“Tangie! Woah, I am so sorry, girl!”
I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her tightly before letting her go. I felt like my feelings weren’t reciprocated. Was she mad that I bumped into her? Damn.
“Uh, you aight? You lookin’ stressed. Whatchu worried about? You smart as shit!”
She faintly smiled at me and looked past me. She looked hella frantic and like something was on her mind. Yeah, she worried about school, but I ain’t ever seen her so damn stressed. Somethin’ wasn’t right.
“Nothing. I’m okay, really. I have to get to class is all. Finals make me crazy.” She said with a nervous laugh that I ain’t ever heard before.
I smiled and let her go off to class. I didn’t want to bombard her with questions and agitate lil mama. I knew better than that. Maybe she was stressin’ over finals. Junior year had been pretty brutal thus far so I don’t blame her. When she is ready, she will tell me about it. Or at least I hope she will. Eh, I’m not going to worry too much about it, but still.
*
I pulled into my driveway and saw JB’s blacked-out Masi. Good. That meant they were both here and probably inside already. I let them niggas have keys to my place just in case they needed somewhere to crash or just for them to have a pair for moments like this.
I walked inside the house and smiled down at my niggas, who were helping themselves to some food and drinks. I didn’t mind it.
“Hey Kaleo. How do you think you did in your finals?” JB and Kairee asked, almost in sync.
“Man, I’m sure I did pretty good for a hood nigga,” I said as I posed with my arms crossed, leaning to the side.
We all laughed out loud and came to the conclusion that finals weren’t as bad as we had thought they would be. I was proud of these goons for doing their best in school while hustling alongside me.
I sat down in one of the chairs and looked over at them with concern heavy on my face. They must have felt my vibe change because they became serious and stopped laughing.
“So what did you wanna talk to us about?” Kairee said, crossing his arms and looking concerned.
“Well, Moms and them want me to come back to visit and tell them how good I’ve been doing. I’m still formulating my story though. I’ve been debating on whether I wanna tell them a lil story about my drug and the effects, or if I wanna throw in the fact that I not only go to school like a good little boy, but I run a cartel.”
I laughed and so did they. I felt the need to add in a little joke to throw off the tension that was growing in that room. It wasn’t their fault. I was the one who seemed hella concerned. My leaving meant someone had to watch over my shit.
“But uh, Kairee, you wanna come with me? I’m sure Momma would love to see you too. I ain’t her only son who’s in school. I’m only going to be gone for a few days, maybe a week, and I’m sure you would appreciate having the break. Which brings me to my next point.”
Kairee shook his head and held up his finger to stop me from continuing.
“Nah, Kaleo. I really would love to see Momma and everyone, but I ain’t wanna leave JB by himself to run this shit. You major bro. You have people on your trail that we probably ain’t even know about. What would you do or better yet, how would you feel if something went down and JB was the one who had to deal with it. Or worse. We lose the nigga to some goons cause they notice you ain’t here. Send Momma my love, but I wanna stay here and help out JB.”
I respected him for that answer, I really did. Although a bit of me was feelin’ a bit selfish because I really wanted him to come with me, I knew where his heart was. Kairee loved the game just as much as I did and by him just saying that, that shit put me at ease. I felt like things would be all right if I left my business in his hands.
“Yeah man, I’m glad you stayin’ to help me, Kairee,” JB said as he shifted his posture to sit up. “I ain’t want shit to go down. I ain’t scared or nothin’, I’m just worried that if something happened to me, bro’s business would go to shits and some other niggas would be on the come up. I appreciate that.”
“Yeah, besides, we best keep our eyes out for that gang we just ran through. Like you said, we don’t know what they may be up to or if they even are all the way disbanded,” Kairee added.
“Alright, alright. Thanks fo that. I really do appreciate y’all and I am putting all my trust in you. I know you can do this. Just make sure to keep makin’ them drops and gettin’ that money while you watch yo backs for any groups that try to come up.”
I could have sworn my phone was ringing and I grabbed it out of my pocket hella fast, only to see that there were no notifications. The boys paid me no mind and I used this opportunity to go ahead and excuse myself for a moment. I tried to call up Tangie, but it went straight to voicemail. I thought this chick was straight up ignoring me or some shit, but I came to the conclusion that maybe her phone was off since it literally went straight to voicemail. I didn’t wanna get hella heated for no reason if that was the case. I just didn’t like seeing her flustered like that, but I mean, ain’t shit I can do about it right now.
I shrugged and tucked my phone back into my pocket as I headed back to the main room to hang out with my boys. I knew I was going to see them again soon and it wasn’t like I was leaving tonight, but I wanted to just hang with them and soak this all in before I headed over to see mama.
Chapter 7
Tangie
I paced nervously back and forth in my bedroom, staring at my phone that I purposely turned off. Big bro Travis, was rambling about some shit and it had me worried. He was going on and on about how someone murked some connect or something. Whatever it was, it had him heated and he sounded like he was going for blood. I know my big bro is able to hold his own, but I was still worried about him. I just recently got back in contact with him and I didn’t want to lose him. Yeah, I’ll admit, I steered clear of him because I didn’t want shit to do with that damn drug life but he is my brother. I wanted to be there to help him out. I mean, I have no fucking idea how I’m going to help him out, bad enough I don’t even understand what he is going through. What does a connect have to do with shit? Doesn’t that mean he loses cash flow from just one source? I mean, damn. I may sound hella ignorant about all of this, but I honestly don’t understand the ins and outs of what he is even involved in. Then again, he did mention that he feared that since his connect went down, he feared he would be next. He probably wants to retaliate and get back at these niggas for cutting his cash flow? Shit, I really don’t know.
I turned my phone back on and gave it a second to restart as I tried to calm myself down.
Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz, bzzz, bzzz, bzz.
I picked up my phone and put it on silent. Apparently I had hella messages and missed calls coming in and I wasn’t about to sit here and listen to the damn thing be annoying with its vibrating. When it finally stopped flashing, I picked it up and saw several missed calls from Kaleo. Damn, he must have been hella worried about me the other day. As much as I wanna tell him what’s going on, I just can’t. I only hope he accepts my answer of just being stressed about finals. Well, we will see.
Ring, ring.
“Tangie! Girl, you finally answering me back. I’ve been worried about you. For real though, what’s been going on? You alright?”
Damn, he sounded so concerned. I was more or less expecting him to be mad that I didn’t respond or call him back. I’ll admit, this caught me off guard, but it was warming to hear his voice. It was so soothing and caring and it put me in such a better mood but then there was a piece of me that felt so dead. I knew why I felt this way. I knew why I was acting all frantic and antsy, but I couldn’t tell him why. I couldn’t vent about my problems.
“H-Hey! I’ve been good. Just worried about my finals was all. I know I usually am good with these tests and such but I don’t know why genetics was so scary!” I laughed nervously and hoped he would take the pitch.
“Yeah, genetics was no joke. Do you want to meet up? I wan
ted to talk to you about something.” Kaleo said. He sounded really concerned and it frightened me. But I kept my cool.
“Yeah, sounds good! How about we meet at that cafe near school?”
“Mhm, that sounds like an idea. I’ll see you soon.”
Click.
I took a deep breath, feeling real worried. I was concerned about what he wanted to talk to me about but I mean, I guess I’ll see soon.
*
When I pulled up to the cafe, I saw him sitting patiently inside. It looked like he already ordered a couple drinks and some snacks for us. I cut the engine and made my way inside, smiling when we made eye contact.
“Tangie! Hey, I ordered us some coffee just a second ago so it’s still hot. I got us a couple of them chocolate croissant things you like. I mean, I ain’t a fan of them but I know you like them, so I got us some.”
I smiled so hard and wrapped my arms around him, so thankful for the small things he notices. The smell of his cologne made me feel some type of way. It was comforting and oh so sensual. I stood there in his embrace and fantasized of what he and I could possibly become. I would love for us to be more than friends but then again I don’t. Maybe I was too lustful of my own best friend because every time he held me or looked at me a certain way, I just dreamed about him undressed and all over me. What in the hell am I thinking? I sound like a desperate hoe. Like those girls he always sleeps with. Maybe I was just envious that they saw him undressed and were able to fully enjoy him while I sat around being the best friend.
Kaleo let go of me and led us to our table, where he sat across from me. I looked out the window to the right of me, trying to avoid eye contact with him. I tried hard not to make it obvious though, I was struggling to get out of my feel for him. I just needed a second.
“Tangie. Yo, Tangie. You sure you are alright?” Kaleo asked, drawing me from my thoughts.
“Yeah, sorry my mind is everywhere. I guess finals really took a toll on me. Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?” I said, smiling over at him, hoping my smile would distract him.
“Oh! Yeah, right. Uh, I’m going to be leaving for a few days, maybe about a week. Moms wanted me to come visit them and report about how I’m doing in school. You know, usual check up.” Kaleo paused for a moment and looked deeply into my eyes. It was like he was staring into my soul or something. His gaze was pretty damn intense, almost uncomfortable.
“What’s wrong? I know I keep asking you, but it’s really bothering me with how you actin’. Please tell me the truth. I really feel for you, Tangie. I just have to know what is wrong with you, girl. You killin’ me. You know you can’t play games with me.”
“I promise it’s nothing. I just was worried about classes and such. I’m so serious. Wait, wait, wait. You really feel for me? What are you talking about?”
Kaleo sat back in his chair, looking like he wanted to take back his words. I lifted an eyebrow and watched him closely. I saw him struggle with himself, fighting back some type of emotion before giving in and letting out a real heavy sigh.
“Shit, I might as well continue. Well, I never said anything in the beginning because I valued our friendship, but yeah, I really like you, girl. I wanna start something with you, but if you don’t want to, I’ll understand.”
Woah. He actually feels for me, more than being his friend. What I want to know though is why he’s telling me this now. Does he plan on leaving longer than he is stating?
“Wait. Why are you telling me this now? Do you plan on leaving for longer than intended or what?” I asked with a tilt to my head.
He shook his head and smiled. “Nah, girl. I ain’t leavin’ longer than I said. I have a good life here, why would I leave it? But, how you feelin’?”
Shit. I totally deflected his question and now he’s reminding me. Great. Do I let it out and tell him how bad I wanna fuck his brains out? I mean, I really do love this guy. I just don’t know.
“Kaleo. It’s just crazy, I feel for you, too. I wanna rock wit you. How about we try it?” I said, extending my hand to touch his.
He smiled all big and scooted close to me to kiss me on my cheek. I saw this as my time to make my move, so I turned my head and kissed him on the lips. Shit was magical; I wanted to jump this nigga but I ain’t no hoe.
When he broke the kiss, he stayed smiling, looking like a big ass goof. It was cute though.
We stayed at the cafe for a little bit longer, just laughing and hanging out like normal. He was all hugging up on me and I did the same to him. The feelings were there, but there was something inside of me that was just eating at me. Did I really love and feel for Kaleo like he did for me?
Chapter 8
Kaleo
“Aight, I’m pretty sure I have enough shit. I’m only going to be gone for no more than a week anyway,” I said, zipping up my suitcase.
It was time for me to head out to the airport to fly out to see momma and them. I tossed my luggage into the car and peeled out towards the airport. While I drove there, I couldn’t help thinking about Tangie. I was so happy she decided she wanted to be with me, or at least start something. Shit, I’m going to just say we are together. I really am happy that we are starting this though. I feel like I can finally be all over her and shit. I don’t wanna force sex, though. As much as I really wanna have sex with her, I know I gotta be respectful. Last thing I need is her getting all offended over it, and then I not only lose my girl but my best friend. That just won’t work.
It didn’t take long for me to get to the airport. Strange, it usually feels like forever getting here, but today it went by so fast. Maybe it was because I was all up in my thoughts. Whatever.
I parked my car in the parking garage and walked over the bridge that connected the airport to the parking garage. I hurried to the ticket counter and checked myself and my bag in before heading up the terminal to get to my gate. It wasn’t too long until we could board the plane, so I went ahead and stood in line.
I shot Tangie a text just telling her good morning and how much I was going to miss her. Hopefully I wasn’t smothering the shit out of her. Yeah, we just got together but I felt that since we crossed that bridge, it was now normal to tell her how much I really missed her and shit. I thought girls liked it when guys did that for them? I just don’t wanna scare her away.
The lady at the gate ushered us onto the plane and told us to take any seat we wanted. I took my window seat on the left side of the plane, sitting right on the wing. Tangie must have still been asleep because she didn’t reply. It was only seven in the morning anyway and the sun was barely creeping up. I wasn’t about to get mad, I knew she would talk to me later on today anyway.
I stared out the window as the plane started to push back out from the gate. It was peaceful watching everything roll by us as we rolled over onto the jetway. It was a weird thrill when the pilot began to accelerate, causing the plane to bump and shift before the nose lifted up off the ground and the rest of the plane followed suit. Well, here we go. I was on my way to see moms and them. I worried about Tangie since I was now away from her. Maybe that is why I wanted to start some shit with her. Not because I was worried that I was going to be gone more than usual or that I would just leave all together. Maybe I feared that she would find someone else while I was gone. That shit sounded hella possessive—who the fuck am I? Whatever. But yeah, I don’t know. She was actin’ real strange even when we were talking at the cafe. Somethin’ still ain’t right.
*
“Baby! Oh, my baby is home. Come here baby!” My momma yelled as she ran towards me over at baggage claim. She was still so young and beautiful, not a damn wrinkle on this wise woman’s face. Her skin was still that glowing caramel color and she looked like she shrunk a few inches. I could have sworn mama was at least a little bit taller than the midpoint of my chest. When she came to hug me, she was literally at the midpoint of my chest.
I wrapped my arms around her and held onto her so tight. I let go of her and looked at
her caring hazel eyes—man, I loved this woman. Yet it killed me that I involved myself in such a dangerous career. I would hate for her to find out I was gunned down by some niggas all because of my involvement. Nah, it won’t happen. Momma won’t ever know. I know she taught me honesty, but this was something I had to lie about.
She took my bag and led me to her car, asking me how my flight was and if I was excited to be there with them. Before I could answer, Pops came out of fucking nowhere and put me in a headlock. He was tall enough to do it; he was a few inches taller than me and was swoll as shit. His dark ass knew just how to sneak up on everyone, he always did that to me as a kid.
“There is my genius boy! Wait, where is Kairee? The other genius?” Pops asked as he let me go.
“Kairee wanted to stay back; he works full time and wasn’t able to get time off in such a short amount of time. He told me to send his love though. He misses and loves y’all. Next time, maybe later in the summer, I’ll fly back out with him to see y’all,” I smiled as I tossed my bag into the back of the car.
The Diary of a Side Chick 6 (SCD) Page 39
