Page 22 of Love & Streetball

“Let me go outside and make sure he isn’t messed with,” I muttered.

Bolo was one of those niggas who was outside that night I had Vani walk with Kane out of the projects. He and the dudes he ran with were some ruthless ass niggas. They scoped out the projects daily for people like Kane.

“He doesn’t even need to leave his car. Let me just go outside and speak instead,” Mama suggested, following behind me.

Bolo and his boys were outside, smoking and their eyes zooming in on Kane.

“Aye!” Bolo called out. “Who this nigga who keep comin’ over here puttin’ this rich shit in our face?”

“No one you need to mess with, Bolo,” Mama told him. “He’s just a kid.”

“Well,” he said, pushing off the wall and passing the blunt to one of his boys, “he needs to stay from ‘round here in that shit, if he knows what’s good for him.”

“Get a job, and you wouldn’t be so envious,” I snapped, and Mama smacked my shoulder, warning me with her eyes that we didn’t need problems with Bolo. “It’s the truth,” I muttered under my breath.”

Bolo started laughing as if what I said was a joke. “Aight, Slim. I’m a let you make it off the strength of Vani.”

Mama’s head swung in his direction then. I could see Kane out of the corner of my eye exiting the car.

“What does that mean, Bolo. You ever touch my daughter, I promise you gon’ fuck the whole city up being on a t-shirt.”

My hand flew to my mouth because Mama really ate with that one.

Bolo’s boys chuckled, and he just offered Mama a smile. If he had said some disrespectful shit to her, I’d have to try my best to fuck him up.

“Everything good?” Kane asked, his tight eyes set on me.

“Yeah,” I let him know, not sure what he would do if I had said no.

“Mama, this is Kane. Kane, this is my mama. She just wanted to meet you since we were hanging out today…and you bought me a ball.”

“You can call me Ms. Scottland,” Mama said, holding her hand out and giving him her first name.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Scottland. So she’s named after you.” Kane smirked.

“Yes, she is,” Mama beamed. “I wasn’t going to name her after her daddy.”

I rolled my eyes. She was lucky she didn’t because that man has never been in my life.

“So you play ball too, huh?” she asked him.

He nodded, a smile spreading on his lips. I shifted from one leg to the other, wanting the interrogation to end before it started.

“Yes, ma’am. I play for Heart Heights,” he answered, pounding one fist into his other hand.

Mama’s eyes darted from Kane to his car. “Who your people?”

“Mama,” I snickered. “You don’t know them.”

She put a hand on her hip. “You don’t know, Scottie. Anyway, do you drink or smoke, Kane?”

He shook his head vehemently. “No, ma’am.”

“Good,” she stated, nodding her head in approval. “Well, don’t stay out too late, Scottie. You got your key?”

I sighed and ran back in the house for my key. I sprang because I wasn’t sure what else Mama was talking to Kane about. Snatching my keys off the hook by the door, I ran back outside.

“—and you make sure you drive safely,” she was saying as I made it back to them. “These streets out here aren’t like the ones in Heart Heights. People don’t know how to act.”