He nodded, bussed a right, and we were on the way.
The closer we got, the louder everything got. Music was already echoing down the street before we even turned the corner. Bass heavy enough to rattle car windows. When Bully finally swung the wheel and rolled us onto the block, the whole place was alive.
Cars lined both sides of the street as we drove through, niggas posted on the corner. A dice game in the middle of the road. Somebody’s grill was smoking on the sidewalk. People laughing, arguing, music blasting out of a trunk, all seemed to slow down, and heads turned toward us.
Bully drove up the street some more and pulled over. Before he even put the car in park, a couple of dudes were already walking over.
“Wussup, Bully!”
“What’s good!” he responded.
They dapped him up through the window, then looked past him at me.
“Wussup, Ms. Gio?” one of them, who I didn’t know, said.
I smirked but didn’t respond.
Bully turned the car off and looked back at me.
“You ready?”
I exhaled, grabbed the duffel bag, and opened the door.
We stepped out of the car at the same time. As soon as my feet hit the pavement, the whole block seemed to shift a lil’. Not in a bad way, just attention… attention I never had before.
People whispering and staring, but not approaching me.
The niggas that Bully was talkin’ to led us to a house, and I saw Kronic sitting on the porch.
He was a tall, skinny, dark-skinned nigga who grew up on the same block as Gio.
“Killa Kronic!” Bully yelled, getting his attention.
Kronic ended his conversation and met us in the yard. As he dapped up Bully, he looked at me.
He and Bully had a quick, quiet conversation. Kronic patted Bully on the back once, and Bully walked off while Kronic walked over to me.
“You straight?” he asked.
I nodded. “I’m managing.”
He studied my face for a second, then nodded slowly.
“I heard y’all was out catching plays the other day. You know me and Gio go back, you could have came out here.”
I looked around. “You know this is only my world when I’m with Gio.”
He nodded and looked down at my ring.
“I understand that… Let me show you why this is your world too.”
Kronic nodded toward the porch.
“Come on.”
I followed him up the few steps while people on the block kept watching. Not in a weird way, more like curious. Like they were trying to see what kind of woman I was when Gio wasn’t around.
Kronic leaned against the porch railing and looked out toward the street.
