24. Wyn #2
He’s goofy like Sean, and my cheeks begin to burn from smiling.
“Me and ya twin gon’ have to have shared custody. Trinity would jump out the dirt to murk us both if I ever claimed another girl as my older sis.”
“I’ll allow it… if you lay down a whole song today. A good one, too; can’t be my twin if you fighting the beat.”
“That nigga fasho be fighting the beat,” Shad interjects. Trippy and I snort, but I hold in my giggle as Red hops up, taking his phone from me.
“Fuck all y’all niggas, cuz. Pull up the No Love sampled beat, so I can show my luh twin I be as smooth as waxed pussy.”
Red bends down to flick his tongue at his older brother, who pushes him away. I move to sit next to Tripp and Shad as Red enters the booth.
“Where’s PC?”
Shad and Trippy exchange a weird look, before Shad smirks and turns to me. “At his girlfriend’s house, most likely.”
“Girlfriend?!” Hell is freezing over.
“Shit won’t last, Trippy mutters.
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Shad sings, before a loop that samples his song begins to play.
We spend the next few hours constructing a song for Red.
It’s surreal, the studio being clear of any smoke.
But true to their word, no one does anything but drink water around me.
Even when Tripp orders sandwiches from the local deli, they don’t take a smoke break to eat, and tell me to shut up when I tell them they don’t have to switch up their program for me.
Shad and Trippy go back and forth on the direction they wanna go with the track.
Red’s eager to learn, taking all of their pointers and sharing his notes with us both so we can collab on the lyrics.
While he and Tripp go back and forth on what he can and cannot rap about, Shad informs me that Red had four open cases when he first started living with Tripp; they’re waiting on the last charges to be dropped.
I discreetly try to search what I think is his full name, but when nothing comes up, I give up.
Eventually, when the sun begins its descent, we take our leave after two completed verses. Red convinced me to hop on a bridge, only because for all his antics, he has some talent. Grimey and Coach think so, too, since they bob their heads at the snippet Tripp plays them.
I say my goodbyes after, before gesturing to Shad that it’s time to go. I have a show to plan, and even though I had fun today, I still have almost no time to make shit shake.
“You gotta get back to Macy? I was thinking of just hitting up the group chat, but it’s been a year, so maybe being face-to-face would be better.”
Shad helps me into his car before getting in and zooming out of the garage.
“Mace and Dal are on some bestie girls trip until after Nut’s New Year’s brunch. They took Ana?s and Sadé, too. Next time she emails me, I’ll let her know you’re back. If they weren’t on a cruise, I’m sure she’d come back early.”
“It’s so crazy. When I was gone, it was like I was in a bubble, you know? Not saying I didn’t miss y’all. I miss everyone, so much. But I didn’t feel it until this morning. Until I came back. Was it like that when you went to the padded room?”
Shad snorts. “Naw. I was back dipping into y’all phones as soon as I got access to a computer. But, I also was actually alone. You were kicking habits with a nigga who calls you by your middle name like he special.”
I cut my eyes to Shad, then go back to my phone. “Ha ha.”
“You texting him now, huh?”
“No, not even.” I exit out of my texts and lock my phone. “The First Lady of G$ is single as a dollar bill. If and when Cochise announces that he’s married and retired from rapping, all eyes will be on me. I’m all about music. Not boys who call me by my middle name.”
“Does Rico know that?” Shad chuckles.
I shrug. The debate to confide in Shad is brief; we tell each other everything, and have for years. “I told him what I wanted out of life, and he’s… supporting me in his Rico way. He gave me a year.”
“A year to do what?”
Combing my lip, I look out the window. There’s evening traffic, so we’re stopped pretty far from an intersection.
“Chase my dreams. You know how he can be; he’s agreed to give me space.
So again, I’m all about music. My album was halfway done before all that shit happened.
Once I somehow pull off this show, Sheisty will give me access to all my tracks, and I’m basically moving into the booth. ”
Shad turns down the music more before peering at me. Maneuvering through traffic, he gets on the expressway toward Auty’s house.
“I wouldn’t be your friend if I didn’t tell you that nigga’s lying.
I’m gonna bypass you doing more than getting your head together to remind you that regardless of how he is with you, lying and manipulating is still in his DNA.
You don’t actually believe he’s gonna leave you alone for three hundred sixty-five days? ”
I flinch, just a little. “Yes?”
Shad barks out laughter, grabbing his phone from the middle cupholder. “You know what; as long as you stay sober, it ain’t my business who you mess with. Would rather you fuck with a square than a psychopath, but I can’t really talk.”
“No, you can’t!” I agree, pulling hard on his ear.
“Quit it! Here; text YT and tell her we pulling up on her tomorrow, since she’s at Ty’s people’s house today. I wish I could take credit, but really, she was the one who planned my comeback show.”
I take Shad’s phone, keying in his code–Sadé’s birthday of course.
After finding YT’s text thread, I send her a message, giving her a brief summary, and adding that I’ll text her myself later on tonight, too.
Not even a full minute passes before she’s calling him, so I answer and connect it to the car radio.
YT’s yelling in the background for Reem to give her back her phone.
“On Baby, you knew?!” Reem bellows into the phone. “I swear to God if you knew, I’m knockin’ them fuckin’ braids off ya head.”
“The fuck is you talking about?”
“Reemie! Hang up so we can talk–”
“Man, watch out, Love. Now yo ass wanna talk, ain’t that some shit. Naw, I wanna talk to Shaddy Shad. You knew about Mars, nigga?”
My eyes stretch. Shad’s phone slides out of my hand to the floor. Not even thinking, I go to end the call on the dash, but Shad swats my hand away. I grab my own phone and order a rideshare, stat. My heart and my head begin to pound, and I can see where this is going a mile away.
Thank God we’re in Auty’s neighborhood already.
“Who the fuck is that?” Shad asks.
“Fredo’s son. Who been living in Belize the past six years. That nigga Rico showed up with his ass to Lala house and Ty beat that nigga up. Then I find out Love met the lil’ boy back when we went to Belize. Yo ass dipped off with Rico that night; you knew? He told you?”
Shad swerves into Auty’s driveway, parks, and throws a vicious glare my way.
“Nah. I ain’t know shit.”
I pull the door open before he can throw the child locks on and book it inside.
I mean, I knew that Rico was going to tell everyone about Mars. I guess I didn’t really think it through. Just like I didn’t think through what a year of Rico giving me space would look like or even mean.
But the cat’s out of the bag now. Reem wouldn’t connect the dots, but Shad definitely is. I was there for a year; of course I’ve met Mars. And I didn’t say shit.
Shad may not care if we’re messing around, but he’ll care about that.
I ignore Auty, Turkey, and Patience in the living room, going straight to the guest room.
Most of my shit is still packed, and Auty slipped me the keys to my storage last night.
I swipe them, my jacket, and throw all my toiletries into my bag before zipping it up.
When I walk back out, Shad is in the living room, finishing his sentence.
I keep walking, even as Auty jumps up and turns to me. “Wyn, what’s going on?”
My feet stumble, and I chance a look at her.
We’re supposed to be getting closer. Starting new.
But I know my sister. All she’ll see is betrayal.
Anything that she doesn’t agree with is betrayal, and I don’t have the bandwidth to explain to her that keeping Rico’s confidence doesn’t mean I was betraying her. Not right now.
Shad steps to me when I get to the door, but he steps back when I push him.
“You’re deadass leaving?” he whispers.
“Do you really think this is conducive to my sobriety?” I counter. I take advantage of his shock at my audacity and leave, sliding into the rideshare without a glance back.
A number with a Kenton area code starts calling me, but I ignore it, and turn on Do Not Disturb.
“Oh, Rico,” I whisper to myself, hoping Tyree didn’t hurt him too badly.