Page 6 of Krist and Moanie
She sucked her teeth. “I told you to be careful with that girl. Yes she is my niece but the types of situations she puts herself in are not for you, my baby.”
I nodded. “Oh trust me, I know. Lesson learned.”
“What do you mean lesson learned? What did she do?” Mama’s hand was on her hip within seconds while she mugged the seat I sat in.
I laughed. “She didn’t do anything to me. We just don’t party the same, if you know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t, elaborate befor?—”
I clapped my hands together. “Alright, so we’re at the rap battle. She sees somebody she knows. We approach them. Cool conversation, we get invited to eat. You know me. When I’m ready to go, I’m ready to go. However, ol’ boy caught my eye, so I agreed to go. We get to the restaurant and she slips off with the friend.”
My mama’s jaw dropped. “What do you mean slipped off with the friend?”
“Yeah, exactly what you think. She came back with her clothes messed up and hair all over her head. I was embarrassed.”
“As you should have been.”
“Then after that, she insisted that he drop her off at her house with the friend and left me with the friend. He was cool though and he didn’t try anything. He just dropped me off and told me not to let her drag me out with her anymore.”
My mama laughed. “I agree with him. So are you going to see him again?”
“Nah, probably not. She gave us both a bad rep and he didn’t ask for my number.” I shrugged it off like I didn’t care, but I did.
“If it’s meant, you’ll see him again, baby girl.”
I laughed. “Not when I have your son telling me to stay away from him because of his affiliations.”
She laughed. “Just be safe. What my son doesn’t know won’t hurt him. And like you just told me. You’re grown, right?”
I laughed. She was forever putting a battery in my back for the things I knew I wasn’t supposed to be doing.
“What’s on your agenda today anyways? I know you don’t have to work.”
“Do some studying and work. Then I’ll run some errands. Send me a note if you need anything. I’ll grab it while I’m out.”
She nodded. “Thank you, baby.”
“No problem.” She and I talked for a while longer, then I went back over to my apartment. I was supposed to be studying, but instead I found myself balled up on my couch, engrossed in the video on my phone. It was him from last night. Of course it was making circulation, last night’s battles were easy for him. His arrogance and how he carried himself said it, but it was easily one of his best. I didn’t know if I thought so because that was my first time seeing him in person or what, but he flowed like he was floating and carried like a pro.
Somehow, I gravitated from the video to his social media profile. Whoever recorded the video had tagged him, something most didn’t do. His page was kind of bare. Only three photos were on it. The first one was of him in a hoodie leaned back on his Jeep. Of course he was proud of his Jeep… every hood nigga had a Trackhawk. The next picture was of him in the studio. I could tell he hadn’t taken the picture, someone else had. He looked so good though. Instead of his normal braids, he had a ponytail atop his head. I blinked a few times, pulling myself away from stalking this nigga’s page the way I was. I wanted to follow him, but I wasn’t that bad. I forced myself off his profile and into my bedroom to sprawl all of my books out on my desk. Then I went to the kitchen and got some coffee brewing. I was determined to be productive today.
Chapter 3
Krist
Broken dreams, ticking clocks, and monetary encouragement move me through my days. You want life, you either gotta take it… or make it. In this life, nothing was promised nor guaranteed, everything dangled out like a prize in front of those overpriced grocery store boxes. What’s given? Absolutely nothing, because nothing was owed to you, me, or anyone. You either got out there and took it or you were just another sucker who didn’t wanna jump off the porch.
“Krist, I’m going to Mal’s after school,” Jru’s newly deep voice called out to me from the living room.
“Don’t walk home. I’ll come get you.” I couldn’t risk anything happening to him on account of me and my affiliations. We were all we had and he was mine to protect since our mother didn’t think enough of us to choose us over the drugs.
“Bet,” I heard him say, but of course he mumbled some shit low. It was in him to do such. He was a teenager, thinking about pushing boundaries, but not ready to since I’d put those shits back for him.
A hand at the band of my shorts stole my attention from the sound of my front door opening and closing. “You be acting likeyou just want me to come over and braid your hair, but you want more. Most of you DP niggas do.”
I chuckled. “You about to braid me up or keep getting free feels, Sazzy?”
“Little bit of both.”
