Chapter 8 #2
I was so into the music playing that I didn’t realize how far I'd walked and where I ended up. It was a basketball court a few blocks away from my house, and I always went there and just sat. I never played, just watched the guys have a game then I’d go home.
Since I tore my ACL, I hadn’t picked up a ball to even attempt some plays.
I did what I did with the girls when it came to practicing during the season but it was nothing that I’d gotten a hard sweat from.
When Mimi did try to get me out of my head, I froze.
The court wasn’t the place for me anymore.
Coaching is what I was created to do because if I were meant to be out there with my best friends, then I would have been. Mentally, I don’t even think playing was what I could do anymore. After my injury, I didn’t have the confidence to go out there and be the beast I once was.
“What you doing over here?” Hearing Brooklyn, I turned around to see him being dropped off by BJ. “Your brother told me I would find you out here, lost in thought. You straight?”
Nodding my head, I walked up to him and his hands smoothly found their way around my waist, pulling me in close. “Everything good with y’all?”
“What I tell you?” Brooklyn scolded.
“Don’t ask because if they call me into the courthouse to testify, my ass really won’t know shit.”
“Right. Just know that you won’t have anything else to worry about.
You’ll be able to move around without fear.
” Taking my hand into his, we walked off the court and headed back to my house.
“Your bother seems like a cool dude. After we talked about everything, Sin and Zoo left so we sat and talked for a little while before I came outside looking for you.”
“Yea, BJ is a good dude. He just doesn’t know how to get and keep his shit together. It’s always someone new, a new adventure, or something that keeps him from actually sticking to one thing and being committed.”
“Sometimes, you just gotta let people ride whatever wave they get on. They’ll eventually fall off and see that you can’t do everything. He’ll either sink or swim.”
Realizing Brooklyn was right, I just brushed off any thoughts I had of BJ and all of those damn babies he had on the way.
Right now, I just wanted to enjoy this time with Brooklyn and forget about anything or anybody else.
Especially what was about to happen to Teddy.
I lowkey wanted to know the details but I guess it is what it is.
brOOKLYN
Sin, Zoo and I waited until the call came through from BJ to let us know that Teddy was back at his brother’s restaurant.
From what BJ told me the other day, he always walked in through the back around nine before the restaurant closed at ten.
We’d been sitting across the street from Freddy V’s since six.
I wanted to make sure this nigga didn’t try to pop up early tonight.
Teddy had consumed too much of my fucking life since the night he popped up on some if I can’t have her, no one can bullshit.
Sin wanted to fuck Teddy up just off the strength of him doing that dumb shit at his proposal dinner.
Looking over my shoulder at Zoo sitting in the back seat, he was wiping his gun down.
He had always done this before he went out and did some dumb shit.
That bitch could have been cleaner than a dog’s mouth, and he still would have wiped it down until he got ready to use it.
I think it calmed his nerves or something.
Some people had different ways to get their minds together before they did shit like this.
Me, I thought of the many ways my daddy and uncles taught me to kill, wrap, and dispose quick.
Disposing is where my cousins would come in tonight, though.
Gatah and Stephan would make sure everything was sealed tight and nothing linked to us or my girl.
That’s the last thing I wanted to happen.
She had so much going for herself and the death of Teddy would not be her downfall.
A text from her pulled me out of my thoughts of yanking Teddy’s tongue through his ears.
My Person: Be safe, and I’ll be waiting on you to return. I love you :)
Before I could reply, Zoo started talking.
“Oh this nigga bold as fuck!” Looking up from the text that Bri just sent, my eyes landed on Teddy standing in the front of the building.
This nigga had on a bulletproof vest, some shorts, with some Nike slides.
He should’ve known I had no plans on attempting to shoot at his vest anyway.
It was straight head shots for him. I’d make sure that nigga didn’t pass go ‘cause ain’t no two hunnid to collect in hell.
Sin opened his door first and jumped out. “Man, this nigga about to do the most. Hurry up and get out.” I threw the passenger door open and ran across the street with Zoo right beside me.
“Aye, bitch-ass nigga!” Sin yelled, making everyone standing in front of the building look towards us. When Teddy looked at him, then saw Zoo and I, that nigga took off running.
“They about to skin that nigga alive!” someone yelled as we all took off after him.
Teddy was cutting corners and jumping gates, not even knowing this was shit we loved to do as kids. Ain’t no gate our asses couldn’t jump. Even with Zoo still not being back at one hunnid percent, he did what he knew how to do best—use one fucking hand and brought his ass on.
“Sin let off a shot that hit Teddy behind the knees, blowing that bitch to the front. He fell harder than Rodney did when Jody bent both of his knees back with bullets in Baby Boy.
“Fuuuck!”
“Don’t start that crying shit now. You wasn’t doing all that shit when you were out there lying like you popped me and my cousin.” I kneeled and pressed the gun against his temple.
“Mann, I ain’t say shit. They lying on me!” Teddy cried.
“You fucked up my night. I had just proposed to my girl and you bring yo’ crackheaded ass out and fucked the night up. We spent that night in the hospital instead of in some pussy,” Sin let out before shooting Teddy in the feet. A loud cry bellowed from the pit of Teddy’s stomach.
“I wasn’t getting engaged, but my bitch been mad at me since I jumped in front of yo’ funky-ass bullet,” Zoo told him then let out two shots, one in each of Teddy’s hands.
“And for me, I just don’t like yo’ ass. Fuck they reasons, mine matters the most. My girl don’t feel safe with you walking the streets and that’s enough for me.”
“Fuck that bitch and what she feels, I don’t—” Teddy spat but the rest of his sentence didn’t make it out of his mouth before I stopped him from thinking.
Pointing my gun, I emptied the clip in his head and kept pulling the trigger, allowing the clicking sound of the clip being empty to continue. The entire time, I prayed more bullets magically appeared in the clip. He needed to feel this shit a little more.
“That’s what the fuck I’m talkin’ ‘bout. Fuck that nigga thought process up. Like you gon’ let him talk shit about yo’ girl and you just stand up here and listen. He had you fucked up, cuz,” Zoo yelled.
“I’m mad as hell I only got to shoot that nigga in the foot,” Sin fussed all the way out of the alley while sending Gatah a text at the same time.
“As long as that nigga not here to keep lying on my name like he riddled me with bullets, I don’t give a fuck how many shots I got in.”
“Y’all should have left everything to me anyway. Let’s go. I should go order some shit from his brother’s restaurant. That food smelled good as fuck when we ran by.”
“Yooo, that’s sum dirty shit. Kill that nigga brother then go order some food from his ass.” Zoo laughed hard as hell all the way to the car.
“What Gatah say?” I asked Sin as we pulled off from the restaurant.
“The crew already bagged Teddy’s ass up by the time we sat our asses in these seats. They wasn’t fucking around when they said they’ll always be close.”
“I hope yo’ ass can sleep better now. Maybe I won’t have to go to another one of those therapy sessions wit' yo' ass again and I can stay alive longer in your dreams now.”
“We’ll see by tonight. If I wake up from another dream, be dressed early because I’m going back to the therapist.”
“Yo’ ass lucky that couch softa than my girl’s ass or I would stay my ass at home. That nigga already gave me an appointment to bring my ass back and you already know I ain’t going. He got me all the way fucked up.”
“Zoo, if they gave you an appointment without you asking for one, then they saw something that you couldn’t. Get the help.”
Zoo waved Sin off, and I already knew he wasn’t trying to hear that shit.
It wasn’t long before he was dropping me off at Bri’s house and Zoo to PJ’s.
This is a night I’d been waiting on for a minute now, and I prayed I could finally get my life back.
Bri and I were finally in a good place, and I wasn’t trying to fuck that shit up again.