. For the first time, I noticed the orange Creamsicle in her hand. She put it up to her mouth and unfurled this incredibly long pink tongue and started lapping up the melting icicle like a porn star practicing for her close-up. My shit was hard as fuck.
“You got a man, Jelissa?” Alonzo asked.
“Yeah,” she admitted to my surprise. “But he ain’t here right now.” She cut a look toward me. The kind of look that promised nothing but freaky, butt-nasty sex, and you know a nigga was always down for that shit.
Impatient, Crazy Larry started bouncing his basketball. “We playing or what?”
“Y’all go on ahead. I’ma holla at Jelissa for a minute,” I said, easing in between my man and what I hoped to be some sweet pussy.
Alonzo looked pissed, but I’ve always scored more bitches than he did. You’d think by now he would accept the shit.
“Sheeeit,” Crazy Lazy grumbled.
I looked over in time to see Crazy Larry rollin’ his eyes. Then Larry just put it to me straight. “Look, nigga, we ain’t got all day to wait for you to play with some more busted-ass ghetto pussy.”
Jelissa snapped out of her sex trance. “Hey!”
He ignored her. “When you get through busting a nut with her, why don’t you just meet up with us tonight up at The White Room?”
“The White Room? Where the fuck is that?” I asked.
Alonzo smirked. “Aww man, it’s this sweet spot out in Alpharetta.”
I laughed. “Y’all niggas hangin’ out in suburbs now?”
Crazy Larry wrapped one of his big, meaty arms around my neck and damn near put my ass in a headlock. “Yo ass gonna be hangin’ out there too once you see the bitches that joint rakes in. Bitches with money.” His eyes shifted back over to Jelissa. “Not these used-up hos we got still hangin’ out here. You’ll probably need a shot or something after fuckin’ with this one. Didn’t I hear yo ass got chlamydia or something?” he asked Jelissa.
My dick just shriveled up.
“You know what—FUCK YOU, muthafucka.” Jelissa’s sex kitten act was long gone and she was clearly in full bitch mode. “I ain’t gotta take this shit.”
“Then take yo skank ass on then.” Larry laughed as if he got a high from pissing her off. “Ain’t nobody stoppin’ your ho patrol out here. But I bet Lamon ain’t gonna like hearing you giving his shit away to every Tom, Dick, and Delvon.”
Jelissa’s yella ass turned white.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Crazy Larry kept on, smirking. “I know your boy. Nigga locked down and this is how you roll?”
Jelissa’s friend, a thick big girl in clothes two sizes too small, moved back into the scene and tugged on her girl’s arm. “C’mon, Jelissa. These niggas are whack.”
“Y’all bitches are whack,” Crazy Larry corrected, cupping his dick as he looked Jelissa’s friend up and down. “Why don’t you go home and dust that dandruff off in that whack-ass weave. Maybe then I’ll let you ride some of this good dick. I love big girls.”
“Kiss my ass,” the girl shouted, smacking her round rump.
“Wash it and maybe I will.” He flicked his tongue out as if to show her what she was missing.
I was cracking up. If these bitches didn’t know that this crazy nigga would say just anything by now then their asses deserved exactly what the fuck he was shovelin’ out.
Jelissa gave me a nasty look and I couldn’t do anything but shrug my shoulders. Hell, I didn’t do nothing to their stupid asses.
“What the fuck ever.” She cut her eyes and I was left to watch her strut away.
Crazy Larry’s heavy hand slammed across my back. “I ain’t never seen a nigga get more strung out over pussy in my life.”
I rolled my eyes. “And I ain’t never seen a nigga do so much cock blockin’ in all my life. What’s up with you, nigga?”
“Shit. I just did your ass a favor and this is how you act?” He tossed up his hands as if saying I was on my own.
“Alright, y’all. Squash that bullshit,” Alonzo said, sounding as if he was tired of the fake drama. “D, why don’t you just come out to The White Room, check it out, and see if you like the vibe? Hell, it ain’t like you got shit to do anyway. I’m sure by now you done pissed off whatever bitch you’ve been fuckin’ with anyways.”
“You know me so well.” I laughed.
“Then it’s settled,” Crazy Larry declared. “You’re hangin’ with your boys tonight. Now let’s go play some damn ball before I fuck around and lose my muthafuckin’ high.”
I gave in. Why not? Maybe it was time for me to leave these ghetto hood rats alone and find myself a real classy woman with no drama.
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”
“Hello? We need help! There’s been an explosion. Please send the fire department!”
“What’s the address?”
“2355 Abbott’s Way. It’s the Walkers’ estate. Please hurry. There were people inside!”
“We’re on our way. Do you know what caused the explosion?”
Silence.
“Sir?”
“Yes. I did it. ”
Heist Page 22
