Page 121 of Stay Dangerous

She bobbed her head, dislodging a tear that Turk wiped from her face.

I turned to Ty, who was trying to hard to be hard.

“You get on my fuckin’ nerves, Ty-Ty.”

He scoffed.

“But I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I continued, jumping from friend to friend until my gaze met Fredo. My brother.

“I’d die for each and every one of y’all, no hesitation. I know fasho by the time I’m discharged, we gon’ be running this fuckin’ city.”

“Hell, yeah, Dub,” Turk cheered. “Shit is rocky right now, but watch. You gon’ come home to cars and cash and bitches like them niggas who coming home from a bid.”

I chuckled, dapping my nigga up. It was wild; Turk started off close to Fredo. They’d do their dirt together, mostly because neither of them were as depraved or gutta as me or Peanut or Ty-Ty.

But he proved me wrong. Turk could get sticky when need be, and now we were as close as blood brothers could be.

“That’s crazy. This the most yo ass ever talked, foreal. I ain’t even know you knew all them words.”

Peanut cackled, dapping up Sean as he grinned at me.

“Fuck you.”

“Nah, but, we gon’ miss you too, brodie,” Set muttered, before he grabbed his phone out his pocket.

“Shol’ is!” Sean said. “You know, you my cousin too, no matter what Ty-Ty be saying. So many times you and Fred listened to me and Shad and shit. When I make it big, I’m shouting you out.”

“Yo ass… Good luck, Rico.” Shad came over to dap me up, bringing me to him.

He’d been struggling since he moved in with his father full time, but I knew that him being with Sean and Set more often would help.

As the day went on, we posted up on the Birch courts, where more people began to say their goodbyes like I was going to jail.

But shit, I was going away. Most people never left the Birch, except when they were going to jail or in a body bag.

Even Kisha’s old ass came and said goodbye, with a baby on her arm.

Haze sent me a long, heartfelt message before we left G-Pops’ house, and slipped me a picture of me, her, Fredo, and Turk. I hugged her for a long time, and promised her I would write or call whenever I could, and that she’d come to my graduation.

Ty-Ty cracked after Nan did, him and his granny and aunt hugging and kissing me and threatening me to make it out alive. I smirked as I told them the same things I told Haze, and only then did they leave Nan’s house.

She was more reserved. She made all my favorites, and we ate quietly, before she kissed my forehead and retired to her room.

She didn’t want me to leave. If she could, she would keep us in her apartment forever. But even though I never talked to her about much, I think she knew this was what I felt was best for me, so she supported me.

It was ten at night when it was just me and Fredo. We were in his room, passing a basketball to each other.

I knew he had something on his mind. I just didn’t know what or when he’d say it.

Not until I passed him the ball, and he placed it beside him on his bed.

“I want to tell Set about you and Wyn.”

I balled up my face. “The fuck that came from?”

“That night you was laid up, Wyn was caked up with Set the whole night. At first, she looked at me, but when me nor Ty-Ty said anything, she encouraged it. I don’t think they fucked yet, since he was drunk as fuck and then we had to do some shit the next morning, but I wanna–”

“Ain’t nothing to tell him.” I leaned back, holding Fredo’s gaze hostage as my insides were torn to shreds.