That’s when I finally turned and looked at him. I started shaking my head just thinking about what I had seen.
“In that office, I saw some pictures on the wall. This is Maliah’s father’s shop. He owns MB’s Auto,” I finally let out.
Ghost paused like he was waiting for me to finish the story. Like that alone wasn’t enough to change anything. Then he let out a sharp breath while shaking his head. He was clearly annoyed.
“So what?” he shot back with his voice rising now, “you letting a bitch mess up the play. Nigga you soft as fuck.”
I stepped closer to him without thinking. Over the years, we would throw little verbal jabs at one another. That’s what we did because we both had tough skin, and we loved joking around. But this… wasn’t shit funny about it. Calling my girl a bitch wasn’t humorous to me. When I got closer to him, he leaned in more, like he wanted me to do something. So, I did. That’s when I grabbed him. I aggressively put my hands on his hoodie and yanked him forward. Something in me snapped before I could talk myself out of it. I was seeing red, and as I was about to take my anger for the disrespect out on Ghost, the only thing I could think about in the back of my mind was Maliah.
Ghost was the furthest thing from a punk. Growing up, he and I always fought other kids on the basketball court. Back to back, we would go toe-to-toe with anybody because that’s what brothers do. That’s what brothers are supposed to do. He looked me up and down quickly, like he was astonished that I had even placed my hands on him.
“Nigga…” he let slip out before shoving me back instantly. It was hard enough to make me stagger half a step, and that was all it took for everything between us to break loose. I came back at him, shoulder first. I drove into his chest, but he caught me and twisted sideways, which threw me off balance. We hit the side of my Impala with a dull thud. The metal reacted under pressure, and I knew that there was a dent in my shit now. Both of us were breathing heavier now. We were going blow for blow, and angerspilled out in the only language we both ever really understood. When I got tired of the back-and-forth blows. I grabbed him up in a headlock.
“Get off me,” he growled while delivering blows to the side of my ribs.
“It’s not just another lick. G, this is her fucking life.”
I let go of him and then pushed him hard as hell to create some distance between us. We were both breathing deeply while trying to catch our breath. I could feel that my bottom lip was busted.
“You really about to let a bitch get in between the money?” he tilted his head to the side and then looked me up and down, “get in between you and me?”
We stood there staring at one another. We were just two best friends, turning years of trust and loyalty into something ugly in the side alley outside a shop neither of us should’ve been in to begin with.
“Huh?” he growled impatiently, waiting for me to answer.
I just stared at him because in my mind, he had to have some animosity toward Maliah and me. Maybe he always had, and I just never noticed it. And even in the middle of it, even while my hands were on him and his hands were on me, all I could see was her face in my head. I knew Ghost and knew him well, so I knew that he would never see just how big disrespecting Maliah was to me. He couldn’t understand some shit like that because, honestly, Ghost always put Ghost first. He couldn’t put anyone before himself. That was a quality that my father instilled in me. My dad tried to do the same with him, but getting him to care for people how we did was like pulling teeth. The boy was really a lost cause.
Putting people before yourself was a quality that no one ever showed him because he never had a fucking dad. Men show their sons how to lead and put the family first. Put your lovedones first. He didn’t get that shit.Fucking bastard,I thought as I looked him up and down with disgust before opening my car door and then getting in. I left him standing there. I didn’t say anything else, didn’t look back, and I didn’t try to fix what just cracked wide open between us. He could have whatever was in those two duffel bags that he had taken from the auto shop. I was walking away empty-handed, and honestly, I didn’t give a fuck.
Chapter 14
Trigga
After slamming the door harder than I intended to, I pulled off before the engine even had time to settle into a smooth idle. Gravel kicked up behind me as I hit the gas, putting distance between me and that shop, between Ghost and me, between me and everything that just happened. My hands were tight on the wheel as I drove. My jaw was locked tightly as I ground my teeth together, and my chest still rose a little too fast. I was heated. The ski mask felt suffocating now, like it was pressing everything I was trying not to think about deeper into my head. I yanked it off with one hand and tossed it into the backseat, not even looking to see where it landed.
For a second, I just drove. I had no destination in mind. And I didn’t have a plan. I knew that I would have to stay in a hotel tonight because there was no way that I could go back to Ms. Gia’s house. Not to stay anyway. I needed to go and grab some of my things, though. Whatever the fuck just happened between Ghost and me was final. I guess getting my own spot is a priority for me now. I was driving aimlessly with no true destination in mind. The city looked different at that hour. It was past midnight when everything slowed down just enough for the real version of the city to show. Streetlights stretched across emptyroads and neon signs flickered over half-closed businesses. I was surrounded by the kind of quiet that only came after chaos, and honestly, it should have helped clear my head, but it didn’t.
No matter how far I drove, I couldn’t outrun what I had just realized. I had been secretly fucking over the best thing that had ever happened to me. Maliah didn’t deserve shit like this. Her face stayed right there in my mind, clearer than anything in front of me. Before I even realized what I was doing, I reached for my phone. Her name sat right there like it always did. Right in the favorites section of my phone, because I had given her access to me that no one else was given a chance to receive. I stared at her contact longer than I should have. My thumb hovered for a second, because a part of me already knew I shouldn’t be reaching out. Not after tonight. Not after what I know now. But I did anyway.
You up?
The message was sent, and for a second, everything felt too quiet again. Like the whole city paused with me, waiting to see what came next. Waiting to see if she would even text back. It didn’t take long for her to respond.
Yeah… you okay?
I let out a slow breath as my head fell back slightly against the headrest before I responded.
Can you come outside?
Those three dots popped up almost instantly.
Everybody’s asleep. I can sneak out
I didn’t reply with anything long. Instead, I sent my location so that Maliah would know when I was outside. I then turned the car in the direction I already knew by heart. The drive felt shorter than it should have. Or maybe it was because I was speeding all the way to her.
By the time I pulled up, the neighborhood was tranquil, the kind of quiet that made every small sound feel bigger than it was. I cut the engine but didn’t get out. I just sat there watching the house. My thoughts were running in circles that I couldn’t get out of.I really robbed her dad.This wasn’t supposed to go like this. She wasn’t supposed to be tied to any of this. The two lives were supposed to be separate and stay separate. The streets and hers were supposed to be on two different spheres. Two different worlds, yet I had unknowingly mushed them shits together, and I knew how quickly the shit could get messy. And I’m talking about giving a toddler a can of ravioli and a spoon so they can feed themselves, messy. I banged on the steering wheel in frustration.
“Fuck!” I let slip out.
