Page 29 of Stay Dangerous

It was more than easy to pick out who was who.

“I gotta be home by seven,” I said, handing Rico a CD to play.

He nodded and popped it in the CD player. “We’ll think about it.”

“You’ll be home by seven, Ice Princess.”

“Remember, don’t be calling us by our governments around these niggas. We don’t know them like that, and you shouldn’t either.”

“Where are we going again?” I asked, bopping my head to Pharrell.

“Kilo finally got sponsored, so they’re filming him and some other niggas skating at some rich nigga’s crib,” Fredo said as he cruised toward the nicer part of the city.

“He’s that good?”

“Remy’s better, but Kilo’s more flashy.”

“Stay away from both of ‘em,” Rico gritted, making me smile.

This wasn’t the first time I’d hung with him and Fredo, but it was the first time since we started hanging out that I’d be back around his friends.

Hisgang.

Rico didn’t speak about them, not really. Rico didn’t speak about much at all, but especially not about any of his other friends.

I asked him if he was cool with Set once, and he countered with asking if I liked him.

The guys at school weren’t like him at all. Everyone dated everyone at one time or another, and so cheating wasn’t really a thing. It was just whose turn was it to hold hands in between classes, or who was your bus buddy this field trip.

Rico wasn’t like that. Besides Fredo, he didn’t want me around anyone but him. He was always asking me about my top five, or who was commenting on my pictures. He got me the new iPhone like he said he would, but I could only have his and Fredo’s numbers in them, and he’d check.

I didn’t know what to make of it. Especially when he’d make me mix CDs, and look at me the way he does, and be there for me the way no one else is.

“You hungry?” Fredo asked me. “I’on know if they gonna have food there.”

“Your pops cooked this morning, right?” Rico added, making me simper.

Little details like that, he always remembered.

“Me and Auty kinda got into it, so I didn’t finish.”

“What’s the deal with you and her? Set said y’all always been at odds.” Fredo glanced at me in the rearview, smirking when I shrugged.

“Everybody can’t be like us, Fred.”

“Well, I hope y’all figure it out. Being a twin is only the shit if y’all are on the same team.”

Rico said something in Spanish before turning the music up, so I didn’t have to answer.

But I still received everything Fredo said. It just seemed like we were almost too far gone.

As soon as we pulled up to a mansion I’d only seen on tv, my mood picked back up. Fredo parked in the horseshoe driveway, and we got out immediately.

Before I could take a step, I was pulled back until my back was against the car, and light brown eyes regarded me as serious as a heart attack.

“You stick with Tune at all times, Snow. Even if you gotta piss. And don’t take no drinks or blunts from these niggas.Entiendes?”

I rolled my eyes and folded my arms. “Fine.”