“You know I do what I can when I can,” she joked.
Ciara cooked pancakes, eggs, grits, bacon, and sausage links. We ate breakfast and had girl talk before getting dressed and heading to Ciara’s so-called appointment. Ciara and I were the same when it came to fighting. We never did a whole lot of talking or mentioning what we were gonna do. We just handled our business. When we arrived at the address in the projects, Ciara called Diamond on messenger. We rode in Ciara’s Range Rover, and her windows were completely blacked out, so no one could see inside the truck.
“Hey, girl. I’m outside. Is this your silver Honda on the side? I wanna make sure I’m at the right spot. Better yet, can you come outside and meet me?” Ciara asked as she looked over at me and winked.
Ciara parked her car on the side of the street behind Diamond’s beat-up ass Honda. She slid her brass knuckles onto her fists, and I used my free hand to slide my mace off my keychain. Ciara got out of the car first, and I watched as Diamond came outside and greeted her with a smile. As soon as she was in arms’ reach, Ciara popped her in the face. She immediately lost her balance and fell backward. When I got out of the car, Ciara had already fucked Diamond’s face up and chipped one of her front teeth. I used my good hand to pull Ciara by her shirt because she was beating this bitch bloody.
“Stupid ass bitch! This is how it feels to be caught off guard! You ain’t ’bout that dumb shit. You just like to play crazy, but bitch, I’m looney! Play with my friend again, and they gon’ be zipping you up out here!” Ciara said as she kicked Diamond.
“You hoes weak! I’m gon’ get you again. You can believe that!” Diamond said as she looked at me through her good eye, then she spat blood on the ground.
“You gon’ do what?” I asked as I walked over, bent down, and maced her.
We were in the projects, so we knew no one was gonna call the cops. This bitch already had a warrant out for her arrest, so I knew she wasn’t gon’ risk going to jail by calling them either. We rode back to my house, laughing at how bad we had just done Diamond. This hoe was gon’ learn to leave me the fuck alone because I would always come out on top.
Iwas finally able to take my girl on our first vacation, and it was cut short due to some bullshit ass beef these Texas niggas had started. When I came into town, I wasn’t familiar with the city, and if I’m being honest, I could have done better research on how things ran out here. I stepped on some toes, and in return, those wack ass niggas called themselves sending me a message, so I sent one back.
Where I was from, you talked shit out like men, and if that didn’t work, your only other option was to literally dead the shit.
My competitor was a nigga named Jakari. I put his main man down, so he took out two of mine. If that was all that happened, I could charge it to the game, but this nigga also took a whole week’s worth of cash from me and a few bricks. That was enough for me to kill a nigga’s momma, but I decided to find somethingelse he loved and take it away. I had been back in town for almost a week, and there was no sign of this nigga or any of his workers. He’d moved all his spots. I had been up for over three days straight without so much as a nap. The only thing on my mind was teaching that nigga a lesson.
“You need to count this as a loss and go on back home, cousin. These streets are dangerous, and niggas are hungry. You moved in on something that was already somebody else’s, and that’s not how niggas move out here,” Dimeo said as she pulled on her blunt.
I had gotten a new spot and set up shop, plus I tossed my last phone. All I had now was a burner phone. I hadn’t called Harmoni since we left the airport because I knew hearing her voice would throw me off track, and I needed to be focused. Talking to her would only make me wanna be soft and lay up, but that wasn’t the time I was on.
“Going home ain’t an option. This my city now.”
“Yeah, I hear ya! How is Harmoni? I had an appointment with her today, but when I made it to the shop, they told me that she was on bed rest or some shit. They said some bitches rolled up to the shop, jumped her, and robbed her damn near a week ago. Why you ain’t tell me?”
“What the fuck you mean some bitches jumped and robbed her?” I said as I stood up and searched for my keys.
“I know you not saying you haven’t talked to her in all this time? What you got going on, my nigga? That’s the best stylist I ever had, and I don’t want our relationship going bad because of yo’ ass!” Dimeo said, further pissing me off.
“Ima get up with you later. I gotta go. Make sure Trell walks you to yo’ car when you leave,” I told her as I grabbed my shit and left.
I jumped on the highway and turned a thirty-minute drive into fifteen. I didn’t know what I was rushing for since I wasalready too late. What would I even say to her? When I lived in Mississippi, I saw a picture of Harmoni on Dimeo’s Instagram page, and I was determined to get to know her. I never expected her to go for a hood nigga, so I only let her see the business side of me. She was everything I ever wanted in a woman. Harmoni was intelligent, a hustler, an all-around boss, and a good ass woman. The sex was a plus, but she definitely had a nigga whipped from the first time we hit the sheets.
I knew she was probably mad at me, and I wanted to make up for being so careless in this situation. Some fucked up shit happened to my girl, and I was so consumed with street shit that I wasn’t there for her. I turned off her street and headed to the Tom Thumb near her house. From the flower section, I got her the biggest bouquet of pink roses and grabbed the yellow ones as well. I asked the florist to put the roses together and make one huge bouquet. Then, I walked around the store until I found a life sized teddy bear and grabbed that for her too.
I normally went all out when it came to Moni, but I was already so many days late that my main focus was to get to her as soon as I could. When I made it to Harmoni’s house, I rang her bell, and she answered on the speaker.
“Go back to wherever you been, Rowdy. I don’t feel like seeing you today.”
“Bae, please open the door, and I’ll tell you everything. It’s not at all what you think. Just let me talk to you.”
“Leave my gifts by the door and go away, please!” she said.
“I don’t have my phone anymore. If I buy one today and call you, will you answer and talk to me?” I asked.
“Maybe. Just try your luck.”
I placed her things by the door and walked away. Assuming I was gone, she waited for a few minutes before opening the door. I stood on the side of her house until I heard her door open, then I rushed to her front door. Harmoni’s face was bruised, and herarm was in a sling. She was still the most beautiful woman in the world to me, but I could tell they did a number on her.
“What the fuck, Rowdy? I said leave!”
“Baby, who did this shit to you?” I angrily asked while I picked her things up from her doorstep for her.
“I guess since you already welcomed yourself, you can come in,” Harmoni said.
