by Onyxx Black
Ms. Greene was just a bit on the heavier side. Both of them mugged me until I walked into the house.
The room Ms. B. worked in was so colorful. I remember her telling me that it was as colorful as back home. I think she meant in Africa. No doubt, I always felt welcome there. She went over to this big cabinet that held all kinds of creams, oils and herbs in it before taking a pink jar then placing it on another table. I knew what she was about to do, so I locked the door behind us. Lighting the red and green candle, Ms. B. took out a necklace and started praying. I didn't know who she was praying to exactly, but I was respectful enough not to talk. After she was done, she walked up to me and said something in Yoruba and put the cream on my cheek.
"Sleep with it on and in the morning it'll be gone." I saw her put some kind of oil in the cream before mixing it up. "Give this to Lexi. Don't let your hostility define who you are personally. You're more than just a warrior." I heard my mama say that a long time ago, but she said it in a different way. I think she said conqueror instead of warrior.
"Here." I tried to hand Lexi the jar, but she just looked scared. "If I wanted to hit you, I would've done it by now. Ms. B. said if you put it on, you'll be alright in the morning."
Lexi took the jar, looking all wide-eyed and crazy. Was it bad that I had the urge to punch her ass again? The only reason I didn't sit the cream down and walk away was because Ms. B. said it had to be a mutual exchange or else it wouldn't work; whatever. I heard her open it and that was enough for me. Whether she used it or not was up to her. I wasn't about to force nobody to do shit.
Chapter Two
Kenyon
I rolled over in the bed and looked at my girlfriend TaNeeka with her scarf on her head, slobber dribbling out the corner of her mouth and my T-shirt on. Her snoring was irritating the shit out of me. I wondered how somebody as fine as her could be so fucking annoying. She was bad as hell; redbone, slim thick, with green eyes and a mole on her lip. She was basic as fuck, but she could suck the hell out of a dick and her attitude was bad. Just like I like them. I wanted to kick her ass off my bed, but instead I got up to get ready for a meeting. I was trying to put shit into motion, but dealing with her crybaby tag-along ass, I was set back a few days.
“Where are you going bae?” TaNeeka mumbled as soon as I scooted to the edge of the bed.
“Work. Somewhere you need to go.” I never complained about her spending money because I got the shit right back, but her whining about what I couldn’t afford made me want to choke her ass. I could afford everything she wanted, but I’d be damned if I bought her a house after a few months of dating. It wasn’t that serious, so she had better be lucky I let her spend the night on occasion. I didn’t even trust her sneaky ass enough to let her stay at my main house.
“Why do you have to go? You already got money. Come back to bed.” I felt TaNeeka grab my dick through my boxers. My shit was instantly on brick. Completely ignoring my efforts, she slid my T-shirt over her head and kneeled on the floor between my legs. I watched her full breasts jiggle as she got comfortable and trailed her hand up my thigh, rubbing the print of my throbbing dick. I freed him from my boxers and rubbed the head across her juicy lips. Got damn, she made a nigga forget his whole schedule. Her tongue rolled all around the head, making it twitch by itself. Shit! She wrapped her hand around my man, unable to get her fingers to touch. I loved the way she could take it deep in her throat and look up into my eyes at the same time.
“Mmmm, feed me that big dick, daddy.” I felt the veins protruding through the tight skin as I grabbed the back of her head and pumped my hips, sliding in and out of her wet mouth. The slurping noises she made just about sucked the life and energy out of me. The head scraping her tonsils made me tense up as I shot my kids down her throat.
“Aahhh shit!” I yelled as she swallowed obediently and licked the tip clean. I can’t lie. I wanted to lay my ass back down and possibly dig in her guts for the rest of the morning, but I had other shit to do. “Come on. Go get cleaned up, I got to be out in an hour.” I stood up and stuffed my dick back in my pants. The look on her face was cussing me out, but she already knew what it was.
I dropped TaNeeka off at her house so that she could get ready for work, then I made my way home to drop my car off and take my cousin’s up to the spot, where Tae and Geno were waiting for me.
“What the fuck took you so long?” Geno, my Mexican right hand man asked. He was sitting on the hood of his red Chevy Malibu with his hands in his pockets. The red mark across his nose was begging me to say some petty shit.
“Damn! Who pieced you up?” I was dying laughing.
“Some young ass nigga at the school.” I figured he must’ve been messing with that young girl again.
“For what?” I asked and Geno just shook his head.
“He said I took his girl.” I already knew what it was, but that made me laugh even harder. This grown ass man was at the high school fighting over some young thot. "What chick was y’all fighting over?”
He put his head down and mumbled, “Alexiana.” My face frowned up.
“The backseat bitch from the girl's group home? I told you, them hoes be looking for a way out and you're going to give her one. You’re going to slip up and get that ass pregnant, watch what I tell you. I had to go drop TaNeeka off at home though. Is everybody already here?” I asked. Tae must’ve thought I didn’t see him shaking his head out the corner of my eye. “What?”
“Nothing, man. I just don’t trust that bitch, but to each their own, I guess.”
“Yeah, whatever. Geno? You got something irrelevant to say too?” I saw him smirking and shaking his head.
“Nah, man. Can you just bring yo’ ass in the house?” Tae walked in behind Geno, then me. I smelled mothballs and weed as soon as I stepped in the raggedy threshold. Big Nate, our main security made sure to lock the door behind us, as he stood in his position, looking like a bigger version of Dewayne Johnson with his gun drawn and ready. My boots creaked on the beat up hardwood floors as I made my way further into the living room. All five of my partners and business associates were sitting on the long black leather couch waiting on me. Guns of all shapes and sizes lined the coffee table, and in the middle of the table was one wrapped up package of pure cocaine. I knew they were all wondering how we were going to eat off one kilo. “I don’t know how the fuck we ran through nine ki's in one motha’fuckin’ month, but I know good and damn well we can’t do shit with one.” Leave it to Tae to point out the obvious.
“Don Marque is not fucking with us unless we have the money up front. I took his ten percent out off top, but the cost for one is twelve stacks.” I multiplied it in my head and calculated one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. That was chump change compared to what we were raking in from weed alone and with the way they were whipping in the kitchen, I could have them stretch it out. Crackheads all around 38th and Post were going to buy the shit regardless, but I knew my clientele in Avon, Geist and Westfield needed the top quality.
“Our appointment isn’t until next month, either.” I knew I had to make some shit shake. “Have them give you what they got and replace it with the gas. Tell them to handle the weed. I’ll do the heavy shit myself.” I gave Geno the orders and went into the back room to make a phone call.
“What’s good Kenwood?” Carter knew I hated that shit.
“Watch ya mouth.” I warned that nigga too many times to stop calling me that name. I didn’t fuck with them niggas on Kenwood and they didn’t fuck with me. He laughed hard in my ear, low key pissing me off.
“Remember the little bitch, what’s her name? Uh, Monica?” I knew exactly who I meant, but I didn’t want to be too obvious.
“What about her?” I hoped he wasn’t still salty about her old ass fucking with them little niggas from around the way. We all knew she wasn’t anything but a hoe. The only one too blind to see it was Carter.
“I need a favor.” I closed the door to the other room to talk on the phone in priv
ate.
“What now?” Carter was always down for whatever I needed him to do.
“I need you to see what she on and get in touch with Reese and them. Tell him I need the pack.”
“Aight. You need blow already? How?”
“Shit, I don’t know nigga.”
“Well, you need to find out and fast. If shit isn’t adding up you need to subtract and divide my nigga.” That was some real shit. “Aight. I’ll get on it.” I hung up with him and sat down on a crate in the other room, plotting on how to make it work. I vowed to find out what was happening in my circle and put an end to it.
“You can’t trust everybody in your circle these days. They might steal from you, or try to kill you.” My father lifted his shirt to show me the long, deep scar that ran down his back. “They may even try to fuck your woman. Sometimes to fuck with you, and sometimes she will give them a reason.” With that my father snatched my mother off the ground by her hair. “Ain’t that right Keesha?” I watched, confused and flinched as I watched him toss her frail body on the couch. She used to be a heavier lady, with pretty brown skin and thick lips with the brightest eyes. I looked at her and a sense of sadness as well as fear swept over me. Her skin was now grey and dull; her hair was breaking off, because it was dry and brittle. My mother’s lips were white-rimmed with burns and cracked so badly, sometimes I would see dried up blood on them. Her weight had disappeared in the last eight months, leaving her glassy eyes sunken in their sockets. Needless to say, my once beautiful mother was now a crackhead. I still loved her though and I wanted to help her get better, but I was only eleven. There was nothing I could do that wouldn’t help her and hurt my dad at the same time. I looked up to him. He was the sole provider and a business man in the eyes of the corporate world. But we all knew who he really was. With his Colombian heritage and connects in the dirtiest parts of the world, he was a drug lord, a kingpin even. He could sell drugs to just about anyone. Men from the highest ranks rode in from every political and capitol place, just to cop. I loved him for loving my mother still, and loving me. I just hated him for being the one giving my mother the means to use those drugs. “Kenyon. Go get my bag.” I did as I was told, bringing him the big briefcase. “Now, go on and get ready for school. I need to give your mama her medicine so she doesn’t walk off, looking for it while I’m gone.” I went upstairs to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My skin was really light like my dad’s. My hair and eyes were dark like my moms and I had her lips. Although I had many similarities of my father’s, I knew that I didn’t want to be like him so I promised to be better than he was. I promised that I would go to school and have something going for myself. I made all those promises to the same God my mother had talked to me about, so long as He would help her and get her healthy.
“Kenyon, man, come on.” Geno knocked at the door, snapping me out of my daydream. I realized I had walked into the bathroom and was staring at myself in the mirror with the water running. I hated sleepwalking while I was awake and I never did it, except when I thought about my mother. Yeah, I was all fucked up. Walking out the door, I saw everybody leaving.
“Where are they going?” I nudged Tae who was loading up a duffle bag with weed.
“To get money. We can’t all sit around and roll in the shit.” I needed to check that nigga’s attitude before he went any further.
“Man, you been running yo’ mouth real mothafuckin’ strong lately. Do you have something you want to get off yo’ chest?” Geno walked in between us, before Tae could respond.
“Pack touches down in Chicago next week. Marque got a call from his favorite niece and nephew. You’re in there.” Carter pulled through once again.
“I’ll go get it,” Tae volunteered. I shook my head.
“Actually, I need both of y’all here. While I’m gone, all shit is put on pause. No movement in this bitch except to count and y’all the only three I want in here, got it?” I pointed to Nate standing at the door in the same position, he had been in the whole time. Geno dapped me up and Tae walked out behind him. Nate nodded at me.
“Check your circle, my nigga and the bitches you rolling with.”
Tae turned back and looked at me with the most serious face I ever seen. I don’t know what the hell that was supposed to mean, but it was scary he sounded just like my father.
Instead of going home, I stayed at the trap and called up TaNeeka.
“So now you want my company.” Her smart mouth made me smile this time.
“Just bring yo’ ass through and get me some wings from Jordan’s.” I heard her talking to some nigga in the background. “Who the fuck is that?” I wasn’t jealous or no shit like that, but to disrespect me while I was talking to her by talking to somebody else, especially another nigga, I didn’t tolerate.
“That’s my boss. I’ll be there in an hour.” I hung up the phone in her ear, and texted her the address. She shot me the middle finger emoji and a kissy face. I knew she was mad, but she was going to get over it and do just as I told her like the loyal bitch she was.
An hour later, TaNeeka stood in the doorway with her face frowned up. “Whose place is this?” She handed me my bag of food and my drink.
“Don’t worry about all that. Either you in or you out.” I walked away toward the kitchen and left her standing there, looking good and stuck up. Her all white bodysuit was wrapped tight around her little waist and dipped between her plump breasts. I could just imagine how it hugged her toned booty. She had gotten her hair done and it touched the dimples in her back. I didn’t like the weave shit, but I never seen her without it. I was just as convinced, that she could make anything look good. Washing my hands at the sink, I watched her close and lock the door, before making her way to the kitchen. “Boo!” She rolled her eyes at me and smiled.
“How was the meeting? Did you get a promotion?” TaNeeka grabbed my drink and took a swig, trying to be funny.
“It was cool and yep, I did. What about you?” I opened the box of chicken and bit into the hot, crispy piece, covered in spicy lemon pepper seasoning. “Want some?” I offered one of the nine pieces I had left of my order. She shook her head no and kept staring at me. The fries in the other tray were still hot and covered in the same spice. I placed a fry to her lips and she ate it without thinking. Still her attention was looking past me. “What?” I shook her by her arms and turned to see what she was looking at. My .9mm and scale with 5 grams of coke were sitting on the counter. Damn.
“What is that?” Her skinny finger pointed to the opposite corner where a rat was nibbling on a piece of balled up aluminum foil.
“A fucking mouse?” I didn’t mean to yell, but I was relieved she didn’t see the other corner and irritated that a rat was fucking up my vibe. “It’s a little ass mouse.”
“That’s a fucking rat. I can’t believe you invited me to this run down piece of shit. What the fuck, Kenyon?” I watched her switch her fat ass out the kitchen toward the front door. “I was going to ignore the bar on the door and the coke on the counter, but a fucking rat? Nigga please.” I snatched her by the arm and spun her around to look me in my face.
“I don’t know who the fuck y’all be thinking y’all talking to, but you better watch your got damn mouth.” I never put my hands on women, but she had me fucked up and I felt myself taking my frustration out on her, so I let her go.
“Who the fuck is y’all’? What other bitch you done had in here, Kenyon? Ugh, I hate your stupid ass! I’m going home.” TaNeeka walked out and slammed the door shut behind her. It wasn’t in my blood to chase these hoes so I grabbed my food and took my ass in the living room to eat in peace.
After counting and bagging zips all night, I found a fifth of Hennessey and got lit. TaNeeka texted me, apologizing for snapping and begged me to take her to the mall the following day. I agreed and finally passed out across the bed.
Chapter Three
Ashanti
When I woke up, it was quiet as hell. To house so many 't
roubled teens' I didn't hear any troubles. I looked at my alarm clock and it read eight am. No wonder it was still quiet. I was always a morning person, so I grabbed my clothes and went to the bathroom we all shared. There were seven showers, seven stalls, four sinks and one big mirror that wrapped around. I stripped off all my clothes and stood looking at myself in the mirror. The swelling on my cheek had gone down and the scratch disappeared. I wondered if Lexi used the mixture and if her face would heal like mine. I smiled at myself in the mirror. I never had low self-esteem; even with my dark skin I was still bad as hell. I rubbed coconut oil in my hands and crimped my hair together making small curls. I was au naturale and always told people just because you're natural didn’t mean that you have to be nappy headed. I hate that stereotype. I jumped in the shower and sent a text on my raggedy Boost Mobile phone to tell Shauna to meet me downtown in two hours.
It was usually colder downtown than what it was in the city and the wind was whipping around the tall buildings, being very disrespectful. I was freezing with a black pair of joggers, my black combat boots and hoodie on. Shauna's ass was taking forever on the bus and I refused to wait outside. I walked in CVS and stood at the counter.
"Excuse me ma'am, are you going to buy something?" The black guy behind the counter with thick coke-bottle glasses was staring at me like I was about to steal something. Fucking sellout. I would have told his ugly ass to mind his business, but whatever Ms. B. said over me last night had me on hush. I went to get my usual Arizona tea, paid for it and walked out; praying Shauna was waiting for me. I turned the corner and cracked up, laughing at her.