Chapter 36
Three months had flown by, and Juelz was back on the scene fresh out of rehab.
The old Juelz, who always smelled like Hennessy, blowing on some loud before daybreak, and kept a little powder on standby, was long gone.
In his place was a better version of himself.
Still hood. Still Juelz. But his energy was different.
He moved differently now. More focused. The long nights in the trap and meetups with the plug every other week had also become a thing of the past. He finally decided to put his electrical skills to use and landed himself a big-time electrician position working on commercial buildings and large construction projects.
For the first time in a long time, Juelz could finally say his money was clean.
He was also no longer living in the penthouse and finally moved back into his house after months of waiting for it to be rebuilt.
But something about it felt different now, like the air itself had changed.
No more stale smoke clouds floating throughout the living room.
No more random empty bottles on the counters.
The ashtrays were clean. The vibe felt peaceful.
This was his second chance at life, so he wasn’t going to fuck it up.
The doorbell sounded off, and Juelz headed down the spiral staircase to answer it.
He opened the door, wearing all black, his gold thick chain hanging against his chest. The dreads were gone now, replaced with a low fade that the waves were taking over.
His face looked cleaner, his eyes brighter, and his body had filled out again, no more sluggish movements or that low buzz always humming under his skin.
The crew was already talking shit. Sintonio came in, propping on the chair arm. Kane had stretched himself out on the rug, resting on one elbow, while Mar was on the phone, arguing with someone over who cheated last in the spades game. But when they finally looked up and saw Juelz, they all paused.
“Oh, shit,” Kane grinned, sitting up. “Look like he got that Gucci clone going on. You sure this you, nigga.”
Juelz smirked, dap’d him up. “Nigga, shut up. It’s me.”
Sintonio stood and hugged him. Real tight, one hand on the back of his head and the other on his back. “Good to see you, bro.”
“Good to be seen.” Juelz shot back, taking a seat on the sectional. “I miss this shit. Missed y'all.”
Kane nodded slow. “You look better, Jue. Deadass. I mean, damn, nigga ya whole aura is different.” He looked Juelz up and down. You sure you didn’t do the Gucci on us?”
Juelz laughed and brushed them off, “Man, watch out. I just had to get myself in a better place. Shit, I feel better too.” Juelz said, leaning back on the sectional, interlocking his fingers behind his head.
“Ain’t touch no weed. No fuckin’ powder.
Ain’t even had a drink since the night I checked in. Shit wasn’t easy. But it’s done.”
They all went quiet. Not awkward quiet, just respectful. Kane broke the silence first.
“So… you mean to tell me no more blunts, no, 1942, no lines off the counter,” he chuckled, “Now I know this ain’t the real Gawddamn Jue.”
“Nigga, I am me,” Juelz said with a smirk. “Just a newer version I was before all the dumb shit.”
Mar raised an eyebrow. “So basically you ah square now?”
Juelz leaned up and nodded. “Nigga I’ll still flame y’all dumb asses. Don’t get it twisted.”
Laughter cracked around the room. It felt good. Familiar.
Juelz looked around the room at his new beginnings. He thought about his life and the way he fucked up the one good thing he had going for himself.
“I fucked up a lot,” he said. “Damn near lost everythin’. Includin’ my fuckin’ life. I appreciate y’all boys for havin’ my back on that.”
Kane leaned forward, serious for once. “We got you, bruh. Whatever you need, we brothas.”
“Have y’all boys seen Tasha or heard anythin’ about her? I miss the fuck outta that girl.”
Sintonio went to the refrigerator for a bottle of water. “Man, Jue. To be honest witcha. Tasha had been kickin’ shit heavy with that baseball nigga, Kenji. We saw them the day you checked in at the hospital. But they called it quits recently, shit.”
Juelz went silent for a beat. He wasn’t expected to hear that news. He knew he had fucked up with her, but damn.
He squeezed the TV remote in his hand, jaw tightening as he looked to the floor, pondering on the old days. That news hit different. Hearing her name was one thing. But knowing she was smiling in another nigga face while he was gone? A nigga like Kenji? It stung. No lie.
“Kenji, huh?” he whispered under his breath, tasting the name like something bitter.
Mar scratched the back of his head. “She definitely looked better witchu. Y’all niggas were made for each other.”
That comment made Juelz feel worse. Not because he hated her being happy. But because she was really out there dating and forgetting all about him.
Juelz leaned back, his face unreadable. “I gotta get my peace back.”
Mar glanced at him. “That’s what the fuck I’m ‘talmbout, boy. Go getcha bitch back, my nigga.”
He threw the remote at Mar, laughing. “Watch ya mouth, nigga, for I show you a bitch.”
They stood up as if they were about to fight, but started throwing fake jabs at one another, ducking from left to right.
Sintonio spoke up. “Aye… aye! Real shit? You should try to talk to her ass again and lay all that shit out for her.” He tilted his head toward Juelz.
“Shit, her sister throwing her a surprise birthday and remission party on Saturday. You need to fall thru.”
Juelz looked at him with hope in his eyes. “That’s a bet! I want her to know… I ain’t the same nigga. Not no more.”
Kane clapped him on the shoulder. “Then show her. Don’t just be better. Stay better. Maybe she’ll see it. Maybe not. But at least you’ll know you real about it. My nigga cut his dreads off and all that shit. He ready!”
Juelz nodded, swallowing that lump in his throat. That old Juelz, the one that used to run from shit, hide behind blunts and bottles, he would've let pride talk.
Sintonio stood up, shaking his head as he remembered how Juelz was on his ass when he was down and low. “Now who on bended knee now, nigga.”
“Fuck you, man,” said Juelz as he grinned, pushing Sintonio back.
It took Juelz damn near a week to work up the nerve. He’d been sitting on it. Overthinking. Rewriting shit in his head a thousand times. But no matter how he sliced it, one fact remained: Tasha wasn’t his anymore. And the only nigga probably standing in the space where he used to be?
Kenji Riggs. So he scrolled to the text he had received one day from a PI while trying to get the dirt on Kenji, and copied his phone number and pasted it into the dial-out area.
It rang twice before a smooth, steady voice picked up. Hello?”
Juelz cleared his throat, already pacing the large living area. “Yo…it’s Juelz. I know I might be the last nigga you wanna hear from. But I had to hit you up.”
A pause.
Then, “How the hell did you get this number, and why you calling me?”
“Fuck all that! I’m not callin’ on no rah-rah shit,” Juelz said. “Ain’t no beef. I just… need to speak on somethin’. About Tasha. My Tasha.”
Kenji didn’t say much. Just silence that made the air heavy.
“I did her wrong,” Juelz said, voice lower now. “Lied. Drank too much. Cheated on her. I broke that girl down. And she ain’t deserve none of it.”
Still no response.
“But I’ve been getting’ my shit in line.
Tryna fix the parts of me I let rot. And the truth is, I still love her, bruh.
I know you wit’ her now or close to it, but I had to say this shit man-to-man.
I ain’t tryna cause drama. I just needed you to know that if she ever look your way and start second-guessing where her heart at… ”
He took a deep breath, vision of Tasha flashing in his mind. “…don’t stand in the way.”
Kenji finally spoke. Calm, even. “You done?”
Juelz stopped pacing. “Yeah. I said what I had to.”
Another pause, then Kenji replied, “I respect it.”
Juelz blinked, looking at his crew, who were trying to hear what was going on. “That’s all I ask, man.”
“Yeah. I’ve been where you are. Wanting back something you didn’t appreciate until it slipped through,” Kenji said. “Truth is, Tasha is a grown woman. Got her own mind. She isn’t anybody's to own or pass around. If she chooses you again? That’s her call. And I won’t stand in the way of that.”
Juelz exhaled hard, the tension in his shoulders letting go just a little.
“But,” Kenji added, “If she doesn’t? If she decides she's done with all that pain, and wanna build something new with me? You gotta respect that too.”
Juelz nodded, patting his chest even though the man couldn’t see him. “Fair enough. But she comin’ back to DaDa.”
“Look! I’m not your enemy, Juelz,” Kenji said. “We are both just two niggas who see the same light in the same woman. The difference is, I woulda never let that light dim.”
The line went quiet.
Then Juelz took the phone from his ear and, placing it in front of his mouth, ending the call with: “Well, good luck nigga!”
Click.
Juelz stood still, phone in hand, heart pounding. Now all he had to do?
Find Tasha… and show her what love looked like when a man finally got his shit right.