Chapter Twenty
For the first time in well over a year, Nolan finally felt a small bit of happiness. He’d been through the fire just trying to maintain. He’d been kicked out of his mother’s run-down house, displaced from his father’s girlfriend’s spot, and robbed of all the money he had in the world. Basically, he was abandoned to fend for himself. Tragically, his spirit was damaged. And now, a random female he’d met on the humble had given him a tiny bit of hope. This female just said that she believed in him, even though he didn’t feel that way about himself. Kapri James and her inspirational words had given him a fresh outlook on life. No longer skeptical, Nolan now felt confident what he and his boy were planning would work out. Sticking his head into the day room, he signaled for Bone Capone to meet him near the back hallway. Anytime the two of them would discuss their get-rich-quick schemes, they were careful to be aware of any of the others in the group home that were known for ear hustling. Those people then ran they bitch asses to the program’s director snitching for an extra Honey Bun at lunch.
For the last few days, Bone had been telling Nolan that they should make a move with his older cousin. Originally from Ohio, Bone Capone had been in the streets getting money since birth. Unlike Nolan’s parents, Bone’s people taught him the dope game early on. He was in diapers holding the bag whenever their house would get raided. Often, the police would not cross the line and risk child abuse accusations by strip searching an infant. After relocating to Detroit, Bone and his moms continued to get money the long way. Everything with their hustle was going good . . . until a crooked cop out of the Eleventh Precinct got cocky. The slimeball wanted more than his usual monthly payoff. After a brief struggle, Bone Capone came out victorious, breaking the officer’s jaw. Ultimately, that brawl landed the underage violent youth locked up in baby jail, which was another name for the strictly supervised group home.
“What up, doe, Nolan? What it do?”
“Okay, dawg, so you know that move you wanna make outta town?”
“Yeah, and, so what about it? What’s good?” Bone eagerly inquired with his arms folded. Only seventeen, he’d been heavy in the game. Official in the streets, he already had major artwork on both of his forearms. “Jesus” on the right and “Only time will tell” on the left. Not one to play games, the fair-complexioned teen had long outgrown his present living situation. Ready to get back to the money, he was more than ready to get back to securing the bag.
“I’m thinking that everything you was telling me the other day after chow sound like a plan. I mean, shit, real talk, we ain’t getting no money sitting around this bitch with these lames.” Nolan motioned to all of the other occupants of the group home glued to the small television. Housing with them for over a month, he knew that he was cut from a different cloth. Most of them were content eating the garbage-ass food they were being served and gathering around to watch a whack-size television like some dysfunctional family. Even if Nolan hadn’t received that pep talk from Kapri, eventually, the group home would have become too much to bear. Sooner than later, he’d be out. Bone Capone and his people out of state would just speed up the process.
Arms still folded, Bone looked around to see if there were any extra pair of ears or eyes lurking. Making sure the two wouldn’t be overheard, he explained that he would get in touch with his cousin. Low-key, he and Nolan would pack their bags and be ready to be out the next night before daybreak. When one supervisor staff shift was about to end, and the next to begin, a lot of movement and confusion always occurred throughout the building. With no alarms on the various exits, that was the time it would be more than easy for Nolan and Bone Capone to slip out undetected. It’d be a good hour later after breakfast that a head count would take place, and their absence would be discovered. By that time, God willing, they’d be across state lines.
They’d been plotting on this getaway scheme for a few weeks, and up until now, Nolan had been hesitant. Bone was far from crazy. He could tell something was up with his homeboy by the way he’d been acting since they’d left that school. Not holding Nolan up, Bone cut off into him.
“Dawg, that was that crazy-mouthed girl from that school on the phone, wasn’t it? Get it a hundred. She got your ass gone, and you ain’t even smelled the pussy yet,” he clowned him, knowing that shit was the truth.
Nolan didn’t try to deny it. He announced to Bone that Kapri was some kinda different female. And he knew that he had to get his weight up if he wanted to be with an upper-class chick like her. Bone laughed, telling Nolan at this point he ain’t give a shit if God came to him in a dream and motivated him to get this money. As long as his love-sick ass would be packed and ready to roll, all was good.
After they left the hallway from their, so to speak, “business plan of action meeting,” the duo was met with stares of contempt and hatred from a guy from Southwest Detroit. Since the overgrown guy nicknamed Albino Abe arrived at the usually laid-back group home, he’d been dry hating on everyone he thought was more polished than he was. The fact that he claimed to belong to a gang meant nothing. If he wanted to run off at the mouth, then he’d get dealt with. Sadly for him, he’d picked the wrong time to step to Nolan or Bone. They had nothing to lose, knowing they were hours away from breaking out, so Albino Abe caught more than just their hands. He got stumped out, with Nolan finishing it off, slamming his shoe down on the boy’s jaw, causing blood to leak. Dispersing before getting reprimanded, Bone and Nolan victoriously went to their rooms, daring any of the other guys to rat them out. Regretting that he’d let his mouth get his ass handed to him, Albino Abe soon got up from the fetal position he was left in, vowing revenge one day in the future . . . sooner or later.