RedBone

by Styles, T.

  “If I do this shit, when you trying to go?”

  Farah was excited. “Tomorrow!” She had her right where she wanted her.

  “Oops! Can’t do it, boo-boo,” Coconut said sarcastically. “I’m taking my boyfriend to get his bunion taken off. If you don’t believe me you can call his doctor.” Farah frowned. “Sorry, but you gotta get somebody else.”

  “But nobody else know how to run game like we do together.”

  “Can’t help you, baby. I really wish I could though. Ask Natasha.”

  “She too fucking dumb.”

  “Well, unless you don’t want your rent paid, I don’t believe you have a choice. And why do you keep fucking with that little-ass boy anyway?”

  “Because Tank gonna be big time one day. Niggas already saying if he keep it going like he is, it’s just a matter of time.”

  “So? I mean, don’t that nigga got a baby by old-ass Boo? His money already divided in too many pieces. The only future he got is in jail ... and soon, too!”

  “Like I care about that ugly bitch! I fuck with him because when he blows up he gonna remember how I was with him when he ain’t have shit.”

  “You love molding niggas.”

  “Getting an up-and-coming drug dealer’s nose wide open is a smart investment. Trust me.”

  “Whatever. I just hope your little foundation doesn’t crumble,” Coconut responded. “If I were you, I’d just get a roommate and stop doing all that other dumb shit. You too cute for all that. I’m out.”

  After she got off the phone with Coconut she called Rhonda. Rhonda never answered the phone like a regular person. When most sane people answered the phone, they were essentially saying that they were prepared to start a conversation ... not Rhonda.

  Looking at the caller ID, Rhonda said, “Hold on, Farah. Knight, please get your fucking blunt off my baby’s dresser! Damn, ain’t nobody make this room all nice for you to be getting high in here and shit! That’s so fucking trifling!” Farah shook her head.

  “Bitch, I’m the one who fixed the mothafucka up!” Knight growled in the background. “I can suck smoke out of the baby’s bottle if I want to!”

  “Nigga, suck my clit!”

  In a seductive voice he said, “Bring it here.”

  Rhonda started giggling. “Move, boy!”

  “I love your crazy ass,” Knight said.

  “I love you back, fucka!”

  “Are you done?” Farah asked, irritated by the display of their demented love over the phone.

  “Girl, that man is a mess. He done went into the baby’s bedroom and got high. The baby liable to catch a contact the moment it comes home.” Farah laughed. “Anyway, missy, what’s good?”

  “Ain’t shit, Black and Ike’s.”

  Rhonda laughed. “You call me that one more time and I’ma fuck you up.”

  Farah giggled and went into the kitchen to get a beer. “I ain’t want nothing. For real I’m just calling to check on you.”

  “I’m fine. But speaking of Black and Ike’s, you know Chloe just left from over here, right? She said she was bringing her gift, since you probably won’t invite her to the shower. What y’all beefing about now?”

  “A long story,” she said, too embarrassed to tell her about the computer sex she had with Zone before he died.

  “Well, she sounded like she misses you. Kept asking me if you asked about her, and shit like that. You should call her, Farah. I mean, she is your baby sister.”

  “Fuck Chloe.”

  “Whatever, that’s your sis not mine.”

  “Right, but look, I’m calling to let you know that I’m giving you a fifty dollar gift card, but I also went in on the gifts with Coconut. She may not want you to know, but she been kinda broke lately. Her and Jake having problems, so he might not be lacing her up all the time anymore.”

  “Damn ... that nigga’s paid so that’s fucked up. It’s cool though. I won’t say nothing. For real she don’t have to do shit. And I appreciate you doing anything too because I know shit hard without Zone. You need all your paper.”

  Exactly. “It’s not a problem, girl. I just can’t wait to see my godbaby. I know she gonna be so pretty with her chocolate self.” She giggled. “But look, let me go. I’ll connect with you later, Black and Ike’s.”

  “Your ass is mine!”

  Farah laughed. “Bye, bitch.”

  After she hung up with Rhonda, she called Natasha. She didn’t answer, so Farah decided to watch old episodes of Big Brother on the living room sofa. Hungry, she made a ham sandwich with grape jelly. The moment she bit into her food, Natasha called back. She put her sandwich down and answered. “What’s up, Natasha?”

  “Hey, girl. Sorry I couldn’t come to the phone. This nigga I fucked with up and got married on me. I just feel like me and him were going to always be.” She sounded like she was crying. “We had that kind of bond and he didn’t even tell me about that bitch.”

  Farah rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I’m gonna shoot it straight with you about something, Coconut don’t fuck with you like that, because she thinks you gonna say something about the accident.”

  “I would never say nothing about what happened that day,” she said seriously. “Maybe I should talk to her and see what the problem is.”

  “She don’t want you calling. She specifically told me not to give you her number, so just leave it alone, Natasha. And make sure you don’t say shit about the hit and run to nobody. Or that I told you she don’t fuck with you. If you do I’m not gonna tell you nothing else.”

  “Trust me, I wouldn’t say nothing about the accident. I really feel like I should say something when I see her about everything else, though. I been knowing her for years. She going to Rhonda’s shower, right?”

  “Yeah, but I’m not sure that’s appropriate shit. You feel me?”

  “Well, I’ll find the right time to talk to her. I know y’all are cool, but I’m not gonna be right unless I tell her how I feel. I love Coconut. She was the first person who looked out for me in school. I hope you understand that I can’t keep a secret like that. If she don’t fuck with me, I wanna know why.”

  Farah was trying to think of ways to keep them apart. This was the biggest lie yet and could possibly backfire in her face. “You can do whatever you want, but I think you’ll be playing yourself. So when she carries the fuck out of you, don’t come running to me.”

  “It’s fine. But like I said, I love her and I don’t want her thinking I’m no snitch or not her friend.”

  Farah rolled her eyes and smacked her tongue. Natasha wasn’t as naive as she thought. “Anyway, I’m thinking about letting you live here with me. Since you wanna move out your folkshouse too.”

  “For real?” she said excitedly. “What about Coconut? I thought she was moving with you.”

  “That’ s what I’m trying to say ... I don’t like how she treats you and Rhonda. You think I’m playing because I’m with her all the time, but I’m dead serious. When I heard her talking sideways, I said if she talks bad about you, she’d do it to me too. You gotta be able to pay your rent, though.”

  “I got it. Don’t worry about that.”

  “First you gotta help me with something else. If shit work out, me and you both could earn a little paper.”

  “I’m down! When?”

  “Meet me over my house in an hour.”

  “I’m on my way!”

  Chapter 15

  “You were the best we ever had, baby. All we trying to do is have a little more fun before we part ways.”

  —Farah

  Farah was lying in bed with Tank, praying he wouldn’t open his eyes. She was anxious and uncomfortable because his room was extremely hot. So hot that her nose felt dry on the inside, causing her to rub it back and forth.

  Lying face to face with him, she held her nose when she smelled the stank of his morning breath, due to all the weed smoking he indulged in the night before. Sweat poured off his husky body and fell onto the crea
m sheet under him. Perspiration surrounded his body as if he were chalked out at a crime scene. Farah was trying to see her partner in crime on the floor from where she lay, but the room was mostly dark, with the exception of sunlight peeking from the corner of his dirty white vinyl blind. Don’t fuck this up, girl! she thought. Blinking several times, Farah was finally able to see Natasha’s silhouette on the floor. Directly under his window, Natasha, completely naked, crawled on all fours as she looked for the money Farah assured her was in the house. If Tank woke up and saw her there, he would murder both of them and not miss a day’s sleep. Please don’t get caught. Move slowly.

  Tank was a certified hood soldier. He had enough weapons in his apartment to stage a war. There were two .45s, his weapon of choice, a nine, and about ten shotguns. When Farah originally hatched her plan to steal from him, she swore she thought things through. Now she understood that the knife she had tucked in the pillowcase under her head would not be enough to defend herself if things got out of hand. When Natasha bumped against the bed, Farah bit down on her lip and closed her eyes. Because she wasn’t really asleep, her eyeballs moved rapidly under her lids. She just knew he was about to wake up and ask what the fuck was going on. A minute later, she opened her eyes and saw he was still asleep. She exhaled.

  When the heat came back on, the stench of weed and sex roamed around the room. But his snores got louder, which indicated that he was fast asleep. In the event he woke up, the plan was to tell him how he fucked both of them the night before and how much fun they had. The good thing about the plan was that Tank was twenty-two: young and unable to handle his liquor. Farah was banking on this character flaw if they were caught red-handed.

  Natasha moved around quickly, looking for the bag of gold Farah said was at the end of the hellhole. She would’ve looked for it herself but whenever she stayed over, he had to hold her. So at the moment his heavy hand rested on her yellow thigh, and whenever she moved, he would toss or turn. When Natasha located a bulging Doritos bag under his bed, she sat up against the wall and picked it up. Her large brown breasts drooped freely and her legs were wide open. Shaking the bag, she noticed it was too heavy to be holding chips. She smiled slyly at Farah, opened the bag, and her eyes widened when she saw a wad of money inside. “Bitch, it’s right here,” she whispered too loudly.

  When she felt Tank move, Farah slammed her eyelids shut. She couldn’t believe Natasha could be so careless. To make matters worse, Tank’s snores stopped, which meant he wasn’t in a deep sleep anymore. Her eyes remained shut for a minute but when she opened them, he was staring in her direction. “What you looking all crazy for?” He stretched his arms and legs. “What ... I ain’t dick you down hard enough last night?” He yawned and his breath smelled like a pot of hot shit. “I’d think you’d be knocked out.” He removed his hand from her thigh and rolled back on his side. “If you ain’t answering me, you must be ’sleep with your eyes open.”

  “Boy, ain’t nobody sleep with their eyes open.” She giggled. She was nervous and it showed.

  “Then why you not answering my question?”

  “What you say again?”

  He frowned. “I said, ‘did I dick you down right last night?”

  Farah could hear Natasha’s soft whimpering in the background, and she was on the verge of paranoia. Why the fuck is this bitch crying? “Yeah, the dick was official, baby. Why else would I come see your ass as often as I do? It ain’t like you cashing me out.”

  “You right about that,” Tank said, rubbing his stomach. “I don’t pay a bitch shit but dick.”

  “So there we have it,” Farah said. When she looked over his shoulder, she was angry that instead of ducking, Natasha was stuck in position with both hands over her mouth. “But you better get some sleep because later”—she pushed his fat finger into her pussy—“I might be up for round two.”

  “Damn,” he said, stirring his finger like a spoon in a pot. “Why you wet all of a sudden?” Farah’s pussy was always dry, but because it was so hot in the room it was now drenched with sweat. He would normally have to eat her out just to get it wet enough to stick his dick in. “You make me wanna get some of that right now.”

  Farah didn’t want his large pokers in her box, but at the moment she didn’t have a choice. At least he was preoccupied with what she had between her legs, instead of the .45 under his pillow. “My pussy is always wet when I’m with you.” She moaned. He knew that wasn’t the case but he let her live anyway. “So go back to sleep and we’ll start all over in a couple of hours.” She closed her eyes, hoping he’d do the same.

  “Naw, Reds,” he said, pulling his finger out of her pussy. Then he hauled her on top of his body. “I’m trying to bust. You done got me started now.” The moment he was on his back and she was on top of him, Natasha softly hit the floor. If the room were lit a little better, he would be able to see her long brown legs on the left side of the bed. But the light was minimal at the moment and Farah was grateful. “Get it hard, Reds,” he said, grabbing her hand, and putting it on his clammy penis. “Jerk it so you can get me ready.”

  “But my arm hurts.”

  “Well, make it wet then.” He looked at her. “With your mouth.”

  “I’ll jack you off,” she said, reconsidering.

  Farah grabbed his long pole and softly stroked it until he was stiff and ready to perform. Tank’s pink tongue moved around in his mouth and his hairy chest moved up and down with each exhale. The tip of his dick oozed pre-cum and dripped on her fingertips. He was in ecstasy already. “Come on, ma, it’s ready now. Suck that shit for me.”

  “I thought you wanted me to jack you off.”

  “Now I want something different.”

  Farah didn’t care about doing what was necessary, but she was concerned he’d look to his left and see Natasha, who was doing an awful job of hiding. From where she sat on top of his body, she could see her clearly. Now she wished she hadn’t suggested she’d get naked because if she created a diversion, Natasha could’ve crawled her ass all the way home. But without her clothes she could do nothing. “Come on, Tank, let me ride that shit,” she said, jerking him harder. “You done let me get you all ready and now you not gonna give me no dick?”She shook her head as if it were unacceptable. “Naw, babes, I’ma have to hop on top of this big black mothafucka first.”

  He laughed, thinking she was really in to him. “Don’t worry, Farah, I’ma save some for you,” he said, breathing more into her space. “But I’ma need them lips wrapped around this shit first.” He snatched his dick greedily from her paws. “All that other shit you talking can wait.”

  “Come on, Tank. Please,” she whined. “I want you to fuck me.”

  “Bitch, stop playing with me!” he yelled. “Your mouth way wetter than your pussy, in case you didn’t know.” He wasn’t smiling anymore and it was obvious he reached the end of his patience. He wanted to cum and he wanted her to use her mouth to make him do it. Plus Farah could never move her body right and her fuck game was off. If it weren’t for her face, and the fact that a rack of dudes in the hood wanted to fuck her, he would not have given her the time of day. “Now suck my joint. And if you want me to pipe you down later, you got that.”

  From the corner of her eye she looked in Natasha’s direction again and was enraged. She could still see her legs. Damn, this bitch stupid. Why she ain’t ball up instead of stretching out? Fuck! Now this nigga gonna kill both of us!

  Realizing she needed her knife, she said, “You mind if I suck it from the floor, baby? On the side of the bed? I always work better on my knees.”

  He wanted a blowjob and he didn’t give a fuck how it was going to go down. “A’ight.” He frowned. “But you making me mad now. I need you to hurry up and break me off.”

  When he swung his legs toward the side of the bed closest to Natasha, Farah felt faint. His feet were so close to her body, if he moved an inch he would feel her warm skin. “No!” Farah screamed. Then she got on her knees on the oppos
ite side of the bed, away from her stupid friend. “Let’s do it over here!”

  Tank followed and looked down at her suspiciously. She was acting out of character and he wasn’t comfortable with the situation anymore. Looking into her brown eyes he said, “Fuck is up with you? And before you lie to me, you better know I ain’t no sucka-ass nigga.”

  “I know you not, baby,” she said, giving him a half smile. “Why you fucking around?”

  “Bitch, don’t make me break your neck. Now what the fuck is up?”

  “I just wanna do it over here, that’s all.” She was shaking so hard her hair was trembling. “Let’s keep it light, Tank.”

  “I know one thing, you ain’t acting right.” He looked at her harder. “Something is up.”

  “Tank, come on.” She was working harder than ever. “Ain’t shit wrong. I’m just trying to have a little fun and wanted you on my side of the bed, that’s all.” Then she grabbed the pillow with the knife tucked inside of it, and placed it under her knees in case she needed it. “I’ma do whatever you want. I just needed you over here, that’s all.”

  Tank was young, but he was street smart and far from stupid. The drug game made him hard and he heard about bitches running game and setting niggas up all the time. He just hoped it would never happen to him. He was a foot soldier, with no more on him than a couple thousand at a time, but for a hood rat like Farah, looking to pay her rent, that was a good look. With both feet firmly on the floor, he stood up and looked down at her as she cowered on her knees. His stare was serious and he meant business. “Fuck is up, Farah?” She rose up until he said, “Did I tell you to stand?” She shook her head and dropped back to the floor. “Now, are you gonna tell me what you up to, or do I have to find out for myself?”

  “Tank, please!” Tears came down her eyes and gave her away, but he didn’t give a fuck. “I’m just trying to make you feel good. That’s all. Why you getting all different all of a sudden?”

  “I don’t believe you,” he said as he was about to walk away from her.