Around the Way Girls 9

by Moore, Ms. Michel

  “We have, yes, let me get.” Scurrying back off like I hoped, she was about to get ran until her feet hurt.

  After reaching down discreetly to snatch up a few of the miniature bottles of oil, I turned to see Cori coming back in the door, this time headed toward the clothes and knock-off jewelry section. She’s supposed to be over here helping me distract this chink chick, not wandering off for that cheap trash. She knows this hair goes quick, fast, and for top dollar. Not before I finished my thought, the chimes went off, signaling a customer had entered. A’ight, game changer but definitely not a spoiler. I wasn’t leaving up out of here without this weave; and that was that.

  “Here you hair. You ready to buy?”

  “What’s your name?” Putting on my best innocent girl voice, I was trying to make this Korean lady feel at ease.

  “Sue. You buy yet?”

  “Listen, Sue, I own a shop and I offer my clients the option of picking up the hair I need for their style. Here’s my list. I ain’t here to waste your time, trust.” I had to do something for dramatics. Reaching into my pocket I pulled a wad of bills out to flash for imitation only. I saw her little slanted eyes force themselves wide, seeing the greenbacks of hundreds she’d never touch.

  “Tell me list. I get hair so you buy.” Sue wasn’t budging with her attitude.

  It was starting to piss me off. I could’ve easily yoked her from behind that counter smushing her face into the ground, but I was trying to do this with ease so me and Cori could frequent this spot. I was getting tired of driving deep east.

  Running down a few different brands and colors, she hurriedly got to work, fooled by the hopes of making this off-limits cash. Each time she left to get me a new selection to feel, compare, and cross off the list I made sure she saw, I stole a whole bundle. I had her twisted, confused, and losing count. Finally having Remi Velvet, Indian Remy, a few packs of Malaysian wet and wavy packs, and a few Milky Way bundles for those needing to spend less, I’d crossed everything off my list and was ready to go. Once the customer approached the same hair counter as me, it wasn’t a second thought on my mind other than getting up out of here. “This will be all, Sue. You can take them to the register and help this lady. I have to pick up a few more things.”

  “Come on, girl, let’s go.”

  Hearing Corielle shout, seeing her run up the aisle way toward me with a gang of merchandise in hand, I didn’t know what had happened or what tip she was on but blowing up the spot was what she had done.

  “I said run, bitch, run.”

  Close on her heels, a Korean man wearing a short ponytail was almost close enough to snatch her back. “Stop her, Sue, stop her,” he yelled, running full speed but not fast enough for crafty Cori.

  “She not steal from here.” Turning into only something I’d seen on television, the old bob-wearing sunk-face chink I’d just gotten down on jumped over the hair counter, knocking over the Styrofoam mannequin heads.

  “Naw, Sue, she will.” Tripping her as she landed before she could get a head start on Cori, I kicked her in the back of her head making sure she stayed put before making my getaway. Hearing the middle-aged black lady screaming at the hair counter made me run faster knowing the police would get called faster. Damn this ain’t our day. Now, behind the Korean man, who was two steps from grabbing the door to trail Cori to the car, I picked up one of the pressing combs they had on display, running full force and slapping him as hard as I could on the side of his head.

  “Ahhh,” he screamed out in agony, grabbing the side of his face and hitting the floor.

  I hammered on him a few more times and blood started to pour out down the side of his face onto the comb and floor. Then I kicked him in the back of the head like Sue; I couldn’t take the chance of being stuck up in here with two against one—hell, maybe three if the spectator wanted to get it on it.

  “Y’all chink suckas never give anybody a break in the hood anyway!” Grabbing a few hair magazines, lip glosses, and the sunglasses I’d eyed when we first walked in, part of me wanted to hold ol’ girl hostage and steal more stuff up out of here.

  Cori was laying on the horn as she pulled up to the front door and signaled me to catch a clue and get out of here.

  The greed was real though. Doing a double take almost running back to snatch a few more packs of hair, I thought twice about doing too much, especially seeing the middle-aged woman with her phone out filming me. There was no way I could leave this place without that phone in my possession.

  “Hey yo, bitch, give me that cell,” I shouted, running toward the now-shrilling woman. She wasn’t going to go down easy after seeing me nut up on ol’ boy and Kung Fu Sue. I couldn’t blame her but that didn’t mean I was giving her a pass. Taking off full speed up the opposite aisle kneeled down, I cut her off at the end, ramming her into a rack of cheap costume jewelry.

  “Who the fuck you thought I was?” Snatching the iPhone from her trembling hands, I punched her in the face, drawing blood from her nose instantly. “This is what you get for wanting to be a snitch.” Shaking my head over her as she held her face wailing, I was disgusted at any-and everyone who had a snitching mentality. Hearing Cori honking the horn outside, I knew that was my cue to get out up out of here fast.

  Hearing the door chimes ring again, if this was another customer, I for sure was busted. Seeing ol’ boy’s limp body in the doorway would be an alarm for anyone to run out screaming. Damn this ain’t supposed to be going like this. Afraid to turn around, I bent down not wanting the person to see me.

  “I don’t know what you’re in here doing, girl, but bring your ass,” Cori shouted.

  It brought a sigh of relief over my body. “Girl, bye, I thought you were another customer.” I popped up automatically, back in the game. “Wait ’til I tell you what went down.” Glad to see my girl and not another eyewitness, I thought quick on my toes, searching little miss lady for a wallet then snatching her purse. She never put up a fight but with prime examples laid out, I dared her to. “I’ll be at your door if you ID me or my girl, trust that, Mrs. Tandy.” I pulled the identification card from her wallet making sure the faces matched.

  Whimpering, she nodded in agreement. I didn’t have the need or time to torture here anymore. With this being 7 Mile and Wyoming, time was ticking before another actual customer did come in looking for weave deals. Me and Cori had to be out. Now being petty and trying my luck, I ran to snatch some more bundles of wet and wavy. Hell, you can’t blame a girl for seizing the opportunity.

  “You not steal from us, black girl.” Sue lifted her hand in protest trying to drag herself across the floor. Squinting through her eyes, even half delirious she managed to degrade me.

  “I can, will, and did, ya little cat-eating cunt.” I swiftly kicked her in the head, harder this time. Seeing her head bounce off of the commercial-carpeted cement floor like a basketball, I knew she wouldn’t be rising up to disrespect me again. I didn’t feel the least bit of regret for knocking her skull loose. It served her right for making this about race when this was clearly about the haves and the have-nots.

  “Come on, girlie, let’s go. Somebody just pulled up,” Cori said, starting to panic. “Now who’s the greedy one?”

  Throwing the lady customer’s purse over my head, swooping up the bags of weave I’d dropped plus grabbed up in gluttony, I ran out with Cori holding the store’s door open. Thankfully, I was able to quickly toss everything into the opened trunk, slam it shut, and hop in the driver’s seat ready to burn rubber. “Thanks, my baby, let’s be out,” I yelled, breathing hard, trying to get my composure. I didn’t want to chance anyone catching a glimpse of my plate or a description of my car. If so, me and my ride or die would make breaking news. Nobody in the city had a silver Taurus with a red hood, blue passenger side door, and silver spray-painted fender but me. Don’t judge me; I got where I needed to go, and we coasted up the side streets, making our way back to the hood.

  “No doubt, I got you all day every day.
But um, what in hell really went down back there? I walked in almost tripping over Sam Lee’s body, Sue a few feet away, and the customer I ran past laid out in the aisle.”

  “It’s a long story, Cori. Let me just calm down so we can get home. We can blow through a fat one while I tell you all about it.” Checking my rearview, making sure to stop at all stop signs, I didn’t need any lurking police to flick me seeing the stolen stuff linking me to Hair City. I didn’t plan on driving past that corner let alone shopping in that beauty supply ever again in life.

  “I got you on that. But real talk as ya girl I gotta keep it one hundred, and from what I saw with Sue, you couldn’t be contained. You went crazy up in there and we both got an eyewitness in this Kelly Tandy woman.” Cori pulled the woman’s ID out her purse holding it up to read it.

  “Please, Cori, let me get back on the block first at least,” I screamed at her needing to focus. My heart was still racing from taking down two Koreans and one black lady, plus stealing enough stock to fill my pockets. This getaway was a must so I needed my girl to lay low, text Mike, and be cool until I was at least a safe enough distance from Hair City for comfort.

  “Damn the block; you better pull into the first gas station you see so we can start burning through these cards.” Looking over into Cori’s lap, she was pulling out Visas, Master Cards, and Discovers, multiples of each. “I wonder if they all work?”

  Corielle

  Ta’Nique did her thang in the hair weave section; but I had makeup, knock-off jewelry, undergarments, countless boxes and bottles of hair care products, a tray of eye contacts, plus a few pairs of ceramic flat irons. I wasn’t even done taking inventory of the stolen goods I’d personally lifted and had already made up for what Ms. Donahue had taken out of my pocket. It was the eye contacts that got me red flagged ending up with chink boy Sam chasing behind me. I couldn’t help myself though; girls and now the flame-throwing guys out here were starting to rock them dry. Of course the hustler in me saw potential money being flipped and couldn’t resist the risk. Once she told me all of what went down, how my greed had her slightly caught up, I felt a tinge of regret for not thinking twice about going behind the roped-off counter to snatch the tray.

  There was no doubt in my mind this story would get light press, but nothing major. No way in hell these two chinks could go down in the heart of the city without anyone blinking an eye, especially with the mayoral election around the corner. Nique and I both decided to lay low from hitting beauty supplies for a while. But that didn’t mean we couldn’t clean up in other territories.

  Chapter Three

  Cori

  “Hey, what up, Sam,” I said, walking into the gas station nearest our house. Nique might’ve been shook up but stupid she was not. Seeing the cards in my lap made her drive like she had some sense, flooring the pedal so we could make this unexpected opportunity lucrative. This gas station was so ghetto and trifling, down for whatever; you could fill up your whip with your government assistance card if you gave them a few extra dollars on top. They got robbed so much for fifty cent bags of chips and juice that they put a fence over the entrance to the first two aisles. All about making smash-and-grabs less convenient, but all about scamming the system and those who spent money on a daily basis with them.

  After grabbing a few snacks, juices, and crackers for Nique’s upset stomach, I was back out the door right as she swiped one of Kelly’s cards for the first two fill-ups: ours and some young chick dressed in medical scrubs, on her way to school or work.

  “What up, Cori? Let me get a dollar or two,” I heard my junkie neighbor begging me. “I can pump your gas.” A fiend could be tricky; she was included in the pact. Having the option to have the nozzle hold itself on, there’s no need to pay someone like back in the day. No work, no gain; I didn’t care what come up I’d just gotten down on.

  “Damn, woman.” I lied with a straight face like it was nothing. “You caught me at a bad time. I just spent my last on this. I ain’t got shit on me but a bridge card and you already know I sell my stamps as soon as they post.” Keeping it real by giving her real-life circumstances she was familiar with, hopefully she’d get back to digging through the trash for cans or possibly tossed food.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah, if you say so. You young girls nowadays is always holding out on a li’l something.” Walking away with much attitude and deflation, it was clear the old head was hip to my lies.

  Oh who the hell cares? As long as my pockets are tight, then the next female can continue to struggle!

  Sitting in the car, I broke the seal of my Pepsi, gulping it down fast. Nique had gotten another fill-up request and was taking care of business in spite of the on-looking gas station attendant. He wasn’t new to serving customers around the way, so seeing a gas scam going down shouldn’t have had him on the phone dialing for help. “Get your half and let’s go, Nique.” I rolled the window down, alerting my girl of the attendant’s move.

  “Fuck his ’rab ass. He wasn’t talking about giving me no job to run the lottery machine, so whatever. I’ve gotta get all of mines and not a penny less.” Looking at the attendant dead on, she gave him nothing but the meanest ripped mug. Not caring that she was flat-out stealing the gas, she wanted him to react to her with the upmost respect.

  “It’s too many stations out here for your greedy ass to burn a card out already on this one or possibly get caught, come on.” As I rolled the window back up manually, I was now the one beyond anxious to get out of dodge. Getting caught wasn’t worth it.

  “Wow, look who wants to flip the script and play the momma now. Bitch, you already know I ain’t about to slow my cash flow down for his pig-faced ass. Get your scary ass out and start seeing if they want fill-ups. You could be swiping too!”

  Knowing she was right, especially since this was my idea, I got on the grind, jumping out, getting two sales instantly. Gas was at an all-time high at almost four dollars a gallon in Detroit, so people were overjoyed to see me at the pump charging half for whatever amount their fill-up came up to. Trucks were the best profit for us of course but I took any amount from a person down to their last five bucks. After I inserted the card into the pump on one side starting a transaction, I moved around to the other side to get two sales going at once. With four pumps going at one time, I had an assembly line of cars pulling in and out, all cash-paying customers. When I saw the same bum from earlier still hovering around for work, I called her over and promised her a handful of spare change if she could help pump gas until this well ran dry. She was more than eager to oblige and helped the entire process move faster. I was able to clear twice as many cars.

  “I call the police on you three! They take you to jail for stealing gas.” Sam’s square-shaped head popped out of the gas station’s door. That was a dumb move. He never should’ve warned us about his plan to alert the boys in blue. When I saw my impromptu worker’s eyes light up when I tossed her a crisp ten dollar bill, I knew every bum within the city limits of Detroit was going to be knocking on my door looking for work.

  “Leave my girls alone, Sam, damn,” she yelled over to him, shoving the single bill into her worn pocket. “You always fucking with somebody over this rat infested–ass gas station.” Just a few minutes ago she was attacking my head. I couldn’t help it. I had to laugh at the bum to myself as I watched her walk away strutting with much swag like George Jefferson. It was easy to tell she felt like a million bucks, able to fund her own morning package: black coffee and blow.

  “Get away from here, shoo,” he said, throwing his hands up, waving her away; then he walked back inside.

  I collected the last of my money from the fill-ups currently going down before running back to Nique’s car. I knew Sam was serious as a heart attack about calling the boys on us because every fraudulent dollar made during any of our transactions would actually turn into a loss for him. When Kelly reported these cards stolen, none of this gas could be paid for, or recovered. We were a thorn in his side in the worst way.<
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  Both jumping into the car at the same time, Nique started the ignition and watched the notch glide from below E all the way to full. “Fuck that, I’m about to rush you to your car so we can hit a double whammy before these cards get cancelled.”

  “Say no more. You already know I’m down with it.”

  Me and Nique split up going separate ways but with similar things on our minds: burning these cards dead. She was going to hit the strip of gas stations up and down Livernois Avenue while I planned on hitting a lick all around east Davison. Ms. Donahue thought she’d put an axe in me but that prissy-acting bitch hadn’t stopped nothing, and that’s fa’sho.

  As Drake’s song “All Me” played as my ringtone, I threw my hands up, having a party in the car by my damn self. Hype and not wanting to answer, I didn’t have a choice since it was Wally calling.

  “Hello,” I answered nonchalantly.

  “What’s up, beautiful? You and ya girl still out in the streets?” His voice was deep and raspy.

  “You know we stay on a paper chase. We are in separate cars though.”

  “I feel that, baby girl. You coming through here in a few or what? I’ve got business on the east but wanted to hook up with you first.” Wally was a busy man but he probably didn’t really have anywhere to go. He thought with his dick the majority of the time, so he probably wanted some.

  “I’ve got a few more stops before I make it over there, babe. Can you please wait on me? I’m trying to burn these cards out before they get cancelled. If you’ve got some people trying to get some gas, I’m over here off East Davison near the housing projects.” Wally wasn’t about to get on with this good-good right now; him and whatever he secretly had planned for me would have to wait.

  “I’ll put the word out for you, ma. Hit me up when you’re on the way. I’ll be here.” He’d tested his luck coming up short. Too bad the tables would be flipped on me later. I needed something from him so he for sure was gonna demand what I was equipped with between my legs.