Chapter 9 #3
“Lemme get this straight. You got your ass shot in my city and ain’t tell me? I had to hear it from G? That doesn’t even sound right, bro.”
I chuckled lightly. I knew I’d be hearing from Kinga at some point. Nothing went on in Chicago without him knowing. “Man, it happened so fast.”
“I hear you. Everything good, right? You don’t need anything.”
“Nah, I’m straight.”
“Cool. Come by the shop tomorrow though. I might have something you need instead of having your twin running up in abandoned buildings looking for ghosts.” See, Kinga knew everything in this fucking city. My brother had only texted me about an hour and a half ago telling me the joint was abandoned.
“Bet.”
Cay had hair to do this morning and took Lil G with her, leaving me to sleep a little longer before I started moving around.
At least that’s what I thought until my thoughts started going wild and I felt like I needed to be handling this shit.
I didn’t sleep much longer but instead got up and began getting dressed until I heard the doorbell.
I fucked with the fact that Caya’s spot was closer to the city than mine, but I hated that it was two floors.
When I finally made it to the door, I didn’t have to even wonder who it was because I heard his big mouthed ass as soon as I got there. When I opened it, the last thing I expected was to see him and G.
“See, I told you. He was about to be dressed and on some lone ranger shit.” Reminisce stepped through the door talking shit.
G laughed. “You damn sure said that.”
“The fuck y’all doing here?” I walked over to the sofa and sat down to put my shoes on.
“Catching your ass probably about to go do something thoughtless.”
I side eyed Reminisce. “Even though I ain’t, you know I’m grown, right? “
Both of my brothers looked from one another to me then laughed like I had cracked a joke.
“Yo, you said he’d say that, didn’t you?” G asked Rem.
I waved both of them off and finished putting my shoes on. “Fuck y’all.”
“And you grumpy. Finished getting dressed so we can get up outta here. I need something to eat before you have me in this Chicago heat.” Rem rubbed his stomach and stretched.
It didn’t take me much longer before I had my shirt on and wallet in my pocket. Before we left I was sure to grab my gun from the safe and keys from the bowl. Yeah, I made Caya’s difficult ass give me a key.
Since niggas wanted to be all in my business, I went to the back seat to lay out. Shit, the last thing I wanted was to be constricted in the front seat.
Rem popped the locks and I got in.
“Where the fuck your car at?”
“Garage. While you minding my business. Turn the damn car on, it’s hot than a motherfucker in here.”
He laughed and did as I asked. “Where we going?”
“Back to that store. Bitch ass baby daddy gotta see me. Then to Kinga’s shop. He said he had something for me.”
Reminisce laughed. “Yeah aight. Lemme go through a drive through or something.”
I didn’t even respond. I rested back in the seat and found my way onto my phone. I resisted the urge to call Caya. A nigga was obsessed with her. It wasn’t enough that I lay next to her every night, but I also wanted all her fucking attention. I craved it, even when she called herself mad at me.
As if she felt me thinking about her, my phone vibrated on my chest just when I was dozing off.
Caya: You good?
Me: Yeah. Why?
Caya: Just asking. I wanna do something tonight if you’re feeling up to it. Cylah has Adonis for the weekend. So I’d like to stay at your house.
I was about to respond but pushed my phone to my lip. “G, what you do on date nights and shit?”
“What?”
“I said what the fuck you be doing on date nights. I need an idea.”
Rem laughed. “This grumpy ass nigga.”
“Seeing as how I don’t think it’s the best idea for you to be out and about ’cause we still don’t know who tried to lay you out, plan something lowkey. Don’t you got a movie theatre in the crib?”
“Yeah, but we always watch movies and stay in the crib,” I responded, feeling like Caya and I had settled into this routine and she deserved more. Even though she was a whole ass homebody, I knew that sometimes she wanted some out the house shit.
“Call your sister. She has a whole ass Pinterest board for that type of shit.”
I laughed, but for sure dialed her number. Usually she answered on the first ring, but she sent my shit to voicemail. “The fuck?”
“What?” Rem asked from the front.
“Call your sister. She sent my call to voicemail.”
“Sent your call to voicemail? Hell nah.” G also had his phone out, calling our sister, and sure as hell she sent his call to voicemail as well.
Not a soul could get a word in because Reminisce’s off kilter ass busted a U-turn in the middle of traffic.
I didn’t even open my eyes. I just kept them closed, trying to get a lil bit of sleep since all of a sudden these fucking stitches got tighter.
I heard the screeching of tires and others honking.
“Yo, what the fuck?” G’s voice brought a smirk to my face. Reminisce was the worst driver because he didn’t give a shit about traffic rules or regulations. He drove like the nutty motherfucker I knew he was.
I didn’t know when I dozed off, but the vibration of my phone on my chest had me opening my eyes. When I picked up my phone, I saw a message from Caya.
Caya: ?? Is that a no?
Me: Never a no, baby. Lemme find out what we doin’.
Caya: K.
I didn’t respond and went to close my eyes. The car slowing down made me sit up and open my eyes again. We were outside of Jade’s building.
I laughed. “What, you did seventy here?”
Rem laughed. “What? That ain’t the speed limit here?”
“No, shit. You just had me about to call Bey and tell her I wasn’t making it home. I’m driving when we leave ’cause you got me fucked up. I got kids and a wife to make it home to.”
“Ah, stop being a bitch. Yeen die. You see his grumpy ass was good back there.”
We exited the car, all walking into the building like Reminisce hadn’t parked in the fucking loading zone. It didn’t matter what city we were in, he would park wherever he wanted. Tickets and all, I swear that nigga didn’t give a shit.
The three of us bypassed the receptionist desk, moving toward the elevator.
I hated those little ass elevators and often elected to take the stairs, but the way my side felt, I stepped on that motherfucker with no problem until I looked up from my phone seeing ol’ girl about to step on with her dog. I stopped her ass right there.
“Nah, sweetheart, take the next one up with your wolf.”
My twin knew me well because he pushed the close door button while I stopped her right fucking there.
“Um, excuse me?” she murmured as the doors closed.
Dimitri shook his head. “And they call me rude. This is some shit.”
I laughed, trying not to laugh too hard. It wasn’t really pain but a soreness.
“Yo, you really need to be back on those meds. I see how you feeling,” Rem said.
“Not too bad. Shit is sore. Caya took care of me this morning,” I explained, seeing the expressions on both of my brothers’ faces. They were worried.
“Do the movie night. Have Jade set that shit up and make it all decked out. Go all out and do something else on a different night.”
I didn’t respond, but instead stepped off the elevator. He was right, but I wasn’t gonna tell him that. I beat them to my sister’s door, but right when I was about to knock, the door opened and a giggling ass nigga almost walked into me but good thing he looked ahead.
“Who the fuck is this nigga?” Rem’s voice called out behind me.
“Fuck if I know. Jade, who is this nigga?” G responded, standing on the other side of the door.
Rem stepped in front of ol’ boy and looked down at him, expression stern. “It’s what… eight something in the morning? What you coming out of my sister’s condo for?”
“Big, dumb, goofy ass grin,” I commented, already knowing Rem’s next move.
“Empty them pockets, bitch.”
Ol’ boy looked like he was about to piss his pants. Standing all still and shit like if he didn’t move he wouldn’t be seen.
“Uh, Jade…” he called out and Rem jumped at him.
“Didn’t I tell yo’ ass to empty them pockets? You got about fifteen seconds to do it before I put you?—”
The door behind him opened and Jade peeked her head out. “What are y’all doing here? Jaye, these are my brothers.” She smiled, completely unaware that Rem was about to have this nigga empty his pockets.
He took that as his cue to slip past Reminisce. Too bad my foot was out so he tripped flat on his face. Bitch ass.
“Oh my God. Jaye, are you alright?” she asked, about to step out of the door, but we filed in.
“Hell yeah that nigga aight. Bitch ass called you out here like you were about to save him. I’on like that,” Dimitri voiced. He was the last into her condo, sure to close the door behind us so she couldn’t check on him.
“Well… one, what are y’all doing here? And two, Jaye is a pacifist.” She pulled her hoodie over her head, moving around the kitchen.
“You fucking with a nigga that’s tryna be Martin Luther King? The fuck wrong with you?” Rem’s face showed his irritation.
“He isn’t trying to be MLK. He just doesn’t believe in violence and that’s his choice.”
“Not while he’s fucking with you. Nigga better believe in pistol whipping or something,” I called out, watching Rem go straight to her refrigerator.
“Well, first of all, I’m not messing with him like that. He isn’t my type. And second, why the hell are y’all all in my business? Don’t all three of you have business of your own?”
G laughed, coming out of her pantry with a box of trail mix. “Yo, you must have bought this for the kids.”
She nodded. “I did, so why are you eating it?”
“Shit looked good.” He shrugged.
She went to grab them from him, but he had already handed Rem the box. When Rem was done he handed it to me.
She sighed. “Why are y’all here unannounced?”
Dimitri sucked his teeth. “You come through my shit unannounced all the time.”