Page 30 of Birdy

Weakness.

The slightest hint of fear.

Bouncing my stare down to my girl Mari, I motion for her to come to sit beside me with a tip of my head so Kori can plant her ass. As soon as she slips out, I’m offering Koko her seat, animatedly tapping the tabletop. “Go on, sit. I’ve been looking for youallday, girl.”

Kori drops onto the bench—reluctantly, I should add—and cuts her blue-eyed gaze around the table. All eyes are on her and that curly blonde mop she calls a messy bun. She’s not an ugly girl....she’s just an addict, a hardcore one at that. Meth mouth, rail-thin, usually looks overly tired with deep, dark bags under her eyes. The erratic knee bouncing tells me she’s high as a kite as we speak.

It looks like I’m about to ruin it.

Oops.

“So the baggy from this morning… That was yours, right?” I ask, selecting seven tiles for myself.

Gia and Quinn do the same, so does Kori. “Yeah, but there’s no way they would’ve found it without a tip. Someone snitched.”

I have to subdue both the urge to laughandroll my eyes. She’s so full of shit. “Ain’t no one on this block gonna snitch, Koko. They know better than that. Besides, at least two-thirds of them are your clients.”

“Not our block, B. I think it was one of those bitches on the Southside.”

Southside, as in D and E block. Could she be any more stupid? “Because they know where your hiding spot is?Please.”

They don’t even use our bathrooms, comemierda.

Kori twitches in place just slightly, examining her combinations. “Well, no, but Franca was asking if I knew any connects last week during yard time and—”

“And, let me guess, you told Bellini you could hook her up for a price?”I should’ve known this chick wasn’t that smart.

“I mean, yeah.” She shrugs. “She’s cool people and—”

“Sounds like a personal problem to me. Nobody told you to open your mouth and incriminate yourself. You did that shit all on your own.”

“I need the money,” she grits.

“Bitch…” My hand freezes midair on my first move. “We all need money, which is why I let you start bringing this shit in, to begin with. Work assignment pays dick. If you’re gonna start to slip up and sell to those crazy-assputasdown there, though, then I’m cutting you off. I amnotgoing down for your crackhead ass.”

Light snickers erupt around us, narrowing Koko’s blue eyes. “Wanna cool it on the name-calling, Birdy? I own up to my shit, okay? If they catch me, I’m not gonna pin it on—”

“What’s wrong, Koko?” I cut her off with a smirk, laying down one of my tiles. “Hit too close to home there? Maybe you likeputabetter? Orpendeja?What aboutcomepinga?‘Cause I mean, that’s why you’re here, right? Whored yourself and other females out for another hit?”

Kori’s expression darkens all the more, drawing my smirk into a full-blown smile. Her angry face isn’t doing much to rattle me. I’ll slam her crackhead mug against this table if it comes down to it.

Repeatedly.

“Can I ask why the fuck you’re being such a bitch?” she tosses back, dragging her tile in place after Gia. “You on your period or some shit?”

“Are you deaf, or did you choose to ignore everything I said thus far?”

“Nah, I heard you. I’m just trying to figure out why you think selling to Franca is a bad move. Do you not realize that’s more money coming in?”

It could be all the money in the world, but those Southside bitches can’t be trusted. “You must want more time, huh? Those hoes will do whatever it takes to bring us all down and ensure we don’t get to walk free. I don’t care how cool you think Bellini is… At the end of the day, she’s D Block, and she’s not your fuckin’ homie. She’ll turn on you as fast as the rest of them,” I remind her because,clearly,she needs a damn reminder of how things work around here.

“So what do you propose I do then? Kinda too late now. I already told Franca I had more shit coming in next week.”

“Like I said…” I drop another tile. “Sounds like a personal problem to me. Just make sure you figure it out, Koko, and make sure you figure it out real good, ‘cause if Mack comes for me again,I’m coming for you.”

Her sudden outburst takes me by complete surprise. Tossing all her tiles to the middle of the table—which ruins the fucking game—she shoots up from the bench, fists curled at her sides. “Are you fucking serious right now? I haven’t done shit to you!”

Oh no, not at all.

---