My Thug Got A Rider (4 page)

“Hey, Ms. B. I’m not feeling jambalaya tonight. Any way you could make me some chicken soup? My cramps are really bad.”  I thought the saying was that if you and another female had the same menstrual cycle, you were really close. Fuck all that. I knew that with all of this estrogen in the house, we were bound to all be on our period at the same time. I couldn’t stand her ass and we were not close by a long shot.

“Sure. Go lie down and I’ll be in to bring you something to help with that.” I rolled my eyes at her and finished what I was doing. I got jealous whenever Ms. B. did something for someone else that she did for me. The only saving grace was that I knew she couldn’t stand Lexi any more than I could.

Ms. B. sent me to the Rec room to round up all the girls for dinner, minus Lexi. Everybody walked to the kitchen except one person. Brionna, Lexi’s sidekick and so called best friend, was sitting at the computer whispering on her cell phone.

“Aye. It’s time for dinner.” She put her hand up, too close to my face and I instinctively slapped it away. I wasn’t racist or anything like that, but I couldn’t stand Hispanic bitches like her. She thought she was intimidating because she stood at 5’7”, a few inches taller than me. What she didn’t know was that in the two homes I went to before coming to this one, I fought bitches that were way bigger than her. The Hispanic ones always seemed to come for me and I don’t know why.

“I said hold on, puta. Don’t be hitting on me.” Her accent fueled something in me that made me want to punch her teeth down her throat. She had been trying me these last few days because of whatever lie Lexi must have told her about me being a punk. I assumed she didn’t see that big bruise on her best friend’s face before Ms. B. gave her that cream and if she did she must not have known who had given it to her.

“First, bring your voice from ten to two before I knock your big ass out.” Bri may have been twenty-five to thirty pounds heavier than me, but I wasn’t the least bit scared. She was a dark, Dominican with long red hair that hung down her back. “Second, Ms. B. said come to dinner.”

If it wasn’t for her fucked up attitude and the fact that she was friends with Lexi, she could be cute. Her body was banging and she knew it, which is why she had begun selling ass throughout the entire school. She had convinced Lexi to start doing the same thing and I bet that’s why her menstrual cramps were so bad. Her nasty ass probably had HPV, or according to Ms. B, she was pregnant, but who was I to judge? I walked away and back to the kitchen, but not before I heard her say, “Bye, Shaad.” I knew I got high from time to time with Shauna, but I could’ve sworn I wasn’t tripping and that was Lexi’s boyfriend’s nickname. Damn. Goes to show how bitches of a feather, thot together.

Kenyon

“What happened? Nah, man you’re talking too fast. Slow down.” I was sitting in the car on my way back to my cousin’s apartment, when Tae called me to tell me some shit about TaNeeka. The plan had been pushed back by another week, so I wouldn’t be home for a few days. “She did what?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Her dirty ass was on her phone, whispering about the coke I had in the house. I should’ve let Tae kick her grimy ass out when he said some shit wasn’t right about her. I thought he probably hit it and was mad because she was still with me. You never know though. I could trust these niggas about as far as I could throw them and that wasn’t far as shit.

“Look, you and G dig that shit up and move it. I’ll be back in a little bit. Don’t forget to look in the kitchen sink.” I hung up the phone just as TaNeeka called me. “Hey bae.” I answered like I always did. I was furious, but I wasn’t going to let her know shit was up, yet. No reason to waste good pussy. No matter if it was attached to a liar. Pussy was pussy. No money lost and definitely no love. Loyalty was just something I’d have to find in a new woman, if any of them knew what the shit was. I listened to her lie about her fake account of her day while I imagined strangling her. “I’ll be home in a few days.” I was leaving in three days and I knew with such heavy traffic so early in the morning, I’d get there around 10am, but I wanted to stop by and see Carter first.

***

Ashanti

Fall had been going by slow as hell, but I had stacked enough money to maybe move out on my own in a few months. I was eighteen now and the only reason my ass hadn’t been kicked out of the group home I was in is because of Ms. Bamidele. She had to convince social services that it was more than just being eighteen that made us adults. I don’t know what kind of lemonade she made them but when they ended the meeting, I still had a place to call home.

Besides making money and staying out of the way, I had been working on my flip ass attitude too. Ms. B. had me working in the kitchen with her and spending my free time learning all about her religion, called Santeria. She paid me at first to come to her to start learning, being a helping hand and moving things around, but after a while I stopped taking her money. I had already saved $5,000 minus what I used to buy my new Galaxy 6s. I wasn’t rich enough to pay for the plan just yet so I got it connected with my old company.

In my mind I was moving up like the Jefferson’s. Too bad other motherfuckers couldn’t see just how hard I was working and trying to be good. I knew I was being too nice.  Ms. B. told me I needed to conduct myself as a lady, but fuck it. Sometimes you had to show your ass to get folks to understand and actually listen.

“Who took my shit?” I walked in the Rec room, where all the girls were either talking on the phone or using the computers. I think I scared them because I was so calm. Lexi sat there looking like she wanted me to slap the caked on makeup off her face. “Got something you want to say hoe?” I turned my head to look at her like the nigga from
Beyond Scared Straight
and I was waiting for her ass at the door. I was waiting for her to say some flip shit and I was going HAM. Her scary ass didn’t say anything so my next guess was Brionna. Brionna was supposed to be Lexi’s ride or die. Tuh. If I wanted Lexi’s head on a silver platter all I had to do was get Bri to bring it to me. Brionna acted like she owed Lexi and for what, I had no clue.  Maybe she felt guilty about fucking her run down nigga. “Where my shit at Bri?” Her nervous ass jumped. I bet her scary ass thought I was going to tell Lexi what I heard.

“I really don’t know, Shanti.” For the first time, I believed her. I planned to tear up the entire house until I found what belonged to me. I had a little over $2,000 in a shoebox under my bed and I knew it didn’t just get up and walk away.

“You might want to invest in a bank account, bum bitch.” As soon as I thought I had my life together, that smart mouth trick, Lexi had to open her mouth. I don’t remember much besides snatching her ass up off that couch with the quickness. The next thing I knew, I was sitting in Ms. Greene’s office with Lexi crying her eyes out.

“Here is your money. It was in your closet. Next time look before ranting around like an animal.” Ms. Greene sat my shoebox on the table in front of me along with a merit. One more of those and my ass was it of there. My left eyebrow shot up and I squinted my eyes. I felt like Dewayne Johnson, but I didn’t smell anything cooking but bullshit. I knew that I had put my shoebox under my bed and on top of that was my diary. My diary was opened up and my box was missing. I had to count my money and say my prayers because if I opened that box and there was a dollar missing, I was going the fuck off and this time everybody was a target.

“Wait! You mean to tell me you put your money in a shoebox under your bed in a room that you share with another bitch, in a house that you share with other bitches?” I rolled my eyes at Shauna’s sarcastic ass, but she did have a point.

“Look that’s not the point, the point is that it’s mine.” I didn’t care if I had left it in the open with my name written on it, I was the one who worked for it.

“Maybe you should invest in a bank account. I mean, think about it Shanti, it’ll help you in the long run. Ma, helped me put mine in an account and now I got this debit card so I don’t have to go cash a check every single time. Carter helped me file the direct deposit slip and now it comes straight to my card. You’ll love it.” When we got hired I skipped past all of that information in the packet. All I was worried about was getting my money; I didn't care how it came. I thought about what she’d said and how it sounded so much better coming from her mouth, than Lexi’s or Ms. Greene’s. Although I didn't trust anybody with my money, I knew setting up an account was one step in the right direction.

Shauna and I finished doing inventory on the shoes and had moved on to the boxes of shoe cleaner and socks that someone had piled together in a corner. I thought maybe we had gotten two shipments and Carter didn’t have time to sort it out. Shauna pointed to a skinny white girl with red hair and freckles. She looked lost. “Excuse me.” Leave it up to Shauna’s ghetto ass to scare the poor girl.

“Hi, I’m Abby. I just started. I was just stacking those boxes over there.” Abby pointed to the pile we were just looking at. Shauna shot me a look over her oversized glasses.

“We saw that and, well, Gabby, you put the shoe cleaner with the socks. You need to separate them before Carter has your ass.” With that, I walked away. I couldn’t deal with Shauna calling that girl by a different name on purpose. I was laughing so hard I barely heard the chime that indicated a customer. Abby took that as her escape and ran to the front counter. I started in on the boxes.

“Go get yo’ got damn manager!” Shauna and I stopped stocking in the back to look out the door. Carter ran out of his office and blocked us before we could see who it was and frowned up his face. “Get back to work.” Abby came running to the back, looking scared as hell. I rolled my eyes and went back to picking up boxes until he went up to the front. When I heard the chime, I ran to the door to listen. “Man, what’s up Kenwood? I thought I heard yo’ ass out here, scaring my workers and shit.” Carter was talking to some nigga at the front counter.

“What the fuck I tell you about calling me that weak ass shit?” The person asked and  Carter just laughed. “Don’t come up in here acting all tough and shit, young ass nigga. What you so mad about anyway?”

I still couldn’t see who he was talking to because his head was in the way. Carter was tall, blue-black, with long dreads he kept tied in a knot at the back of his head. He had white teeth, and grey eyes. He was fine as hell, and I could look at him all day long, but I wish he’d move his big ass head out of the way.

“Is that T.O.?” Shauna walked up behind me and opened the door a little bit more, making Carter turn around and mug us.

“Are my boxes in order back there? If so, you can start on the new shipment.” There he was looking all good and shit. I recognized that dimple anywhere.

“Man, that bitch tried to get me caught the fuck up.” T.O. put his head on the table.

“Who, Neeka?”

“Yeah nigga. That grimy ass bitch!” Carter shook his head, looking up at the customers who just came in.

“Not out here man. Come on back to my office. Ashanti, since I know yo’ ass is still being nosey go get my man, Kenyon, a chair and sit it in my office. Shauna, come up here and watch the front.” Damn. I thought I was really being sneaky. Finding out his name made it worth getting in trouble, and finding out his little girlfriend was out of the picture was a bonus. I watched both of them walk past, looking good and smelling even better. Carter had on his usual work uniform, but Kenyon had on a short sleeve black Ralph Lauren Polo shirt that hugged his muscles just right, with a pair of khakis and some black leather Timbs. His tattoos covered both arms and went all the way up to his chin. The black Miami Heat fitted cap sat low on his eyebrows, making him look all mysterious. How a bitch could fuck him over, I couldn’t understand.

“Now what the fuck happened?” Carter was loud as hell and I knew he was still standing by the door.

“I was in the Chi and Geno called me up asking who Neeka was. He'd only met her once before and all that weave probably confused him too, since she was a blonde when she met him. She told him that she left her purse at the crib and I told him to let her in. Tae said he didn’t trust her, so he stood outside the bathroom while she was on her phone talking in code and shit. Geno said he let her go before calling me. I told him and Tae to dig the whole kitchen up and take it all to my spot. The Feds came the next day and wasn’t shit there. All that shit from Chicago is still in my car and I’m riding hot, right now. I need you to take it.” I thought Carter was about to come through the door.

“You mean to tell me, she’s the reason you have been needing all that extra blow and I had to put up with Monica miserable ass because of her? I could kill her my damn self. How you just let her get away with that shit? How stupid are you? Never mind that you been keeping it where you lay your head, but you let her walk in your spot and take your shit?” Kenyon finally sat down.

“So what are we going to do about her?” I stood outside the office, careful to look busy, just in case one of Carter’s fans wanted to tell him, I was eavesdropping.

“Not shit. I told your young ass about tricking anyway. You knew her little gold digging ass was out for the money and you out here trying to wife bitches up. These hoes follow the money train. Ain’t no love in their little scandalous hearts. Y’all niggas born in the 90’s act like y’all invincible, like these niggas with papers and badges can’t touch y’all asses. I'm convinced, us '83 niggas are the last of the common sense era. These little bitches don’t know shit about no damn loyalty, so  the quicker you start thinking with your head instead of your dick then you’ll learn. These hoes get mad and everything you worked for will be down the drain. You can’t focus on no female and work at the same time. A woman scorned is worse than these racist niggas with the badges on. Now, dealing with that girl is all on you. You fucked her and made her ass crazy, so now you got to deal with it. Make sure whatever you do is final and you don’t have to deal with it anymore.” Carter finally sat down. “Keep them bitches out your pockets. I’ll put the rest up and call you later on.” Kenyon didn’t say anything else. I saw him get up and hand Carter a key before he left. I slipped around the corner to act like I was busy helping Shauna ring up a customer. Carter walked out a few minutes later.

“Y’all are out here talking about me?” He asked. Shauna was so pressed over him it wasn’t even funny.

“Yep, I was just telling Shanti how you need to quit playing and wife me up already.” I looked up at Carter and he had the nerve to be smirking.

“I already told you, just because you’re young and cute, doesn’t mean I’m ready to go to jail for you. You aren’t ready for these problems anyway.” He winked and walked away. I knew her hot ass was over there blushing, sweating and shit.

“Somebody needs to go change their panties,” I said walking past her to go back to the stock room.

“Damn right. Either it’s him or I’m dying a lonely, old miserable bitch.” She said as I cracked up laughing. I felt her though. Good niggas were so hard to find. Either they were married, gay or unstable from their ex bitch breaking their hearts.

***

Kenyon

I made it over to Carter’s place before I remembered he was at work. Some car was parked in his driveway and I knew damn well it wasn’t anything he would drive. Some young Mexican chick was in the backseat with Geno’s girl; both of them were staring at their phone while Monica was in the driver’s seat. She was on the phone yelling at somebody about a doctor’s appointment or some shit. I didn’t give a fuck what she was talking about or who she was talking to. All I wanted to know is why she had her busted ass minivan in my boy’s driveway. I called him up and he answered on the third ring.

“Guess where I’m at.” He must’ve already known.

“In my driveway, Monica just called and asked me where I was at. She said she wanted to talk to me. I hung up on her ass.” I looked up at her and sure enough she was still on the phone talking to somebody.

“When was this?” Her neck was still rolling and she was still yelling.

“About ten minutes ago. Why what’s up?” If she wasn’t talking to Carter, then who the fuck was she calling a bitch ass nigga?