Page 24 of Stay Dangerous

“He did?” she asked, her eyes expanding. “But he’s so tall.”

She said it more to herself than me, like she was really going over in her head any signs she missed about my cousin. It was cute how she retreated into herself, and gave me enough time to pull up to a view toward the top of the hills in this bougie ass neighborhood.

I turned the car off and pocketed the keys. “I’m fourteen.”

Snow scoffed. “Yeah right.”

“On baby.”

I thought she would have been horrified or even cursed me out. Thunder Hills was a cool lil’ drive from her crib. Or maybe even call my bluff and say a nigga was lying.

Naw. Wynter Snow, one of one, showed all thirty-two teeth, her braces twinkling in the muted streetlights.

“How’d you learn how to drive like that?”

“Like what?”

“Good.”

We both chuckled as I took off my seatbelt. “I been driving since I was like twelve. Me and my brother. Shit second nature to me now, I could prolly teach you.”

“You’ve never been pulled over?” she asks, taking off her seatbelt and adjusting her seat back.

“Nah. I’m that nigga, so a lot of rules don’t apply to me.”

Shorty laughed out loud like a nigga was joking or something. When she noticed I ain’t even have a smirk on my grill, she laughed harder.

“You swear you somebody.”

“You know I’m somebody, that’s why you right here next to me,” I boasted as my phone started vibrating in my pocket.

“What if I was bored?”

“Don’t matter,” I replied, silencing my shit and my trap phone. “Regardless of the reason, I pulled up and you got in my whip. I’m rockin’ and you rollin’, Snow. Accept it.”

“I’m not Ice Princess no more?”

“Nope. Everybody calling you that. I can tell no one calls you Snow, so that’s my new name for you. Don’t let me hear another nigga calling you that, either.”

“All this and you still haven’t told me your real name.” Snow folded her arms and turned so her back was on the window. I thought she’d be shy, like other bitches in our age group, but again, I was mistaken. Shorty was holding her own, giving as good as she got. She wasn’t screaming sex appeal like the other hoes I gave time to, but she wasn't no pushover, either.

The back and forth was fun.

I never thought someone as green as her would hold my interest.

“You know, Fredo told me his real name.”

I smiled at the mention of my brother. If he hadn’t had given her the okay, I wouldn’t had even been in the car with Snow.

I never mentioned her at all. But he must have seen us going back and forth, because as soon as we got to the skate park, he told me she was cool.

Muthafuckas thought because Fredo was more talkative, he was the nicer twin. He disarmed people, and usually, they talked themselves right onto his ‘fuck you’ list.

Not Snow.

She passed the test, and got the okay from Fredo in less than an hour. Unheard of.

“You still ain’t earned my government, Snow.”