“I said please.”
With a roll of my eyes, I put more distance between us.
“Saga!”
“Coming,” she yelled, but it was obvious she was lying through her teeth.
Flocco stepped forward, smelling like he’d walked right out of heaven. He reached into his pocket and removed a thick knot. Slowly, he peeled off a hundred-dollar bill and shoved it into my purse.
“Maybe that will get me in your good graces.”
My eyes trailed from the purse to him again. He tilted his head. I lifted my bag slightly. A chuckle fell from his lips.
“Or that–”
He stuffed another hundred inside.
“Maybe,” I said, kissing the skin of my teeth.
“Can I at least get a number on you, Hyph?”
My heart skipped a beat. And then another one. I exhaled the breath I’d been holding as Saga looped her arm through mine.
“You ready?”
My eyes were still on Flocco. Time had been kind to him. His six-foot frame had thickened. So had the hair on his face. I didn’t miss the despair in his eyes. Life had stripped him of bothparents. The same day. Simultaneously. I wouldn’t wish that type of pain on my worst enemy.
My mother was a product of the streets, but if I needed her, I didn’t have to question her commitment. Crack cocaine had stolen her from me long before I knew what the drug was. It was the chase for her first high that led her to my dad’s vehicle. That night would change her life forever.
Not only did she receive the forty dollars she’d requested, but she also received a bundle of joy nine months later. According to my records, there wasn’t a trace of crack in my system. My mother sobered after missing her period and didn’t touch another pipe until I was six years old. That day, my world was flipped upside down.
“I am.”
Pursed lips blew a kiss in my direction. My back caught it as I turned around. Saga was holding onto me tightly. She was brimming with excitement.
“Are we keeping secrets now?” I questioned.
“He’s–he’s off limits,” she explained.
“How?”
“Long story short, he runs in the same circle as Jermaine.”
“And?”
“They say birds of a feather flock together.”
“Point made. Just making sure you’re not sparing Jermaine’s feelings.”
“Nope. I’m sparing mine. Besides, we said we’re outside this summer, right?”
“Um hm.”
“No time to be slipping and falling on nigga’s dicks that we know we won’t be able to get off of.”
Flocco’s face flashed before me. My breath hiked in my chest. As quickly as he’d appeared in my head, I forced him out. He didn’t belong there.
“Agreed!”
