“I was out back. On the side of the house. I tried to get in, but Dolo tackled me to the fuckin ground, and he wouldn’t let me up. I’m freaking out, trying to get to ya’ll, and the whole time, ya’ll were upstairs. Shit,” I fussed, just thinking about the many fucked up ways that this shit could have ended.
Not only was I thinking about how terribly this could have ended, but I was also thinking about that interaction between Dolo and I. That shit was cinematic. Something straight out of a movie.
“I didn’t know you knew Dolo,” Ari responded, choosing to respond to that, versus everything else that I’d said to her.
“I don’t,” I let her know.
“And he tackled you to the ground, saving you from some bullets? That’s tea,” she said, and I just shook my head.
I had a question right there on the tip of my tongue to ask her, but I didn’t want it to seem like I liked him, so I was hesitant. I really wanted to know the answer to the question though. Feeling bold, I just went ahead and asked it anyways.
“What you know about him? All I really know is that he hustles, and he’s a part of MBM,” I said it in a way that wouldn’t have me looking like I was checking for him, when I really wasn’t.
It’s like Ari could see right through the question that I asked her because she snickered, as she took her eyes off the road for a second, just so that she could turn her head around, and look at me.
“In other words, you want to know if he has a bitch?” she asked.
“No. You know that’s not what I’m asking you!” I snapped, getting defensive. My reply caused her to giggle again.
“That’s exactly what you’re asking me Bean, but you’re not going to flat out say it. You have never in your life questioned me about a nigga and wanted to get the inside scoop on one of them. From what I know, Dolo doesn’t have a girl. Him, and one of the bottle girls at the club that I work at do fuck around off, and on though. Her name is Jazelle. Real pretty bitch too. She not prettier than you though. Me, and her don’t really speak to each other. We just say hi and we keep it pushing,” Ari started, and I was turned in my seat, with my eyes on her, hanging onto her every word, waiting to hear what it was going to be that she said next.
“From the little that I do know about Dolo, I’ve never heard of him having a girlfriend. Just rumored hoes that he fucks around with. The only reason why I know that him, and Jazelle are fuckin around is because I overheard her one day in the locker room, bragging about the money that he gives her, and shit like that. Plus, he’s been to the club a couple of times, and I could tell by the way the two of them interact with each other that they fuck around,” she finished, and like this news meant nothing to me, I just nodded my head, leaving it at that.
“You like him?” she asked me.
“No, and I really wish you would stop insinuating that. I was just asking a question. Wanting to know what you knew about him,” I snapped, hating that I even asked because I felt like I showed that there was a piece of me that was just a tad bit interested in Dolo.
“Riot, your human. It’s okay to admit that you saw a man, thought he was attractive, and that you’re interested in getting to know more about him. That’s how life works. Shit, that’s howbeing a girl works. Even though your ass wants to run around, and act like a nigga, your still a girl, so your feelings are valid to think that he looks good. His ass is fine as fuck, actually. You act like a bitch going to put handcuffs on you and send you to jail for admitting that a nigga looks good,” she shot, and I just picked my hand up, waving her off, not wanting to engage anymore.
“Call me crazy, but I see the vision. You and him. I can see ya’ll together for some reason,” she went on, and that’s when I rolled my eyes.
“Man, gone on. Get the fuck out of here,” I shot. Even she knew that she took the shit too far, and that’s why she started laughing.
I’ll admit that Dolo was handsome. Probably the most handsome dude that I’ve ever seen in my life, but the plan wasn’t for anything to come out of this. I just wanted to admit that the nigga looked good and then go on about my day.
Chapter 5
Uzi Reaves
“You know that I don’t be on that mushy shit, but sister, I’m proud of you. You saw a problem that was happening in our city, and you moved your feet, doing what you could to help with the problem. I’m not surprised that this is the route that you decided to go. I always felt like once we got out of the game, that you were supposed to teach shit like this. I don’t know anyone that can take a gun apart, clean it, put that shit back together, and load it with bullets as quickly as you do. You just have always known how to protect yourself,” my little sister, Benelli said to me, as she stood inside the massive training room with me.
Four months ago, I saw a problem, immediately brought it to my husband, and once I got the support, and the backing from him, I quickly started moving my feet. I’m talking, the very next day, I went into that mode of strictly brainstorming, writing down my overall goal, the locations that I had in mind, the amount of girls that I was going to have, and the budget.
I was able to find a location in the Redland area. This area made the most sense to me in terms of the goals that I had in mind. I was able to purchase 5 acres of land, which cost me agrip, but with the goal that I had in mind, it was worth every penny. Let me not even say that it costmea grip. It cost my husband a grip, since he was the one to purchase, and close on the land for me.
The cost was so pricey because luckily for me, there was already a warehouse shell on the land, so all I had to do was find a good construction company to gut it out, renovate it, and convert it to the vision that I had in mind. I wanted it to have a training room, that was big enough to fit the forty women that I was going to take on, along with myself, and the staff that I was going to have with me. The training room would be used on days like today, when the girls would simply get educated.
I stood in the room now, with my sister by my side, and there were rows of tables that stretched out in this entire space. In front of each chair, there was a packet that was waiting for each woman once they arrived.
My vision was to also have a full gym. I loved to get in the gym anyways, and I wanted to get these women conditioned, work on their strength and endurance. I was able to have a custom indoor gun range built, which was on the second floor. There was a locker room here, a cafeteria, and outside, this warehouse was sitting on so much land, that we could go outdoors some mornings for drills, and other shooting exercises. I wanted outside to mirror the woods that my daddy used to take us when we would shoot, and that’s what it was giving.
“Thank you, sister. I appreciate you for coming down here and helping me. I know it’s five in the morning, and you have shit of your own to take care of, but you came anyways, and I love you even more for that,” I said to my sister, pulling her in to me, getting mushy, as I wrapped my arms around her, and repeatedly kissed her on her cheek.
To know Benelli and I is to know that me, and this girl have come along way. I’ve gotten into some of my best fights with her.We used to be hard down fighting each other, as if the goal was to kill each other. We would fight, and then make up like nothing ever happened. It was her mouth that I couldn’t do. Till this day, her mouth was still slick, but I’ve learned to ignore a lot of the shit that she says because if I don’t, we’ll be throwing down again.
I remember in our dad’s final days, he would often tell us that we only had each other, and we needed to stick together, instead of going against each other. Benelli and I had gotten super close after the passing of our father. All our life though, she’s always been the kind of sister where if I was rocking, then her ass was rolling. I called her four months ago, telling her what my plan was with this program, just venting, and she jumped right into action, asking me where she needed me, and letting me know that the days she was able to come down here and support, that she would do it. Here she was, keeping her promise, doing what she told me she would.
“Girl please. You know you don’t have to thank me for showing up. You’re my sister. You rock, I roll,” she assured me, telling me what I already knew.
