Page 17 of Not A Homie, Lover Or Friend
I didn’t have a response. Chevy stood. “You know what fuck all that. Meeting at the Zoo tonight, we’re about to squash this shit. My crew is about family, not enemies. You,” he pointed to me. “An OG, a nigga that knows what it’s like being the new guy, and here you are still on the same shit, Myles. Does Harvey know you’re out here fighting? I think you need to focus less on what your grown ass sister is doing and more on your relationship with my sister. Don’t be a Zu.”
The sound of the twins came in on the monitor. Chevy looked down at the monitor, then at me. “My little niggas need their dad. See yourself out,” he finished and went back inside.
Him trying to tell me how to handle my sister irritated me, but the idea of me losing Harvey hit harder. I stood from the chair to leave. When I entered the house, the plant came down again, smacking me in my face. This time, when I swung, I hit it so hard the leaf flew off.
I hurried and rushed out of the house. Chevy was already irritated about the fight the nigga was really about to be on my ass about his funky fucking plant. I didn’t know if I would be able to get over the situation like that, but I knew I had to try to keep my cool.
MONFUA
After driving for the last thirty minutes, I had just arrived downtown, only blocks away from the bar, when I passed Diamonds to see Lakia and one of the strippers who danced at Foe’s club, walking out. She laughed and smiled as if she cared nothing about what had happened only hours ago. I laughed, shook my head, and continued up the street.
My phone vibrated, but this time it was a call from one of the girls I used to fuck with. I smiled as I picked it up. “Talk to me?”
“Finally, you’ve been ignoring me, Monfua?”
I laughed. “I’ve been busy. What’s good?”
I could hear her suck her teeth. “Well, I was calling because I will be in town for the weekend and wanted to know if you were busy.”
“Nah, I’m not. What, you trying to slide through?”
“Yeah. Thought we could have some island fun.”
I thought about it for a second. “Yeah. I’ll be home in a few hours. I will text you when I’m there.”
“Can’t wait to see you.”
I didn’t respond; instead, I hung up. My first thought was to turn her down because of Lakia, then I thought about everything that had transpired. I wasn’t going to deprive my dick over someone who didn’t want it. Shit, it was apparent she was having fun, so why couldn’t I?
My phone alerted me that I had received a text. When I saw Chevy’s name pop up, I knew what time it was. He wanted us to meet him at the Zoo, and honestly, I was about ready to say fuck it and walk away before I really knew what it was like to be a partof the crew. My stepping away would eliminate the dealings of Lakia and the Zoo.
Iknew Harvey wasn’t expecting me to walk into her auditions, but she must have forgotten I was helping her plan my brother’s party. Now, whether Foe and I were on speaking terms or not, I wouldn’t miss his birthday for anything, and that included helping to plan it.
After the auditions, Flex and I decided to get drinks. It was nice having someone outside of the Zoo family to talk to. She reminded me so much of Asia. From her style to how she spoke, and even the fact that she danced. Asia was cool. She lived in the same projects as my mother, and I would see her from time to time when I came home to visit. When she told me she was fucking with my brother, it reminded me of how small the world was. Now, we’re here, and Asia is long gone, and Harvey has filled that space.
As we made our way up the street to Layoni’s, I saw Monfua’s truck pass by. When we reached the door, I realized it was closed. I wondered if everything was ok with him and his mother. I pulled my phone out to call Monfua until Iremembered that he wasn’t speaking to me either. However, I was genuinely concerned. I didn’t want to wear it on my face, so I tried to push past my thoughts.
Flex and I jogged back toward her car, quickly getting in as the rain began to come down harder. As soon as we were inside, Flex glanced at me, “Don’t worry about it, I got drinks at home.” She laughed.
When she started the car and the radio came on, the first thing we0 heard was the weatherman advising that a storm was approaching. I glanced out the window and up at the sky, seeing dark clouds accompanied by a few lightning strikes, followed by a rumble of thunder. It’s crazy how the current weather symbolizes my life. I sat back in the seat and got lost in my thoughts.
I figured after Foe’s party, I would tell him about school and the whole money thing. It was killing me inside because I had never kept anything this serious from my brother, but this situation was different. I needed him and me to get back to what we were before the argument and before Harvey. Monfua, on the other hand, I didn’t know what to do about him. He wanted to try, and at first, I was against it, but after today, I began to consider the idea.Could we fall in love with each other?
I didn’t know what was going to happen with school because I had been checking my application status with TSU nonstop and hadn't received a response. If shit didn’t work out with that, I was going to need Monfua more than I thought. His title as a husband was about to kick in sooner than he thought. There was so much going on that I was starting to feel like I was drowning.
By the time I snapped back to reality, we were pulling up to an apartment building. It didn’t look bad at all. Whatever Flex was doing, whether dancing for money or getting it however she lived, she was making it work. From the outside looking in, everyone around me made things seem so easy; however, I knewbehind every fairytale was a dark story. I just wondered what Flex’s was.
We got out of the car and ran through the pouring rain to reach her door. I tried shielding my head as I ran behind her. I bumped into someone, when I lifted my head to apologize, his face scared me, and I froze. “Watch it, little momma,” he gritted as he held a baby in his arms.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
My eyes landed back on Flex, who was waving me down to follow her. I rushed over until I was inside her place. The first thing I noticed when coming inside was the stripper pole. “You take dancing seriously, don’t you?” I asked.
She set her things down as she walked into the kitchen. “Yes, don’t you have something you're passionate about?”
I did, school, and the thought of letting Kirk destroy that for me made me mad. I glanced at her with a weak smile, “I do, it’s school.”
She grabbed the bottle and made her way toward me. “Sit, don’t be scared, you’re wet but not too wet to sit. You go to TSU?” she asked.
