“A'ight, I'm going home so I can go change I'ma meet you back here at eleven,” Pop said as he headed home.
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Fresh sat in his abandoned warehouse along with Rusty, counting piles of money.
“Yo, be on point tonight, just in case this clown Bamboo tries to make a move, smell me?” Fresh placed a rubber band over the neatly stacked money.
“You know I'm on it, I hope that nigga do make a move because I been dying to pop that nigga,” Rusty joked, placing a rubber band on a stack of money.
“Yeah, I got a meeting with this Spanish cat next week, my man plugged me in, said this cat got the best coke on Broadway, so I'm going to go see what he working with, if he got that butter then that's going to be our new connect,” Fresh said, sipping on his yak.
“A'ight, bet, that's what up.”
“I hope Spirit be popping tonight,” Fresh said.
“You know it's popping every Friday,” Rusty countered.
“Make sure you tell all the goons to strap up and be on standby just in case some shit jump off,” Fresh ordered.
“I got you,” Rusty said, placing all the money in two duffel bags.
“I can't wait until I hook this warehouse up,” Fresh said, looking around. “In two weeks this place is going to look like new money, watch,” Fresh said, looking at his vibrating Nextel.
“What's good, baby? he answered.
“Hi,
papi,
when you coming home?” Amanda's voiced boomed on the other end of the phone.
“I won't be in until the morning; why, what's up?” he asked curiously.
“Get the fuck out of here, you must have been drinking tonight,” Amanda said in her heavy accent.
“Chill, I'm going out with the guys tonight,” he protested.
“
Tu loca
?” she exclaimed, asking if Fresh was crazy. “I'm going to the club too. I ain't going to be just sitting in the house all night by myself, plus Melissa was already going, so I was just going to hook up with her âcause it's mad boring in the house.”
“A'ight, a'ight, just don't be drinking too much
comprender
?” Fresh used one of the few Spanish words he knew.
“Okay sexy, I'll see you in the club papi, bye,” Amanda said, ending the conversation.
As Fresh sat on the phone with Amanda, Rusty sat back thinking back on how the two men met.
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Rusty walked in the juvenile facility scared to death, but he knew if it came down to it he would get it on with anybody who tested him. He was the new kid in lockup and he knew how that shit went, but niggas had him all the way fucked-up if they thought that he was going to let them chump him. He didn'
t believe in that initiation bullshit. If somebody wanted to come at him wrong he would leave 'em bleeding.
As Rusty began to unpack his bag, two knuckleheads called themselves trying to extort him.
“Yo, what you got for me, fam? the light-skinned kid asked, cracking his knuckles with his homeboy on his heels.
“Yo, my man, I ain'
t got nothing for you, go ahead with all that bullshit, Rusty said, waving the two kids off, not wanting to get into a scuffle his first day in the jail.
“What? the other kid cut in. “Yo, fam, play the bathroom, the kid said as he and his partner headed to the bathroom.
Rusty tied his sneakers up real tight and took a deep breath before he headed to the bathroom. He didn't want to fight, he just wanted to do his time and get it over with but the two punks were already trying to make his stay more uncomfortable than it already was.
Once Rusty stepped foot in the bathroom it was no talking, he walked straight up to the light-skinned kid and started swinging like a madman. His first two punches connected with the light-skinned kid's jaw, making a loud clapping sound.
Within seconds Rusty felt his opponent's partner punching him in the back of his head. He felt punches coming from every angle as he quickly turned his attention toward the partner.
They finally got Rusty on the floor, and started viciously kicking him in his ribs and back.
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Rusty thought it was over for him until Fresh came to his rescue.
Fresh pulled out a sock with three bars of soap inside and beat the two kids like they stole something valuable from him and his mother. He swung the soap in a sock like a violent pair of nunchakus until both of the young kids were laid out on the bathroom floor leaking. Once he finished handling his business, Fresh quickly handed the bloody sock to one of his partners to get rid of the evidence of a weapon.
“Yo, you a'ight, B? Fresh asked, helping Rusty back to his feet.
“Yeah, good looking, them bitch-ass niggas had to jump me because they knew they couldn't beat me one-on-one, Rusty said, spitting out blood.
“Yeah, these clowns tried to do the same shit to me when I first got here, Fresh said, kicking the light-skinned kid in the face one last time.
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“Yo, nigga, you ready to go?”
“Huh?
”
Rusty asked, snapping out of his daydream.
“Nigga, you ready to go to the club and see some beautiful women?”
“If the ass is round you know I'm down,” Rusty joked as they left the warehouse on their way to the club.
“Damn, girl, you wearing them jeans,” Amanda teased her sister.
“You know I does this,” Melissa joked, pretending she was walking down the runway.
“Girl, when you going to find you a man?”
“All the men I come across all act like little boys,” Melissa said, fixing her makeup. “But when I do find a man, he going to be the perfect man,” she chuckled, giving her sister a high five. “Now you know that skirt is too short, Fresh is going to be flipping when he see you.”
“I am a grown-ass woman, plus I can't help it that I'm sexy,” Amanda said, strapping up her three-inch heels. “Don't worry about my man, worry about trying to get you a man.”
“Don't worry, it won't be long,” Melissa assured her older sister.
When the two sisters stepped outside, they turned the heads of every man in sight.
“
Muy bien, mami
,” crackhead Lucky said as he walked past the two Spanish divas.
“I hate that crackhead, he's always staring at me,” Melissa said, frowning up her face.
“Leave that junkie alone, he ain't bothering nobody,” Amanda said, flagging down a cab. “Let's just have us a good night,” she said as the two hopped in the cab.
“Let's pray these fools up in this club act like they got some sense tonight,” Melissa said as the cab pulled off, taking them to their destination.
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“Damn, look at all these hoes,” Pooh said as he slowly cruised past the club.
“Yo, that line is around the fuckin' corner,” Pop stated, throwing a piece of Winter fresh in his mouth.
“Come on let's get up in here,” Pooh said as they placed their guns under their seats and headed inside the club.
“What's good, my dude?” Pooh said, giving the bouncer a pound and slipping fifty dollars in his hand.
“How many you got with you tonight?” the big bouncer asked, discreetly stuffing the bill in his pocket.
“Just me and my man right here,” Pooh said as he and Pop bypassed the line and entered the joint.
When Pop stepped foot inside the club he almost went crazy. This was his first time ever going to the clubâhe wasn't even old enough to get in yetâbut he was connected now.
Pop was only eighteen, but that night he felt like he was over twenty-one and loved every minute of it.
Pop watched as Pooh gave dap to the people he knew. Pop could tell that most of the guys were drug dealers and most of the girls were gold diggers looking for a quick come-up. Almost every woman was dressed in something skimpy or dressed like a prostitute in order to catch the eye of a baller. As Pop and Pooh walked through the crowded club, they saw Fresh waving them over to his VIP section.
“My niggas, glad y'all could make it,” Fresh said, giving both men pounds.
“Had to get out the hood for a minute,” Pop said, accepting the drink that Rusty was handing him.
“If you stay in the hood too long it will drive you crazy,” Fresh replied as he noticed Amanda and Melissa walk up in the club.
“Come over here so I can holla at y'all for a second,” Fresh said as the duo took a seat on the couch.
“I'm going to need you two to take care of something for me tomorrow, something serious,” he said.
“Whatever it is I'm sure we can handle it,” Pop stated as he killed his drink.
“One of my lieutenants got himself mixed up in a murder charge,” Fresh whispered in a huddle.
“So what, you need us to take out the witness?” Pooh joked.
“That's exactly what I need y'all to do,” Fresh said seriously before he continued. “Some lady in her early thirties.” Fresh handed Pooh a photo of the woman.
“I'm missing out of a lot of money while my man is sitting up on Rikers Island. There's no way this woman can testify,” Fresh said with seriousness in his voice.
“Is she in protective custody?” Pop asked curiously.
“Nah, not that I know of,” Fresh responded.
“Don't worry, we'll take care of it, but not tonight, my nigga,” Pooh said as he got up and headed to the dance floor.
“Enjoy the rest of your night, get you one of these fine-ass bitches up in here,” Fresh chuckled as Amanda walked up right on time.
Pop hit the dance floor and saw Pooh getting his freak on with some thick, dark-skinned chick. Pooh was a straight-up animal while he was on the dance floor; he and the dark-skinned chick practically had sex with their clothes on for three songs straight.
Pop stood there watching everybody have a good time until he saw the Spanish girl of his dreams. Instantly Pop's stomach caught butterflies. He knew if he was ever going to holla at the Spanish girl now was the perfect time.
What the fuck are you waiting for? The worst thing she could say is no,
Pop said to himself as he made his way over to the sexy woman.
As Pop got closer he noticed that the Spanish girl looked even prettier on a club night.
Melissa stood by the bar doing her two-step when the ugliest guy in the world approached her.
“Hey, baby you wanna dance?” the ugly man asked, grabbing Melissa's wrist, moving his hips to the beat.
“No, thank you,” she said politely, but the man still held on to her wrist.
“Come on, ma, don't act like that, let's try this again,” he said, still moving his hips to the beat. “Would you like to dance?”
“Not with you,” Melissa said, snatching her wrist out of the ugly man's grip.
“Well, fuck you then, bitch,” the ugly man spat as he disappeared in the crowd.
“What's good, ma, you look like you can use a drink,” Pop said, looking at his dream girl in the eyes.
“I sure can,” she replied, looking the young stud up and down.
“I'm Pop,” he said, extending his hand.
“I'm Melissa. It's nice to meet you, Pop,” she replied with a gorgeous smile.
“What you drinking, ma?” he asked as he pulled a nice-sized knot out of his pocket.