4. Trench
Trench
As I stocked the shelves with some new arrivals, images of Harli crept into my mind.
It had been a week since our race, and I hadn’t seen her on the scene since.
It weighed on me that my behavior scared her away after she’d just made her return.
Thinking that H was a nigga, I decided to bust his balls after the race to see if I could get another one out of him.
When it was revealed that he was actually she, and a fine ass she at that, I was dazed like never before.
It was something about her that I couldn’t shake, and I was starting to feel like a junkie jonesing for their next hit, not being able to see her.
I don’t know if it was the fact that she was one of the best racers I’d ever come across, if it was the fact that she didn’t play with a nigga at all, or if it was how fine she was underneath that helmet.
It could be a mixture of all three, and I needed to be around her again.
Opportunity was taking too long to present itself, so now I was ready to put soldiers on the ground to find her.
The chime of the store’s door went off, signaling a customer had walked in.
When I looked up, it was my nigga, ‘Scoe. Getting down from the step ladder, I dapped him up before locking the door. I was managing the shoe store alone today, so I decided to take a break to chop it up with him. When I joined him in the back, he was already rolling up, and that couldn’t have come at a better time.
“We gotta step out back ‘cause my mom peeped the weed scent last time,” I explained.
“That’s cool with me,” ‘Scoe agreed. “I told yo’ ass that last time when you were talkin’ ‘bout we could smoke in the back. You must think I be having play play weed. Nawl, nigga this that good strong shit. It’s gonna funk up the place.”
“Shut yo’ ass up, I ain’t need no lecture.”
“Oop, someone’s in a pissy mood. Wassup witcha, Trench?”
“Man, aside from the same shit different day. I can’t get ole girl outta my head.”
“Ole girl? Who you talkin’ ‘bout? Ya folks finally did good with the match makin’?”
“Nawl, Harli. Shawty from the race the other week.”
“Harli? From Golden Shores?”
“I don’t know where she from, but you think you do?”
“Yeah, that’s the only biker chick named Harli that I know.”
“Bro, you gotta take me to Golden Shores ASAP.”
“We can go after you clock out.”
“Nawl, fuck that we goin’ right now!”
“Ah, shit. Let’s bounce then.”
On the way over to Golden Shores, we smoked the blunt that ‘Scoe rolled. It helped me relax because I was so anxious about what was to come. I’d never been in the position to put forth any effort when it came to women.
Most of the women from when I lost my virginity at fifteen just threw themselves at me.
Now I finally find a woman that got a nigga acting out of character, and I just had to have her.
The drastic difference between Silver Stone Estates, where me and my family lived to the hood where Golden Shores stood was noticeable.
There were no white picket fences, with magazine style, homes lining the sides of the roads.
Instead, there were rows of brick apartments with kids running about.
When we got out, I hoped we didn’t have to go to each building looking for her, but whatever we needed to do, I was down for it.
This was the only Hail Mary I had to get on Harli’s radar.
“Now, you sure you wanna get tingled with a girl from the hood, ya know given your folks?” ‘Scoe inquired as we walked deeper into the concrete jungle.
“Hell yeah,” I answered with much conviction. “I see her for her, not where she comes from, but I don’t want my folks to have her feelin’ some type of way and try to judge a nigga off that.”
“Exactly what I was thinkin’. Hell, I assumed shit until I got to know yo’ ass. A nigga definitely thought you were a coon ass nigga cosplayin’ a real nigga like me.”
“Well damn, tell me how you really feel, my G. I think I should keep the fact that I got money, so she doesn’t try to front on a nigga. I want that real authentic her like I got that night we raced.”
“Yo’ ass better figure it out quick if that’s what you really wanna do ‘cause there she go with her homegirl.”
When I looked up, it felt like a nigga was in a movie as everything, but Harli became blurred out.
The sway of her hips in those baggy jeans had me mesmerized as I made my way over towards her.
Her chocolate skin seemed to be glowing as her juicy lips moved as she talked.
I noticed the slight twitch in her face as she locked eyes with me.
“Harli, Ryda what’s good witcha,” ‘Scoe acknowledged them as we stood in front of each other.
“‘Sup ‘Scoe,” Ryda greeted as Harli and I just stared at one another. “Y’all just gonna stare at each other all day? ‘Cause if that’s the case I’m goin’ in the house cause it’s too hot out here for that shit. Wait a damn minute. Twin, who is this nigga?”
“Just some nigga from the race scene,” she answered without taking her eyes off me.
“The same nigga that spanked yo’ ass,” I challenged.
“I let you win.”
“I call bullshit.”
“Call it what you want, but that’s what it is my boy.”
“Uh, ‘Scoe, let’s run up to the store,” Ryda interrupted as she looked between the two of us. “Because clearly it’s some tension between these two, I just can’t tell if the shit sexual or not.”
“Oh, trust he wanna fuck the shit outta her,” ‘Scoe chuckled. “So, let’s give them some space to work that shit out.”
Soon as that shit flew out of ‘Scoe’s mouth, I gave that nigga the death stare.
He shrugged his shoulders before him and Ryda started footing it to the store.
I didn’t even care about the fact that he’d driven me over here and I didn’t know how far away the store was.
A nigga was just excited to have some alone time with Harli.
I just needed to fix the ignorant ass shit he blurted out.
Although it was true, it wasn’t the only thing I wanted to do with Harli.
“So, yo’ ass only came over here to see if you could get some pussy?” She questioned me with her hands folded across her chest.
“That nigga just talkin’ out the side of his neck,” I pleaded.
“So, it ain’t true?”
“I ain’t say that. Of course I’d love to give you this dick, but that’s not why I came lookin’ for you today.”
“That’s hard to fuckin’ believe. I knew you were an airhead ass nigga. I don’t even know why I’m talkin’ to yo’ ass. Fuck outta my face.”
She turned around to walk away, and I could feel my chest getting tighter.
I didn’t do that lying shit, and people who knew me understood that.
I may omit some shit until the timing was right to give that piece of information, but I never flat out lied.
Since this was our second time meeting, I had to put her up on game because I wanted to eventually get to the point where we were fucking on each other.
“Aye, yo’ chill out,” I commanded as I caught up with her, ready to put my foot down.
“Excuse me?” She snapped her head in my direction.
“You heard me, Harli. Like I told you, I’d be lyin’ if I said I didn’t want to eventually fuck you, but that’s not what I want to do right now.”
“Well, what is it that you want to do right now, Trench?”
“First, I wanna race again since you claimin’ you let me win. Then, I wanna take you out on dates, so you can get to know me outside of beatin’ you in racin’.”
“Tuh, that’s it?”
“Nope. I wanna get to know you better than any nigga before me, so that way when you do get the dick you’ll forget their asses.”
“Is that so?”
“Yep.”
“You poppin’ it hard right now.”
“I’m just speakin’ straight facts. Does that mean you gonna give me a chance to prove it?”
“Let’s start with yo’ rematch first then we’ll see ‘bout the rest of the shit you poppin’ it ‘bout.”
“That’s a bet.”