Page 33 of Cove City: Vol. I

We dapped each other up, and he headed out. I wasn’t sure what the talk was about, but if I had to guess, it was some shit Naheem wanted us to do. I checked my phone to see if Tuesday had hit me, which would have let me know she had gotten the car, but I had yet to get a text from her. I didn’t know if I should be worried or mad. The pretty ass quirky girl had grown on me

After leaving Zaria's, I was tipsy and feeling emotional. I hadn’t spent time with my man in days, and being wrapped in his arms felt right. However, I wanted to see where the guys were at since I was initiated into the Zoo without Soho.I’m sure one of them had given him the word that we were all part of the Zoo, and he wasn’t. I spotted everyone’s bike but Beans when I pulled up to the house. If he wasn’t here, it meant he was out doing what he does best, either in the Studio or at the university doing his podcast.

The house was a staple for us. It’s where we laughed, fought, and bonded. However, it was also the house of pain that we tried turning into something good. The Keyton brothers are a product of this home after their mother died, and their father decided his liquor lover was more important, he left them. With Streets in college trying to make a career out of basketball, Peanut did not know what he wanted to do with his life, and Mali was working but not making enough money. I had been keeping up the payments on the place.

I entered the room, and they were all sitting on the couch. “What’s up, Sash?”

“Why are you guys sitting around like this?” I asked.

Peanut closed his eyes as he began to talk. “Ba-bu-Beans first sh-sh-show is tonight.”

I eased over toward them. Mali stood to allow me to sit down on the beat-up couch. “Don’t you think it’s time for new furniture? I mean, you do have the money now,” I told him.

“We’re leaving this place after the summer. Shit, Xavier going back to school and we figured that we would move to something nicer, you know start over, maybe Lake Hill.”

I felt a certain way about it. Not that they wanted to move to Lake Hill, but rather that they were giving up a place filled with so many memories. However, I knew that for them, it meant leaving the trauma behind. I glared at Mali, “Anybody talk to Soho?”

“I tried but the nigga out his mind. He ain’t happy, Sash,” Monfua jumped in.

I knew he wouldn’t be happy and feared he would do something stupid. “I will talk to him. Y’all know Soho is a problem, and no matter how much talking I do with Chevy, he is not going for it.”

Streets shrugged. “I get it. The nigga doesn’t deserve to be a part of the crew.”

I knew they all felt the same way, but it would be me who had to address the issue. I started to feel the pressure being applied, and I had to put my feelings to the side and do what needed to be done. Peanut waved his hand as he turned up his mini speaker attached to his phone. Intro music began to play, and the sounds of Beans' deep, mellow voice cascaded from the speaker.

“Are you tuned in or are you tuned out? Whatever way you decide, we're still going to be alright. It’s Beans.”

“And Piggy!” Paige squealed.

“Your favorite duo coming to shoot the—”

“Beans, we can’t say that here,”she giggled.“B and P are bringing the hottest topics not only on campus but in the neighborhood.”

“Yeah, tap in from the hood to the mic. It’s our first episode, and I want to get straight to it. Aye, Piggy, what’s the topic?”

Beans was so smooth with it. He was a natural. I glanced at the guys who were nodding proudly.

“Hood topic; loving a gangsta’s ugliest scars.”

“Oh, you getting right to it, huh? I see you, I see you. Piggy got a grin on her face, y’all, she’s ready to dive in. Let me ask you this. What do you know about a gangsta?”

“I’m looking at one,”she cackled.

“Whoa, slow your roll, I’m not gangsta, but I have my ways.”

“He’s winking at me, y’all, what do you think that means?”

The two of them interacting with each other felt like a vibe. I knew both very well. Paige, of course, I knew because of dealing with Pierre. She was a sweet girl with big dreams, and Beans is really chill, smart as hell, and talented.

“How do you love a man who comes from a place of hurt? How do you tend to his trauma scars without being hurt in the process?”Paige posed the question.

I began thinking about Zeus and Pierre. Both had ugly scars. One I couldn’t heal, and the other I was in the process of trying. I hopped up from the couch. “I will get with you guys later,” I told them.

I pulled my keys from my pocket and glanced down at them. I smiled when I looked at the key he had given me.“Hurt is part of the process, if you ask me. The real question is to what extent will you fight to heal him?”I heard Beans say before I walked out.

I was going to see my man. Zeus and I had come too far to fall apart like this. It was time we healed each other’s scars.

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