by J Peach
“Just reminding yo ass. Here, man, I know what yo ass got. Take the damn money, fill my tank up and get my shit washed.” Taking the money, she counted it then looked at me.
“You know this too much,” she stated.
Nodding my head, I pulled off, leaving the parking garage about to head back to the crib. Until my phone went off. Once I stopped at a light, I read the message.
Text: D, Dry.
Once the other lane’s light turned yellow, I quickly busted a U-Turn, going in the opposite direction heading toward Anastasia.
***
Once I locked Anastasia up, I went back to the truck, throwing the duffle bag in the back seat. Hopping in the truck, I grabbed my phone and shot Smoke a text.
Me: Be there in 30.
I pulled out the driveway to make the drop. I just hoped Peaches ass didn’t decide to call at that moment.
After taking that thirty minute drive back to Gary, I pulled into Delaney Housing projects. No matter how much money I made, I could never seem to leave that place. It was my home, hell, Delaney was me. It all started there, that place opened my eyes to hustling and killing.
I drove straight to the circle, making a right turn, driving down to the third dumpster and grabbing the duffle bag from the back. I slowed down, opened the armrest and pulled out a large garbage bag. I placed the duffle bag inside, tying it tight. Rolling down my window, I threw the bag in the dumpster and drove off. Coming to the circles front, I pulled up at the courts, parked, and got out.
“What’s up Smoke?” I said, shaking up with him.
Smoke was one of my slangers, I had everything out there. He sold inside and on the outskirt of Delaney. A good, hard worker, he’d been working for me fah about eight years. That nigga brought in money. Smoke was about four years older than me, ain’t know shit but money and hustlin’ which was cool with me. And he was loyal, never came up short on money and he stayed low.
“Shit, what you bring me?” Straight business like always.
“Thirty, what’s its gon’ come to,” I told him while taking a cigarette from my pocket and lighting it. “Send yo boy round back to the third one.” Inhaling, I looked back at Smoke. “You like it out here?” I asked him, the smoke leaving my mouth as I talked.
“Yeah, why, what’s up?” He asked. Getting up, I nodded. As he looked at my hands he seemed nervous, but followed anyways.
“I got a house I’m ‘bout open back up. You ain’t gon’ be slangin’ no mo, just packing, weighing, all that shit.” Dumping the ashes from the square, I put it back to my lips, inhaling again.
“Shid, no foot work? I’m with that. When you want me?” Smoke asked as we walked through the court.
“Once you finish with this bag everything should be running. But going into this shit you need to know ain’t no out. Your only way out is that black bag. I can’t have no sloppy mothafuckas working fah me and stealing my shit. Don’t be too quick to say yeah if yo ass ain’t gon’ be right, you understand?” I explained just like I did to the niggas before him.
I always warned these mothafuckas before they started working. If they decided to slip, it wasn’t my fault. They were warned and I didn’t give second chances.
“N’all, I hear you man. I ain’t on no shit like that, especially not with yo ass. Man, you helped me out when I ain’t have shit, it ain’t nothing but love. Plus, it’s getting hot out here, niggas wildin’, making this bitch hot as fuck. Laws ain’t never out here, but lately shit done got crazy.
“Those mothafuckas out here every day fuckin’ with my hustle,” Smoke finished saying before he let off a loud whistle. Not too long after, a dude came running from a house. Smoke held up three fingers then waved the youngin’ towards the dumpsters. He quickly caught on and ran to get the work.
All the while I nodded my head in understanding, already knowing what he was talkin’ about. For the past three weeks they’d been out there bad because of the body count. Shid, they should’ve been tryna do something. They ass didn’t fuckin’ care. Mothafuckas was just riding around tryna spook some damn body because ain’t nann law was gon’ get they ass out the fuckin car to stop shit.
“I know. They ass not gon’ be out here long. But you got a week to think up on it, go get that bag.” We stopped in front of the brick house.
He nodded before going inside. Delaney hadn’t changed shit. It was still fuck’d up out there, crack heads still walking around looking like death, badass little kids throwing rocks, hitting cars and houses, breaking windows. Snot nosed ass babies standing on the porch in dirty ass diapers, crying. Shit was still crazy out there.
“Blaze!” Looking over my shoulder, Lil Ace came running from somebody’s backyard, coming over to where I stood. “What’s up big homie?”
Shaking little dudes hand, I laughed. “Nigga, look at yo damn nose, fuck you eating snot fah, man? Little dude, you gotda do better.” Ace was no older than five maybe six. Brown skin little boy, he came to my waist, little skinny nigga. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand, smearing it across his cheek before wiping the backside of his hand on the blue jean shorts he was wearing.
That’s some nasty ass shit.
“Why you didn’t tell me you were coming?” Ace asked, leaning against a rusty blue car, putting his hands in his pockets, mimicking me.
“I don’t ever tell yo ass when I’m coming and you still just pop up. You know outside of this place they call that shit stalking, I can have you arrested.” I told ‘em and he shrugged. Hearing the door open and close, I looked up to see Smoke coming out the house. “Aye, go get little man some wet tissue, if you got a towel bring him that.”
“I’ight, here,” Smoke handed me a blue book-bag before he went back in the house.
“What you about to get into?” Little dude asked.
Looking down at Lil Ace, I laughed, shaking my head. “Don’t you ‘pose to be in school or some shit?”
“Don’t you ‘pose to be at work or some shit?” He countered.
I’m about to push this little nigga down and step on his ass.
“Make me take off my belt and beat yo little ass. Where yo moms at?”
He shrugged as Smoke came out with a face towel. “I don’t know, she left last night and didn’t come back yet, but JB at the house.” Grabbing the towel, Ace wiped his face.
Niggas thought just because they ass stayed in the hood they had to have hood tendency. His moms was just a triflin’ ass bitch fah that shit. I hated women like that, putting other shit before their kids. My moms would’ve beat my ass if I walked out the house with no shoes on, no shirt, dirty ass face and belly. Hell, she would’ve beat my ass all the way home. Its fuck’d up because every time I went out there Lil Ace looked the same damn way.
Once he finished washing his face, he looked a little lighter than I thought he was.
“Blaze, let me get a dolla?” Ace asked, holding his hand out.
“I ain’t got no dolla. Man, yo ass gon’ start owing me with all the money I give you. I’ma be broke messing with yo little ass,” I told ‘em while putting the book-bag on. Little dude always got me when I went out there.
“What you got then?” He asked as his head tilted to the side.
Looking at Smoke, he started laughing.
“Little ass hustler, you clean my car I’ll give you a dolla?” Smoke said and Ace looked at him like he was crazy.
“Hell n’all, give me a million dollas I’ll do it, scrub yo tires too,” Ace offered with a rub of his hands.
I started laughing at his bargain.
“You don’t know what a million dollas is,” I told him, still laughing.
“Yes, I do,” Ace said.
“What is it?” I asked, looking at him.
“A lot of money. Now give me a dollar.” His fingers rubbed together.
Again, I laughed as did Smoke.
“How about this, if you can run home, put on some socks, shoes and a shirt, do all that by time I make it to my tr
uck, I’ll let you roll with me. I’ight?” Little dude’s face lit up. “Make sho you tell JB where you going. Here, give ‘em my number.” I took a pen from my pocket and a business card and wrote the number to my burner on the back, giving it to him. “I’m parked right across the field, hurry up.”
“I’ight,” Once he snatched the card, he took off running down the street.
“How far he lives from here?” I asked as we started walking back towards the courts.
“Shid, I don’t know, why?”
“I’m thinkin’ ‘bout leaving his little ass. Man, I wish I knew his momma, I’d beat that bitch ass. And who the hell is JB?”
“JB, shid, I served his ass. Nigga be lacing his shit with woo. Lil man don’t really be out here, tho, I never see his ass until you come around,” Smoke said, hopping back on the bench he was sitting on when I pulled up.
“Little dude got a built in radar or some shit. Nigga hit me up every time I see his little ass. ‘Blaze, give me a dolla’. I’ma have to put his ass to work.” Smoke laughed, nodding his head. “Look out for him, tho, when you see him. Don’t let him walk around here like that, he a cool little nigga so keep eyes on ‘em. You know how mothafuckas out here is, these niggas will have him hooked on that shit by the time his ass eight.”
Niggas in Delaney wasn’t shit, especially those fuck ass slangas. They ain’t give a fuck about nobody as long as they were getting theirs. Dumb fucks wasn’t getting shit because they were still living out in this bitch, hustlin’. Then again, so was I.
I guess I ain’t shit.
“I got shorty from now on, boss. So don’t sweat it,” he promised.
“That’s what’s up. I’m out, tho. This shit ain’t gon’ come up short, I don’t wanna have to come lookin’ fah yo ass.” Smoke laughed as we shook up.
“N’all, it’s all there, I wouldn’t cheat you, man.”
Nodding, I got in the truck, started it up and rolled the windows down. “I’ight, think about what I said, tho.” I was just about to light a blunt when my passenger door opened and Lil Ace climbed in, out of breath.
“You tryna leave me?” He asked, breathing hard. He closed the door then flopped back in the seat. “My momma was at home, she said I can come and I gave her your number,” he stated.
Ace put on a shirt, but it was dirty and he had on mix matched shoes, but they was on the right feet. Had to give little man props for that at least.
“I got a water in the back, you want it?”
Ace looked in the back then back at me. “N’all, you got some juice?”
That little nigga was about to get put the fuck out already. “I don’t have no damn juice, take the water or swallow yo spit. Your choice.”
He smacked his lips at that. “That’s cool. The ice cream truck coming, I seen it running over here.”
I started laughing as I pulled out the parking lot.
“Man, put yo seatbelt on. So you rolling, you can’t be crying, talkin’ bout you wanna go home and shit,” I told him as I drove out of Delaney heading to South Lake Mall.
“I ain’t gon’ be crying. Where we going?” Ace asked, sitting up and looking out the window. Pulling out my burner, I handed it to ‘em. “You letting me have this?”
This little dude was too much. “N’all man, call yo moms.”
Shrugging, he took the phone. “She knows I’m gone, she said it was cool,” he told me while putting the phone to his ear. “Momma, it’s me. Didn’t you say I can go with Blaze?” Looking at me, he nodded his head. “I told you,” Ace said before getting back on the phone. “He didn’t believe me. You wanna talk to him?” He asked her and I took the phone as she was talking.
“No, just call when you on your way back home. I might not be here, but JB should be. If not, you know where the key is—”
“Bitch, what the fuck wrong with you? Man, yo ass don’t know me, but it’s cool he with me? And you might not be at home? What type of shit is that?” I asked her and the line went quite. See, bitches like her, I didn’t mind beating they ass because they were some dumb, triflin’ ass mothafuckas. “Hello?”
“Momma hung up on yo ass didn’t she?” Ace asked, laughing.
“Watch yo mouth.” Pulling into the malls lot and parking, I turned off the truck. “I’ma slap the shit out yo momma when I see her.” I was serious as hell, I was gon’ strangle that bitch when I saw her.
“Where we at?” Taking off his seat belt, Ace put his knees in the seat, looking out the window.
“You rolling with me, you gotda be fresh, little homie,” I told him, about to open my door.
“So we homies?” He asked, grinning.
“Yeah, we homies. Now, come on.” Getting out the truck, we headed inside the mall going straight to Kids Foot Locker.
Chapter 17
Blaze
Man, I needed to get Jesse up and running. I had too much fuckin’ time on my hands.
“Aye, you,” I called the sales woman over, then pointed to Ace. “I need his foot measured.” After getting his foot sized, I got him a pair of white Forces and then a pair of black Forces. After grabbing those, I was done, but little dude got crazy picking up shit.
“Blaze, what about these? Ooh, these!” With them damn words, that’s how I ended up with five other pairs of Nike’s. And after grabbing a pair of black, grey and white Jordan shorts with a black Nike shirt, we were ready to go.
“I’ma have to put yo little ass to work, got me spending all this damn money,” I told his little ass while looking at the total. “Man, I’ma be broke fuckin’ with you, Ace. Go get some socks.” He ran off and came back a few seconds later with some ankle socks. Adding that onto the total, I blew out a breath. That was too much fah a kid that wasn’t even mine.
“Thanks, big homie. Now can we get ice cream?”
Shaking my head, I handed him the bags and walked away. “Blaze, you not gon’ help me? I can’t carry all this.”
“You wanted all that so you carry it. Now go to the bathroom, wash up and change. I’ma make sure nobody come in.” Grabbing the bags, except the one with his clothes and socks, I took out the Nike Air Max’s and put them in his bag. Once we made it to the bathroom, I checked every stall and then pushed Ace into the bathroom. I left out, closing the door behind me.
What the hell was I doing with this damn kid? As many times as I went back to my hood, I ain’t never take a liking to a kid. Shid, I ain’t even like kids.
But I felt sympathy for Ace. His moms wasn’t shit and it had been, on more than three occasions, that his little ass turned up while I was in Delaney. And he looked the same way every time, dirty with no shoes on. I wasn’t like that growing up, but shid, it was hella mothafuckas out there with hoe ass mommas who had their priorities fucked up.
Now, most of the niggas who grow up with those types of moms, eighty percent of them were dead, fifteen percent were hooked on that shit and only the other five made it out. I didn’t want little man like that. Regardless of my want, though, I didn’t make it no better because my shit was all through those damn projects. Heroin, Meth, X, Weed and Cocaine.
“I’m fresh now?” Ace asked, coming out of the bathroom.
Looking down at Ace, little dude looked fresh. “Yea, you fresh, my little nig. Now I just gotda get you a cut and we good. That dusty ass fro ain’t gon’ get it,” I ruffled his hair.
“JB said my fro tight.” He patted his head as we left the mall.
“JB a gotdamn lie, that shit dusty and uneven…” My words trailed off as I spotted that bright ass Candy Lavender Camaro Coupe. “Hold up,” I put the bags in the back and dialed Peaches’ number.
“Hey, daddy. Miss me already?” She answered in a low, flirty voice.
I motioned for Ace to follow me back toward the mall. “Hell yeah, I ain’t see yo little ass all day. Where you at?” I asked, walking back into the mall.
“I’m missing you too, but at the mall shopping with the girls like I told you earlier,” she said
before talking to her friend. “E, here, try this one. I think it’ll be cute on you.”
“What store you in?”
“I’m at Body Central, why—”
Before she could finish with her question, I hung up. We headed to the store.
“Blaze, can I hold some money?” Ace suddenly asked.
What the fuck is up with this little dude and money? I slowed my pace to look down at him. “What the hell you need money fah?”
Ace smacked his lips and looked at me like I asked a dumb question. “I might see a girl and wanna buy her something. I can’t be broke,” Ace stated.
Fuck’d up thing about it was that he seemed like he meant that shit.
“Nigga, yo little ass is broke. The hell you talkin’ bout? Man, how old is you?” I asked, laughing.
“I’m six. That’s fuck’d up, you gon’ play me like that.” Little dude was crazy as hell. I slapped Ace on the back of his head and he stopped walking. “Ouch, why you hit me? That shit hurt.”
I slapped him up side his head again. “Watch yo mouth, i’ight. Yo ass ain’t grown.”
“Okay, now can I hold some money?” He repeated, holding his hand out.
Laughing, I reached in my pocket and pulled out a bill and handed it to him.
“Thanks, where we going?” I pointed to Body Central. “That’s a girl store.”
“Get yo little ass in the damn store.” Pushing him through the door, I walked in behind him.
***
“Kim, I like the black one better, but here, try on this blue.”
Hearing Peaches’ voice, my eyes roamed around the store. It didn’t take me long to find her short ass in the back by the dressing rooms. I went over to her, ignoring her friends as I bypassed them. Once I reached Peaches, I pushed up on her, grabbing a full hand of her ass.
“What’s up little mama, can I hit?”
Peaches quickly turned around with her hand raised and cocked back, ready to swing.
Seeing me, she let out a breath. “I was about to beat yo ass, you play too damn much,” she said, popping me on the chest before wrapping her arms around my neck. “What are you doing here?”