"So what’s up nigga? You trying to go see what the business is with that shake-off down Foxy Ladies?” Beans asked.
"I don't give a fuck. Let me hit Harlem and see what’s up with him. See if he trying to rock”, he said.
"Man fuck that nigga. He ain't answering his phone. We don't need him. Let him keep riding round with them bitches and shit. I’m the one moving the shit and shit. Fuck we need him for?” Beans replied.
"Well, how the fuck we supposed to get down there than Slim?” he asked.
"Nigga I got that covered. You just hit Al and find out where the fuck his ass went so we can shake ass. Fuck he bounce like that for anyway?” he asked.
"Oh! So you got a ride and shit for us? What you got Harlem truck or something. I noticed he ain't been pushing it lately”, he said.
"Nah! I ain't got his truck and why the fuck you keep hollering Harlem? C’mon”, he said as he walked in the direction of a 1990 Coupe Acura Legend, “See when you roll with me, everybody get treated like they presidential. Not like that Nigga Harlem and shit. You know what? Real talk, I am starting to hate that nigga”, he said.
"The fuck outta here nigga... Damn!” Who shit is this? Hold up!” he said as he ran into one of the girl’s house on the strip who he had been fucking and grabbed a CD.
Outta breath from the short run he returned. “A'ight C'mon!” They hopped in and he went straight for the CD player and popped in the CD he ran to get.
As soon as it came on, the song was one of the same songs that Harlem always listened to: "Dear God life hard, so can you help me, with this hand you dealt me/ I just hope you understand why I be putting in work, hustling hand 2 hand before I get put in the dirt/ I hope you understand I'm ya biggest fan, even though I never step foot in the church”
"The fuck you get that from?” Beans asked. “That’s that same cd Harlem ass always listening to”, he said.
"Yeah nigga! That’s that shit. If you ain't feeling this shit, you fake or phony,' or just not my homie”, he said.
"Oh, then nigga we ain't homies.” Beans said jokingly.
Seven didn't respond, he simply just looked at Beans with a smirk and said to him, "Hatin is some weak ass shit, it’s a sickness and you sick dog, you sick.”
He turned up the music and zoned out. Beans laughed it off and pulled off. He liked the song but right now he would never admit it. He felt some sort of way about Harlem's success. He thought that considering he was Harlem's closest friend that he was supposed to really get shown a different type of love.
Like he was supposed to be with Harlem riding around as he claimed he always did. It was crazy and sort of like Freeze, Fat Slim, and Nice.
Only now it was different and the loyalty that existed back then was rare and not just amongst them but amongst most crews that were starting to blossom.
The loyalty was getting so bad that the only way dudes would trust you was if you were a part or member of their crew, team, or gang. This meant that you had to be loyal and not because you were, but by oath. It was crazy but as with everything else and history, things were repeating themselves.
"Now everybody wanna be king, when they ain't even been knighted/ I admit you doing ya thing, but boy your over excited/ Never heard your name mentioned when niggaz was getting indicted/ Cause they really sling that iron and they on they grind with that white shit...” Seven rapped, as he looked at Beans.
Indirectly telling him that he wanted to be King but he ain't even been knighted.
But Beans never replied or even caught on and Seven rapped out loud whenever he reached a part of the song that mirrored Beans.
"Man where the fuck is this nigga Al at?" Beans asked.
"Now that’s who you should be saying fuck. It ain't like his little ass gonna get no pussy anyway”, he said.
**********
"Now see, it’s a good thing that we did leave when I said leave. Your ass all worried about being too early looking like we pressed." She said.
"Bitch you know you pressed, you could wait to get down here.” She teased.
"Damn right! Please, this is where it’s going to be. This is where it’s popping at. Look over there, them niggaz is ready already. Look at all of those cars parked over in the lot. Already niggaz is here. Look! Them cars right there belong to some Comrades, that’s the Blood nigga Jugs head shit right there”, she pointed excitedly.
"How the hell can you tell who shit is whose? And what the hell is a Comrade?” Ginger asked.
"It’s easy! See girl, whenever a nigga do something or has something that is like complementary to his character, it’s virtually impossible for him to hide it or even keep it to himself. Dudes want you to know they shit, so they do little shit. Like almost every Blood be trying to get as much red shit and on it as possible. The BGF rocking Black and oh a Comrade is what the BGF dudes call themselves, Oh My GOD! Girl Look! You know who that is?” she asked.
"Not really, but apparently, you do. So tell me!” Ginger asked.
"Tha Con-traband Boyz. I know you know who they are?" she asked.
"Nah! What’s up with them?" Ginger asked.
"Girl you need to get out more,” she teased.
"No I don't! I get out too much now”, Ginger replied.
What Tasty didn't understand nor would she ever realize was that the two of them were like night and day. She lived for this club shit and dancing. Yet, Ginger clubbed and danced to live.
"Girl niggaz is coming out tonight. And the real heavy niggaz like, Harlem, Gangis-Con from up Park Heights, Big Redz, Lil E them niggaz ain't coming out to late. You know how them dudes with that big money be. They gotta be all late and shit, so a bitch can see when they get here. That’s when tips be crazy”, she said.
"Hell yeah! I just hope don’t none of these niggaz get to acting a donkey. Cause you know that every time all them niggaz come out, or even when Black people get together like that, it be a hot mess. I'm not even trying to get shot and shit. You remember the last time Lil Jay came home and Kenny Byrd threw him that party, niggaz was shooting and all types of shit that night”, she recalled. “And them fools don’t care who they hit when they let them guns go. That’s another one of the reasons I am done with this shit. It just ain't worth it girl. I am telling you. I’ma do this shit tonight, get my money so that I can get my baby everything she asked for, for her birthday and then I’m done”, Ginger said.
"Why you just didn’t ask Harlem?” she asked.
"Because he's already taking care of me. He told me that he got all my bills until I find another job. I mean, she's going to be straight because his ass is going to buy her a whole lot of shit that she's not even going to play with. And I hate when he does that because it teaches her the wrong thing, and she won't learn to respect money”, Ginger said.
"Shit! I don't respect money either, I accept it though,” she laughed.
“C'mon, I’m going inside. I wanna see some of these broke down ass bitches that came from outta town.”
**********
Hope finally reached her house and she was pissed. She hadn't realized it but her life was slowly once again falling apart over another guy.
Only this time it wasn’t the guy's fault, it was her own insecurities. She was losing her mind and now she had more than likely lost her job.
"Bitch! What the fuck are you still doing up in here? I thought I told your ass to straighten up and get the fuck outta my shit. You didn't even do that”. Hope said in a tone that revealed that she was mad about something. From the looks of it she was angry about more than her still being in her home.
"GIRL! What the hell happened to you?” Jasmine asked, concerned about the blood on her shirt and her eyes somewhat darkened to a point that it looked like she had black eyes.
"Nothing, I am straight...” Hope said.
"Apparently, you're not all that straight with your eyes all black, blood
and shit all over your shit! What the fuck happened?” she asked.
"I was fighting another one of his bitches.” Hope responded.
"The hell you always end up fighting one of his bitches? You need to let
that shit go if it got your ass like this. What happened?” Jasmine asked as
she grabbed the rag from Hope’s hands and helped her wash her face and gather herself.
"I probably don't have a job anymore. That’s what happened.” She cried as Jasmine hugged her. “I need to go out and meet me a man so I can get this motherfucka off my mind,” she said.
"Where you trying to go?” she asked.
“I don’t care, just somewhere that I can have a few drinks and forget about everything. You know like, I just really need to put this shit behind
me”, she said.
“Well, you know they are having the shake off down the club. Everybody is going to be there. He might be there too though, but the niggaz are definitely gonna
be out”, Jasmine advised.
Hope just looked at Jasmine through the mirror as the two of them stood side by side, no words were spoken, though Jasmine could have easily told her that the note she found was actually for her, and she knew that because she had been told by him herself.
She could have done so much more to comfort Hope, but she didn't. She allowed Hope to hurt in order to satisfy her own selfish need to gain whatever she had in mind for Harlem.
She helped her with her make-up and told her that they were going down the club then she took her hand like a friend would do and said,
“Sometimes girl, love hurts more when it’s done honestly because we unlock the gates to our heart and allow the object of our affection to enter without caution, without fear, but with hope. A hope that yields words and doesn’t just become words with no meaning, and the relationship starts to crumble and leave the two of you searching for shelter in the arms of another person”, she said as Hope turned and looked her directly in the eyes.
Hope told her that her words were really sweet. Hope pulled herself together and said, “Jasmine, there are unwritten rules, that so many people will never be able to comprehend. I live by those, and by those I am going to one day die. But that day ain't tonight. C'mon bitch get your shit, we going down the club and we are gonna do us”, she said.
"PLEASE BELIEVE!" Jasmine squealed.
"That’s what I am talking bout.” Jasmine smiled, they laughed, got themselves together, Hope threw on some shades to hide her eyes, and they left.
**********