Page 96 of Feeling Blue

“No, thanks needed. Should be hearing that shit every day. All that pretty hair,” he shook his head dramatically, making her giggle. “You the one and don’t even know it.”

Zurena caught his gaze as she began giving him that look again. They were headed down the driveway toward his truck, and he’d been about to look away, but her pull on him had him stuck.

“Stop, before I run in with my cape trying to save your ass, and you ain’t even ready yet.”

As if scared that he might actually do it, Zurena stopped her eye contact immediately and made her way to the backseat of the truck.

“Hop in the front with me.”

“What about Blue? His legs are too long for the backseat.”

“I’ll take that for today, but you’ll be up here soon.” Pat winked at her, drawing another one of those day-brightening smiles before opening the back door for her and helping her in.

Pat silently thanked God for making thick women when she stepped on the bar to step into the cab of his truck and her ass raised to his eye level. Not paying him the least bit of attention, she moved around, situating herself on the backseat before reaching to close the door and catching him standing there stuck. Probably looking like a fool, chewing his bottom lip. That time no words were exchanged, only an inquiring gaze from him and blushing from her.

“You see what you doing?”

Her teeth showed when she smiled that time.

“I really don’t.”

“That’s even better. That means you got me weak in the knees naturally.”

When she pushed him back while trying to hide her smile, Pat finally laughed a little before closing the door. His eyes landed on Blue as soon as he turned to get in. He raised his eyebrows as he strolled coolly to his side of the truck. Since he didn’t even know what was going on yet, Pat didn’t bother acknowledging his silent question. He couldn’t speak on something he didn’t even know about… yet. Because, whether Zurena wanted him to or not, he was coming for her.

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The noise in the house was well above what it should have been, as was the capacity, but Blue didn’t sweat it. It had been years since he’d been at a house party, and he was more than happy to be there. With the gang any and everywhere they could be, he chilled comfortably in the corner, sipping from the neck of his beer. He’d already faced two blunts and was feeling the potency of it, so adding the beer had him just where he needed to be.

His limbs were relaxed, and the buzz had him feeling so mellow that all he wanted to do was vibe to the music and watch everybody else have a good time. Never having been the life of the party anyway, he was happy that his boys weren’t pressuring him to move or do anything he didn’t want to do. They were all either on the card table, playing dice, or caked up with the women in attendance.

Since Blue had no interest in gambling or fraternizing with any of the women, there wasn’t much for him to do but wait for Pat to finish shooting dice. He was in the corner talking loudly and beating all the young niggas out of their bread.

“Nigga, still wet behind the ears, but think he can play with me. Get your young ass out my face!” he yelled to Jet while picking up the money he’d just beat him out of. “Which one of y’all other niggas can get off your mama titty long enough to get next?”

“Me nigga! Talk that shit to a real nigga,” Rico stood up from the card table and walked over to the men.

Blue watched him stumble just a tad and shook his head. Unlike Blue, Rico wasn’t a person who could handle being inebriated. He always had to get sloppy and start doing silly shit. Although it hadn’t happened yet, Blue knew it wasn’t far away. The only good thing about his foolishness that night was that itwouldn’t cause any trouble. He was around family and everyone of them knew how he got when weed and alcohol was involved.

“Here comes this punk ass nigga,” Blue whispered to Zurena, who’d found a seat next to him and hadn’t moved since.

She’d been nursing the same bottle of beer all night and chopping it up with him since they’d gotten there, and Blue was truly happy about it. Before anything else, she was his nigga and best friend. Whenever she wasn’t on her bullshit, they tripped out and had the best time when they were together.

“Look at him, bout to fall already. I hope he bust his shit open so I can laugh.”

Blue looked from Rico to Zurena before the two of them laughed together. He’d assumed they were cackling low, but when a few sets of eyes shifted to them, he realized they weren’t as quiet as he’d thought. Rico, Pat, and the two other niggas crowded around the dice game all looked at them.

“Hell y’all look-a-like ass people laughing at?” Rico taunted.

After sipping his beer, Blue’s low voice rumbled, “Yo drunk ass.”

Rico’s smile was sinister as his eyes went from Blue to Zurena before shrugging. “Don’t be mad with me cuz I know how to have fun, while y’all sitting over there hiding out.”

“Not hiding, just chilling.” Zurena raised her beer, and Blue clinked his bottle with hers.

“Is that right?” He challenged, standing up straighter. “Yall two sneaky muthafuckas call it chilling, I call it hiding. Only people with shit to hide are as quiet as y’all two. Everybody moving around having a good time, and y’all ducked off in the corner whispering like Boy Scouts.”

Blue cleared his throat, trying to control the rising tide that was threatening to blow his high. Normally, he would let it roll off him when the gang was cracking jokes, but that was when it was just on him. Not his sister. Zurena was to herself and had been minding her business all night, so if Rico’s banter continued to a place Blue didn’t like, he was getting his shit rocked. His Auntie MaryAnn, His Forever, and His sister. Three reasons a nigga could die, so knocking Rico the fuck out wouldn’t take a second thought.

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