“We start by taking their shit like I said,” she looked in the guys’ directions again. “We steal out of Walmart with ease, this should be easy,” Kayla replied.
Diamond’s eyes grew wide, “You ready to do it now? We have to scope them out.”
“Sister, he’s walked to the alley and back a hundred times. His jab is there, he can make his money tonight, but tomorrow, that shit is ours!”
“Bet.”
As soon astheir father left out for work, they made their way outside. It was warm so of course the streets were filled with hustlers, kids, hoes, and hypes. Diamond and Kayla took the long way around to the other end of the alley and watched as the same nigga that played with their mother hid his jab. The sun had already gone down so the alley was dark.
“Ok, he comes back every three minutes or so, so we have to move fast! Once we grab it, we cut through the gangway back to the front and walk home,” Kayla instructed as Diamond nodded.
Diamond’s adrenaline was pumping as they made their move, they timed themselves perfectly, took the jab, and followed the plan. By the time they made it to the front, they could hear commotion amongst the guys and a crowd forming because they were on the verge of fighting.
Kayla looked at Diamond and laughed, “And just like that, we in the game.” She looped her arm around Diamond’s, and they made their way home.
Something about that night felt different, it was something in Kayla’s eyes and something in Diamond’s heart. Together, they were a dangerous duo, and they were always together. It was Diamond and her sisters versus anybody.
5
Afew weeks later, everything changed, not too much, but enough to notice if you really knew the Hayes sisters. Kayla had fresh Mike’s, Diamond’s hair was silk pressed by the salon, and Mia flashed her fifty dollars in singles like it was a thousand. School was officially out for the summer and hustling quickly became their world. The drugs they took the first time wasn’t enough, so they hit a few more spots successfully and it was on.
Kayla couldn’t stop smiling as they sat on their front porch, “We really doing this. We really making money,” she leaned into Diamond and whispered as she smiled.
“Nah, we doing what we gotta do, big difference.”
“Or maybe, this is our niche. Maybe we were born to hustle.”
Diamond looked at her in silence because even though the money felt good, even though it was solving their problems, she knew they were walking a tightrope with no safety net. She knew it was only so long they could move the way they were moving. But for now? Her sisters were smiling, they had food to eat, and for once, they felt like they belonged amongst their peers.
They looked up when their father came walking up from a long overnight shift plus overtime. He looked dog tired, smelling like drywall and struggle, shoulders heavy from a long day.
“What’s up, Champs?” he greeted his girls with a smile even when there was nothing to smile about.
“Hey, Daddy.” They spoke in unison.
He walked up the stairs slowly but stopped and turned around once he reached the top.
“Are those new shoes you all have on?”
“Yup! We came up at a church giveaway, and we got food from the pantries!” Kayla replied, very quick on her toes.
Like Diamond said, they were dangerous together. Their father forced a smiled before heading inside.
“We gotta lay low and stop wearing new shit. I think Daddy is catching on.”
“He should catch on with the extra hundreds he saved because we already paid the bills for next month.”
“We did?” Diamond asked, unaware of Kayla’s actions.
“Yup, I went down to the currency exchange and did it myself.”
Diamond smiled, but she meant what she said; if their father noticed their shoes, so did the hood, she was willing to bet.
“That’s what’s up, but listen, don’t tell nobody what we have going on, Kayla.”
“I’m not,” she replied, standing to her feet as Jatara and the rest of their little crew came walking up dressed like whores in too little clothes.
Diamond rolled her eyes, “I told you about hanging with that bitch.”
