Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Fumi
Damn, it was going down at Edgewood Day…
The niggas were out, bitch, and I was outside.
The food trucks filled the park. So many kids ran and jumped through the bounce houses.
The niggas brought out all the old-school cars and parked them along the curb.
Oh, and the music was blasting from every direction.
The whole hood showed up—even people I hadn’t seen in years.
“Girl...” Nikki handed me a spiked frozen lemonade. “You look like you’re actually outside today.”
“I am outside. What’s that supposed to mean?”
Journee laughed. “Bitch barely.”
“I’ve been outside.”
Alexis rolled her eyes. “You work six days a week.”
“Sometimes I’m booked and busy, though.”
We laughed and kept walking through the crowd. Every few feet, someone stopped to speak. Edgewood is home and has always felt like family, even when folks were in your business.
“Nuri.” Cash’s voice carried over the music. Nuri froze.
“Well...” She muttered. “Here we go.”
Cash walked over with Guap beside him. “You been dodging me?”
“I been busy.”
“Mmm-hmm, doing what though?”
“I have been minding my business, not yours.”
He smiled. “I know what yo ass been doing… You must think I’m crazy or sumn… We’re gonna talk, though.”
“We ain’t.”
“We are.”
Nuri rolled her eyes. “We’ll see.”
The rest of us laughed as they kept going back and forth. Then I saw Hood, fine ass. Why is he out here looking like that? He’s rocking a black Balmain tee, distressed Balmain jeans, and Black Cat Jordan 4s.
A gold Cuban rests against his chest. He looked good, and when our eyes met across the crowd, everything around us disappeared for a second. He gave me that same small smile.
“What’s up, Fumi?”
“What’s up?”
“You good?”
“I am.”
“Good.” Hood nodded once. “Enjoy your day.”
“You too.”
That was it. This nigga is being really petty. He didn’t step closer. He didn’t ask where I’d been. So, he’s really acting like he doesn’t give a fuck about me anymore. He didn’t ask to walk with me. He kept fucking moving, and to be honest, I felt it more than I wanted to admit.
Damn... why am I disappointed? Before I could answer, a familiar voice cut through the crowd. Adrienne was heading straight toward us.
“So, this is what we’re doing?”
I turned around. I’m finna tag this bitch. She was walking straight toward us, her eyes locked on me.
“You just couldn’t wait, could you?”
I frowned. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
Cash’s smile disappeared. “Adrienne...”
“Don’t say shit to me, Cash.” She ignored him. “You think you won.”
“I ain’t competing with a basic-ass bitch,” I answered calmly. “I don’t want Hood, but if I did, what’s your fucking issue, hoe? Last I checked, that nigga up grabs. I just ain’t snatched him yet.”
“Girl, you’re lying.” She took another step.
“Cross that gun line, and I’mma put you in your fucking place, hoe.”
“You always wanted him.”
“I had him. Make no fucking mistake.”
The crowd around us started to quiet down. People stopped talking, eating, and walking. Everybody felt it. I wasn’t about to entertain this shit, but if she kept pressing, I was finna put my hands on her. We weren’t finna do all that talking.
“Adrienne...”
“I’m not doing this talking. What the fuck you wanna do?”
I ain’t backing down from this weak-ass hoe, especially after she fucked up my BENZ. I was still on that. She reached toward me, and I was ready to drop this bitch. Before she could get close... a body stepped between us.
Hood. He didn’t shove Adrienne. He didn’t grab her. He moved, one arm stretched slightly behind him, guiding me back without making a scene.
His voice remained calm. “Fumi... Stay behind me and don’t fucking move.”
“Excuse me…”
“I ain’t stuttering.”
I looked up at Hood. His shoulders were relaxed. His fists weren’t clenched. He wasn’t yelling or threatening anyone. He was standing there, creating space.
Adrienne laughed. “Oh, you’re protecting this whore now?”
Hood never took his eyes off Adrienne. “Aye, watch your fucking mouth. She ain’t never been a whore. I’m protecting everybody. Aye, you need to leave.”
“Or what?”
Hood finally looked at her. “Or you’re gonna make today worse than it fucking needs to be.”
Adrienne sucked in her teeth. “You’re choosing her again.”
“No.”
“I’m choosing peace.”
Adrienne laughed without humor. “Peace?”
“Yeah. The same peace you keep fucking interrupting.”
Security had already started moving toward us. People whispered all around us. Cash stepped beside Hood.
Guap moved toward Adrienne without touching her. “Come on. It ain’t worth it.”
Adrienne looked around. Realizing every eye in Edgewood was on her. She pointed at me. “This ain’t over.”
Hood’s expression never changed. “It is for today.”
Security finally reached us. “Ma’am... we need you to come with us.”
Adrienne snatched her arm away. “I’m leaving.” She shot me one last look before disappearing into the crowd. Silence. The music kept playing, but nobody moved. Hood slowly turned around and towered over me.
“You straight?”
I nodded. “I’m good.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
He looked me over for a second, making sure I really was okay. Then he stepped back.
“Aiight… Enjoy the rest of your day, Fumi.”
Before I could say anything... he turned around. Cash and Guap fell in beside him. The three of them disappeared into the crowd. I watched him leave, again.
Only this time... I wasn’t thinking about what he said. I was thinking about what he did. Years ago... Hood would’ve escalated the situation; we would’ve taken it there.
Today... he stood in front of me to keep me from beating her ass. He knew I was ready to fight this bitch weeks ago. Hood was holding court to make sure I never had to touch this bitch. Somehow... that affected me more than any words ever could.
The DJ was still doing his thing, the music still riding the beat. The kids were still laughing and having a good time. The food trucks were still counting cash and serving people as if nothing had happened. Edgewood Day kept going, but I couldn’t shake what had just happened.
“You good?” Journee bumped my shoulder.
“Hmm?”
“I asked if you were all right.”
“I’m good.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
I looked down at the lemonade in my hand. “I just...” I sighed.
“I wasn’t expecting Adrienne.” Nikki sucked her teeth. “That bitch needs help. She needs to move on. Hood made it clear he doesn’t want her. What’s not clicking? How many times a nigga got to tell you that shit was embarrassing for her?”
“For real.”
Alexis shook her head. “She looked obsessed.”
I didn’t answer because my mind wasn’t on Adrienne anymore. It was on Hood. I replayed it all in my head. He didn’t argue. He didn’t threaten her. He didn’t call her by name.
He stepped in front of me, then left once he knew I was okay. That part... I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“Damn, he ain’t even stay.”
The words slipped out before I realized I’d said them. The girls looked at me.
“What?” Nikki smiled.
“Nothing.”
“No... It’s time for you to be honest with yourself.”
“What?”
“You heard me… I think you understand what the fuck is going on? I noticed Hood really ain’t running up behind yo ass anymore.”
“Noticed what?”
“He didn’t use saving you as an excuse to be around yo ass.”
I frowned. “I wasn’t thinking about that.”
Journee laughed. “You just said it.”
“I know what I said.”
“And? I just...” I searched for the right words. “I thought...What? I don’t know.”
Alexis folded her arms. “You thought Hood was gone; use that as his way back in.”
I looked at her. “...Yeah. But he didn’t.”
“He checked on Adrienne... made sure you were all right... and kept things moving.”
I stared across the park. Somewhere out there... Hood was probably laughing with Cash and Guap as if nothing had happened. As if he trusted I’d be all right.
That was new. Years ago... Hood would’ve stayed glued to my side for the rest of the day. Today... he respected my space.
Again. Damn... How many times was this nigga gonna surprise me? Nikki wrapped her arm around my shoulder.
“You are smiling.”
“I am not.”
“You are.”
“I ain’t.”
“You’re thinking about Hood.”
I smiled despite myself. “A little.”
“A little?” Journee laughed. “Bitch... You ain’t looked for Adrienne once since she left. You been looking for Hood.”
I opened my mouth to deny it... Then stopped because they were right. At some point, without even realizing it, I’d stopped worrying about the woman trying to ruin my day and started wondering where Hood had gone. That realization hit harder than anything Adrienne had said.
Because somewhere between him chasing me... and him finally letting me breathe... I started missing him. And that scared me more than Adrienne ever could.