Page 32 of Cove City: Vol. I

“You and Sasha need to talk. Tell her what happened. If Chevy finds out I promise he’s going to paint this muhfuckaorange and no matter how much praying a nigga do, it won’t be enough.”

Shit was getting spookier by the day. The Zoo walked into something we knew nothing about. It was like we left one place after fighting our own demons into a place where we have to fight ones on the outside. God had to be testing our strength because there is no way all this shit was happening.

My mind had been racing since my boy dropped the car off at Tuesday’s job. The shit she was saying to me ticked me off, but I couldn’t see Shorty down like that. All a nigga was trying to do was protect her. She was adamant about this story and wasn’t seeing the bigger picture. If she wanted to go fishing for information, so be it. I had other shit I needed to do, but knowing she could get around safely made me feel somewhat ok.

It's crazy that with Tuesday, I started to see slow changes in myself, ones that I didn’t do with Sash and I’ve known Tuesday for a little over a week. I wanted to talk to Sasha and make sure she was alright, but I knew that as long as she was around that nigga she wouldn’t tell me anything. I needed to figure out how to get to her when he wasn’t around. I finished my last cut when the shop's doors opened, and Bishop walked in. “Sup nigga?” he called out.

“Can’t call it. Finishing up here, what’s good?”

I saw him eyeing Quinton, “I came to ask you about that girl you were with. You know she came to my store asking questions and shit.”

I shook my head. I knew Tuesday was nosy but damn. “Yeah, she works for the paper with moms.”

“Yeah, and she’s asking questions about the Cove and Lake Hill. I know that’s your little shorty or—”

“We’re not together,” I jumped in.

I hadn’t thought about being with Tuesday like that, at least not yet. I needed to close this book on Sasha before moving forward. There was no way I could focus on one woman when Ihadn’t fully gotten over the other. I was a fucked up nigga but not that fucked up.

Bishop heckled, “Yeah, aight. Anyway, I—”

Quinton jumped in. “Man, Bishop what you gone do about those Zoo niggas?”

Bishop cut his eyes at my cousin. “First, nigga I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Ayo Bop ease up my nigga.”

Bishop ran his hand over his face. I knew he only tolerated Quinton because of me; otherwise, my cousin would probably be in the grave with his pops. “P, I don’t know why you letting this nigga pull the wool over your eyes. Quinton, let me worry about the Zoo; you do what you’ve been doing, nothing. Now, back to Pierre. I want to go outside the city and look for my moms. Naheem that nigga acting like he doesn’t know, but I think he does.”

“Bet, I got you.”

Crazy thing is I always been there for Bishop when he needed and ignored the shit I had going on. I had always extended myself to others, except the women I dealt with. It was one of my flaws, but I was trying. The shop doors opened again, this time it was Keith. “Damn, Bishop if you were going to be in here shooting the shit you could have said that. Got me sitting in that hot ass car. Look at this,” he said, coming over to us.

He held a flyer in his hand for a block party. That’s when I noticed it was the one Quinton had been talking about. Bishop snatched the paper, balling it up. “Man, Indigo wants me to get along with this nigga, but I can’t.”

“Fuck them niggas. They came to the Cove to take over. You’re supposed to be the Prince of the Cove,” Quinton said.

Bishop pointed at him. “First, nigga, I am the Prince of the Cove. Second, it’s not them coming to take over that bothers meit’s that he’s Grace’s son and no telling what the fuck he got up his sleeve.”

“Well, his nigga Zeus is a woman beater, and that nigga got to go.”

“Wait? He’s putting his hands on Sasha?”

Quinton jumped in again, “Fuck yeah! I saw that shit the other night.”

Bishop looked at him curiously, then turned to me. “You know I got you, P, whatever you want to do. I’m down.”

Keith snatched up the balled-up paper, “Man, I don’t know about y’all, but I’m going to this it might be some fly ass Shorties there.”

Bishop dropped his head and shook it. “This little nigga. I’m going to get him right.” He laughed.

“What’s wrong with me? I’m young, fly, and chilling.” He nodded proudly.

We all looked at him. Keith had grew on us. He reminded me of a young version of the crew. Hopefully Bishop got him right for real otherwise we would be chasing after his ass next.

Bishop tapped my shoulder. “I’m about to slide. Come holla at me later. We need to talk.”

“Bet,” I replied.

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