“You didn’t tell me to follow you. I thought you were stopping here before taking me to the motel.” Storm got out and made sure to slam my door. Fighting back the urge to tripher ass, I walked back towards the porch. “Besides, lil booties matter. Everybody can’t have cakes like you.” Shooting her a look that made her stop laughing, I gave her one last warning and I prayed she took heed.
“You got one more time and your dumb ass gone be sleeping on somebody curb.” Not saying anything else, she shuffled behind me. Unlocking the door, I took a deep breath before walking inside. I hadn’t been in here since the night that changed my life forever. Storm had no idea the price this help came with. Memories that I had shoved down and tried my best to forget, would now flood my mind.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were bringing me to your house to stay. I really appreciate it though.” I didn’t respond as she looked around. “Gah damn! When is the last time you dusted in this mufucka? For your shop to be so clean, you nasty in real life.” When she saw my jawline jumping, she immediately changed her face. “I’m sorry. I’ll clean up for you.”
“Do you ever just shut the fuck up? Let me help you out. When you get a thought and say, hmmm, I should say this to Dodge. Don’t. Matter of fact, don’t say shit to Dodge. Just be grateful and stay the fuck out of Dodge way.”
“The way Dodge speaking in third person, tells me Dodge might have spent some nights in here talking to himself. So, I might not want to talk to his crazy ass anyway. The fuck!” No matter how much this girl tried, she just couldn’t stop herself.
“Bedrooms are in the back; it should be some towels and shit clean. If not, it’s a washer and dryer downstairs. You on your own with the food. You got a couple of hours before shit start closing down. I’ll call you when your car is ready.”
“Wait. You’re not staying?” If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought she was disappointed.
“Naw, I’m going home. I’m sure you will be good.” Ignoring her inquisitive stare, I walked out without anotherword. Being in that house was suffocating me, and I had no idea what I was thinking. Jumping in my car, I took off fast attempting to put a lot of distance between me and that house. No matter how far I had gotten, the thoughts slowly crept their way inside.
“You see this clown ass nigga? I know he not dumb enough to be trying to race The King.” My brother, Chevy, looked at the car next to us at the light. The driver of the car was revving his engine causing me to laugh. More than likely, he was here for the big race at the tracks. It was no way he was from around here or any surrounding cities.
If he was, he would know who I was and know that it was nothing he could do with me. On the streets, the tracks, or even in his dreams. It wasn’t a soul that came to the line that could beat me, and everyone knew it. Hence, why I was the king. I had won every medal and trophy that could be given to a racer. My status and reputation proceeded me everywhere I went. Which is why it was funny as hell this nigga was even trying me.
“Let his ass make it. Obviously the lil homie don’t know any better. He thinks that lil ass motor gone get him somewhere. Car gone fuck around and blow up by the time he hit the next block.” I wasn’t a showoff, but Chevy loved to stunt. Even if it was off my name.
“Mannnn, fuck that! Yo ass always trying to let these mufuckas save face. If they want to lose all they shit, why not let em? I ain’t never seen a king not want the throne.” I laughed and was about to drive off, but the clown next to me blew his horn trying to get my attention. When I looked over, he motioned for me to let my window down. I could feel Chevy’s eyes on me, so I said fuck it and decided to entertain him for a few. Letting my window down, I gave him a look that let him know I wanted him to speak.
“They told me you was the king, not some bitch ass nigga ducking smoke. You racing or you running?”
“I race on the tracks. See me tomorrow.”
“Just as I thought. You need a crowd, huh? Look, I thought you racers went by a code. Mufucka call you out, you gotta race or automatically give up your whip. So, again. You ducking or we racing?”
“You got a lot of mouth for a nigga in a raggedy ass hooptie. My dick got more juice in it than your car. Drive off while I’m giving you the chance.” Chevy immediately got pissed.
“Dust this nigga, Dodge. Teach these mufuckas to stop playing with you.” I let my window up and was about to drive off when something smacked against my window. Seeing it was a cup of liquor I shook my head. Mufuckas didn’t know how to let sleeping beasts lie. Letting my window back down, I set the rules.
“When I win, I’m not only taking the lil key chain car you got, but everything in your pocket and on your body. Everything down to yo socks,” I said the last part letting him know he was leaving with nothing.
“Damn! You gone take the nigga’s shitty ass draws too?” Chevy said trying to instigate.
“Hoe ass gone be shivering and crying walking home.” The clown next to me began revving his engine again letting me know he was ready. “One mile. Main street is the finish line.” Once I let him know where we were ending, I let my window up and waited for the light to turn back green. You can see the excitement oozing off Chevy because he already knew how this was going to go. It wasn’t the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last some lil nigga thought he could take my crown.
The light turned green, and he took off fast damn near spinning out of control. His hood was fish tailing, and I shookmy head at him. Most people didn’t realize that a big part of racing was being able to control your emotions. Usually, when they took off like that, they didn’t know how to control the car or their emotions. Finally ready to show his goofy ass, I took off with precision. Allowing my speed to gradually build, I waited until I got right behind him and hit the NOS. As soon as I shot past him, Chevy got to screaming.
“That’s what the fuck I’m talking about.” I looked over at him and couldn’t help but smile with him, until I saw his face expression change. I looked back in front of me just in time to see a car running the light. The only way to avoid impact was to turn off. When I jerked the wheel right, I couldn’t avoid the impact. I was going too fast to slow down or avoid it, and my car smacked the light pole. Looking over at Chevy, I knew immediately that he was gone.
Hearing a horn blowing brought me out of my thoughts. Driving off slowly through the light, I wiped the tears that had somehow found their way down my eyes. Pissed that I allowed myself to go back here mentally, I almost drove back to Chevy’s house and dragged Storm’s ass out the door. Shaking my head, I continued to drive with one thought constantly crossing my mind. No good deed goes unpunished.
3-LAVAY “STORM” TENSELY
Walking around the house, I continued to look through everything. I was nosy as hell, and I was trying to piece together the things Dodge refused to say. I had no idea who’s house it was, but I saw pictures of Dodge, a younger guy that looked like him, and an older man that was clearly their father. His genes were strong because they all favored. Cursing myself, I realized I left town and didn’t even give my uncle a head’s up. Grabbing my phone, I got ready to get my ass cursed out.
“Hey son. What’s going on?” I swear him calling me son never got old. My parent’s died on their anniversary in a boating accident. I was four years old at the time, so my uncle adopted me and raised me as his own. He was the only family I had, and vice versa. My uncle had no idea what to do with a little girl, so he treated me as if I were the son he never had. Even the way he dressed me was tomboyish as hell. Most people thought I was a muncher because of how I dressed. Don’t get me wrong, I could appreciate the female anatomy, but I wasn’t bout that life. I wasn’t his son in that way, but it was the entire reason I ended up racing.
My uncle used to be on those same tracks, and he was pretty good at it. He taught me everything I knew, and I lost my shit when he gifted me Pinky for my eighteenth birthday. I was twenty six now, and I had my baby decked to the Gods. It took me a long time to get my baby and my reputation to where it’s at now. My uncle helped me every step of the way, and it brought tears to my eyes knowing I was about to hurt his heart.
“Hey, Unc.”
“I know you been racing on them lil ass tires, so when you bringing the car over for me to check it? I have no idea why you got those big ass rims knowing you was gone have your ass out there racing almost every day,” he went off not giving me thechance to say shit. I waited until he was finished before I gave him the news.
“Unc, I had to leave Chicago. I’m in Diamond Cove right now.”
