Muttering to herself, Gem stomped off, and Maisie took another puff of the blunt before squinting at her cousin.
“What was that about?”
“Just… talking to my sister,” Giselle replied.
“Oh, really? Well, walk to the parking lot with me so I can load up, and we can finish smoking this blunt.”
“Load up? The hell you talking about?” Giselle’s face balled up in confusion.
“The annual water gun fight, girl.”
“Maisie, you old as fuck…”
“Excuse me?” Her cousin reared her neck.
Giselle snickered and nearly spit out her food in the process.
“You know what I mean.”
“Nah, ’cause I ain’t never too old to whup your ass, Giselle! Now, come on. Last year, Crew got all the kids on his team, and they won. I was proactive this year. I already got my squad together, and Gem is mine too. I got all kinds of guns and water balloons loaded up in the trunk.”
“I am not participating in this.” Giselle waved her hand.
“You are, and you on my team too. Now, come on. Crew is over there talking to his boys, so he distracted and he’s been drinking.”
“Hell, I want to keep drinking too!” Giselle hissed, gathering her shoes and standing up beside Maisie.
She kept smashing her plate as they strutted across the lawn onto the pavement of the parking lot across the street, on the corner of where the block was sealed off. There were a few teenagers hanging out on cars and front porch stoops, listening to music and laughing all carefree and shit. By the time they reached Maisie’s car, the only thing left on Giselle’s plate was the bones to her chicken and ribs. She tossed it into a nearby trash can and met up with her cousin at the trunk of her whip. She passed her the blunt, and Giselle pinched it between her fingers before drawing it to her lips.
Maisie wasn’t lying when she said she came prepared. There was a tote full of water balloons, and another with nothing but water guns of all sizes. There were even some of those old ass super soakers they had growing up.
“Oh, my God, Mais. You are ready for war!”
“Damn right!” She grinned and picked up one of the water guns. “Choose your weapon. We’re going to fill this tote with water to make it easier to refill. I think we need to set up our camp over there by old man Jefferson’s house. His water faucet is on the side, and he never puts his hose up.”
“Girl, you gave this too much thought.” Giselle exhaled a small cloud and took another toke.
Maisie leaned against the bumper of her car, took off the Dior slides she’d been wearing, slipped into Crocs, and threw them in sports mode.
“You should have seen him last year. He had me drenched! I was walking around looking like a little rat, and he thought thatshit was so fucking funny. I even slipped in one of the kiddie pools and busted my ass! One of my titties popped out of my bikini top, too!”
Giselle fell over, laughing and choking on weed smoke as Maisie relived her horrific experience. Her heart shaped face was all scrunched up as her perfect brows knitted together in frustration.
“It’s not funny!” she shrieked. “I vowed to get his ass back this year.”
“Oh, my God! I wish I would have been here to see it.” Giselle slapped her thigh and continued to laugh until her cheeks and stomach ached.
“You here now, and I’ma get his ass this time. Watch. Come on. Help me walk this shit down the street.”
“The balloons gotta be heavier. Let’s take those first and give me those slides.” She tossed her heels in the trunk and took Maisie’s shoes from her.
Gripping one side of the tote each, they carried it out of her trunk and across the parking lot. Lou was with some of her friends, heading their way.
“Where y’all going?”
“To our headquarters. Go get the guns.” Maisie nodded over her shoulder.
“Aw, shit! Time for war!” Lou rubbed her hands together with a devious grin.
