Page 13 of Not A Homie, Lover Or Friend
I spotted my brother’s gun on the floor. I rushed over and picked up and let off a shot in the air. They both stopped fighting, but the tension was thick. So thick it strangled me along with my lies.“Stop!”I shouted again.
Foe walked over to me and snatched the gun out of my hand and cocked it back. “Ayo, Lakia, I’m about to kill this nigga,” he gritted.
I moved to stand in front of the gun. I dropped my head because I knew I couldn’t let him do that. Yeah, Monfua and Iwere getting into it, but I didn’t want this to happen. “No, you overreacted. You—”
Foe waved his hand, “You in this muhfucka screaming not saying shit while I’m calling out to you, and I overreacted? What the fuck?”
Monfua’s arm extended over my shoulder as he pointed to the door, “Nigga get yo bitch ass out my crib and take yo sister with you,” he grumbled.
The way he looked down at me made me feel bad. I wanted him to capture that I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, but he wasn’t buying what I was selling. I turned to Foe, who was clearly upset. He waved his hand in the air as he sneered at me, “Nah, you married the nigga, you stay with his ass. Got me in this muhfucka fighting and shit.Fuck is wrong with you!” he barked before he walked out.
I knew Foe was more embarrassed than mad, and I knew that whatever divide we had before today, a bigger wedge was placed between me and my brother. I also knew that my options to stay at either of their houses were dead. Now I had nowhere to go other than a hotel, and that would only last so long before I ran out of money. The one place I refused to go was back to live with my mother. I knew I needed to figure things out and fast.
FLEX
I was so exhausted from work that when I came home last night, I showered and went right to sleep. The way the sun peeked through my curtains woke me up. I slowly peeled the covers back as I lay there thinking about what my next move was. I felt like I needed something more. I wanted more but felt stuck. When I got out of bed, I was headed toward the bathroom when a feeling came over me. Something led me into my living room, and when I saw him sitting on my couch, I almost pissed myself. “Kareem!” I shouted.
He sat there in all black, sneering at me. Kareem leaned forward, “It’s Scooter to you, Flex.”
It was the fucking pop-ups that were beginning to become creepy. Scooter licked his lips as he rose. He eased toward me slowly. I learned that with him, you had to feed him lies. Scooter was the type to want you to lie to him about how you felt rather than tell the truth. I swallowed deep as he reached out and stroked my cheek, “I saw you dance last night. Shaking that ass, doing tricks and shit. I saw you gazing, but couldn’t figure outwhoyou were gazing at.”
I shrugged. “Nigga I work at a strip club that’s part of the game. You connect eyes, devour them, and get money.”
I tried to walk around, but he stopped me. “Nah, you were watching a nigga Porsha, I know you, but you got it,” Scooter smirked.
The thing about him that made him seem intimidating was the calmness he carried. His voice was smooth, his body relaxed, his eyes focused, and his demeanor neutral. You didn’t know if he was about to snap your fucking neck or pull you in for a hug. I needed him out of my apartment. If he thought he was going to live with me, it wasn’t happening.
“So, what now?” I asked.
He looked me up and down. “Damn, you haven’t been up to the prison to see me, you’re talking to other niggas, and all I get is a so what now?”
“What is the point when all you're going to do is go back out there and do the same damn thing to get yourself locked back up. I don’t have time for a part-time lover. You can’t split your heart in half, Kareem.”
He nodded slowly, then sucked his teeth. “I wasn’t coming here to live with you. You know my fuckin brother in the hospital? I asked you,” he pointed at me. “I asked you to keep an eye out for him. Now some young buck head ass nigga got my brother lying in the hospital. Instead, you out here popping pussy in the Cove. It’s supposed to be you and me, Porsha, but it’s just you. Never forget my bars paid your rent plenty of times.”
I rolled my eyes and tossed my hands up. I needed more, not some jailbird nigga with a dream. Now, Foe was the type of nigga I should be approaching. “Kareem, I’m sorry that happened to your brother, I am, but I have a life of my own and bills. Those bars you spit to get rent for me those times, thank you. However, you're going to need more than spitting bars to keep a bitch like me.”
He laughed. “Keeping a bitch like you. You take my money, but you talking about a nigga keeping you?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I told you I don’t have your money.”
The nigga laughed in my face like I was some fucking joke. He flipped the hood on his head as he began to rap while heading toward the door. “Strike two, Flex,” he mumbled before he started to rap.
You must think I’m Ashanti in foolish
Coming in lookin’ down on me
after all the shit that you did
I could tell that you didn’t believe
that you couldn’t see my dream
out her shakin’ ass I thought you were my Flex
but you wanted to flex on me
He stepped out of the door without looking back. I knew, and this wasn’t going to be the last time his ass showed up. The fact that he kept talking about money, which I told him I never got bothered me. It bothered me so much that I didn’t know if this was a way to come back into my life or if I should be scared.
