“Whose house? Not after what I heard.”
I groaned. “E.”
“E, my ass. Are you in the streets or not Courtland?”
“You think boxing got me where I’m at?”
“And you have me and my family around you? I have a fucking career that could’ve gotten thrown away if I got caught with you!”
“You think I’ll let that shit happen?”
“But it did, Rayzor, with the cop that pulled you over. What if that had gone differently?”
“It wouldn’t. I ain’t no fucking rookie, E.”
“Oh, so you’re Scarface now?”
“I’m me. I ain’t trying to be nobody else.”
“You’re the face of boxing and you wanna sell drugs and throw all that shit away. Mess up your legacy, your father…”
“Don’t fucking bring him up. You don’t know shit about my Pops.”
“I know he’d be ashamed if he knew you were throwing away something that’s lifechanging. You know what, you’re grown, Rayzor and I’m not about to change your mind on shit. All I know is… I can’t be with a man like you, and I won’t so–”
“I’ve kept you safe all this time. What I do when I ain’t with you ain’t on you.”
“But it is. You’re too fucking blind to see it. Is that why that cop let us go when he pulled us over? Does he know you sell too?”
I ran my hand down my face. “You’re worried about the wrong shit.”
She slowly nodded in disbelief.
I kept a low profile, it wasn’t a secret to the city. Boxing and my street shit never came together. I made sure to keep shit separate.
“Right. You’re legit selling drugs while being the face of a brand. You can throw it away, but I’m not about to watch you do it.”
She went and stood at the edge of the street, waving her hand up and down like this was New York. Out of nowhere, a cab slowly pulled to the edge of the curb. That shit blew me.
“Fuck you going?”
“Home.”
“We gotta talk about this shit.”
“Are you going to stop?”
My gaze fell on the ground then back up at her.
“Exactly.” She paused. “So, leave this where it is.”
“I love you though, E. Don’t that shit count for something?”
“Love me enough to let me go since you’re choosing the streets over the ones you call family.”
“Damn, what you want me to say?”
Tears streamed down her face. That shit broke me.
