23. Turk
Turk
I can’t even be ecstatic about having my cinnamon apple finally in my life the way God intended, because my honey apple crisp is off in East Jesus.
I should be enjoying both my baby mamas, making each other come over and over. I should be cooking them food and watching them feed each other before I feed them my dick. I should be picking out baby names and whooping they asses in poker so I can be in charge of naming my mini honey apple crisp.
But no. All that shit has to wait. I gotta stuff all my nearly overwhelming feelings into a small little box because the other woman who has my heart is bound by a bunch of laws and traditions and engagements and shit.
Ma Dukes was right about being careful who I let in.
Because now I can’t cut my losses. Not that I even want to, but the fact is I can’t. I spend my days waiting for a check-in off my burner phone from Rico, who disappeared off the face of the earth a couple weeks back. Now, I only get updates of my best friend through social media.
Set’s out of his coma, but still in the hospital. He barely escaped having to have an ostomy bag, and he may never have full use of his arm, but my boy is alive, and that’s all that matters.
They put Brina on bedrest, which didn’t mean anything, since she and Nut moved into Set’s hospital room. I told her I appreciated her for keeping me updated, since we both know how Nut is.
Until I have real proof Pay and them Get Money niggas ain’t the reason for Set’s shooting, it’s on sight. And I don’t have time for it.
Not with Pay still in the wind.
But I’m bringing my baby home soon, bet your bottom dollar on that shit. Autumn’s done with school, and I know when she wakes up from that mind blowing sex I gave her, that’s her next order of business. Finding Shad so he can figure out who shot Set.
Everything is coming together.
Especially after the text Rico sent me right before Autumn pulled up to our new home. Bomb neighborhood, a backyard space made for them lil parties my girls like to throw, and enough space for all of us to be to ourselves when Auty gets in her moods.
I pull into the mall parking lot with a smile on my face. I can’t celebrate fully, but I’m still elated Auty’s all in with me. I damn near wanna drop a hundred thou in her account just because.
Maybe I’ll mask it as a graduation gift.
A beat up toyota pulls next to me, and the smoke coming out the back is alarming to say the least. A tall man gets out, looks around, before coming and sliding into my car.
This nigga looks nothing like Rico, but still looks like him.
Nigga got on a whole lace front wig, that’s actually blended.
The hair is braided into two french braids that stop at his chest. He also has peach fuzz on his normally clean-shaven chin.
And when he licks his bottom lip, there’s no tongue piercing.
“Nigga, you been in Autumn’s wig closet?”
He digs in his pocket and takes out a lighter and backwood. “I would joke with yo ass, but I ain’t got much time, and the info I’ve got isn’t good. You’re gonna need this.”
“Where you get this? You don’t smoke.” Where weed calms Set and Nut down, it only further pulls Rico into psychosis. Most medications, manmade or natural, don’t agree with him.
“Them Native niggas smoke like chimneys. You don’t know how many times I’ve had to hold my breath and not inhale.”
I shrug and spark up. “Yo ass really assimilated huh?”
He shakes his head and looks off into the parking lot. “I think it’s more appropriation than anything… you high yet? I gotta get back, but I need you as calm as possible.”
I take another hit and blow it away from him. “Just say it. I already know Pay basically facing they version of the death penalty.”
He waves me off. “Grimey and Apache’s votes mean the most. They’re gonna defer her punishment to Grimey and he’s gonna spend the rest of their lives convincing her to marry him.
The nigga is a cold-blooded killer and probably has psychopathic tendencies, but he won’t harm her.
He’s more likely to kill you and Autumn. ”
“Well, damn,” I choke on some of this gas and reach for the water in my center console.
“Yeah, but Apache’s got him somewhat on a leash. They’re negotiating a treaty with the Italians. Apparently they took credit for shooting Cochise and the G$’s got trigger happy.”
“Did they? Shoot him?”
Rico scratches his laces and sighs. “Nah, I don’t think so. They don’t have the manpower or really the leadership to pull off that hit. Plus, Cochise was only shot once. I think they were aiming for Set.”
“Man, we need Shad. Has he answered you?”
“Nah. Bro dropped off the face of the earth, I don’t even think he knows about Set. His phone is off and everything, and he’s not at home… aight, you should be high. I know how Grimey knew to pull up on us at the game.”
I took another deep hit and waited for my bro to deliver the news.
“You know he been fucking Renelle?”
That was not where I thought he was going.
I put the wood out and sit up in my car. “Come again?”
My bro scratches that lace again and I know he’ll be happy when he can take it off.
“Apparently they go way back to when they were in high school. I mean, they the same age and all, but I woulda never thought. She’s the one who told him about Pay, but I don’t know if she knew that was his ex or not.
She be around at the spot he has for slides, but she doesn’t go near any of the big houses.
She’ll be at his party tonight, though.”
My sister… my stupid, boy crazy, crip-loving sister. She’s smarter than what Rico gives her credit for.
She knew exactly what the fuck she was doing.
And if she didn’t, oh the fuck well. I’m still taking it personally.
“What party?”
“Grimey’s thirty-fifth. Who the fuck has an all-white party after Labor Day?”
“Where is it gonna be?”
“At the G$ clubhouse, Geronimo Land. You coming?”
A grin pulls at my lips. “Shit, I mean, why not?”
Women take forever to get ready. That much is true.
That shit is exacerbated when the woman getting ready is making content.
Wyn has been telling some story about a time she and Auty beat up a bitch for sucking up her man, and completely abandoned doing her make-up.
I get even more irritated when I remember the story she’s talking about, and how the nigga she talking about is Set.
I miss my dawg, foreal.
Wyn glances at me off-camera, and I must look how I feel because she wraps up the story and gets off Live. “Have you talked to him, Turk?”
I sigh and rub my eyebrow. “Nah. Brina said Nut hasn’t left his side, and that nigga out for blood. I really need to find Shad.”
She makes this sad ass face before sipping her third margarita. “I think I can help with that… one thing at a time though. I don’t know why I even agreed for you to be my plus one.”
I get up and wrap my arm around her neck. Her dramatic ass starts hollering.
“It’s okay sis, I love yo bird ass too.”
She pushes me away and starts fussing over her makeup. “You’re such an asshole, Turkey! And stop calling me that, you know that hurts my feelings.” She starts tearing up and peering at me through the mirror on her vanity but I just wave her off.
“Them crocodile tears don’t work on me. That’s why you love me. I’m the only muthafucka around that never kissed yo ass.”
Just like I thought, those tears dry in her eyes and she rolls them. “That’s not why. I tolerate you being a dick because of Auty, duh.”
She starts doing some shit with some blush I’ve seen Pay do.
“You used to be beating every nigga up in middle school. You even beat up my boyfriend. I was so mad… I told Auty I was gonna get Renelle’s boyfriend to beat yo ass.
She begged me not to. She was so scared that if I did, you wouldn’t hang out with her anymore.
She offered to do my homework for a whole year.
I was kind of jealous, to be honest… she was my twin, caping for someone else.
But the way she talked about you, I knew I couldn’t hurt her like that.
So if it means using your hate to fuel me, or helping you rescue you guys’ other girlfriend, then I’m on board. It’s the least I can do.”
My cinnamon apple man… she’s forever surprising me.
“I wouldn’t have stopped fucking with Autumn, and Poncho weak ass couldn’t have done shit to me. But it’s nice to know you fucked with her back then.”
Wyn freezes for a second before spraying some shit all over her face. “I know I’ve done some shit I’m not proud of, but Auty has always been the most important person in my life. Just… when you hate yourself, it’s hard not to hate everyone else.”
I watch Wyn down the rest of her drinks before escaping to her closet to change into her outfit.
When we were kids, I used to think Wyn had it made.
Her parents in their grief gave Wyn whatever she wanted.
They would spend days at the casino to come and blow it on her, clothes, toys, anything she wanted.
As we got older, she had no curfew, and where Autumn was on lockdown most of the time if it wasn’t school, Wyn would be hugging the block with whoever, all over the city.
Even when Auty went through what she went through, when it came out it was Wyn’s fault, her parents didn’t bat an eye.
They refused to press charges so Wyn wouldn’t be caught up in it.
Just on some true enabler shit. And then still kicked Auty out on her eighteenth birthday but let Wyn stay until her rap shit blew up.
And she acted every bit of the spoiled brat. It’s why most of us except Set didn’t fuck with her. Why Rico has a bullet literally carved with her initials. Why Auty still can’t deal with her most days.
But looking at her now, downing margaritas and swiping her finger across her gums, I’m starting to think Wyn didn’t escape the ghost of Summer Dae Shaw unscathed.
Wyn fingers her blonde wig before facing me in a white corset and white pleather pants that look like she can’t breathe.
“Aight brother-in-law. Lets go.”