Page 5 of Hood Legacy

“Romeo and Juliet law,” he laughed, and I shook my head. “I looked that shit up, I’m still in high school.”

“They bullets not gonna care.” I shrugged, then picked my phone up from the desk.

“Hood, wait!” he called out, and I looked up to see him with a panicked look on his face. His ass wasn’t as tough as he tried to pretend that he was. He ran his hand over his hair and shook his head. “I can’t believe you got me snitching and shit.” He kissed his teeth as if what I asked went against a street code. “Alright, so that nigga been slidin’ in here sniffin’ behind yo old lady. The twins told Faylin he wants to take her on a date.”

“When?”

August wiped his hand over his face and shook his head. “Hood, I don’t know that shit, man.”

“Find that shit out,” I said, shaking my head. “You smiling in my niece's face every chance you get, make yourself useful.” August grilled me like he was about that life, and I stood again. If he wanted to test me, then it wouldn’t be a problem for me to lay his young ass out. I rounded my desk, leaned against it, and crossed my arms. “You got a problem with what the fuck I said?”

“I ain’t no errand boy,” he said, shaking his head. “If you worried who sniffing around the point guard, then step to that nigga.”

“You think I’m not?” I chuckled.

“Not if you are stepping to me,” he denied. I nodded and pushed off my desk. August squared his shoulders when I approached him, and I laughed as I patted him on the chest.

“Call your brother or sister-in-law and ask about me.” I fixed the collar of his shirt and then brushed his shoulders. “If I were worried about you, then me stepping to you would result in your death,” I smirked. “Don’t let the degrees fool you. It’s a reason I got the name Hood.”

* * *

“Mama!” I yelled as I got out of my car and slammed the door. My Mama sat on the porch, a blunt in one hand and a glass of Hennessy in the other. Arlene Bowlin would never change; I knew that just like I knew my name. She pulled her blunt, held it, and blew out the smoke.

“What do you want, Aceyn?” she questioned as she sat back.

I approached the porch but didn’t move to walk up the steps. Mama watched me just like I watched her, both of us waiting on the other to break first. The smile she was trying to hold back slowly broke free, and she laughed.

“I knew your ass wasn’t going to be able to hold it,” I laughed as I took the steps two at a time, then dropped a kiss on her forehead. “What are you doing out here at this time of night?”

“This time of night?” she took another pull of her blunt and shook her head. “It’s not late, Aceyn.”

“It’s almost eleven.” I glanced at my watch and kissed my teeth. Her ass didn’t need to be out here, but I knew she wasn’t going into the house, either. “You need to rest.”

“For what?” she asked with a slight attitude, and I knew that she was about to go in on my ass. “I’m a grown-ass woman, Aceyn.”

“I’m aware.” I wiped my hand over my face and took a deep breath. “I’m just suggesting that you rest. You have chemo in the morning.”

“I ain’t doing that chemo, Aceyn,” she said, waving me off. She drank the last of her drink and then set the cup on the table next to her. “I talked to the doctor this morning. The cancer ain’t responding, and I’m tired of fighting.”

“Mama,” I sighed and sat on the step next to her chair. She’d been fighting cancer on and off my entire life, and I’d never heard her say she was done fighting until now. I rested my head against her leg, and seconds later, her hand brushed my waves. “I’ll talk to your doctor in the morning.”

“Aceyn,” she called my name softly, and I looked up at her. “I’m done, baby.” Her eyes filled with tears, and she nodded. “I fought long enough to see you become a grown man. I did my job, baby.”

“Who the hell said I was grown?” I laughed humorlessly. “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, and you talking about you did your job?”

“Aceyn, shut the fuck up,” she giggled. “I raised you, don’t tell me I wasted all these years when I could’ve been in the club or selling pussy.”

I kissed my teeth and cut my eyes at my Mama. Her childish ass laughed harder, and all I could do was shake my head. “I ain’t ready to say goodbye yet,” I finally admitted once her giggles subsided. “I ain’t found the woman of my dreams, got married, or gave you a slanted-eyed grandbaby.”

“That ain’t what Givens said when he came to see me earlier,” she replied. I laid my head back on her leg, and her hand returned to my waves. “He said that you’re stuck drooling behind the point guard.”

“Legacy,” I said, then chuckled lowly. “That’s her name, Legacy.”

“Bring her by to see me soon,” she declared.

“We ain’t like that,” I said, shaking my head. “She ain’t trying to fuck with a nigga like that. She a good girl.”

“Like that, Mercy?” she questioned with a laugh. “Because from what I heard, they are best friends.”

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