Page 219 of 4 Corinthians

"You been hanging out with Krude, haven't you?" I asked, and he shrugged.

"Man, move; it's too fucking hot out here. Y'all can't sweat and shit, but I can." Hood stepped around me, knocked, then stepped back.

A few seconds later, I heard the locks be disengaged, and the door slowly opened. A teenage girl dressed in short-ass shorts and a sports bra answered the door.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Her eyes were low and red. She was high as fuck and had to lean against the door for support. She licked her dry lips and smirked. "You looking for Buckee?"

"Yeah,” I answered. "He here?"

She shook her head; her long braids swayed side to side. "He went to pick up his daddy from the airport," she said, stepping back. "He told me y'all was coming, though, and to let y'all in."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." She stumbled away from the door. "Come on." She dropped down on the couch.

"We can wait in the car youngin'," I said, shaking my head. I looked back at my uncle and Hood; they were shaking their heads. Wasn't no way we were walking in that house. She was young, dressed in barely anything and high as hell. I wasn’t walking in there.

"Nooo," she moaned and tried to stand. "Buckee said his guest had to come in." She lazily tried to push herself up from the couch but couldn't. "Ima good girl. I'll make it worth it."

"Nah," I sighed and stepped back. "Chill there, li'l mama. We ain't leaving like that. Just going to the store right fast."

I closed the door before she could say anything else, and we walked down the steps. Instead of walking back to the car, I went next door and knocked on Ms. Cassandra's door.

"That was quick," Ms. Cassandra said after she answered. She looked over at the house and then back to me. Her eyes swept over me from head to toe before settling on my eyes. "You ain't one of them nasty niggas, I see."

"Never," I replied. "Is that what you were trying to figure out earlier? What kind of nigga I am?"

"Only folks that come and go from that house are broken or breaking," she answered. "You ain't either. So, what you doing over there?"

"Looking for the nigga that lives there." I looked over at the house, then back at Ms. Cassandra. "He took part in some shit regarding my girl. I’m here to make it right."

"Good," she said with a nod. "I watched him for a while. Him and his daddy. Both give me a bad vibe. I can keep the kids away from them for the most part, but it's always one or two they get their hooks on."

"The girl in there..."

"Missy. Just turned 18 yesterday so ain't shit I can do now," she said, shaking her head. "I got her little sister with me all the time though. I can’t stand how Arnold looks at her." Arnold was Buckee's real name. "He said his brother plays for the Kings and can get her tickets to a Queens game. She loved them, ladies. I keep telling her he can't do shit, but you know how kids are."

"She here?"

"Back there mad now," she answered with a laugh. "Why?"

I called Hood over. "Ms. Cassandra, this is Aceyn Bowlin; he's the team doctor for the Kings and Queens and also the fiancé of Legacy Glover," I introduced them. "Go get baby girl. If she is a true fan, then she knows who he is."

"Hold on," she said, then walked away.

"What's going on?" Hood asked once she was gone. I gave him a quick breakdown of what was told to me, and Hood nodded. Ms. Cassandra came back with a little girl no older than twelve behind her. She was tall, skinny, and her demeanor reminded me of every basketball player I knew.

"Lacey, do you know who this is?” Ms. Cassandra asked her.

"Yes, ma'am, that’s Aceyn Bowlin, Legacy Glovers' fiancée," she answered, looking around. "Is Legacy here?" Her eyes held so much hope at possibly seeing Legacy.

"Nah," Hood said. Lacey's shoulders dropped in disappointment.

"Ms. Cassandra said you're a good kid and love ball. That nigga next door said he would take you to a game?"

"Yeah, but Ms. Cassandra said not to talk to him," she answered. "My sister is over there all the time. She said if I get something from Buckee, I gotta pay it back."

"Buckee ain't about to be a problem," I said, shaking my head. "But the next Queens game y'all will be in a suite watching it. The tickets will be in Ms. Cassandra's name, so you ain't gotta worry about nothing."