Dirty Laundry

by Cherie Briggins

  Choice had Supreme mesmerized by her body. Supreme felt like a little ass boy standing there watching Choice. He chuckled to himself because this was the first. When Supreme got out the shower, Choice was asleep. He put his boxers and wave cap on, and then got in bed. Choice woke up and smiled at Supreme.

  “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

  “Nope, I wasn’t really sleep,” Choice smiled.

  “That was good, Ma,” Supreme said, looking down at her lying on his chest.

  “Um-hmm, it was,” Choice said smiling even harder. “This was a nice birthday present.

  Supreme touched the top of her fuzzy braids. “It’s your birthday? Well Happy Birthday.” He paused. “I want to ask you something.”

  “You can ask me anything,” Choice said.

  “Were you a virgin?” Supreme knew she was. He just wanted her to verify.

  “Yeah I was, but not anymore, right?” Choice smiled.

  “Yeah, right.”

  Supreme felt special. Choice gave him something that she could never get back.

  “You ready for round two?” Choice asked as she mounted him.

  “I’m always ready.”

  “Good,” she said kissing him on his tattoo covered neck.

  “Girl, you gon’ get something started.”

  “That’s exactly what I want,” Choice said looking at him seductively as she licked her lips.

  Supreme’s dick was at full attention and Choice’s pussy was dripping wet. She kissed his full lips as she slipped her tongue in his mouth. Supreme looked over at his ringing cell phone on his nightstand.

  Then Supreme’s house phone started ringing back to back. He looked up at the clock hanging on his wall. It was three in the morning so he knew it wasn’t his Nana. She always called around six.

  “Whoever trying to get in touch with you is not going to give up. Maybe you should answer that.”

  “Yeah maybe I should,” Supreme said reaching for his cell phone on the nightstand.

  “Wassup?” Supreme asked the caller as he licked around Choice’s left nipple then her right. She moaned loudly.

  “Damn nigga! I can hear you into something, but shit starting to pop off.”

  “Pop off? Y’all still at the King of Diamonds?” Supreme asked Mark.

  “Yeah, that nigga Spliff and his homies here. I know you wanted to take care of that,” Mark said, referring to the beef Supreme had with Spliff.

  “Hell yeah, I want that problem taken care of like yesterday. Give me like twenty minutes or less,” Supreme said into the receiver.

  “Aye Ma, I gotta make a run real quick,” Supreme said, sliding out of bed. He put on some black basketball shorts and a black tee.

  “So um, you gon’ stay here and get some sleep, or you riding?” Supreme asked, as he eyed Choice through the mirror. She was so beautiful, even with her fuzzy braids.

  “I’m riding,” Choice said trying to spend as much time with him as possible. She got out the bed and put her clothes back on.

  When Supreme pulled up to the King of Diamonds, he called Mark back.

  “Yeah, big homie, I’m outside waiting on you. Supreme looked around at a couple of people standing in front of the club before he spotted Mark standing out front.

  “Yeah, I see you,” Supreme said into the phone.

  “That nigga Spliff and his people still in that bitch. I know they know what’s up because they saw Bear and Rosco.”

  “Here I come, Mark,” Supreme said before hanging up.

  “Aye Ma, I want you to sit and wait for me until I get back.” Supreme said reaching under his steering wheel to get his nine out of the compartment he had built in his Altima. “Matter of fact, if I’m gone too long, just leave me, a’ight? Get in the driver’s seat.”

  “How am I going to know when it’s the right time to leave you?”

  “You’ll know when it’s the right time.”

  Choice watched as Supreme walked up to some dude and gave him some dap. Then they both disappeared behind the club.

  “Damn, I hope he don’t be gone long,” Choice said, getting comfortable.

  A couple of minutes later all Choice heard were gunshots. The shots instantly got her attention and so did the small crowd running out of the KOD.

  TAT! TAT! TAT! TAT! TAT! TAT!

  TAT! TAT! TAT!

  TAT! TAT! TAT!

  Choice sat in the car searching for Supreme but she didn’t see him anywhere. She was scared shitless. She made a mental note to call Blue later to make sure that she was okay. Choice searched the crowd as she tapped her tooth with her nail. At any moment, the cops were going to be flooding the streets, and she didn’t want any parts of that. Choice drove around for a while lost in her own thoughts. She let three hours pass before she went back, but Supreme was nowhere in sight. She let out a deep breath as she took her phone out to call Ashley.

  Fuck is this nigga at? Choice thought as she waited for Ashley to answer the phone.

  “Yo Ash, what you doin?”

  “Girrrl! Did u hear? Wait, where the fuck you at? Girl, this some crazy shit,” Ashley said all in one breath.”

  A million thoughts were running through her head.

  “What? What’s going on?”

  “Choice, Spliff was shot. Blue and Wise are up at the hospital. He’s dead. They shot him at the King of Diamonds. Blue called me crying on the phone. Wise and Butter were with him, but they ain’t saying shit.”

  “Do they know who did it?” Choice asked.

  “They said they don’t, but I know they on some retaliation type shit. First Juicy, now Spliff. Somebody’s knocking their crew off one by one.”

  “Damn, that’s fucked up. You said they found his body where?”

  “A couple of blocks from the King of Diamonds,” Ashley replied.

  Choice thought about Supreme as she sat in the car on the side of the rode listening to the birds chirp and the sun started to rise. . She knew he had something to do with it, and she wasn’t saying shit to nobody.

  “I’m about to come over. You don’t mind if I take a shower and nap, do you?”

  “Choice, are you seriously asking me some shit like that? Girl, if you don’t bring your ass on,” Ashley said before hanging up the phone.

  At Ashley’s apartment, Choice let the warm water run over her body for at least an hour. She couldn’t help but smile as she thought about her night with Supreme. Choice wanted to call Supreme to make sure he was okay, but if he wasn’t hurt then she didn’t want him to think she was buggin’. So Choice was going to let him come to her.

  She finished taking her shower and got out. Ashley had taken her hair down, so she put her hair back in a ponytail. Then climbed in the bed with Ashley to get a couple hours of sleep. When Choice woke up Ashley was humming in the mirror while she applied her makeup.

  “What time is it, Ash?”

  “It’s goin’ on ten. Why?”

  “I’ma go work for Mr. Charlie for a couple hours,” Choice said.

  She was still tired as she picked her phone up to check to see if Supreme had called. He hadn’t. Choice decided to get up and put on some clothes. She got dressed in some purple leggings and a high low baby doll tank. Choice walked out the bathroom and plopped down on the bed.

  “You look tired, boo,” Ashley said, looking at her best friend.

  “I am tired.”

  “You should be. Who told you to stay up getting fucked all night?” Ashley giggled.

  “Whatever. Don’t go there with me when Petey forever over here. So miss me with all that,” Choice giggled with Ashley. “But for real, we need to go check on Wise later,” Choice said as she remembered what Ashley had told her about Spliff a couple hours ago.

  “Yeah, I’m down. I think we should,” Ashley said as she applied her lipgloss to her pink pouty lips. “But we gon’ have to do this after I have lunch with my boo.”

  “I’ll call you when I get off,” Choice said, standing up and making her wa
y to the door. “Hit me up if anything comes up and lock the door.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  When Choice pulled up in front of Mr. Charlie’s, there wasn’t anybody standing in front of the store.

  Damn, Mr. Charlie ran niggas away already. Choice was relieved because she didn’t feel like being harassed.

  “Hey, Choice!” Mr. Charlie greeted her as she walked through the door. “I’m glad you decided to come in today. We’ve been missing you around here these past couple days. I have some paper work to tend to. Since you’re here, I’ll go to my office and work on it,” Mr. Charlie said as he walked to the back of the store.

  “Oh yeah. That young man you were staring at came by looking for you.”

  “He did? When?” Choice asked, smiling from ear to ear.

  “About an hour ago,” he said looking at his watch. “I told him to come back.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Charlie,” Choice said sitting down behind the glass.

  Just knowing Supreme was okay, and that he came looking for her had her on cloud nine.

  “What’s up girl?” Bug said, putting candy on the top of the counter.

  “Fuck got you smiling and shit,” he asked as he freaked his mild. “Aye, you know I got your girl Mimi pregnant?”

  “What? I’m going to have to call her ass. I ain’t seen her since the party,” Choice said, ringing him up for his candy.

  “Yeah, you do that,” Bug smiled at Choice. “You know I wanted you to carry my first seed.”

  “Boy bye, this conversation is over,” Choice giggled.

  “You know I been feeling like this since the third grade so don’t even trip.”

  ****

  “I gotta run in here real quick,” Supreme said as he pulled up to Mr. Charlie’s and opened up the door to his Avalanche truck.

  Supreme was looking handsome in some camouflage shorts and a black v-neck. The black rosary around his neck only added to his sex appeal.

  “Aye! While you in there, get me some hot fries and a grape cranberry juice,” Bear said as he put the seat all the way back.

  “Yo Choice, let me holler at you real quick,” Supreme said when he walked into the store in saw Choice talking to some dude. He didn’t give a fuck about breaking up the conversation she was having.

  Choice’s eyes twinkled just from the sight of Supreme and she forgot all about Bug standing there.

  “Okay. I gotta let Mr. Charlie know I’m stepping out for a few.”

  Choice hurriedly walked to the back. Supreme looked Bug up and down, giving him one of the meanest looks ever. If looks could kill Bug would have been six feet under.

  “Hey!” Choice greeted Supreme as she walked from behind the counter.

  “A’ight then, Choice I’ll holla at you later,” Bug said taking his candy and walking out of the store.

  “What’s good?” Supreme said, embracing Choice.

  “You had me so worried,” she spoke into his chest.

  “I’m good. Your boss told you I stopped by?”

  “Yeah, he let me know as soon as I got here,” Choice said, taking a step back away from Supreme to get a good look at him.

  “What time did you leave?”

  “Around six thirty.”

  “Damn, you were out there that long?”

  “Yeah, I didn’t want to just leave you.”

  “I can’t believe you stayed out there that long,” Supreme said. “I appreciate it. Let’s walk outside real quick.” He followed behind Choice with his hands in his pockets.

  “I’m going to have you keep the hooptie until I can figure out how I’m going to get it back.”

  “Wassup Choice!” Bear yelled out the window of Supreme’s truck.

  “Hey,” she said. Supreme could tell that she didn’t really want to talk to Bear.

  “I’ll get up with you later,” Supreme said, giving her hand a soft squeeze.

  Supreme watched Choice walk back into the store before getting in his truck.

  “So what’s up with you and shorty?” Bear asked Supreme.

  “Ain’t shit,” Supreme said as he pulled away from Mr. Charlie’s.

  “Fuck! You forgot my hot fries and juice. I had a taste for some hot fries and grape juice.”

  “Nigga. What I look like? Jeffery off Fresh Prince? If you wanted it that bad, you should have got it yourself.”

  After a few moments of silence, Bear decided to change the subject.

  “So you think them niggas gone try to retaliate? You know they saw our faces.”

  “Yeah, I know, but I wasn’t trying to hide mine,” Supreme said pulling up to Bear’s condo. “I wouldn’t expect them not to try to retaliate. But anyway, nigga I’m up.”

  Bear and Supreme gave each other a fist pound.

  “Aye yo!”

  “Wassup,” Bear said, sticking his head in the window on the passenger side.

  “Make sure you wash your funky ass. Nigga, it’s hot as hell out here and you walking around stanking.”

  “Fuck you,” Bear chuckled as he made his way to his condo.

  ****

  Bear looked around his condo and his smile disappeared. He heard Supreme pull that big ass truck out of his driveway and let out all the anger he had been holding inside while he and Supreme rode around all day. The stop at Mr. Charlie’s and seeing Supreme with Choice only pissed him off more.

  Bear could tell Choice wasn’t feeling him like that, but he knew all she needed was time and he was willing to give her that. She would eventually see the love he had for her, and then they could be one. .

  Supreme had to go. Bear was done being an Indian. He wanted to be chief. The head nigga in charge. After Bear got out the shower, he made a call to somebody he knew would be willing to help him. It rang a couple of times before he picked up.

  “What up? I got this proposition for you.”

  “Whatever Supreme paying you, I’ll double it, if you help me out. I know you tired of being bird fed. It’s time to make some grown man money.”

  “Shit, what I gotta do?” the unknown person asked through the phone.

  ****

  Everybody was sitting over at Wise house smoking, drinking, and playing cards.

  “Girl, my brother is so fucked up over this shit,” Blue said.

  “I can tell. He hasn’t flirted with Choice all day,” Ashley said looking over at Wise sitting on the couch with a blunt hanging out his mouth. “He’s really going through it. This gotta be like the first.”

  “Ashley shut up,” Choice said shuffling the cards to pass out.

  “She’s right, Choice. Why don’t you take your ass over there and give my brother a lap dance or something. That’ll brighten up his day.”

  “Yeah, wait on it,” Choice said rolling her eyes. “Are we going to play cards or what? All y’all doing is talking,” Choice said after taking a bite out of her gyro.

  “Let me go answer the door,” Blue said getting up.

  “Choice, what is your problem?” Ashley asked in a hushed tone.

  “Ash, I’m good. Ain’t shit the matter with me.”

  “Look who was at the door,” Blue said followed by Mimi. “What were y’all talking about? Looking all sneaky and shit,” Blue said, taking a seat at the table.

  “Your paranoid ass. Ain’t nobody being sneaky,” Choice said passing out the cards.

  “Mimi, don’t they look sneaky?”

  “I don’t know. They always look like this,” Mimi said, looking at Choice then at Ashley.

  Choice waved Blue off. “Anyway, is it true, Mimi? You pregnant by Bug?”

  “I’m not sure who’s the father of my child. I told Bug that. But hey, if he’s willing to take care of it then he can be the daddy.” Mimi and Blue started chuckling.

  “Choice, Wise is staring a hole through you,” Ashley said, looking away from Wise.

  Choice turned around to look at him.

  “I’ll be back y’all. Let me go talk to Wise real quick.”


  “Wisdom, why you sitting over here looking all sad and shit by yourself. You’re going to be alright,” Choice said as she took a seat next to Wise on the couch.

  “Damn, you gotta call a nigga by his government? I’m glad you came over here though. You are brightening up a niggas day.”

  “Good ‘cause I know Spliff and Juicy wouldn’t want your ass all depressed, so cheer the fuck up. Do you know who did this?”

  “We been watching a couple niggas, but I ain’t sure so I ain’t gon’ speak on it. I can tell you one thing…when I find out who been knocking my niggas off,” Wise shook his head, “the streets gone bleed, baby. You betta believe it.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Three Days Later

  It wasn’t too late when Supreme got home. This was the first time in a long time that he was able to come in the house at eleven. He went to work out in one of the spare rooms he had set up like a gym. He decided to lift a couple weights then run on the treadmill. When he was done, he took a shower then went down stairs to heat up the roast and potatoes his Nana had made.

  Supreme’s phone lit up indicating that he had a missed call. He had two. They were both from Choice so he called her back.

  “Hello,” Choice whispered in a sleepy tone.

  “Damn, did I wake you?”

  “Nah, I’m good, I was just falling asleep,” Choice said getting out of bed and covering up Kyree.

  “I’m glad you called me back. I have been thinking about you all day,” Choice said, throwing her feelings out there.

  “So you been thinking about a nigga all day, huh?”

  “Yes sir,” she said in a seductive tone.

  Supreme chuckled. “I have been thinking about your lil ass too.”

  “So you mean to tell me, I been holding a spot in that head of yours?”

  “Why you gotta say it like that?” Supreme asked.

  “I can’t believe you been thinking about me when you got so many bitches.”

  “Wowwww...you on one, ma. You the only bitch holding a spot in my head. And don’t get mad. You said bitch, not me.”

  “So where you at? You at home?”

  “Yeah. I was just lying down with Kyree. I’m sore. My mom and I got into it earlier. She’s still mad that I stayed out all night with you.”