My Thug Got A Rider (5 page)

“Nothing, bro. I’m on my way out there. I’ll see you in a little bit.” I hung up and reversed out of the driveway with ease. I thought I saw Tae’s silver car in the rearview mirror but when I got back to the main street, I didn’t see it. I must’ve been tripping.

I made it to the mall at a decent enough time and not too many people were there. My phone buzzed with a call from TaNeeka. I wanted to answer it and call her all kinds of bitches, but I didn’t want to look like a fool in the middle of the mall so I kept my composure and let her go straight to voicemail. Not only did Tae not tell me everything, he waited until I got there to drop on me that she took five eight balls and about two racks. I don’t put my hands on females, but I’ll shake a bitch all about my money. I should've put a hole in his ass for not handling that shit, especially since he can't stand her so much. When I walked in the store, some white girl was standing there staring at me. I guess she wasn’t used to black people yet.

“Hi. I’m Abby, welcome to Foot Locker. Can I help you with something? Would you like to try on some shoes? We just got the new Jordan’s in a few hours ago.” She was talking too much and getting on my fucking nerves. I damn near snapped and made Gabby, or whatever the fuck her name is, cry.

Carter just about flipped out when I told him everything, but I was happy to leave the key with him. I called my cousin, Sevyn to come pick me up and then I bounced. Seeing Shorty made my day. I knew her nosy ass was standing outside the door, but I kept talking anyway. She was gone find out sooner or later what I was about, especially since I planned to make her mine.

Ashanti

The next few weeks went by faster than I expected. I was done with my driving classes, now I was taking the next step. I had taken Lexi’s unwanted advice, and got a bank account. I knew my sanity depended on the wellbeing of myself and my shit, so I had to put it where nobody could get to it, besides me. I wanted a car and Ms. B. helped me with the down payment, matching me $5,000. I didn’t want a used car. I wanted a new one. The dealership was playing though.

“Ma’am, I don’t mean to be nosy, but I can’t imagine how you’ll be able to stay up on these payments. You have no credit and your cash is insinuating that you don’t have a bank account. I’m beginning to wonder where all of this money came from.” This redneck hillbilly ass mothafucka’ in this tight ass suit, looking like the Penguin, was ten seconds away from the cursing out of a lifetime. How in the hell, he could be the owner of such a nice place was beyond me.

“So, what you mean to say is, you won’t sell me this car because I’m black and my money is no good here?” He fixed his tie and put the papers in a folder.

“What I’m saying is, you’re black and all you have is cash. This is a 2015 Camaro and frankly, I think it's a little out of your league. I’d like to think that either your boyfriend sent his dirty money in here to pay for it or you sold all you had to buy this car. Then when the time comes to pay your car note, you won’t be able to deliver. Do me and yourself a favor and go buy a used car down the street. I’m sure Billy would love a handful of cash.” I got up and left his fat racist ass standing there. I swore to myself that I’d get that damn car. Come hell or high water, that car was as good as mine.

“He said he won’t sell it to me.” Shauna sat there looking like I did.

“Why?” She sat in the chair closest to the heater.

“Some dumb shit about me not having my bank account long enough.” I was just ready to get the fuck out of there.

“Let’s go try the place down the street then. My mama went to some dude named Billy, and she got a discount because he said she was cute.”

I thought about it and shook my head, “Naw, bitch you know yo’ mama car barely run. Stop playing, plus I want a new car, not a rinky-dink ass putter.” I didn’t mean to clown her mama car but shit, it was the truth. I remember last year, she came to pick us up from a basketball game and the car stalled in the middle of Michigan Street, a one-way street right in front of the school. I was so fucking embarrassed.

“Well, it beats the hell out of riding the IndyGo. It isn’t like you got a plethora of options.” I knew she wasn’t lying there. I was too fucking bad to be caught on the IndyGo every day. All those funky people and loud ass, arrogant-for-no-reason bitches on there really worked every nerve in my body and all of them made me itch. I was nothing riding the bus. Shauna had a point and at the moment I had no other option. We walked out of the dealership and into the chilly, fall air. My black and pink ACG boots crunched on the leaves. Fall made me feel so comfortable and calm.

“Plethora?” I looked at Shauna and cracked up laughing. Her ghetto ass was using words other than slang and it caught me off guard.

“Shut up. I need to study for my ACT. You got me?” I already knew she wanted me to help her study before she even asked.

“I got you.” She said a silent thank you to the sky.

The garage looked small and abandoned with old station wagons and PT Cruisers parked up and down the lot. I frowned my face up.

“Well, hello there, pretty ladies. Is there something I can help y’all with?” A tall, handsome white boy, dressed up like a cowboy in boot cut jeans, a red flannel shirt and some brown boots, walked out of the garage. The sign above the door read, Billy’s Automotives: Used Cars

“Yes, I’m looking for Billy. I need a car. Something nice that rides smooth with not much mileage.”

The guy smiled, wiping his hands on a rag and pointed to his name tag. “I’m Billy. Looking for something in particular?” I knew exactly what I was looking for. “Something that is small, black and in good shape.” Billy ran his fingers through his short reddish-brown hair like he was thinking hard.

“Ah, y’all follow me.” We walked around to the back and I looked for about ten minutes until I found the car I wanted. I fell in love the second I saw it. A black four-door Lexus with all black leather interior. “Can I ask y’all who recommended ya? I don’t see too many customers these days.” His country ass accent made him that much more appealing.

“Some jackass up the street told me to come see you. He wouldn’t take my money.”

Billy bent over laughing. “Oh. You’re talkin’ ‘bout John down at the new car lot. Yeah he’s a bit of a mule. Stubborn as one and attitude stinks as bad as manure. Don’t you pay him any mind. Your money’s welcomed here any time.” He took the tag off the window of my car and opened the car door for me.

“See, I told you it didn’t have to be raggedy to be used.” Shauna got in the passenger’s seat. The tag on the car said $8,000. I had $10,000 in cash. I looked at Shauna and she was smiling harder than me.

“I’ll take it!”  After filing out the car note and insurance information to take my baby home, I got the keys and still had $2,000 in my pocket.

“Thank y’all and have a good day!” I drove off the parking lot way happier than I came.

***

Kenyon

Niggas don’t usually intrude on another nigga’s business, but lately I have been wanting to choke slam Tae’s moody ass. He was all over the place and constantly starting shit. The one thing that pissed me off the most was him telling me how TaNeeka was grimy from the beginning and how I should have listened to him. He had gotten cockier and bolder lately. It was almost like he had some other shit going on. He was starting to feel invincible, like I couldn’t touch his ass if need be. Little did he know, I was waiting on the chance.

It had been three weeks and TaNeeka was still blowing up my phone, every chance she got. I ignored all of her calls and text messages because as bad as she was, I couldn’t get down with no female that could steal from me then lie to my face about it.

“No, you just need to chill the fuck out. I got me, you just worry about you and your pregnant ass high school bitch.” I got up out of my chair and looked into the next room at Geno and Tae at it again. Geno wasn’t no punk ass nigga, but he was definitely on hush. His young ass girlfriend, who was a straight-up thot, was pregnant and he was already going through it. For Tae to throw that up in his homeboy face was a low ass blow and it hit him right where it hurt. Damn. I almost felt bad for the kid until I remembered that Tae’s girlfriend was away at college and had been fucking with my lesbian cousin on the low for a long ass time. I could’ve told Geno that as leverage because I liked him better, but as far as I was concerned they were grown ass men who could handle themselves.

***

Ashanti

Saturday night finally rolled around after a hell of a week. I had made plans to go out and enjoy myself. I’d been working nonstop and even taking overtime hours now that I had to pay for gas.

“Happy birthday again, bitch. I’ll be there in two hours. If you’re not ready by the time I get there, I’m leaving yo’ ass at home!” I yelled into the phone and Shauna’s ear. I had my car for all of two days and I had taken it upon myself to remind Shauna that I was doing all of the driving from here on out. I slid out of my bath towel and into some blue boy-shorts and a T-shirt bra. My Old Navy jeans were sitting on the bed with my grey crop-top sweater I just bought from Aeropostale. I saw somebody standing outside the door and when I looked up, Ms. Bamidele motioned for me to follow her into her office.

“Thanks hoe! I’ll call you when I get ready,” Shauna was whispering. I knew she was tired from taking her ACT all morning. I hope she still wasn’t stressing after those all night cram sessions we had for two days straight. My brain was so full of 12
th
grade subjects, spiritual lessons, recipes and Kenyon’s fine ass, it’s a wonder I even remembered how to parallel park for the test. I threw my clothes on and walked barefoot to her office.

“You, Chile, are something else. You really need to work on the words that come out of your mouth. Manners make up a woman and define her worth more than how she looks on the outside. How do you expect to get a man talking and thinking the way you do?” I started to tell her I didn’t need any nigga for shit when she cut me off. “You may not want a man right now, but sometimes love doesn’t come when you want it to or when you decide that it is time. Love is unexpected. Love comes in many packages, even at the bottom of Pandora’s Box. Knowing you and your story, Oshun will have it no other way. When the spirits gift love, they gift it the same way you live. Be careful how you live.” Damn. That was deep. I didn’t know exactly what that was supposed to mean but it still gave me something to think about.

“Yes, ma’am. What did you need me for you?” She sat down in her chair. “Put my hair in one of those braids that wrap around.” I raised my eyebrows at her. The only time I did her hair in a crown braid, was for a special occasion. Let me find out Ms. B. had a date.

“Going somewhere special?” When she smiled, her whole face lit up like I mentioned candy to a little kid. Ms. B. was gorgeous and reminded me of Naomi Campbell. The only difference was she was slightly darker.

“Maybe.” She looked at me through the green trimmed vanity mirror and smiled. For an older lady she didn’t look anywhere past thirty. I made sure to do the braids carefully and tightly so her long curly hair didn’t come unraveled. When I was finished, I watched Ms. B. put on the MAC lip-gloss I bought her for her birthday along with the diamond earrings; I assume came from her new boo.

“You look so beautiful. I hope you have some fun tonight. You deserve it.” I winked at her reflection in the mirror.

“Thank you. Tell Shauna I said happy birthday. I sure hope you make it in before me, Miss Thang.” I went to my room and saw Kennedi staring out the window.

“Is that your car out there?” I slid on my leather bomber jacket, my grey UGG boots and picked up my keys.

“Yeah. You like it?” She nodded.

“I love it, but Ms. G was bitching about it.” I rolled my eyes.  Her miserable ass was always bitching about something.

“What did she say?” Just then I heard somebody yelling in the other room. Kennedi jumped up and opened the door. I was right behind her. Ms. Greene stood there with her hand on her wide hips, yelling at Lexi.

“Next time I come pick your ungrateful ass up from work, you better be ready! Not a minute late. As a matter of fact, have your ass outside waiting. You can’t even put a decent amount of gas in my damn car and you bring your ass out late because of some nigga. Don’t even wash your ass right. Out here smelling like must and you want to have me waiting while you out here getting fake abortion money.” Lexi’s whole face was beet red. I was laughing on the inside, but I’ll be damned if I felt sorry for the bitch.

“Bitch I never asked your dyke ass to do anything for me. You did it because you wanted to and you thought I was about to be with you. Yeah, I let you fuck but that’s it. I told yo’ nasty ass that I wasn’t fucking with you like that, but you kept coming for me. Now, you want to play me like I’m some kind of punk ass bitch.” Well damn, I always had my suspicions about her, but this was just too much.

“When you poured yo’ heart out to me about getting you up out this mothafucka you wasn’t saying all of that. Don’t say dyke like I didn’t have you spread eagle in my office the other night. Should have took your dirty, pregnant ass to the clinic and let you spread your legs for them.” Ms. Greene was too reckless and this was about as much as my straight ears could take. Kennedi was way too young to be hearing their conversation anyway. She was only twelve but I'm sure she'd heard a lot more than any twelve-year-old should ever have to know. Ms. B. had to have already left to not hear this shit. Her office door was locked, so I guess she was gone. The only ones in the house now were me and Kennedi, but I guess they thought we had gone out too. Normally around this time everybody was gone either to the movies, the mall or out with their friends. I volunteered to take Kennedi to one of her friend’s house that night and we both packed up our shit. I couldn’t let the chance go by without fucking with the both of their nasty asses though.

“You should invest in your own car or some birth control, bum bitch.” Both of them stood there dumbfounded. Karma was a motherfucker.

***

Kenyon

I couldn’t stop thinking about Ashanti’s fine ass. I don’t know what it was about stuck up females, but the way she turned my money down caught my attention. She was smart as fuck too and independent. I saw the way she rang my shit up without even looking, and the way she rejected my money was a turn on. She might be the woman that could change my dog ass ways. Maybe. Carter invited me to his girlfriend’s 18
th
birthday party at
Suite 38
. I wasn’t feeling the club scene, but when he told me she was Ashanti’s best friend, I knew she was going to be there. Plus, I had potential customers lined up at the door. The only thing that I didn’t need was Neeka’s petty ass showing up, but something told me she was showing up anyway. I don’t know who was telling her my whereabouts, but I kept bumping into her in the most random places. I felt like she was stalking me. I was going to give her something to stalk tonight though. Carter told me to dead the bitch and I knew I should’ve but, ending up like my father wasn’t in my future plans.