Not giving a fuck, I twisted my neck. “Sure the fuck did.”
Jahrein opened his hands. “What was all that for?”
“Cause she thought that you was back here with one of these hoes,” Jaylen snitched.
Jah dramatically scrunched his face, like the possibility was utterly preposterous. “What would make you think that?”
“I saw all these bitches come in here. And your car was parked outside, so you put two and two together.”
“I had hopped in the car with Jared. Why didn’t you just call my phone?”
“Cause she was trying to catch you in action. Duh, nigga,” Jaylen messily interjected.
“Right,” I agreed. “Cause I’m trying to see why do you love hanging over here. Especially when its more fucking going on than anything.”
“That aint got nothing to do with me,” Jahrein claimed, as the girl that Jalero had been fucking was now squeezing past me.
“Excuse me,” she mumbled, holding her head in obvious shame.
“Shit, you supposed to be a grown ass man, and this is what you choose to surround yourself with. Then you got your fucking baby brother in here fucking these nasty, grown ass hoes.”
Jah shook his head, before his eyes traveled to Jaylen. “This is exactly why I keep telling you to keep his lil’ ass from ‘round here.”
Jaylen leaned his head sideways. “And I keep telling you that keeping him away from here aint gon stop nothing. All them niggas by Red’s house is doing the same shit. Fucking, robbing, and stealing. So, if he’s gonna be out here in the streets anyway, then I rather him be with me. I keep him close and show him how this shit is ‘posed to go.”
“And fucking random broads in a trap is something he needs to learn?” I arched a brow.
Jaylen dismissively waved me off. “There you go with that holier than thou bullshit. Your wet behind the ears ass is still trying to figure yourself out, so miss me with the preaching.”
“Aint no preaching,” I denied. “You just a lost cause, so I aint finna waste my breath, going back and forth. And I might don’t have no control over Jalero, but it’s fucked-up that the grown-ups around him can’t teach him shit. But I bet y’all won’t pull this shit with mine. I aint raising my sons to be nothing like this. Cause this is fucking sad and pathetic.”
Once again, Jaylen waved me off, as he headed back to the living room. Knowing him, he wasn’t engaging simply because it was me. Because his mouth was lethal and he was downright disrespectful. Still, although he rarely flexed his muscle, Jahrein was the boss ‘round that muthafucka. So, I could skate and say whatever I wanted. And we all knew that.
Jalero came tipping out the room, trying to avoid eye contact.
“Say, you better get ready to head home. It’s a school night, nigga,” Jahrein ordered, and Lero simply nodded, never back-talking his big brother.
Right after, Tony stepped out of the other room, now fully clothed. “Raven.” He glanced my way. “You aint really gone tell Tameka, huh?”
I waved him off, as I pursed my lips. “Boy, bye.”
His eyes traveled to Jah. “My nigga, talk to ya wife for me.”
While he was pleading his case, his little friend was tipping out of the room.
Jah scratched the side of his face. “Say…you know how this girl is. I aint got no control over that.”
“Man, fuck!” Tony vented, before stomping off to the living room.
Jahrein shook his head, as he eyed the doorframe. “You really came through clowning.”
Folding my arms over my breasts, I shrugged. “So?”
“So?” He closed the gap between us. “What is this all about? I thought I left you at home smiling? So, what happened between now and then?”
“Nothing happened,” I denied, refusing to go deeper.
The reality was that he’d been good, at that time. But I hadn’t forgotten about that random call with that baby crying in the background. And sometimes my thoughts would get to running wild, as I’d come up with my own scenarios.
