About fifteen minutes later, I pulled up in front of TP’s mama’s house.
“Alright, y’all.” He opened the back door, preparing to slide out of the car. “Jah, man, I appreciate you coming through to pick me up. A nigga was depressed in this house. Gotta start all the way over. Get my money up. Get my kids new shoes. All types of shit. But I legitimately had a nice time today.”
I nodded, understanding where he was coming from. Him and my brother Jaylen had caught a case together, but he’d gotten out of prison first. My brother was basically in the same boat. He didn’t have no money to come home to. However, unlike TP, Jaylen had me as a little brother, so he was straight. Come hell or highwater, I was gonna put my brother back on his feet to make sure that he felt like a man. In the meantime, I had TP’s back, and would do whatever I could to help him out, as well.
“Call me anytime, my nigga,” I offered.
“Bet. And it was nice to meet you, Raven.”
Raven nodded, as she glanced back. “Like wise.”
“Yeah, and remember what I said, Jah. Lock that down, nigga.”
I nodded with a smirk. “I got you.”
With that, TP eased out of the car, and sauntered up the driveway.
I think that night stood out to me, because…that was the last time I got to kick it with TP like that. Two weeks later, he was locked up again. This time for armed robbery, and attempted murder. The judge gave him twenty-five.
Still, every blue moon, I’d hear from him, and he’d ask me if I’d married Raven yet. Of course, weeks after she turned eighteen, I was able to do just that.
Chapter 24
It was a little after midnight when I pulled into my driveway. For me, this was relatively early, but I was tired as fuck and had decided to head in.
After getting out of my car, I took a long stretch and yawned.
“Jahrein.”
Hearing my name, I turned around to see Melissa approaching the yard.
Frowning, I met her at the curb, not wanting her to step onto the property. “What’s up?”
She sucked her teeth, while folding her arms across her breasts. “Why it feels like you got a attitude?”
I sighed heavily. “What chu doing on this end?” I questioned, because she lived about ten minutes away. But she just so happened to be on my street at midnight.
“I’m kicking it with Tia, across the way.” She pointed at my neighbor’s house. Tia and a few other girls were kicking it in the driveway, posted up on Tia’s mama’s car.
“Okay. Now, what’s up, Lissa?”
“I don’t know. You tell me. Mr. State Champion. Congratulations.” She cheesed.
I scratched the side of my face. “’Preciate it.”
“Really?” She tilted her head. “Why are you so nonchalant about everything?”
I shrugged. “What do you want me to say?”
“I guess I just be expecting you to seem excited. That win was huge.”
I smiled, while nodding. “Yeah, it was.”
“Right…and I just can’t help but feel a way.” She pouted.
“A way about what?” I furrowed a brow, before glancing back at my house.
“Cause. We been at it since freshman year. I just knew that I was gonna be in those stands, rocking your jersey, cheering you on. And it’s fucked up that you had the next muthafucka doing what I used to do. Then she had the nerve to have a custom jersey with your name on the back.”
