Page 4 of River & Crown
My nigga, Wolfe. Smirking, I was happy to see the youngest nigga in charge.
"Grab his left side and help me get him into my truck."
"Ahh shit, nigga, be easy!" I barked.
My left shoulder felt shattered, and the pieces were heavy as fuck. Feeling my body lift from the ground, I groaned in pain. My head dangled as those red and black streaks began to blend together.
Waking up to bright ass lights, faint beeps buzzing, and excruciating pain shooting from my left side wasn't how I saw my first encounter with the future Mrs. Gravehart. At the least, I figured I'd get her number, wait a few days, then hit her up for a date or some shit. Instead, a nigga was laid up, eager to get those good drugs to help with the fucking pain. Still, I didn't see myself playing shit differently if I got a do-over. Divine timing was a thing, and when shit happened, it was for a reason. My moms was into all that affirmation, higher power, situations are signs type shit. Either some of it rubbed off on me, or I was holding on to her beliefs to stay connected to her. Whatever the reason,today played out how it was 'posed to, and I was gon' trust the reasoning to find me when the time was right.
"Aye, this nigga is awake," Wolfe called out behind him as he walked into my room. Hearing his voice before anyone else was fitting. Honor and I had the same three-year age difference as Wolfe and me, but I saw Honor as my equal. In another lifetime, that nigga might've been my twin forreal. Wolfe was the younger brother I never knew I wanted in life. If niggas would've taken me out, it was Wolfe I'd watch out for in the afterlife. He'll take my death the hardest. The three of us had been abandoned in one way or another, but how Wolfe's mom did him was dirty. He's the youngest, but his heart is triple the size of Honor's and mine. Without a doubt, he'd step in front of a bullet for us, walk into the fire, sit down, and do the time for us. Wolfe didn't fuck 'round 'bout us, and I was coming the same behind my lil' nigga.
"Crown—"
I waved his ass off 'cause I wasn't trying to hear whatever pity bullshit he was 'bout to give me. Worry and relief masked his usual stoic demeanor, pissing me off even more.
"Man, don't come over here with thatI thought you were deadenergy."
"That's what we fucking thought, nigga," he barked. "Fuck happened?"
I did my best to shrug 'cause, honestly, I didn't know.
"One minute, I was talking to shawty, and then she screamed for me to get down. I let off a few shots as I fell on top of her and took a few."
Wolfe played with his baby-ass beard while in deep thought 'bout this shit.
"You think niggas mad we took their spot?" he tossed out.
Licking my dry ass lips, I thought about the possibility. Before we took over the corner store, a nigga named Dre, who lived in the pj's around the corner, used to send his lil' niggasover there to make plays. Dre wasn't the type of nigga to have forethought. He was letting a premium operation slip between his fucking fingers. Honor saw the potential, and we took that shit. That winter was a cold one. We heated shit up, dropping bodies left and fucking right. Shit got so active the city forced the owner to shut down until things cooled off. Money was lost on both sides, forcing Honor and Dre to have a sit-down. Dre, having more casualties than us, gave us the upper hand and the property. Dre gave up the corner store, and we agreed to keep our business strictly at the store.
"Nah, we handled that. Why Dre gon' come gunning for us now?"
The question wasn't for Wolfe, but shit, if he had an answer, then the floor was his.
"Shit, if I know, but whoever tried you gon'—"
The hospital room door opened, and Honor and Navy walked in.
"Come on, Navy. Fix your face, or you gotta get out. I'm good." Like Wolfe, Navy's face was full of emotion that I couldn't stand to see.
"I told her to wash her face 'fore coming in here." Honor chuckled.
"Shut up!" Navy slapped Honor's chest and then came over to the bed to give me a quick hug. The hug was one-sided as fuck, with me not being able to move without causing pain to my left side.
"Never scare us like that again." Wagging her finger in my face, Navy really thought she was someone's momma.
"I don't plan to."
"The doctor said you're going to need physical therapy to help you gain full movement in your shoulder."
"That's cool. Did they say anything 'bout this pain?"
"Yeah, but um, I wanna talk to you 'bout that shit first."
Honor and I held each other's stare, having a silent conversation.
"Man, I'm not even on that shit like that."
"You used to be, and I want to make sure shit doesn't spiral out of control again."
