Another Hood Love 2

by Jontu'

  April hopped off her cot and stepped between us before I could swing again. “Jae, you pregnant. If you want this hoe head, I’ll take the fade for you.”

  April turned around and punched Neka in her face and then snatched her by the hair and then began to beat her ass. I was standing there trying my best not to jump in and snatch her head right out of April’s hands. She was already getting her ass beat but I still kicked her a couple times just out of anger. After a couple of minutes, the bunk was swarmed with guards that rushed April and Neka, tackling both girls to the floor.

  Once the girls were both apprehended, the guards began to escort both of them out of the cell as the whole pod stood around watching. April passed me in cuffs and winked at me. I smiled back. As the guards stopped at the steps while Neka was spitting blood into the trashcan, April was passing her and once she got within reach, she landed a kick to Neka’s side that caused her to fall to the ground.

  “On my dead cousin hoe, I’m gon’ stomp yo ass on sight every time I see you, dirty ass bitch!” April yelled before the guards dragged her out of the pod.

  I returned to my bunk pissed the fuck off. I mean, yeah, a nigga was going to be a nigga regardless but damn, to know that another bitch had even touched my nigga the night that he passed hurt me to the core. As I remembered the night of prom, I was madder at myself for being so dumb.

  I had to pee hella bad as I was dancing on the dance floor with Lexis and Laela. We had been drinking all day so I had to pee constantly. I whispered in Laela’s ear and told her I was going to the bathroom and would be back. She nodded and asked if I wanted her to go with me and I said no. I looked to where Tone and Jah were sitting but neither of them were still sitting there. As I looked around, I spotted Jah talking to some of the guys on the football team but I still didn’t see Tone. I had to pee, so I rushed to the bathroom, running directly into Neka.

  “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,” I said as I looked back at Neka as I was rushing down the hall.

  She looked back and blew me a kiss. I didn’t know what that was about but girls could sometimes be creepier than guys. Once I got to the bathrooms, I noticed Tone coming out of the men’s restroom. I ran right past him so that I could relieve my bladder before I peed on myself.

  Once I came out of the bathroom, Tone was standing there looking at his phone. “Hey babe, where you been?” I asked as I glanced at his phone screen. I couldn’t see who he was messaging but I did notice that he had just deleted something from his phone. I shrugged it off as he bent down and kissed my lips.

  “Shit, using the bathroom. My stomach was just all fucked up but I’m straight now, babe,” he said, rubbing his stomach.

  I hesitated for a moment with a strange feeling but shrugged it off. We walked back into the ballroom of the hotel and I noticed the girl I had bumped into eyeing me from a distance. I was tipsy and determined to enjoy my night so I paid her no mind and continued to turn up.

  “Johnson, get your things and report to the guards’ station,” the guard had called my name and I quickly grabbed my things and waited for the door on my cell to pop.

  I was finally about to blow this spot and it was bittersweet because it was easier in here day to day but I knew it would be a challenge on the streets to keep my head. I hadn’t been in the outside world since the accident. My everyday life had changed and there would be no more hugging the block, no more spending nights at Tone’s house. All the things that I was used to had been snatched from me violently within the blink of an eye and I had to readjust to life.

  My 18th birthday was in two weeks and I didn’t want to celebrate it at all. I still had people that I knew loved me but at the end of the day, they would never replace my sister or even Tone and Jah. Jah was the brother that I never had and I would give anything to have any of them back.

  Once I was processed out, I walked out and grabbed the little belongings that I had and headed out the front doors. My Uncle Ken had wanted to come and get me but I told him that I already had a ride set up. He had actually been really comforting while I had been down. I thought that he would be upset that I was leaving the streets alone but he actually was understanding and was accepting of letting the remaining members of Gas Squad run the blocks that we already had. Since the accident, they had been keeping everything afloat and that meant a lot.

  I looked around and spotted Greg standing next to an all-black 2014 Maserati Quattroporte. The shit was nice and I shook my head because Greg was always trying to be the flyest nigga out. I waddled towards him as fast as I could.

  “Oh my God, I missed you so much, brother!” I said as I squeezed him as hard as my big belly would let me.

  “I missed yo big, fat ass too, sis. The fuck you carrying in there, a Maybach?” We laughed together.

  “Shit, I know you ain’t talking, pulling up to these white people’s jailhouse in a damn Masi, flexxin’ ass,” I said as I smacked him upside his head. He helped me in the car and I sat back as my ass melted into the buttery soft seats. The interior was the color of red wine and the deep burgundy was sexy as hell on this car. I was feeling this whip.

  “I’m fake flexxin’, sis. This ain’t even my shit. I was just test driving it for a friend,” he said as he slid into the driver’s seat.

  I looked at him with a raised an eyebrow. “Well, that friend must be paid pushing a whip like this around the town.”

  “She is,” he said, turning the radio up and letting Fetty Wap’s voice pump through the car.

  I thought about what my next move was from here. I’d had a plan before I even stepped out of the hall but now, being home, I felt so unsure of life. I had given Lexis my debit card and had her and my cousins Tamia and Jamiya decorate my townhome for me. I basically told them what colors I wanted and let them do their thing. No matter how much my cousins and I used to clash before, I could really say that when I needed them, they were there. They both had a good eye for all things fashion, from hair and makeup to clothes and interior design, so I knew that I could trust them to hook my spot up. I was the owner of a four bedroom, two and a half bath townhome with a two-car garage that had a decent sized backyard and was in the same community as the other members of Gas Squad. The community was pretty large so it wasn’t like we would be next door neighbors but we were pretty darn close to it. I felt good with having Greg, B and Lexis close to me, especially with the baby coming soon.

  Greg reached over and turned the music down. “Where to, Miss Daisy?” he asked, being funny.

  “Can you take me to the cemetery or do you have things to do?” I asked.

  “Sis, this your car. I’m just the driver for the day.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Yo lying ass said this was your friend’s car!” I yelled.

  He laughed and stepped on the gas as we entered the freeway and the luxury car glided into the fast lane. “Calm down, killa. Are we not friends? Are you not paid? Okay then. I told no lies.” I sat back with a huge smile on my face. “Just think of this as an early 18th birthday present from the Squad. You said you didn’t want anything so we all put in and copped this for you to ride like the boss that you are.” He rubbed my shoulder and I turned the music back up as I held back tears.

  The ride to the cemetery was long and quiet; I guess both of us were in our feelings and thoughts. I had powered up my phone out of my property bag during the drive and I was sick, I rubbed my belly as my baby began to move around wildly. I stared at pictures from prom night. We were so happy and unaware that these would be the last memories that we would ever have together. I couldn’t believe that after all the tossing and turning of the truck and the impact of both crashes that my phone didn’t have a scratch on it. I guess it was God’s way of making sure that I still had the memories. I pulled up my text messages and couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. My phone had died earlier that night so I never had a chance to see the message that Tone had sent me while we were in the car.

  Tone: Jae Money, I feel like the luck
iest nigga in the world rite now. To know that u are carrying my seed is like the best news I ever had. I may not be the perfect nigga but I swear u make me want to be everything that I can be but this baby make me feel like Superman. I swear from this moment on I will always be with you. Even if I’m dead and gone just know I always got u and my junior. Lol. Yup, junior. I love u babe, I’m gon beat that prego pussy up wen we get home.

  My heart dropped. I didn’t have any words because my baby would never get to hear his daddy’s voice, never see his face and never ever feel the love that he had for him. My father had loved my sister and me dearly. I remember being really young and listening to him singing to us as we sat on his lap at night. His voice was still instilled in my heart and I could hear it plain as day. Even after the drugs came and stole away our parents, my sister and I had been the most precious things to them and I hated that my child would never experience the love from his father.

  Just as a tear dropped I felt the car come to a halt. I looked up and saw that we were at the cemetery. It had been a long drive due to the traffic on the bridge and then even more traffic traveling through San Francisco. I opened my door and Greg rushed around to my side to help me out of the car. I was so damn big that it was hard as hell for me to do anything. Greg grabbed a blanket out of the trunk and then grabbed my hand.

  “I figured you would want to come here so I came prepared,” he said.

  I just nodded my head and squeezed his hand as I walked alongside him towards the gravesite. Sage, Laela, Tone and Jah had all been buried side by side. My uncle had made sure of that and had paid a pretty penny to make sure that their headstones were special.

  Once we got to their plots, I broke down. I couldn’t believe that I was staring at their names on headstones. This was my first time seeing Sage’s headstone as well so it was just a rush of emotions for me and now I didn’t think I was ready for this, but I was here now and the pain was unbearable.

  Greg laid out the blanket and I dropped to my knees as he sat down on the side of me. He pulled a bottle of white Remy from his back pocket and cracked it open. I hated that I couldn’t smoke any weed right now because I could most definitely use some. I stared at each of their pictures on their headstones and they all looked so happy and full of life. At that moment, I completely broke down.

  All of the emotions that I’d held in while being locked up came out. I didn’t ever really grieve and just let everything out because there was always somebody there that would be watching me, judging me or having pity on me. Now, at this moment, I was free to let everything that I had bottled up out. Greg was my brother for life and I knew I could be myself and reveal every broken piece of my soul. Every pain that I had, he had as well. He had lost the same people that I had and he’d had a special bond with each of them. Right there, in the middle of the cemetery, I let out every pain that I had. A gut-wrenching scream escaped from my soul as I mourned the loss of my family. The tears dropped down my face like streams from a waterfall, falling onto the headstones at my knees.

  We stayed for about two hours as we talked and laughed and cried over and over, sharing stories and memories that we would always hold close to our hearts. After all the crying and screaming, my throat was raw and hoarse. Greg was tipsy and I didn’t think it was wise to let him drive. He was barely a drinker and I was sure he would be passed out before we got on the bridge. Greg stood up and then reached down so that he could help pull me up. Once I was on my feet, I kissed each of their graves and turned around following Greg. As we walked back to the car I said a small prayer for each of their souls. I also said one for me and Greg, that our hearts would one day heal from the pain of this loss and finally, I asked that God would allow Greg, B and Lexis to remain permanent in my life as well.

  Chapter 4

  Today was the day of my doctor’s appointment and I was moving through the house lazily. It was hard as hell to pull myself from bed this morning. I’d tossed and turned all night due to nightmares and heartburn. I had called Lexis at 2 a.m. and made her come over. I couldn’t get comfortable living in this house alone, it was a strange place and I had nobody. I found myself just crying for nothing these days and I was just tired of being pregnant. I was ready to meet my child. Today I would find out what I was having and I couldn’t wait so I could start shopping and just finally having that reassurance of the sex would make me more comfortable.

  I grabbed a pair of Victoria’s Secret PINK joggers and a hoodie and threw them on after lotioning my body as best as I could. By the time I had managed to pull my socks on, I was exhausted. I lay back on my bed and stared at the ceiling. My bedroom was painted a deep lilac with black accents on the walls, my bed was a large California King with a black upholstered headboard and an all-black Ralph Lauren Egyptian comforter set. My nightstands and dressers were all black as well. I loved my room and I was barely in any other room in my house.

  I heard my phone ring and I tried to sit up so that I could grab it off my nightstand but I didn’t have the strength to pull myself up. After the third attempt, tears began to fall from my eyes. I couldn’t believe my life. I would be 18 in three days and I was pregnant with my first child, my baby had no father and I couldn’t even see my fucking toes.

  “Aaaagh!” I screamed out of frustration as the tears continued to flow.

  “What’s wrong, Jae?” Lexis asked as she came in the room and sat down on the bed next to me, playing in my Senegalese twists.

  I began to cry harder because I was tired of everybody seeing me cry, I felt like such a weak bitch because no matter what, I could not control my damn emotions. “I’m just frustrated, Lex. I wish Antonio was here with me to help me put my socks and shoes on and help me up when I can’t move.” I wiped my eyes and stared into her face as I vented to her. “I don’t have Laela here to get on her nerves and make her do random stupid shit for me because I can’t do it myself. I just want someone to go get me nachos in the middle of the night and rub my belly when this baby is inside of me kicking fucking field goals but I don’t have that shit and I’m angry as fuck!” I shook my head as I thought about all the shit that I didn’t have and I just wanted to curl up and die.

  Lexis got up off the bed and pulled me to so that I was now sitting up. I stared at her because she was staring at me with an evil scowl on her face. “You know what, Jaeda? I understand you are hurt hell. We all are fucking hurt but it’s time that you get ya mothafuckin’ life. Shit, we all lost the same fucking people but you don’t see us moping around, crying all damn day,” she said between clenched teeth. “We are out living life and making shit happen. What yo ass need to be doing is getting on your knees every day, thanking God that you are alive with a healthy ass baby in your stomach instead of dwelling on what you lost, dumb ass.”

  I was shocked and hurt. Lexis had never spoken to me like this and I knew that she was fed up with me.

  “I’m not trying to tell you that you can’t mourn because on the real, we all mourning, Jae. They were our family, too. But it’s unfair that you are saying what you don’t have when you have the most precious part of all of them because that baby is going to be the reflection of every last one of them.”

  Lexis grabbed me into a hug as I cried silently, letting her words sink in. She was right. I had a lot to be thankful for and I needed to get myself together and stop throwing myself pity parties every day. I hugged her back tight as hell. She was my best friend and sister and I was glad she was able to put things into perspective for me and that’s why I loved her.

  “I will always be here for you, Jae, so will Greg and B. We all family and no matter what you need night or day, you can call. Shit, you know that your black ass dragged me out my bed with my nigga at 2 a.m. Shit!”

  I laughed at her crazy ass because I kept forgetting that Lexis now had live-in penis. I was going to have to respect the fact that she couldn’t just hop out of bed whenever. “I love you, Lex baby,” I said as I pulled away from her embrace. Suddenly it seemed a
s if a huge weight had been lifted from my heart.

  “I love yo fat ass, too, Jae Money.”

  Just as I was about to clown her about the fat jokes, my phone rang again. Lexis grabbed my phone off the nightstand and handed it to me. I looked at the screen and answered it, putting it on speakerphone.

  “You have a prepaid call from Ricardo Mendoza.”

  After the operator’s prompts, I pressed zero and waited for the call to connect. “Ric Gotti!” I yelled as he answered the phone. I was juiced to finally be able to talk to my nigga.

  “What’s good, Jae Money?” he said, his voice sounding just as happy to hear from me.

  “Shit, sitting here with Lex about to go to this doctor’s appointment and finally find out what the hell this baby is that I’m carrying,” I laughed. “Hey, Ric, how you holding up, my nigga?” Lex asked.

  We both got up and I grabbed my purse as we headed out the door, still talking to Rico all the way to the doctor’s office. Rico had to call back like three times because they ended each call after about 15 minutes but I just couldn’t get enough of talking to him. Out of all the guys, Rico and Laela were the closest and he was really taking it hard, especially being locked up and away from the rest of the Squad; but I assured him that I would send him pictures of the baby every other week and make sure that his daughter Baby J and my child would have a bond as well. We told Rico that we loved him and would talk to him soon. I wouldn’t be able to visit Rico for like a year considering that I had just been locked up and it’s against policy to have been recently incarcerated and visit an inmate but I would make sure that my presence would always be felt.