Her Sweetest Revenge (Delphine Publications Presents) (19 page)

“
Shit, I was mad I told him to get the fuck out too, just like Mike. I can’t believe Mike’s ass hit me.”

I walked over and gave Rochelle a huge hug. “Well, at least Li’l Lo fucked him up.”

“
You know he did. I mean, me and Mike wasn’t even together when he went to jail. Nigga talkin’ about all he done for me. I told his punk ass I earned that so I don’t owe him nothing. Plus, Tiny his daughter. Everything he did was for her not me. After this stunt he better hope I let him see her.”

“
Are you hungry? I could whip you up some pancakes or somethin’.” I tried to change the subject.

“
I could eat.” Rochelle rubbed her face again.

“
A’ight.” I headed to the kitchen with Rochelle on my trail.

“
Where’s Monica and Li’l Bo?”

“
Monica’s hanging out with one of her new friends, and Li’l Bo’s ass in the street somewhere.”

“
You know what? I thought I seen him over by the Brewster when I was leaving, but I wasn’t sure. I was in such a hurry to get away from over there.”

“
Yeah, I’ma bust his ass if I find out he slanggin’.”

“
I hope not. You know these streets don’t care who it swallow. Where Hood at?”

“
Checkin’ his traps. He just left right before you came up.” I grabbed some pancake mix out of the cabinet.

“
Are you enjoying your new crib?” Rochelle reached in the fridge and grabbed the carton of eggs.

“
Girl, yeah.” I put a big grin on my face. “I still miss my mom sometimes though. I go over once a week to visit with her just to make sure she’s a’ight. Can you believe she didn’t even ask where I live? Not once. I told her anyway though.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“
Maybe she realized she had to let y’all go. I mean, I know she still loves all of y’all, she’s just messed up right now.” Rochelle sounded sincere. “Now I got to get Wynita to let me and Tiny go. She act like we gon’ move out of the country or something. I think she should be happy to get us out, but she wants to keep me livin’ with her forever. Mya, girl, I can’t even scream when my man hittin’ me from the back. Li’l Lo already got a condo waitin’. He pays a mortgage every month for a place he ain’t slept at since we have been kickin’ it. Yo, Mya, I just need some alone-time with my man without my momma being in the next room.”

“
I feel you.” I smiled. “Hood and I have had sex in every room in this apartment except Li’l Bo’s and Monica’s room. And when they’re here and I want to scream, I just go to Hood’s house.”

“
I see he done put a smile on your face. Feels good to be sexed on a regular, don’t it?” Rochelle asked with a grin.

“
I know, right?” I laughed. I headed over to the bar and grabbed some wine, popped the bottle, and while making pancakes, Rochelle and I talked about old times and got wasted and for the moment, for Rochelle, this morning’s past events were a blur. She can face that situation again tomorrow.

Chapter 31

It had been a week since that situation with Rochelle had gone down and everything was back to normal. I had worked all week and attended my classes. So today was a good day for me to stay at home, relax, clean up, and do the laundry. Just like a lot of weekends lately, Monica and Li’l Bo were not at home so I had peace and quiet. It was just me and Hood holding down the fort. I was walking around the house gathering everybody’s laundry together while Hood followed me, trying to convince me to let him buy me a car. So I guess you can say I didn’t exactly have peace and quiet. I had said no at least fifty times, but he didn’t seem like he was going to give up anytime soon.

“
Mya, I’m ya man. Ain’t nothing wrong with me buying you a car. I ain’t gon’ have my girl catching no city bus. I have four vehicles, and you refuse to drive any of them. Why is that? Then you say no to me buying you a whip. I just don’t get it.”

We had been going back and forth about this all morning. Hood didn’t understand why I wouldn’t at least drive one of his cars. Hood was a true baller, no doubt. Sittin’ in his three-car garage was a 2008 White Bentley Continental fully loaded with orange interior, a gray BMW M3 Concept, plus he had two Cadillac Escalade trucks. Who needs that many cars? He only has a three-car garage, so one of the Escalades has to be parked in his circular driveway. I told him if he keeps buying whips he gonna have to change his address. What the hell? He was loaded with money, but that doesn’t have anything to do with me as far as I am concerned. How can I get him to see that? This bitching about getting me a car was getting on my last nerve.

“
Look, I get that you’re independent and you don’t need a man for anything. I get that, but I’m ya man, and I’m not gon’ have you walkin’. Period. I don’t want to have to kill one of these niggas up if they get you in the wrong.” Hood had that serious look on his face that he has all the time. So I know he ain’t playing.

“
Hood, if my walking bothers you that much I will look into getting a car, OK?” I said while heading into Li’l Bo’s room to get his dirty clothes.

“
A’ight, baby girl,” he finally said calmly, but something told me that he wasn’t giving in too easy because he had been adamant about this all day. Or maybe I had won; maybe he was tired of arguing about it. Since I said I would look into it, he was cool with that. Either way, I was glad to get his ass off my trail following me from room to room with this.

After grabbing all of Li’l Bo’s clothes out of his dirty hamper and throwing them into my wash pile, I notice something fall out of his pocket. I reached down to pick it up thinking maybe it was some paper. But as I picked up the package to examine it for a couple of seconds, I, without a doubt, recognized what I know to be cocaine. I almost fell backward as my body swayed.

“
Hood!” I yelled so loud I heard an echo in my condo, even though my condo is fully furnished front to back.

“
What, baby?” he questioned as he entered the room looking worried. He immediately recognized what I’m holding in my hand. “Where did you get that?”

“
It fell out of Li’l Bo’s pocket. Oh God, Hood. What if he’s using drugs?” Tears flooded my face.

Hood walked over and took it out of my hand. “This shit is that white too,” he said, examining the bag. “I don’t think he’s using this. If he was you would know it, trust me.” Hood gave me an assuring look.

“
So he slanggin’ that shit? That’s why he hangin’ out so much. I knew it, but I’ve been too busy lately to approach him about this, but today I will.”

“
Look, Mya, you got to handle this the right way because if you don’t, you will push him to the streets for good.”

“
What the does that mean, Hood?” I got mad. “Are you telling me to give him a pat on the back, maybe even a round of applause?”

“
That’s not what I said, Mya. You got to handle this the right way, or you will make it worse. Li’l Bo ain’t that little no more. He’s a man now. He’s tryin’ to get his respect from the streets. At this point, he feels like he got something to prove.”

“
Well, you know what? I got something to prove, too.” I snatched the dope out of Hood’s hand, reach on his right side, and grabbed his 9 millimeter Glock, then headed toward the front door.

“
Where are you going?”

“
Over to the Brewster to get Li’l Bo.”

“
Why you need that nine?”

“’
Cause the first motherfucker who tries to stop me from gettin’ my little brother, it’s lights out for them.” Tears were flowing down my face so fast I had to wipe them to keep from wetting my shirt.

“
No, Mya.” Hood grabbed the gun out of my hand.

“
Oh, I am going over there. Now you can take me, or I’ll catch a cab. Either way, I’m out.” Hood followed me out the door. When we pulled up to the Brewster it was packed outside as usual. Everyone was out; crack fiends, dope pushers, hoes, you name it. We rolled up on Li’l Bo chilling, hanging out, and trapping with about five other niggas. I jumped out of the truck heated.

“
Yo, what you doing here, Mya?”

I immediately headed toward Li’l Bo. He started walking toward me so I wouldn’t loud-talk him. He could tell by looking at me I was pissed. When I got in of front of him I pulled out the bag of dope.

“
What is this?” I opened the bag and let it pour out on the ground.

“
Yo, what the fuck you doing?” Li’l Bo yelled.

“
What did I tell you, nigga?” Before I knew it I slapped him so hard he stumbled backward, then I grabbed him by his neck. Hood rushed up and pulled me off him.

“
You have ruined everything!” I cried. “Everything that I have tried so hard to prevent.”

“
Mya, I told you I got to be a man. I can’t have my older sister taking care of me like I’m some kid. I’m out here making money.” Li’l Bo went in both his pockets and pulled out wads of cash. I noticed he had guns in his waist. It broke my heart. All I had sacrificed for my family and my baby brother was a dope boy.

“
I know you working for Squeeze. He don’t give a fuck about you. You fifteen, Li’l Bo,” I cried. “Fifteen!” I repeated as crowds of people stood by watching me. I didn’t care. I loved my brother with all my heart, and I just wanted to keep him safe.

“
Take her home, Hood. She don’t need to be out here.” Li’l Bo turned around and walked back to his trap spot. Just like that, I had lost my brother to Squeeze. I had no more control. I hated Marisa and Lester for not being here to help me, expecting me to be the adult. How dare they put all this responsibility on me?

Chapter 32

For the next two days, Li’l Bo didn’t come home. I was sick. I lay in bed both days thinking he would never come back. He had made it clear that he didn’t want me taking care of him. So I didn’t know if he would find his own crib or just lay around the trap houses. I was just plain worried. Monica tried to get me to eat, but I wasn’t hungry. Hood tried to console me so he stayed by my side. He didn’t check his traps for two days. He put Pig in charge just so he could hold me down. I knew without a doubt that he had mad love for me.

Although I appreciated him being there for me, the only thing on my mind was Squeeze. That nigga just seemed to be the root of my family’s problems. My life had been going so good since the robbery. I had Hood in my life, I was working and going to school, I had the new crib for my brother and sister, and everything just seemed to be going in a positive direction. Even though I still worried about my mom, not seeing her come in the house high all the time was kind of unusual. Although I didn’t like her getting high, I liked knowing if she was safe. I had been thinking about my dad a lot lately and planned to go see him. My plan was to take Monica and Li’l Bo out to visit with him, but with all that was going on I just hadn’t had the time. With things looking up on a positive note, I hadn’t thought much about continuing to carry out my plan on Squeeze’s crew.

Now the hate I felt for that nigga was at an all-time high. Since he couldn’t seem to stay away from my family and since he was determined to ruin my family, I knew there was only one thing left for me to do, and that was to ruin Squeeze’s life. You know, keep fucking with his money. After all, that will always get him where he lives. My thoughts were getting heavy until I heard a knock on my bedroom door.

“
Come in,” I said in a husky voice.

Li’l Bo walked in looking like he’d been up the whole two days he had been gone. He had changed clothes and just like any trap boy he was geared from head to toe. He had on the big blinged-out diamond watch and the chain to match.

“
What’s up, sis?” he said. “Look, I’m sorry, but I tried to tell you. I promise I won’t end up like Dad. You don’t have to worry.” He paused, and I saw a tear roll down his face. “Are you gon’ say something? Yell or something, because I know you still pissed and shit.”

“
Damn right, I’m mad,” I said without screaming at him like I really wanted to.

“
Look, don’t be mad at Squeeze. He’s an a’ight dude. He just about his paper. I’ma be large just like him, and I ain’t going to no damn jail.”

“
Li’l Bo, Squeeze is a snake. He ain’t gon’ let you be no more than a nickel-and-dime trap boy.”

“
Naw, it won’t be like that, you watch. Do you want me to move out?” he asked while putting both his hands in his pocket. I didn’t say anything so he turned to leave.

“
Li’l Bo,” I said before he opened the door. “Promise me that you’ll come home every night. Never stay out all night. I can’t bear thinkin’ you dead.”