“I guess I love you even though you stole my future boyfriend. You don’t even like dark skinned men, how you end up on this side of love? The side with dark skinned niggas that are above six feet, with a nine inch.”
“Aight, Brixie Kincade, I heard that. Get cho fas’ ass in here, now.” While my dad fussed, we took this time to sneak on out the house. I was hoping mama was pulling up by the time we got ready to go but she was still gone. Tending to Bryson’s grown ass was gon’ have her stressing even more later.
Getting back inside of my truck, we headed back to the house.
“Yo’ pops seem cool. Very protective of you, which is expected.”
“Yea he is. That’s why I was so messed up that night I saw you at the hospital. My dad is my world and the last thing I wanted to do is lose him. Now, I try to come over here as much as I can. Especially since the season is over.”
“I need to start doing the same for my mom. She don’t be trippin’ but my sisters be trippin’ hard about me not coming to see them. I need to give them some time too.”
“You do. Ain’t nothing like family because once they are gone and you don’t have that easy access to them anymore, you gon’ be wishing you had one more memory of them.”
“I’ll do better,” Brooklyn told me before placing his hand on my thighs.
“Good and just know you always got me to help you get through anything. Even this Zoo situation. I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”
We talked up until we pulled into my driveway. After getting settled, we decided on what we wanted for dinner later then stretched out on the floor to watch a movie until both of us were knocked out.
CHAPTER 2
ZEUS
“Where’s Pen?”
She was here a minute ago, at least I thought she was.
“She stepped out for some coffee. You fell back asleep.” My mother smoothed her hand over my locs. Her eyes were red from crying, and her voice was raspy also. I hated that I’d put that sadness there.
“I’m sorry, Mama,” I slightly slurred.
“Shh! While me and your daddy are devastated by you being shot, you did the right thing.”
“This nigga doesn’t know who the fuck he came for,” my dad mumbled. He was angry and even scared. I saw it in his eyes. He was being strong for my mama when really, he wanted to flip this whole hospital over.
“Pops, we’re gon’ handle it, aight?”
“I expect the whole family to handle it,” he answered.
I shook my head, which caused me to feel like I was swimming. Shit, this pain medicine needed to wear the fuck off, so I could think.
“Nah, Pops,” I said. “You’on need to send the whole fam after one nigga.”
“You sound like Sin.”
“‘Cause I be right sometimes,” I uttered.
He chuckled.
"The two people you should be most concerned about aren’t back in the States yet. I can imagine when they get here, they gon’ tear the city up lookin’ for that fool. Sin and Brooklyn weren’t able to find him, but you know yo’ cousins like to dance with the devil. Ain’t no tellin’ what crack they gon’ find that nigga in.”
“Shit is different, Pops. My girl’s name is in this, too, so we can’t be outchea getting her caught up in the crossfire. The media is a bitch, and if they haven’t already, they’ll be dragging her name by daylight.”
I hated this for not only Pen, but Bri and Naomi too. This was the last thing either of them needed. As for Sin, Brooklyn, and I, this was nothing new to us. Time had tamed my family. I was sure the city was glad the Smiths were no longer in the streets. It took one dusty-ass nigga to wake us up.
“How’s my baby feeling this morning?”
I was too busy mugging a note situated on the pillow next to my head to answer my mother’s question. Balling up the neatly written note, I threw it on the nightstand with the rest of the notes I’d accumulated over the last three days.
