Chapter Seven #4
“You know knuckle-headed niggas don’t wanna listen until they plugged up to machines with hot metal in their ass or standing behind a glass while these sluts out here screaming free my baby daddy.”
“That’s the one!” Ms. G laughed. “I was a big slut too.” She clapped her hands. “It was free my baby daddy while his homeboy was eating my a-
“Aight aight,” Logic frowned.
“I’m just saying. I wasn’t always the wholesome church going lady you’re looking at. I have some big demons in my closet.”
“Who don’t? If a nigga tells you he don’t got demons, run. He already lying to you.”
“True. See, I like talking to your young ass. I’ll mess around and give you my pills, check, and a lil gum action,” Ms. G flirted.
“Yea, I’mma head out,” Logic chortled, backing off the stoop.
Ms. G was a pretty, brown skin woman who reminded him of Macy Gray.
He could tell she used to be a piece of work back in her younger days.
Not only was she a major flirt, but she was also a hustler and fast talker.
Ms. G was the type of woman who would spoil you with home-cooked meals, massages, nightly oral treatments, and then dump you when the next youngin caught her attention.
There were plenty who fell victim, and because they were cool, she told Logic all the tea.
If Ms. G wasn’t cooking Logic and his siblings home-cooked meals, she was picking them up free food from the church.
She had become such a staple in Logic’s life that he looked to her for motherly advice, and Ms. G never steered him wrong.
Logic was her baby and she didn’t play about him…
even if she flirted with him on the low.
“I’m cooking tonight. Send the kids over to get a plate,” Ms. G called after him.
“Will do. Good looking on the pill tip.”
“Anything for you, Lo baby.” She winked.
“You’re too much for me, lady.”
“Shitttt, I’m too much for everybody if I do say so myself.”
???
It only took Logic a couple of hours to flip the pills he bought from Ms. G.
When he first started hustling, he used to pay her after he sold the pills, but nowadays, he paid her on pick up.
He bought the pills for $900 and flipped them for a cool three grand.
Like always, he divided the money between his envelopes and then rounded the troops up for a quick trip to Walmart, which ended with them going to Chili’s and then to the basketball court.
“Come on, Gramps.” Sage teased, effortlessly dribbling the ball between his legs. “Don’t tell me you’re tired.”
Logic used the back of his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Only his little brother could have him outside playing basketball while Detroit was experiencing a heat wave.
Off to the side, the twins sat in folding chairs with umbrellas hovering over them.
Shugg had convinced Logic to buy them when they were at Walmart.
She said her skin was already the perfect shade of brown, and if he wanted her to go outside, she needed the umbrella.
The chair was Spice's idea because she said she wasn’t about to sit on a hot bench.
Dressed in matching white tennis skirts and Nikes, the twins sipped their ice water while cheering their brothers on.
It didn’t matter who scored, Shugg and Spice cheered for them both.
“Let’s go, big bro!” Shugg clapped, taking a sip of water from her Stanley. “Don’t let him show you up like that.”
“He can’t fu-” Sage started talking shit, but clamped his mouth closed when Logic snatched the ball from him.
“Nah,” Logic taunted, stepping back and shooting a three. “You can’t fuck with me.” He mushed Sage. “And watch your mouth.”
“Why you gotta show me up in front of the honeys?” Sage tilted his head to the side, where a group of schoolgirls were watching them.
Sage swore they were there for him, but it was his big brother who had their attention.
Sweat dripped from Logic’s face onto his tatted chest, and the basketball shorts he rocked clung to him, showing off the bulge in his shorts.
“Lil nigga, you talking shit and dunking on me for a girl?”
“Basically.”
“Then earn that shit. Don’t be a boasting ass nigga and you can’t back it up,” Logic said, dribbling the ball between his legs. “If you don’t remember shit else I tell you, remember that real niggas don’t need to show out. Never be the loudest man in the room, you feel me.”
“Yea man,” Sage huffed. “But we not in a room and this is basketball. Let me get the next point and I’ll mop the floor for a week.”
“I’mma hold you to it.” Logic smirked, bouncing the ball on the pavement. He slowed down and allowed Sage to take the ball from him.
Logic didn’t bother running after him. He allowed Sage to shine for his lil friends.
Once he made it to the end of the court, Sage's lanky frame leaped forward and dunked the ball, causing the girls to scream out and clap their hands. All the girls on the bleachers ran to him, chanting his name. Instead of sticking around watching his brother gloat, Logic strolled over to his sister’s and picked up Spice’s cup.
“Aht aht. Don’t put your mouth on my straw,” she whined.
“I bought this dumb ass cup.” He handed it back to her. “And these dumb ass umbrellas. Yall look slow as fuck anyway. This not a beach.”
“Well, take us to the beach… and not Belle Isle,” Shugg smartly suggested. “I’m due for a new bathing suit, too.”
“I’ll buy yall a kiddie pool and yall can use the dirt patches in front of our apartment for sand.”
“See, and I was going to give you a waterfall.” Shugg twisted her lips. “The hate be real.”
“Shut up.” Logic nudged her, picking up his bottle of water off the ground. It wasn’t as cold as the water in the $50.00 cups he bought, but it would do.
“Why did you let him win?” Spice queried.
“Because I’m a good brother.”
“And he probably said he’ll clean the house,” Shugg added, knowing her brother.
“That too,” Logic chuckled.
“I know that’s right.” She crossed her legs. “I’m going to take advantage of that lil deal every time.”
Logic took a seat on the ground between their chairs so the umbrellas could shield him from the sun beaming on him.
Retrieving his phone from the ground, Logic scrolled through the text messages from Scottie asking him if she could spend the night, and Duce talking about a beat he wanted him to hear, but nothing from Al.
Just like him, Al was a Gemini, and neither of them wanted to be the first to cave in. Logic knew it was his fault they got kicked out of the studio, but he wasn’t about to kiss Al’s ass for defending himself. Sure, he could’ve walked away, but the shock on Dex’s face was priceless.
“Oh. My. God.” Shugg slowly stood up from her chair. “I know my teenage eyes are betraying me because there’s no way Southwest Rah is walking over to us.”
Peering up from his phone, Logic’s eyes landed on Rahlo and a couple of men he’d never seen before.
Kids were running up to them asking for pictures and autographs.
Rahlo didn’t seem to mind, but his bodyguards created a circle around him to control the chaos.
After a few minutes, Rahlo thanked the kids and kept it pushing.
Instantly, Logic’s parental instincts kicked in and caused him to stand and post up in front of his sisters.
He didn’t know if Rahlo was coming to collect for the damage he caused at the studio or what, but rolling up on him while he was out with his siblings was a violation.
As if Rahlo could read Logic’s mind, he held his hands in the air.
“I come in peace,” he greeted. “I need to holla at you about some shit. You got a minute?”
“Yea.” Logic dropped his tense shoulders. “Move around.” He glanced back at his sisters.
“You sure you don’t need backup?” Spice whispered. “He had bodyguards, and I know you can fight, but-
“Girl, go over there for a minute,” Logic chuckled.
“Ok, but if they try anything, holler and I’ll crack them right upside the head with this cup.”
“Period,” Shugg agreed. “Sidenote, hey Rah! I’m a big fan of your music, and if you ever want to come do an interview on our Twitch channel, we’d love to have you.” She pulled out a business card from her fanny pack.
“Thanks, pretty girl,” Rahlo chuckled, taking the card from her.
“Aye, go play,” Logic barked. “And where the fuck you get business cards from?”
“Zazzle,” Shugg informed him. “Everybody don’t live in the 1900s like you.”
“Bye yall,” he shooed them off.
“You got your hands full.” Rahlo shook his head. “They yours?”
“Something like that.” Logic’s jaw twitched. “But what’s up? If this about that studio, I don’t-
“Nah. Dex got a big ass mouth and always writing checks his ass can’t cash. His card was on file, so they charged him.”
“Oh aight, so what’s this about?”
“The three songs we recorded.”
“Oh.” Logic’s heart started pumping a little louder. “What about them?”
“I played them for a couple of people to make sure I wasn’t tripping and they confirmed what I already knew.”
“What’s that?”
“You talented as fuck.”
“Preciate it.” Logic’s face remained stoic, but the kid in him was dying to run around in circles. Fucking Southwest Rah called him talented.
“Why ain’t nobody ever heard of you?”
“Probably because I don’t be on my shit like I should.”
“So you not serious about this music shit?”
“I am, but I have other responsibilities and right now music not putting food on the table, you feel me.”
“I do.” Rahlo rubbed the back of his neck. “But check this out, I just finished jumping through hoops to get my label off the ground, and shit is pretty new, but I want to sign you.”
“Me?”
“Yea. I mean we need to talk through shit in a more formal setting, but talent like yours don’t come round too often, and I’d be a fool to let the shit slip by.
You don’t have to give me an answer right now, but I wanna invite you to a listening party I’m hosting tonight.
It’s for my new album, my last album for a minute, and I want to play the songs we recorded,” Rahlo explained.
“I actually want to have my team post them, but for legal reasons, I need to run it by you.”
“You wanna post my songs?” Logic asked in disbelief.
“Yea.” Rahlo found his state of shock funny.
Reaching for his back pocket, Rahlo pulled out an envelope. “This has all the information for the party. It’s black tie, so come in your best shit and no fighting nigga.”
“This shit real?” Logic’s jaw twitched, not in the mood for any bullshit.
“Yea. Like I said, we need to talk about some shit, but yea, it’s real. I’ll see you tonight.” Rahlo stuck out his hand and Logic took the card.
“Aight.” He swallowed the lump in his throat.
Without another word, Rahlo headed back to his car, leaving Logic standing there trying to digest what had just happened. He stared at the card then back up at the big black trucks driving away. Had it not been for the squeals of his sisters, Logic would have thought he was dreaming.
“What he say?” Shugg questioned, pulling on his arm.
“He likes my music,” Logic said above a whisper.
“Period!” Spice clapped her hands. “'Cause ain’t nobody messing with my brother!” she shouted.
“Go get Sage and pack up yall stuff. I got a few things to handle,” Logic instructed, fishing for his phone. Excitement caused his fingers to tremble as he dialed Al’s number. When the phone started to ring, Logic walked in a circle with the phone pressed to his ear.
“What nigga?” Al answered on the third ring, like his phone wasn’t in his hand the whole time.
“Why you gotta act like a bitch?” Logic snorted.
“Fuck outta here, and if this yo way of apologizing, I don’t want it.”
“Yea, you a real bitch. I’m not apologizing for what happened, but my fault about fucking up what you set up. It wasn’t supposed to go down like that.”
“Yea, aight. What’s up, ugly ass nigga?”
“Where you at?”
“In the fucking house. You know I don’t have no fucking friends except your street fighting ass.”
“You sound gay as fuck,” Logic chuckled. “But check this out. I was at the court with Sage shooting hoops and-
“Wow, so you over there shooting hoops and I’m in the house sulking over our fight.” Al shook his head. “You’re a fucked up individual.”
“Nigga, I’m about to hang up on your emotional ass.”
“Gone, finish the story.”
“Long story short, Rah pulls up and says he wants to sign me and invited me to a party tonight.”
“Say word!” Al jumped off the couch.
“Word!” Logic grinned.
“What you say?”
“Come on now, you know I can’t make decisions without my manager.”
“Bro.”
“You bout to cry?”
“Yea.”
“Cry after we look over this deal. The party is black tie so pull out your best shit, nigga.”
“Now this is how you make up.”
“Bye bro.” Logic ended the call.