Introduction To Hard 2 Da Kore (Hard2daKore Book 1)

by Mike Middleton

  Jay turned the music down. “Go ‘head big bro, play daddy and smack that lil nigga up side the head for me too. Auntie already struggled raisin’ all y’all bad asses. Now she gotta go through some bullshit with Kev little ass too? What’s up, you want a ride over there?” He asked. “Oh hellll no, I wish I might ride with your crazy drivin’ ass, shit you wreck mo’ cars than a junkyard. I’m surprised ain’t nobody sue yo’ ass yet.” I joked at him. “That’s because can’t nobody catch me to sue me my Mannn, not in this mafucka right here.” Jay said as he gripped the steering wheel of the drop top midnight black 2015 Chevy Corvette he was driving. “Come on Mann jump in, you only goin’ a few blocks, that way after we leave your mom’s crib we can head out to the party.”

  “Check you out tryina shine and shit.” I teased as I walked up to the car and gave him a pound. “Oh, pardon me my brother, but you’re absolutely right I am shining.” He boasted. “It’s gonna be packed in that mafucka tonight too, c’mon yo. “Iight,” I sighed as I walked around to the passenger side and got in. As soon as we pulled off I kinda wished I woulda walked. “And don’t be drivin all crazy either yo!” I commanded. “What, huh!? I can’t hear you homme! What’d you say!?” Jay screamed jokily while turning up the music’s volume then pressing down hard on the gas. The tires screeched as Jay accelerated and I was pushed deep into the seat as he sped off. I turned the music down a little as we drove towards my mom’s place. “Oh shit! There go that ride right there. Yo Jay, do you know whose car is that?” I asked as a black Bentley sat at the intersection opposite the direction that we were going. “That looks like that ride me and Mike seen earlier.” I said. We both looked at the car. It was a shiny black Bentley Coupe with crazy dark tints and some crispy chrome rims. It almost looked like it was going in slow motion as we past each other across the intersection. “You don’t know Jay?” I asked again. “Them Bentleys is tight for real.” Jay said. “Nah I don’t, I be seein’ that shit everywhere too. I never seen the driver though. He might be one of those Ghostrydr mafuckas.” Jay added. “Ghostrydr? What’s a Ghostrydr?” I asked him curiously.

  “You never heard of the Ghostrydrz before?” He asked. “Nah,” I said. “Damn dawg, where you been? The Ghostrydrz are these niggas that’s like seriously and I mean seriously major paid for real. They be selling all kinds of drugs and pimpin hoes n’ shit. I heard they move nothin but major league weight. Coke, dope, pills and some shit that people ain’t never even heard of before. I’m talkin’ m.a.j.o.r. paper dawg. On some crazy DL type shit, like real ghost. Invisible like this mafuckin air we breathin right now. They call em Ghostrydrz because them niggas push nothin but the hottest whips. Just like that shit we just saw. You’ll never see them niggas drivin’ their ghostcars though. Oh, they got more than one ride fo sho’, they just use their Ghostrides to ride around in, scopin out new recruits for they conglomeration n’ shit. From what I hear, nobody’s ever seen a Ghostrydr either inside, or outside of their rides before either. It’s like a Ghostrule to see a Ghostrydr with their rides. That’s how low key them niggas is.

  They treat they Ghostride like a limo, dark tints, piped out interior, blinged out rims and all kinda high tech gadgets under the hood and in the dash. When they not driving, they gots a badass dymepiece drivin them around, a Ghostrydr chick, most definitely.” Jay went on to explain as my mind began to imagine what type of bullshit is this he’s telling me right now, but I listened as he described this Ghostrydrz Kru. “Niggas can’t ride with them either, unless that’s his nigga fo’ life, like blood brothers n’ shit. They never hang out, because they always floatin’ around gettin’ dat paper. If you do see ‘em mingling, it won’t be in their Ghostrides. That shit is for ridin purposes only. Like a showcase on wheels lookin pretty. Yo, these niggas move so stealthy regular cops can’t even touch these cats, not even the mafuckin Feds can fuck with these mafuckas real talk Mann.

  It’s like they connected and protected by faces unseen and voices unheard, and the craziest shit is, you never know who’s a Ghost. They stay in stealth mode feel me? And they never reveal their secret identities. They can’t, it’s forbidden, only to other Ghostz. It’s a bunch of them mafuckas all over the world, and yo Mann.” Jay moved in closer and began to whisper, “If you ever get close enough to a Ghostrydr’z ride. You’ll see a little ghost symbol somewhere on the windshield, and the only time you ever gonna see a Ghostrydr outside of their car, is when the cops is makin’ them get out, and only after a chase, and only at gunpoint.” Jay whispered. After listening to how Jay was describing these dudes my first thought was, either he hittin me with some real heavy bullshit, or those cats must be some real serious players for real.

  “Word?” I said hesitantly. I thought about how crazy all of the shit he just said sounded. “Hold up hold up, if these mafuckas is so much of a secret, and on some incognito Ghost stealth mode type shit like you sayin, how the hell you know so much about them then?” I asked, shaking my head. Jay looked at me seriously and then slowly cracked a really big smile “Cho Maen, I got ears chu kno’, I hear tings chu kno?” He replied with a smirk. “Ohhh ha ha ha ha, yo, I know you aint tryin to do Scarface, Tony Montana? You ain’t no gangsta nigga.” I joked. “Chu no my fren, sumtime I tink, chu don no wha chu wan outta life maen ha ha ha ha.” Jay and I laughed as we got closer to my mom’s building.

  My moms lived in the projects where she raised me, my older brother Tyrone, my little brother Kevin and only sister Jackie. My parents are still married, but separated. They’ve been separated since as long as I can remember. At first they argued all of the time, but as time went on they managed to somehow co parent us, and today they somehow became good friends, sometimes anyways. They got married when they were very young and moved up here from Georgia right after my older brother Tyrone was born. My dad drove a taxicab to make a living, while my moms stayed home and raised us. My moms was a good woman, she made sure that all of us were well taken cared of. She faithfully went to church, cooked, cleaned, had few friends and never hung out. They moved up here from the southern hospitality of the South to the crowded, noisy, fast paced city life. The first few years were going well for them. Until one day Miss Clara, my mom’s friend from church, said that she knew a woman, who knew another woman that was supposed to had been going out with my dad.

  At first my moms didn’t pay any attention to what she said. Until the day Miss Clara told her that she’d seen them together herself. She swore on a stack of Bibles that she’d seen them at the movies with her very own eyes. My moms confronted my dad and he denied it. He said maybe she seen him drop off a fare in his cab there, but he wasn’t at no movies with no other woman and that was that. So you know what happened next right? Yep, she followed him. Her and guess who? Yep, Miss Clara. Miss Clara picked my moms up one night after she’d put us to bed and went out and followed my dad’s cab. Yep, they followed him for half the night. Every fare, every pick up, drop off and fill up at the gas station. Then, about 2:30 in the morning they followed him back to our place in the projects. They thought that he was gonna park the cab and go upstairs. My moms was about to believe that he was telling the truth after all, but instead, he parked in front of our place, then walked down two blocks. They followed him until he stopped in front of a house around the block, then looked around and walked up the steps. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some keys, unlocked and opened the front door and went inside. My mom was furious, but she tried to convince herself that maybe he was just visiting a friend. So my moms and Miss Clara parked the car a few houses away, walked up the steps to the house, knocked on the door, and waited. The door was opened by a young pregnant woman. They asked her if Henry Jackson lived there. The woman said yes, and then my moms fainted. I know the story so well because my sister Jackie always told us about it. My sister has been ease dropping on my mom’s conversations probably since before I was even born.

  Come to find out my dad was cheating and he and his other chick had a baby on the way,
and that was their second child. My mom was furious, and packed his clothes and kicked him out of the house. Things haven’t been the same between them ever since. I kept thinking about what Jay was telling me about those Ghostrydr dudes too. How much money they probably be making. That’s if what he was telling me was even real or not. I thought about if I had that kinda money how I could buy my moms a nice big house and get her up out of these projects, a big house with a big backyard and maybe a pool so she could invite her friends over. A change of pace like that would be good for my brother too, show him some of the finer people places and things in life. Get them outta this hood. I thought as Jay pulled into the projects.

  11

  KOREY TO THE RESCUE! (Korey)

  Jay and I got out of the car and headed towards the building where my moms lived. My boys Ivan and Raheem came walking out of the building as we were walking in. “Jay, Korey, what’s up yall?” Ivan asked as we all exchanged handshakes. “Nothin, what’s up with yall?” Jay replied. “Yo, we goin’ to The Funnel tonight, it’s supposed to be a birthday party there tonight for Xaviar from The Born Criminals., B.C. we been round way befo’ Christ mafuckas had cold hearts way befo’ ice every time we come off---yo that makes us way mo nice tricknowledge criminology way befo’ whites.

  Ha ha, hell yeah I can’t wait to see them niggas tonight word up.” Raheem quoted. “Yo we goin’ to the party too.” Jay said. “Check it out if yall wanna come with me I can probably get yall in for free, or at least half price. Yall shoulda told me earlier, yall know I got the major music industry party juice card.” Jay bragged. “Iight, hells yeah that’s good money. What time yall leavin?” Ivan and Raheem said almost in unison. “We leavin around ten, ten-thirty.” Jay replied. “That’s not too long from now so when we come downstairs yall betta be down here when we come down too, cause we breakin’ out as soon as we come down, after we rush over to Mann’s crib so he could change real quick.” Jay said.

  “Oh we gonna be here. Best believe that. We gonna grab some brews and some Henney, we’ll be here.” Raheem confirmed. Jay and I walked into the building and I rang the bell. “Who is it?” My moms asked through the intercom. “It’s me ma, Korey.” I answered. The door buzzed and Jay and I entered the building. We waited in the lobby for a few minutes for the elevator to come. A few minutes later the elevator came down and the door opened. A few women got off the elevator. They were all dressed up in some tight fitting, ass huggin jeans with the ready to party top gear and footwear looking hot and attractive.

  “Damn, where yall goin’ tonight lookin all hot like yall lookin?” Jay joked. “We goin’ to the Funnel” One of them responded as we walked past them. “Word, what club you said?” Jay asked. “The Funnel!” replied another as they exited the building. “Iight bet we gonna make sure we see yall there!” Jay yelled as we entered the elevator. “Yo, I ain’t been up here in a good minute. I’m surprised the elevator ain’t broke. Yo Mann, remember we used to play in these elevators?” Jay asked. “Yeah, I remember the cowboys and indians, cops and robbers days ha ha.” I said as I began to reminisce. “Remember Jackie and her girlfriend, what was her name? I think she used to live on the fourth floor, or the third floor, damn what was her name. Kim that’s right, she had a fatass too.” Jay said. “Oh yeah I remember, but we was kids then Jay, how much of a fatass could she have had at eleven or twelve years old?” I asked.

  “Fat enough nigga, shit I used to be grindin’ all over her. Shiit you know back then grindin’ was like you was gettin some, even though back then we barely even knew what gettin some even meant.” Jay joked as the elevator came to a stop. We left the elevator and walked down the hallway up to my mom’s apartment. I knocked on the door, and my moms opened it a few seconds later. “What’s up ma?” I asked as I gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Hey auntie.” Jay said following closely behind me as he hugged and kissed my mom on the cheek also. “Hey baby, hi Jayson.” She replied as we walked into her small two bedroom apartment. “It’s about time you got here, please try to talk some sense into you brother’s head Korey. I left two messages on Tyrone’s answer machine again, but he didn’t me call back yet. Kevin is way too out of control. I called y’alls father too, but he never answers. I really don’t know why I called him but, I’m hoping maybe he can take Kevin to live with him for a while and try to teach him how to be a man. Not like he ever was but.” “Okay Ma I get where you’re coming from, where is he, in his room?” I interrupted.

  I felt like I had to stop my mother from talking about my father because if I didn’t. “Whew!” Yeah he’s back there in his room with his hoodlum friends, I was gonna kick them out but he would have prpbably left with them. So I let them all stay until one of yall got here.” She explained. “I’ll talk to him. Yo Jay wait here I’ll be right back.” I asked, and Jay walked over to the couch and sat down as I headed towards my brother’s bedroom. I tried to open the door but it was locked. DMX’s “Niggaz Done Started Something” was playing loudly so I banged on the door with my fist. I got no response so I banged again.

  “Open the door Kev!” I yelled and grabbed the doorknob. This time the door was quickly opened. Kevin was sitting on his bed playing his Playstation’s All Madden Football game with one of his friends while another watched. The other two boys looked over at me briefly, but Kevin never took his eyes off the T.V. “Yo turn that music down!” I yelled over the music. The other two boys looked over at Kevin who was at this point ignoring the hell out of me. I walked over to the stereo and shut it off.

  “Yo yall two niggas gotta roll up outta here! I said angrily.” Wow, none of them moved, so I snapped and grabbed the closest kid to me, who stood up quickly and greeted me face to face. “Yoooo, what up little nigga you tryin’ to play hard up in my moms crib? If you play hard you gonna lay hard you know how it go, now make me stomp the shit out yo’ lil’ ass in here nigga. All yall betta get the fuck outta my mom’s crib now.” I ordered, growing more impatient by the second.

  “Go head y’all roll out.” Kevin said. The other boy got up quickly and they both left as Kevin continued to play the game. “Yo what up Kev, why you makin’ things hard up in here for mommy yo?” I tried saying as calm as I could. “oh so now you don’t hear me talkin’ to you?” I said. Kevin reached up and turned off the game and sat back on his bed. “What you want yo?” He said agitatedly. “What I want? Mommy calls me, tellin’ me you actin’ all wild and cuttin and skippin class n’ shit like that. What happened to the talks we had. I thought you wanted to go to college and make something out of yourself, what happened to that?” I asked. “Mommy be buggin’ yo, she be treatin’ me like I’m some kinda fuckin’ baby around here. I ain’t no little ass kid no more, and you ain’t my daddy, so I can do whatever the hell I want.” He snapped. “You only sixteen Kev, you need to act sixteen and stop tryin’ to grow up so fast. Yo, everything you tryin’ to grow up so fast for is gonna be right there when you get older Kev. The first thing you need to do is watch your mouth and stop all that cursing.” I told him.

  “You curse, you just cursed just now.” He replied angrily. “You right and that’s my bad, but at least I have respect for mommy. That’s your mother in there Kev and you only gonna get one of those. You can’t be disrespecting mommy yo. If you dis her, you dissin yourself, and you dissin our family,so you dissin me too, and I can’t let you do that. That’s why I’m here now.” I explained. “I don’t wanna hear that shit.” He said then stood up, reached over me and turned the music back on. That’s when I lost it. I mushed him hard in the face making him fall back onto the bed.

  Kevin got up quickly and tried to rush his way through me. That’s when I stepped in, preventing him rushing past me. “What you doin?” He said while I held him back. “You might not wanna hear what I gotta say, but you gonna hear it.” I told him as he tried to force his way through me. “Get the fuck outta my way mafucka before I…” “What! Before you what Kev!” I interrupted as he struggled with me. “You betta.” He tried t
o say. “I betta what! Go ‘head you makin threats tough guy!” We wrestled for a second before I threw him on to the bed still screaming at him as I pinned him down. Suddenly Jay, my moms and my older brother Tyrone burst into the room and pulled me off of him. I was pissed and ready to hurt him, but Jay and my brother managed to pull me into the living room while my moms grabbed Kevin. “Yo chill out Mann, that’s your little brother dawg don’t hurt the little man Mann.” Jay consoled as he forced me out into the living room. “I wanted you to talk to him Korey not beat him up, even though he need a butt whipping right now, but don’t hurt my baby.” My moms said as she stood nearby as Jay held onto me tightly.

  My brother went intothe room and came out a few minutes later, closing the door behind him. By then, I was sitting on the couch trying to calm down. “Come here.” He ordered. “I sure hope you can talk some sense into him because I can’t I’m done, he trippin” I explained still heated. “Let me talk to him for a while, he’s still a kid Korey. I know he’s hard headed, but so was we.” Tyrone added. “But not like that Ty, that little nigga ain’t gonna be disrespectin’ me or mommy like that, fuck that!” I argued. “I’ll talk to him, alright? Go head I’ll call you later.” my brother said. “Iight, let’s go Jay.” I said, and we walked out of my mom’s apartment. My long day was turning out to be longer than I expected as Jay dropped me off at my crib so I could get ready for the party tonight. Let’s see what tonight has to offer. I wondered.