Chapter 10 Keep It A Stack #2
These two lil’ niggas in cahoots, I thought. “I’m headed that way to get Cortez now. I can grab KJ and bring him home. Save you a trip.”
“I appreciate it, but I…”
“I gotta come get EJ anyway, remember?”
She paused for a second before responding. “You’re right. Let me call the school back and let them know I give them permission for you to get him. I can’t believe this.”
“Yeah, call them and tell ‘em ya man on the way to handle the business.”
“Okay.” I could hear the smile in her voice, even if it was brief. “Thank you.”
“All good. I’ll see you in a few.”
“K.”
Ending the call, I wondered just what the hell these two were up to. Whatever it was, I was going to get the answers before I dropped either of them to their destination.
They weren’t fucking around with security at Millenium Prep.
Before I could enter the building, I had to scan my ID then have it checked by school safety.
It felt more like I was going to visit a damn prison than a school.
I was all for security, but goddamn, was this Eastside High?
By the time I was escorted to the main office, I didn’t care about what Tez or KJ had done. I was ready to go.
“Good morning. How can I help you?” An older Black woman with a stern face that looked like she gave the students hell greeted me.
“Good morning, I’m here for Cortez Sullivan and Kaleb Smith.”
She glanced down at a book in front of her then back up at me. “You’re here to get them both?”
“I am,” I replied evenly.
“Right this way,” she said, walking around the counter she stood behind.
I didn’t know who mama this lady was, but there had to be an old nigga happy as hell somewhere because she was thick. The face gave forty-two, but the body didn’t look no older than thirty-two. I wasn’t on the market, but a nigga had eyes.
We entered a small hallway then walked into an office labeled principal.
Inside the office, KJ and Cortez were seated off to the side with their coats on, bookbags in their laps, and solemn looks on their faces.
A familiar face sat behind a medium-sized oak desk.
On the desk was an acrylic sign that read Principal Malcolm.
“Thank you, Ms. Reed,” he said to the woman as she exited.
The door closed, and the principal stood to his feet with his hand extended to me. “Not too many Sullivans come across my desk these days, so to find out Cortez is one of yours was a surprise.”
“Well, you know we don’t travel in packs, and we’re often seen before we’re heard, Tim.”
“Yeah, he got that slick talk honestly. Wassup, man?”
We shook hands and embraced in a brotherly hug.
I knew Timothy Malcolm from high school.
We were on a travel basketball team together.
Niggas hated him because he was undisputedly the best player on the team and dominated the court.
I, on the other hand, didn’t care. I played my position well and never let another nigga shining dim my light.
And that was where we bonded – our tendency to not give a fuck and being ready to throw hands with anybody on the team that wanted static.
“I ain’t seen you in years, man. A principal? Who would’ve ever thought.”
He sat on the edge of his desk. “Not me.” He chuckled. “But here I am. Making sure my kids are learning and making smart decisions. Even if I gotta hit ‘em with that tough love. Ain’t that right, fellas?”
We both looked over at the boys, who shifted uncomfortably in their seats. KJ’s shoulders were hunched over, while Tez avoided eye contact altogether.
“So, wassup? Why am I here?”
He pulled a colorful package from the pocket of his suit jacket and handed it to me. Upon close inspection, I knew it was a Za bag. I was hot, but I played it cool.
“So, they had this on them?” I asked.
Tim folded his arms across his chest with a tight expression, on some real principal shit. “No. They didn’t have it on them, but these bags have been floating around the school the last two weeks, along with their names.”
“So, they in here off the strength of hearsay?” I followed up, hoping that he wasn’t on no bullshit like that.
“I brought them in to see what they knew.”
“Like an interrogation?”
“No. Like a conversation. I wanted to give them both the benefit of the doubt. As I mentioned, their names have been the ones linked to the distribution of these packs.”
Although I knew they were likely behind what was going on, I didn’t like that it was being implied without evidence of them making a sale.
“See, that word distribution implies that they’re actually making sales. Again, something you have no knowledge of but have heard rumors about. Copy. You then have the parents called to come down here and do what, Mr. Malcolm?” My tone had shifted to something serious.
“I figured we all could get down to the bottom of this together by making a collaborative effort to find out what the boys know.”
“Bet.” I turned back to them with the bag held up in the air. “Y’all selling this shit on school grounds?”
“Nah,” Cortez answered first, and KJ echoed his statement.
“Nah.”
I could see the look of disappointment on Tim’s face when I turned back to him. “So, what now?”
“I’m not so sure.”
“Yeah, you gon’ have to give me more than that cause I’m not feeling them being reprimanded for something you’re not sure about.
So, while you figure that out, I’ma take them home for the day.
Let you sleep on it. But they’ll be back tomorrow.
And if for any reason you feel they shouldn’t return tomorrow, you can let me know, and I’ll have my attorney contact the superintendent to find out the best way to proceed. ”
By the way his forehead creased, I knew he wasn’t feeling my response. Nodding slowly, he held his hand out again for me to shake.
“We’ll see them tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.” I handed him back the bag and turned to the boys. “Let’s go.”
Cortez practically jumped up from his seat, relief written all over his face, like he’d gotten away with something.
Little did he know, I was gon’ get on his ass as soon as we hit the parking lot.
KJ stood slower, tense. He knew he wasn’t in the clear yet.
Unlike Cortez, he still had to deal with his mother.
I walked ahead of the two out of the office and into the hallway.
“Unc, we…”
“Don’t speak, Cortez,” I said, keeping my eyes straight ahead.
He went quiet immediately. We walked out of the building in silence, and I didn’t speak until we were in the car. I didn’t bother starting it up before my gaze landed on Cortez first.
“You deadass?”
“What?” He played stupid, and I punched him in his chest. “Ahhh.” He hunched over in pain.
“Play dumb and I’ma box yo’ ass right in this car.
” We were always tough on the boys in our family.
Everybody got beat the fuck up and loved on in the end.
It was a balance that made us Sullivan men.
“Why you out here moving stupid? Correction, why y’all out here moving stupid?
” I cut my eyes back at KJ in the rearview mirror.
“Y’all out here selling Za bags like y’all some corner niggas. Fuck is going on?”
“It ain’t ours,” KJ said with a straight face.
“Bullshit. I ain’t the one y’all need to lie to. If you gon’ keep it a stack wit’ anybody, it need to be me, so I can help y’all find a way outta this shit.”
KJ’s facial expression changed to one of hope. I knew he ain’t want smoke with Thyri just as much as Tez ain’t want it with his mama.
“We ain’t even sell it,” Tez spoke up. “We was just showing it to our people to show that we had it.”
Another lie. I leaned back in my seat and forced my tone down into something steadier. “So, you want me to believe that y’all showing off weed packs for shits and giggles? Cut the bullshit, Cortez.”
“We sold a few packs,” KJ finally admitted.
Cortez’s head whipped in his direction. “Man, what the fu…”
“Shut up,” I scolded him. “He ain’t tellin’ me shit I ain’t already know.”
Starting up the car, I pulled out of the parking lot and headed to Cortez’s house first.
“We weren’t even selling to anyone outside our circle.” Cortez spoke after we’d been riding for a few minutes. “Can’t even trust niggas to hold it down.”
“You sound real stupid, you know that?” I glanced over at him, and his jaw clenched.
“Yeah, lil’ nigga, get mad. You talkin’ ‘bout y’all only sold to y’all circle.
It don’t matter who you sold that shit to.
You sold it on school grounds. You know who the fuck your family is, and you out here sellin’ bum ass Za packs?
And you,” I looked back at KJ again. “You ain’t exempt from this shit either.
Only thing is I can’t put my hands on you.
But y’all pulled this dumb ass move for what?
Sneaker money? Pocket money? Shit that y’all get without even asking?
Make that make sense. Better yet, answer the number one question. Where y’all get it from?”
Neither spoke, both of their heads turning toward the window at the same time.
“Don’t make me ask again.”
“My uncle,” KJ uttered.
“Yo’ uncle gave you weed to sell, bruh?”
“Nah. He gave it to me to smoke. I decided to sell it. Cortez really ain’t have nothing to do wit’ it. He just was…”
“Helping him sell it,” Cortez jumped in, letting me know in not so many words that he wasn’t letting his man go down by himself.
It was admirable, but it didn’t change the fact that they still fucked up. I eased onto Cortez’s block and pulled up in front of his building. Turning off the engine, I turned to him before he could run out of my car.
“Let me explain something to both of y’all. Leave the street shit for the niggas that belong in them. Don’t be the ones trying so hard to be a part that y’all start doing goofy shit like this and put a target on y’all back.”
“It was just weed, Unc,” Cortez tried to reason like it was no big deal.
“Weed today, coke tomorrow. Y’all got so much shit going for yourselves. Popular, talented, handsome young niggas but y’all wanna do bum shit like sell weed. If y’all wanna be the talk of Millenium Prep, do it for some playa shit. This ain’t it.”
“Aight, Unc. We hear you.” Cortez had his hand on the door handle like he was ready to go.
“I’m sure you don’t, but it’s cool. Just know there’s consequences for your actions. I’ll be hittin’ yo’ line with that consequence after I drop him off.”
He huffed and sucked his teeth as he opened the passenger side door. “I’ma hit when I can, KJ. Hold ya head.” Reaching in the backseat, he dapped KJ up.
“He ain’t going to prison, bruh. You talkin’ bout hold ya head. Getcho dramatic ass outta here. Hop in the front, KJ.”
I waited until Cortez walked into his building before pulling off.
“My moms asked you to come get me?” KJ inquired.
“Nah. I offered since I was already coming for Tez. That cool witchu?”
He shrugged. “It’s cool. Was she mad when you spoke to her?”
“Flustered,” I replied. “I think she was more worried than anything.”
“Man, she ain’t gon’ let me out her sight now.” He shook his head. “Then I know she gon’ tell my pops. I’ma just go in the crib, hand her my phone, unplug my game, the PC, and hand her that too.”
The stress was clear in his voice.
“Was Cortez with you when your uncle gave you the weed?” He slouched in the seat and played with his twist. That gesture alone, followed by him diverting his eyes from me, let me know he was about to lie. “Nah.”
“Aye,” I tapped his chest, “you can lie to me but do yourself a favor and don’t go in there and lie to your moms. From what I see, you’re a good kid.
Tez is too. Y’all just do stupid shit from time to time.
But understand this. When you start partaking in adult shit, you gotta be ready for them adult consequences.
And you may not wanna hear this, but that was some lame ass shit yo’ uncle did.
” I could’ve kept the last part of my sentence to myself, but I couldn’t let that shit ride.
He didn’t reply, and I understood why. Whether right or wrong, Koric was his blood. And even when the truth about someone you loved hurt, it didn’t make it easier to hear. Part of me respected his silence. The other part felt like he needed to sit with that truth.
We arrived at his house, and he didn’t attempt to reach for the door handle when I parked.
“Look, so long as you’re honest and don’t try to sugarcoat what happened, I’ll be right there witchu, so she won’t go too hard on you.”
“Maannn, my mother wouldn’t care if you were Jesus Christ himself. If she need to get on my ass, she gon’ get on my ass. You being her boyfriend ain’t stoppin’ nothing.”
I chuckled. “You might be right. But look, I can make a suggestion for a punishment that don’t keep you locked in the house. How that sound?”
He frowned. “It sounds like you tryna use this situation to get in good wit’ me.”
I went to break the news to him that I wasn’t the nigga that longed for anyone’s approval, then he cracked a smile and sat up straight in the seat.
“It’s working. What you need me to do?”
I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Bruh, get out my car. You on yo’ own to face the music now.”
I got out, and he followed behind me. “Nah, Enzo. Tell me what I need to do. I ain’t tryna be on house arrest, man.”
“We’ll see.”
At the door, he fumbled with his keys, unknowingly giving it away that he had fucked up.
“Stop shaking, Za man,” I joked. “I got you,” I said, placing my hand on his shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Open the door.”
Sticking his key in the lock, he went to turn it, and the door was pulled open. Thyri stood on the other side of it with EJ on her hip and sharp eyes peering into KJ’s soul as only a mother could.
“What happened?” she asked.
KJ glanced back at me like I was the one she was questioning.
“Let’s go inside,” I suggested.
She stepped back to let us in, and something in me said that this moment would be one of the many moments that would shape the way we navigated this relationship.