CHAPTER SEVEN
Yah-Yah
I inhaled the blunt then blew the smoke out slowly, watching the smoke curl up toward Morgan's ceiling.
Her spot wasn't shit fancy, it was just a lil one bedroom in South Shore she got after a lick her and DeAndre hit last summer.
But it was straight, quiet, and far enough from my own shit that I could breathe for a minute.
"Bitch, you hogging the blunt," Morgan said, reaching across the coffee table to snatch it from my fingers. Her burgundy acrylics clicked against my short nails when we made the exchange.
"My bad, sis." I laughed, sinking deeper into the plus chair.
"I'm in my head right now."
Morgan took a long pull, her chinky eyes squinting at me through the smoke.
"Mhm, I bet I know exactly where yo head at. Or should I say who yo head on?" I rolled my eyes, already knowing where her ass was going with this.
"Don't start, Mo," I said, reaching for my cup of Patron and lemonade. "I ain't come over here for all that."
"Girl, I'm just saying." She tapped ash into that crystal ashtray. "Rylo been moving real weird lately. All secretive and shit. Like last week when I saw him on 79th talking to them niggas on halsted."
"Hold on." I sat up straighter. "What you was doing on 79th? And why you watching my nigga?"
Morgan's eyes got big for a second before she fixed her face. "Bitch, I wasn't watching him,. I just happened to be riding through and spotted him. He was with them Halsted niggas, looking like they was on some other shit."
Something about the way she said it didn't sit right. Why was Morgan so pressed about Rylo's movements? This wasn't the first time she brought his name up this week either.
"Okay, and?" I kept my voice flat. "That's what he do. Hangout with random ass niggas, I don’t be in his business about that shit." "Bitch, chill out, I was just speaking on it, cause I thought you should know.” she passed the blunt back, but her eyes stayed on me too long.
"That I should know what?”
“You know he be linking with them niggas all the time right? Making moves without even telling you. And ain’t you the one who put him on with Enzo in the first place."
My stomach low key dropped. How the fuck did Morgan know about that? I damn sure didn't tell her, and Rylo wouldn't have said shit. Enzo was a nigga I use to trick with, he had big paper, and he was into credit card scams, and shit. I put Rylo on with him a while back.
"How you even know about that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice casual even though alarm bells was going off in my head.
"DeAndre told me,” she said quickly. "His cousin hang with Enzo and them, so he be hearing shit." I didn't believe her, but I decided to let it ride for now.
"That's business," I said. "Rylo tell me what I need to know."
"Do he though? 'Cause from where I'm sitting, he been keeping hella shit from you lately." She leaned forward, "Like where he was Tuesday night. You know where he was? I heard the nigga was with Akina from the low end."
"Nah, he wasn’t with her ass, He was handling something for Yatta." My irritation was showing now. "Why you so worried about where Rylo at? You checking for my nigga or something?"
"Girl, bye!" Morgan laughed, but it sounded fake. "I'm worried about you. You my best fucking friend, and I don't want you out here looking stupid as fuck while yo’ nigga being community dick."
"Well, it seems to me you a lil too interested in my nigga's schedule." I held her gaze hard. "That's like the third time this week you brought up Rylo. I don’t ask about DeAndre’s ass never, so what's really good, Mo?”
She blinked, then tried to laugh it off. "Yasani, you tweaking for real. I'm just telling you what I see with my own eyes, and what DeAndre be saying to me, now if you would’ve found out I knew and didn’t tell you, you would be mad at that too. So damn if I do, damn if I don’t.”
"Mhm." I hit the blunt again, side-eyeing her. "So, where DeAndre at tonight anyway?"
Her whole face changed just for a second, but I caught it.
"He had to handle something. He said he would be home later."
"On a Tuesday night? When you sitting here by yourself?" I raised my eyebrow. "That don't sound like him. That nigga usually be up yo’ ass.”
"Money been funny lately," Morgan said, her voice dropping. "He trying to get with this new connect to get back on." I nodded, but my mind still was stuck on how much shit Morgan seemed to know about Rylo.
"So, what exactly DeAndre been saying about Rylo?" I asked.
Morgan hesitated, taking another pull before answering.
"Just that Rylo been making moves without you. Meeting with people. Stacking his own bread on the side, and that he be fucking around with Akina lil’ dirty ass," She looked at me.
"DeAndre said Rylo even asked him not to mention nothing to me and you the last time he saw him. "
"When was this?"
"A week ago. DeAndre ran into him at the hoagy spot on Cottage Grove. And he was with that bitch too—"
"What bitch?"
"Akina! I just said that hoe, you aint listening to me. he said Rylo looked nervous as fuck, like he ain't want nobody to peep him; I'm just keeping it a hunnid with you, sis. I don't want you out here looking like a goofy while yo’ nigga tryna play you."
Her concern sounded real, but something still felt off. Why did she seem too eager to tell me this shit?
Before I could press her more, Morgan's phone lit up on the table. She grabbed it quick, but not before I saw a name flash across the screen. I couldn't make it out, but the way she moved told me everything I needed to know.
"Who that? DeAndre?" I asked.
"Yeah." She was texting back fast. "He said he on his way through."
"I thought he was handling business?"
"He is, but he finna pull up after." Morgan set her phone down face-down. "You know how he is."
Something wasn't adding up with Morgan lately, I decided to let it go. But I was definitely filing this shit away.
"Anyway," Morgan said trying to change the subject. "How was the meeting with Yatta and them GMB niggas?"
My mind immediately went to Sosa. Tall, dark as midnight, with long dreads and that silver nose ring that had no business looking that good on a nigga. The way he looked at me, like he could see straight through my clothes, through my skin, down to my soul. Shit was weird.
We didn't speak. We didn't exchange numbers. We didn't do shit but stare at each other for what felt like forever but was probably only a few seconds. But that look had been living in my head rent-free for a whole week.
"I guess it went cool, shit I don’t ask Yatta too many questions, concerning his business.” I said vaguely,
"You ain’t see that fine ass nigga Sosa in there? Girl I woulda been all on his dick, wit’ his fine ass.” She stated
"I wasn’t looking for that nigga, I got a man," I shot back.
"A man who might be playing you," Morgan shot back. "I'm just saying, keep your options open. A nigga like Sosa could change your whole life."
Before I could respond, my phone started buzzing. Yatta’s name flashed across the screen, and adrenaline shot through me. He was a texter, he never called unless it was important, and important usually meant money.
"Hol’ on, Yatta calling me,” I said, standing up.
Morgan's eyes tracked me as I headed for her balcony. "Tell your brother I said Heyyyyy!" her thirsty ass sang out but I didn’t respond, just slid the door closed behind me.
"What's good bro,?" I answered.
"Yah-Yah." His voice was pure business. "I need you to do something for me."
"I'm listening."
"I need you to make a run, I need you to take this bread to Sosa. He's expecting it tonight, and you know I don't trust nobody else to handle it."
My heart started pounding at the sound of Sosa's name. The man I'd locked eyes with at the club. The man who'd been on my mind all week even though I had no business thinking about him.
"I'm at Morgan's crib right now," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Aight cool, Swing by the spot first. Eric got that bread waiting for you.”
"The shop?"
"Nah, the other spot. On Stony." He paused, and I could hear him adjusting his glasses like he always did when he was thinking.
"Everything straight with you? You sound off."
"I'm good, bro. Just some shit on my mind.”
"Aight whatever it is, let that shit go, I need you to bust this move for me. This drop is important, Yasani. So, I don’t need no fuck ups.”
“I gotchu’,” I replied then hung up the phone.
I stood on the balcony for another minute, trying to get my head right. I was about to see Sosa again and I was lowkey excited about it.
When I stepped back inside, Morgan was on her phone again, texting rapidly. She looked up quick when she heard the door, putting it away.
"Everything good?" she asked.
"Yeah. Yatta need me to handle something." I grabbed my purse and jacket. "I gotta slide."
"Right now?" Morgan's face fell. "I thought we was chilling tonight."
"You know how it is. When Big bro call, I gotta move." She stood up, following me to the door.
"Where you going? I can come—"
"Nah, I'm straight." Something told me I didn't want Morgan knowing my business. "I'll hit you tomorrow."
"Okay. Be safe out there, sis." She paused, her voice dropping. "And Yah-Yah, watch that nigga Rylo. I got a bad feeling."
I looked at her hard. "You got a bad feeling, or you know something you ain't saying? Keep it a buck."
"I'm just saying." She wouldn't meet my eyes. "Protect your heart. We all know these niggas ain't shit."
“Heard!” I said throwing up the deuce sign.
As I walked to my car, I couldn't shake the weird energy from tonight. Morgan's obsession with Rylo's movements, the way she seemed to know too much about my nigga. None of it sat right with me.
I slid into my ride, with my mind racing. I started the engine and pulled off. In my rearview mirror, I could see Morgan in her window, phone pressed to her ear, talking to somebody.
Something wasn't right and I could feel it in my bones.
* * *