33. Rico #3
“Bro, you gotta wait for me.” I round the car and catch up to her, pulling her close. “I know you don’t be doing this shit when you got your security.”
“That’s one thing I don’t like about being a ‘celebrity.’” She uses air quotes before curling her arm around my waist and leaning into my chest. “I be wanting to say no one cares about me, but I guess that’s not true, huh?”
“You always been a star, Snow. You the only one who don’t believe it.”
It’s early enough on a weekday that we’re one of the few couples there. She’s all giggles as we get strapped in, and takes hella pictures and videos while I do all the work. But I go around our part of the lake three times, paddling by myself, just to keep her smile on her face.
And when she leans toward me to take a selfie, I’m surprised how easy my smile comes, too. My chest expands, and I find myself doing lame shit, like kissing her cheek for a picture, and even taking some of her.
I end up posting one of the water on my story with a Dom Kennedy song I like when I’m at a surrounding picnic table. Snow is in my line of vision, at the ice cream truck, getting us both a strawberry shortcake.
Nutty texts me, asking me if I’m still around, and to meet him at a local arcade if I am. When I tell him I’m not alone, he calls me immediately.
“Ricky Ricardo, who the fuck you at the park with?!”
“Wynter,” I reply, watching her pay the ice cream man.
“Oh,” he cackles, “I gotta see this. You got my lo. Come on and bring Powdahead Paisley. I got Choc with me so it can be a double date.”
“I’ll, uh, have to ask–”
“Don’t be fuckin’ scary nigga,” he grits into the phone.
“You and Set can fool everyone else about this tiff being about Mars, but I know the real. And I know she gotta be something for you to go against yo nigga over pussy, so I wanna see whatever the fuck y’all got up close and personal.
Hurry up! I’m finna get two more playing cards. ”
This nigga clicks in my face just as Snow skips over and hands me my ice cream. She sits in between my legs, putting one of her thighs on top of mine as she starts to open her treat.
“Nutty and Dallas out here. They want us to meet them at the arcade.”
She takes a huge bite of her shit then turns to me. “Sounds fun,” she says, her mouth full.
“You’re so gross,” I chuckle. She opens her mouth to show me more of the melting ice cream before choking it down.
“Did you plan for them to be out here?”
“Nah. I posted the lake and he hit me. Why?”
Snow shrugs. “You and Nut are like Ty and Reem, or Set and Turkey. I always thought a big reason you kept me a secret was because he wouldn’t approve.”
Scanning the area and seeing we’re still semi alone, I pull her into my chest. My arm rests across hers and I take another bite of my ice cream.
“The Patrick back then wasn’t capable of liking anyone who had a pussy.
He never approved of anyone I brought around him, and I never gave a fuck.
I told you, Snow. You my most precious thing.
And I was always taught to keep your precious things to yourself.
Now, I gotta be different. If muthafuckas gon’ take us seriously, and if we gonna be serious, we gotta figure out how we fit with each other.
And I guess… a good place to start with that is with him and Dal. ”
“Why them?”
I finish off my treat and place the stick on the table before hugging her closer to me.
“Because thirty-something year-old Patrick Rivera actually lets his second wife breathe and have a life without him. They relationship the healthiest one I know. So while I’ma keep you close regardless of how he feels, if he thinks we got a good thing going, that’s a good stamp to have. ”
“You only think that because he’s your bestie,” Snow snorts.
She gathers my trash and stands. “Newsflash; every single person you’re cool with is batshit crazy, which means the women they somehow snagged are also batshit crazy.
And you can’t go five minutes without getting on my last nerve, so I doubt we’ll pass whatever test that asshole has for us.
But I’ll go, just so I can beat him in air hockey.
Just remember, I’m the one riding your dick at night, not Peanut.
” She punctuates her point with a kiss on my cheek and switches off.
I make a note to bring in my backpack so I can take this fucking cock lock off. Her attitude be having me on brick and I’m over feeling trapped and still not getting no pussy anyway.
“So, you batshit crazy then?” I ask as I stand.
“Well, I am Lady Luney,” she grins before taking off toward the car, shrieking when I beat her to her door.
“Cute,” I huff, opening the door for her. She graces me with a peck before sliding in my whip, and I start to think the double date won’t be so bad.
And I’m right. Nutty gets his jokes off, but Snow gives it as good as she gets, keeping Dal and I entertained while we run through all the arcade games.
After two hours, he’s high fiving her before pushing her after they beat me and Dal in the basketball shoot-out game, and I admit to myself that maybe, just a little bit, his approval of who I’m with matters.
Not only because my bro is as misanthropic as they come, but because of the time we rode out late at night to bring the girl he was stalking some food. And the other time, he sent me the social media profile of one of Brina’s friends, and asked me if I knew her in any way, shape, or form.
So yeah, seeing them actually get along makes me smile easier.
Until Snow pulls out her phone, and Nutty’s nosey ass looks at her screen. Whatever he sees makes him scowl at me, so I move closer.
“Where you at, Twin? I need you,” a familiar voice rings out from her phone. Snow lights up at her screen, giving this nigga an open mouth smile like I’m not standing right the fuck here.
So much for our good day.
“I’m out, Red. I’ll be back through there tomorrow–”
I snatch her phone from her and grill the muthafucka on the other line.
Tronzel Rhodes, a nigga with sticky fingers when it comes to cars, and whose familial ties to Tripp Rhodes is the only reason he’s not hanging from the Pakhan’s gate for that he and his lil’ crew did to his warehouse a few months back.
Even if the First Nations smoothes it over with them, the lil’ nigga has a target on his back and is reckless as fuck, on top of him flirting with my woman any chance his young ass gets.
“On Baby, don’t use this fuckin’ number again,” I grit.
Red balls up his face before he cackles. “And who the fuck is you, cuz? Gotta be a Birch Bitch the way you acting like you something.”
“Yeah aight. I’ll send yo young ass back to yo brother in pieces. Ask about Luney.”
Red sits up in his seat. “Nigga, you’ll be pushing up daises by summertime. And you know what they say about a shoulder to cry on?” He winks at me before disconnecting the facetime, and only then do I realize I been blocking Snow with my back.
Turning around, I hand her the phone, and block her slap.
“Don’t be taking my fucking phone and talking crazy to my friends. I am not your bitch.”
“You defending a nigga that just said out loud he wanna fuck?” I get in her face, but she doesn’t back down. “But you like that shit huh? Just said you be fucking ya friends anyway.”
She tries to push me away, but I’m not budging.
“Trust me, I’ll be handling his lil’ ass, too. But you’re out of line, Luney. Don’t forget, I have your passwords. I seen what the hell Gianna sent you last night. You gonna handle her?”
“You seen what she said, then you seen me tell her I’m not on that and I got a lady. Now what?” I fold my arms, thinking I got her, but she just laughs and backs away, flipping me off.
“Your hoes are like roaches, Richard. I see one, that means there’s at least five lurking in the shadows. Go fuck yourself.” She turns and switches off toward the bathroom.
Dal throws me an amused glance before following her, leaving me and Nutty in our corner.
“She has that nigga saved with red and blue hearts, Dub. You sure that’s your one?”
I don’t even have to think about it. Still glaring in the direction Snow went, I say, “On my mama, I’m more than sure.”
“Well, aight then.” He clamps down both hands heavy on my shoulders, shaking me out of my spot before dragging me toward the restaurant part of the arcade.
“Beating yo ass and watching y’all fight made me hungry.
Buy me a slice of pizza, witcho pussywhipped ass.
Never thought I’d see the day. I feel like a proud daddy! ”
I shake my head and knock his hands off me. But the smile that forms as Snow’s words play over in my head doesn’t leave, even after I realize I’ll be going another day without seeing Miss Snowflake.