3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
Demetric
T onight was the night I would meet up with Goon’s people to pick up my shipment. I paid that nigga a week ago with the full payment, so I wouldn’t hear no shit. I didn’t need no nigga thinking they had anything that they could hold over my head. This way I could see all my profit and didn’t have to give him shit but the money for my next shipment. Shit made perfect sense. I still didn’t say shit about this to Zeus because he swore I wasn’t ready for this type of shit. Handling this much artillery at once could be considered an act of terror and my black ass could possibly face RICO charges. That was the price I was willing to play.
“Why this nigga set this shit for one AM? Who the fuck does shit like that?” Kevon’s ass was always complaining, but I felt him. I had been running all day and was tired as fuck. Once we made this transaction, we would go through the inventory and stash it in our warehouse. We passed the blunt black and forth between the two of us until I saw the black semi-truck pull into the parking lot through the surveillance camera.
“At least these muthafuckas punctual,” I observed. It was one o’clock on the dot when the truck pulled up and backed up to a dock. I didn’t get up and go to the door until I saw the nigga that he said would be making the drop. Heading to the door, with Kev behind me, I unlocked the door and met this nigga at the back of the truck.
I didn’t speak, only acknowledging him with a head nod as he and his partner unloaded my shit. As they did that, his partner spoke up, pissing me the fuck off.
“Ain’t you Zeus’ boy?” he quizzed.
“I ain’t nobody’s fuckin’ boy ,” I snapped, ready to bash this nigga’s skull.
“My fault, cuz. I ain’t mean to disrespect you,” he smirked.
“Aye, shut the fuck up talking to me ’fore you won’t be able to finish the job you were paid to do. Bitch ass nigga.” I grumbled the last part. Not because I was scared. I was pissed the fuck off. I hated it when people said shit like that. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate Zeus for looking out for me like a father should. It just pissed me off that I didn’t know whoever my real pops was. Shit was a sore subject for me, along with having a hoe as a mama. Lighting the blunt that I had in the ashtray, I smoked that shit so I could calm my nerves. I knew Kev could oversee that shit by his self. Besides, I was watching them on the camera. Fifteen minutes later, he emerged to the room I was sitting in, and I passed him the blunt.
“You straight?” he asked. I nodded my response because I didn’t feel like talking about the shit.
“Don’t let that shit get to you. We just made a major move, and I need your head in this shit. Let’s look over this shit so we can get the fuck outta here. I’m ready to take my black ass to sleep.”
We left the warehouse around five in the morning, and I couldn’t get home and shower fast enough. I was gonna hit the bed so hard, I might just fall through the muthafucka.
***
I literally slept all day, and I was still tired as fuck. Sitting up on the bed, I threw my legs over the side, placing them on the carpeted floor and stretching. Picking up my phone, I saw it was after six PM. I saw that I had missed calls from Zeus, Ma Izzy, Jay, and Paris. Paris was the one with the most missed calls, so I hit her up first, already knowing she didn’t want shit.
“Baby, I was starting to worry. You weren’t answering. I was on my way over there to check on you,” she said as soon as our call connected. I frowned at the fact that she said she was going to pop up at my shit because she knew I didn’t play that shit.
“I was sleep, P. A nigga was tired, and you know better than to just pop up at my shit. We ain’t on that type of time.” Standing to my feet, I stretched again and went into the bathroom to piss. I heard her sigh, so I knew she heard me, but I guess she called herself getting in her feelings.
“We can be like that, though; you just won’t try. You need to let go of those mommy issues and man the fuck up! I’m too grown for you to be playing with me like this, Demetric.” While she had her lil’ rant, I turned the shower on and let it run while I brushed my teeth.
“Demetric?”
I spit the toothpaste out of my mouth and answered. “Yeah,” I responded, flatly.
“You didn’t hear me talking to you?” she sounded like she was chastising me, and that further infuriated me.
“Aye, you need to chill wit’ allat. You acting like you a nigga’s mama or some shit. I heard what the fuck you said, but I was trying not to hurt yo’ fuckin’ feelings. Don’t ever bring my mama up again. That part of my life has nothing to do with you. If you feel like you’on want to do this shit anymore, then I’m cool on that, but make that your last time you call yourself tryna handle me. Find you another nigga to play wit’ because I ain’t him.” I hung up in her face because I didn’t care to hear her crying and shit.
When I got out of the shower, my phone was ringing again. If that was Paris, I was gon’ show her I’m not the nigga to be playing with. Glancing at it, I saw it was Jaylen.
“Wassup, Jay?” I answered.
“Where you been all day?” she quipped.
“Sleep. Wassup.”
“I was just calling to check on you, brother.” Every time she called me her brother, it made my heart swell. I didn’t have siblings and her lil’ ass wouldn’t let me rest until I allowed her to call me her brother. Don’t get it twisted, though. I’d fuck the world up behind her.
“You sound like you want something, and I ain’t got it.” She kissed her teeth, and I knew that was followed by an eye roll.
“You suck. When you coming back over here?” she asked.
“Shit…Ma Izzy cooked?”
“When doesn’t she?”
“Well, I’ll be over there later.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later.”
“Aight.” I hung up the phone and finished getting dressed so I could head out. I’ll talk to Zeus and Ma Izzy when I stopped through there later.
I left the house and pulled up to my destination and headed inside. I came here for one thing in general and I didn’t see it. Looking around, I noticed a chick staring at me from the register. She was all in my face, so the least she could do was help me.
“Aye, shorty. Daizha here?” I remembered ol’ boy say her name the night I dropped her off. I’m glad I stuck around until she went inside because that nigga was gonna end up getting his ass beat. I don’t know what it was about shorty, but I felt like I needed to make sure she was good.
“You lookin’ for Daizha?”
“Ain’t that’s what I just said?” I mugged her because I hated when a muthafucka acted dumb.
She rolled her eyes and said, “You don’t have to get nasty. I was just asking what you wanted her for?”
“That ain’t none of your business. Is she here or not?” Just as she was about to say something smart, I felt somebody walking up on me, prompting me to give them my attention.
“Hey. What are you doing here?” she asked. I took the time to let my eyes scan over her to make sure she was good physically.
“You good?” I asked.
“Yeah. Why are you here?” she asked again.
“I came to make sure you were good and shit. I ain’t like the way that nigga was handling you the other night.” She glanced over at ol’ girl who was all in our business and rolled her eyes. It was clear that they didn’t get along.
“Aye, walk out here right quick.” I ushered her outside and stood off to the side of the building.
“I asked you were you good.”
“As good as I’m going to be,” she sighed.
“What that mean?”
“Just what I said. Is that all? I need to get back inside before that bitch goes and tells James I’m outside and it’s not my break.”
“Fuck that nigga. I’ll handle that shit if he comes out here and fucks with you. What time you get off?”
“Huh? Why? I have a boyfriend,” she stated.
“I ain’t ask you that, and fuck that nigga. I was asking because I can come back and scoop you up and take you home,” I offered. You would think I offered to kidnap her, or some shit the way her eyes bucked.
“No…no that’s okay. I have a ride?” she stammered. The way she responded didn’t sit right with me.
“That nigga be beating you?”
“What? No!” she rushed out. “Why would you ask me that?”
“You acting all battered and shit. You sure?” I didn’t give her time to respond before I lifted her shirt and inspected her body. The way she fought me off let me know all I needed to know. I didn’t see any physical marks, but that nigga was doing something to shorty.
“Get your hands off of me!” she yelled, chest heaving. I threw my hands up so she could see them.
“Whoa…chill out. I ain’t trying to do shit to you. A nigga really concerned, and I don’t even know why. Check it out though. Let me get your phone so I can save my number. I know a troubled soul when I see one and shorty you got some shit wit’ you. You can hit me up any time you need to talk or something. No funny shit. You too young for me, anyway,” I smirked and lightened the mood.
“You don’t look that much older than me,” she said.
“You might be right, but I like my women to be at least thirty or older, and I’m pretty sure you don’t fit that category. Now hand me your phone so I can slide.” She looked at me hesitantly, but she eventually handed her phone over, and I stored my number, then called my phone so I could save hers.
“Demetric?” she read my name stored in her phone.
“Yeah. You’re my lil’ homie now, so I’ll let you call me by my name.”
“Okay, Demetric. I gotta go back inside, though. Thank you for checking on me.”
“Ain’t shit, but you didn’t say what time you get off.”
“I have to close, but I’ll get an Uber. Thank you for the offer.” I nodded and waited for her to go back inside before I left. That nigga definitely had shorty fucked up. I was genuinely concerned about her, and I was gonna make it my business to look out for her because it was clear that she didn’t have nobody else to do that shit.
***
After going by Daizha’s job, I went by my people’s house to see what they wanted. Everybody in that house had been blowing me up like somebody was dying. When I let myself in, the aroma of fried chicken hit my nose. Following my nose like that bright ass bird on the commercials, I ended up in the kitchen where I found Zeus and Ma Izzy.
“Wassup, people,” I greeted. I kissed Ma Izzy on her cheek and turned my attention towards Zeus. If he could make me drop dead from his looks alone, I’d be one dead muthafucka.
“Let me holla at you,” he hissed.
Sighing, I followed him to his office, mentally preparing myself to listen to this bullshit.
“Wassup?” I sat down in front of his desk with legs gaped and hands overlapping in my lap.
“Did you not think I would find out?” he finally spoke.
“Find out about what?” I watched him pinch the bridge of his nose as a tactic to calm himself down.
“I thought we decided not to expand to distributing guns, Meech?” I knew this was what he was talking about.
“We didn’t decide shit. You did.” I pointed at him for emphasis.
“That’s because you’re not ready for that kind of responsibility!”
“How the fuck are you going to tell me what the fuck I’m ready for? Haven’t you been grooming me for the past ten years?” He exhaled, but still didn’t respond. “You don’t have to answer because we both know the truth. Let me do this. I got it.” We shared a brief stare off before his face softened and he spoke.
“I did groom you. I just don’t want you to take on too much too soon. I trust that you’re taking everything that I taught you and implemented it correctly. Just be careful.”
“I got it.”
He walked behind me as we exited his office. I needed to go holla at Jaylen, and I knew she was more than likely in her room. That was the about the only young female that didn’t stay in the streets.
Knock! Knock!
“Come in,” she yelled from behind the door.
“What you blowin’ my phone up for, Jay? Unlike you, I have a life.” I pushed her feet off the bed before sitting down.
“Don’t be sitting on my bed. I don’t know where you been. I’on want them granny juices on me.”
“Man, watch out. Ain’t shit on me. What you wanted, though?”
“Nothing. I wanted to see if you wanted to go to lunch, but yo’ ass ain’t even respond.” She rolled her eyes.
“I was sleep. I got some new shit going on and I’ve been on that. Check it, though. I need you to ride with me to pick up somebody for me.”
“Pick up who?”
“This girl I met. Shorty got some shit going on and I just want to make sure she’s good and shit,” I responded honestly.
“What girl? You like her or something? How old is she? Because I’m not picking up nobody’s old ass auntie.” I couldn’t help the laugh that erupted from stomach.
“Man, chill. She ain’t nobody’s auntie. At least not an old one. She’s just somebody I ran into a few days ago and shorty looks like she could use a friend.”
“You do like her,” she smirked.
“Didn’t I just say this girl was young? Might be your age, besides we all know I love the aunties,” I smirked. “I just feel bad for her and shit.” I knew people wouldn’t understand the shit because hell if we’re being honest…I didn’t either.
“Well, what you need me to do?”
“I need you to pick her up for me. Her nigga ain’t shit and be having her catch Uber’s and shit. The day I met her she was outside crying, and shit because he wouldn’t pick her up, so I took her home. That nigga was pulling up at the same time and banged on shorty because she got out of the car wit’ a nigga. Like muthafucka, I could’ve been the Uber driver, but she was in the front seat. I mean, I probably would’ve acted a fool too if my girl got out of the car with another nigga. Shorty seemed to shut down when he was yelling at her, so I know his bitch ass does that shit a lot. I stopped by her job earlier to check on her and offered to give her a ride and shit when she got off, and she declined. She’on need to be getting off that late and that nigga ain’t waiting on her ass at the door.” Just thinking about the shit had me heated. I wish a muthafucka would have Jay catching any form of transportation outside of him. Especially late at night.
“Where does she work?”
“Walgreen’s out on Fleet.”
“Out East,” she damn near yelled in my damn ear.
“Damn. Just fuck my ear, huh? But yeah, but the other end. Not the slums.”
“You just be all over the place, huh? You sound genuinely concerned and you know I understand more than anybody. When does she get off?” she asked. I knew she meant by both of us being in the system and feeling like you have nobody that you can lean or depend on. Even though she didn’t stay as long as me…she understands.
“Eleven. I’ll meet you there and shit, so she won’t freak out or some shit.”
“Okay. You still owe me, so I want to do brunch soon.”
“Brunch? Ain’t that’s that shit where y’all females go and get drunk? I’ll pass. I’ll take yo’ ass to lunch and that’s it.”
“Punk, but I’ll take it.” I pulled Jay in for a hug, then mushed her head and left. I still had shit to do before I had to meet her and get Daizha. I just hope shorty appreciated the gesture and not bang out on a nigga.