“Take a ride with me?” I asked.
This is where everything should have ended, us going our separate ways, but for some reason, I didn’t want the time between us to end just yet.
BEANS
After leaving the hospital and the interaction I had with Chevy, I knew he wasn’t going to let me live that shit down. Sure enough, a text came through that he wanted everyone to meet him at the Zoo. There was something else I wanted to address first, but I knew there was no avoiding this nigga.
I took the long way to the Zoo, riding through the Cove like it was mine. I watched as the turned-up city had been completely drained of its life. I’m sure most of the block boys that had been put away were my father’s doing. He always came home and preached to me about the streets. He’d preached so much that I found myself in them to an extent. I fucked with the hustling niggas, especially the ones who used their talents as weapons. Who shifted their thinking to change their entire lives. It’s why I felt like Scooter needed to be with me. I not only had the tools but also the resources to get him where he needed to be. The only downside to that was Dio. Any chance I had to try to convince him to let the nigga breathe after that fight, he wouldn’t listen. Scooter was a lost soul, a wolf who needed guidance, but I couldn’t give him that and be loyal to the crew.
I hit corner after corner until I came upon a back street. I slowed down as my eyes became fixated on someone who, no matter how many times I saw them, made my mouth sizzle, my heart race, and my body react. I wanted to expose myself, but the fear of who I was beyond the mask would scare them.
I continued my way to the Zoo. When I arrived, I saw everyone’s bike there, so I already knew they were going to be on that funny shit when I walked through the door. As soon as I stepped in, thunder-like clapping began. “The man of the fucking hour!” Zu gritted. “What the fuck happened at your spot? Huh?” he asked.
I already knew the shit was about Dio. Dio walked over to Zu, “Chill, Zeus, it wasn’t his fault. I saw the nigga and beat his ass. Crazy things though, my nigga fucking with an opp.”
“It’s business,” I grumbled.
Dio shrugged. “Aight, business, and every time I see that nigga, it’s on site. So don’t worry, Zeus, I got it.”
My eyes rolled toward Dio, then back at Zu. “What he said,” I said to Zu as I pointed to Dio. “Now, ease up, big nigga, before I knock you the fuck down.”
Zeus belted out a laugh. “Beans, nigga, you better watch it because as big and as bad as you think you are, I’m the muhfucka that’ll show you!”
Diamond came over, stepping between us. “You wild niggas need to calm down. I ain’t never seen a gorilla fight a beast, and as bad as I would like to, you two are brothers and need to chill.”
My eyes slowly rolled toward Diamond, who shrugged. Preach stood behind Diamond and shook his head. “This is why you niggas need to be in church, but nah, nobody wants to listen to me.”
I couldn’t lie, they were wild, but they always knew how to be there for one another, no matter what. Monfua stepped forward, “What are we going to do about those niggas from NTR?”
“We need to find out where they hang out. That’s it, that’s all,” Dio said.
Peanut looked at Monfua and me.I don’t know all of them, but the one that Mali raced is named Papi. I saw him on the TSU campus before. But that’s not who Dio and I fought at the rink.
Foe sucked his teeth. “Three of them hoe niggas kept their helmets on, so even if we wanted to spot them, we couldn’t.”
Before anyone could say anything else, Chevy slowly walked over. “This is not a game of fucking guess who. Normally, I would race this shit out, but it’s clear those niggas play dirty. Whoever this Papi is, I want his ass at the Zoo. Some shit stinks around here, and I want to know why. I got a feeling that what happened to Mali wasn’t meant for him, but for someone else.”
“I’ll handle it,” I mumbled.
Chevy turned toward me. “I’m not asking you to handle it. Just get what you can get on him. That’s it.”
I looked Chevy up and down. “Yeah, aight.”
Chevy slapped his hands together.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
“I don’t know what type of weed you’ve been smoking or if your bitch is still working on her mouth craft, but whatever it is, nigga, you need to fix it. We’re not your enemies, and before I really get under your skin, I’ll give you an option. You can either be a part of the crew or get the fuck gone. I’m not sure what’s in this Toussaint water, but you niggas are on straight bullshit. Sasha vouched for each of you. She came to me for niggas she calls herbrothers. Y’all niggas walking around like it’s me who owes you something. Nigga, your troubles are no greater than any of ours, I can assure you. So, Braylen Laureaux, why are you with the Zoo?”
I stood there eyeing him. The shit was like pledging all over again, and hell, even that at the time was a hard pill to swallow.I thought being a part of that brotherhood would change me, but the truth was I didn’t trust anybody. My family created this monster, and now that he was in full thrive mode, not one nigga could change it, including Chevy.
He came forward, only inches away from me. He said no words, just stared. His eyes said he was on real nigga time.Was the nigga trying to fight?My jaws clenched. Chevy’s lip slowly curled up, forming a sinister grin.
I nodded as I slowly backed out of the Zoo. My life is already filled with broken pieces. I didn’t have time to educate a nigga on my past or present and why I moved the way I did. Since I could remember, I had figured everything out on my own. I didn’t need Chevy and his hero complex to play a part. I was going to find out about this Papi nigga, and when I did, his ass was mine.
In the meantime, I needed to clear up some things with another issue I had, Piggy.
SCOOTER
