Chapter 7 #2
“We were young and hungry, doing stupid shit, but not anymore,” Scooter added, pouring up two glasses of orange juice. “Good thing that shit’s behind us. Now we can pay it forward.”
He hadn’t discussed it with anyone, but he wanted to start some kind of motivational or spoken-word afterschool program to provide beat-making classes for youth as an alternative method to express themselves. He never took his gift for granted, and he never wanted to.
“True. Need Speedy to get on his shit and get my engagement going. You got that gear for my photoshoot?”
That was another way Scooter plugged his clothing line.
In their last photoshoot, they wore nothing but his clothing line, from hoodies to T-shirts, tanks, sweatpants, hats, and belts.
Instead of generational curses, he was creating generational wealth.
Honestly, the money he gave Serita was crumbs to what he brought in weekly from his side hustle.
Leah took the lead on the orders, but sometimes Mango helped.
“I do. Need to finalize dates and location with Nazir, then it’s on. And I thought that nigga was security?”
“He is.” They both laughed. All they knew was that when one made it, they all made it.
While Scooter whipped up two omelets and toast, they ran down each single of Donovan’s upcoming album.
Two would feature Lanky, and another one would be this female rapper, Switz, which was short for Switzerland.
They laughed, but that was actually her name, and she had that Miami sound that mirrored the City Girls.
Her lyrics, however, contained more substance.
“Chaney wants in on that photoshoot,” he revealed. “You know my girl has an eye for fashion, with her thick ass. You see her,” Donovan bragged.
“Nigga, that’s your woman.” He kissed his teeth. “Ain’t shit for me to see.” She was decent but a bit too commercial for him, from her exotic hairstyles and colors to her clothing that revealed a bit more than he wanted his woman to wear.
What he really wanted to say was that Kaleela was shitting on Chaney in the wardrobe department, from her hats and outfits, down to her shoe game.
She never had a bad day, and even on the days she didn’t try, Kaleela’s selection of attire made a statement.
She was laid back like one of the boys, but make no mistake about it.
She was all woman. That pussy in his mouth confirmed that. Fuck a wheelchair.
“Fuck you, nigga. You know what I mean. Trying to see if I can bring her own dress to me.”
“Don’t she have a shop to run?”
Initially, Scooter wasn’t fucking with her after Donovan had gotten caught up in her and Kaleela’s love triangle.
Over time, though, she won him over. If nothing else, her hustle couldn’t be denied.
Like Scooter, Donovan took note, hoping they’d be the next up-and-coming power couple from Miami with offers to do reality television.
He saw himself on different platforms with her, showcasing not only what they were doing but taking it to the next level like Rihanna, Beyonce, and even Arianna Grande from their clothing, perfume, or makeup line.
“She does, but when you’re a boss, you delegate shit.” He beamed, bragging on his girl. “Just got to keep Sashay off her fucking radar.” Scooter frowned, kissing his teeth.
“Nigga, I already know, but still.”
“Fuck that.” Scooter slid the omelet from the pan onto a plate.
He’d lost his appetite, but he still had to eat.
“Can’t take a bitch where she don’t want to go.
She chose not to grow. You kept money on her books and slid her a few stacks when she came home.
What did she do with it?” He lifted his hand around his ear and waited.
“I thought so,” he spat as Donovan sat, scratching his head. “And whatever you do, don’t fuck her.”
“Bruh, you think I’m sliding in my old work?” Donovan shook his head. “In fact, that’s the fucking problem. I’m not.”
“Hey, then finish it off, and end that shit,” he spoke, thinking about the next few plays he had lined up before he finally ended his situation with Serita.
“Bitch had me by the balls like a life sentence when she didn’t snitch.”
“Yet, my nigga, she still can, and you don’t owe her shit. You told her to go to school, do something productive. And I already know what she does with her money. Hustling backwards as fuck, buying shit off Temu and Shein, then reselling it for the same fucking price.”
“When you get rid of Serita’s whiny ass, I’ll get rid of Sashay.”
Scooter shrugged, chewing a few bites of his food. After he ate more than half, he stood, then scraped the rest into the trash.
“At least Serita actually pays the bills when I send the money. If Shay can’t manage while you’re here, how will she manage while you’re gone?”
“True. Maybe I should put Leah and Erika on her ass,” he suggested when Scooter’s head tilted back with narrowed eyes. “Aye, I don’t have any sisters. Marco would put a bullet in her head, and Lance… Well, that nigga found God.”
They both laughed at that. He’d gone to prison and became a preacher. Well, a Muslim. It was better than being in prison, even though he didn’t necessarily support their music. As for Marco, that nigga was too trigger-happy. He could have been security, but he was too much of a risk.
“You ready?” Scooter took Donovan’s plate after he’d cleaned it like he hadn’t eaten in a few days. “And Chaney needs to feed your ass, motherfucker.”
“She feeds me plenty,” he jested. “Then I feed her back. I bent her thick ass over and fed her this dick until snot ran out of her nose last night at the studio.”
“At the studio?” Scooter repeated. Donovan smiled, then slid his tongue across his top teeth. “Nasty motherfucker.”
“Hey, we both work a lot. Got to get that shit in.” Scooter would never handle any girl he was with like that, definitely not Kaleela. They kept too much company, even though he had plans to cease most of that. If they weren’t there for business, they’d have to catch them in the streets.
“Does she know about the twenty-city tour?”
He grabbed his keys, then tucked his heat behind his back. Nazir mentioned adding real security, but they’d survived all of their life without it. Short of a few homeless people they found sleeping across the street, the area they were in was deserted once local businesses were closed.
“Not yet, but I’ll tell her.”
They’d spent so much time together despite their busy schedules that he didn’t know how they’d managed to be a part. To break the news, he’d have to do something special.
Scooter, too, but unlike Chaney, he and Kaleela had just linked.
He could only hope that what they started was strong enough to keep her interested until he could put in the proper time to prove he was serious about being with her.
He couldn’t ask Donovan. It was too soon, and he wasn’t ready for them to be at each other’s throats.
The secret shit was heavy and a lot of work. He just hoped Kaleela was worth it.