Page 30 of Stay Dangerous

It was quick, but I still felt his lips on mine before he released me and walked off ahead of us.

“You got it baaaad, Wyn,” Fredo cackled, throwing an arm around my shoulder and leading us inside.

“Shut up,” I said, elbowing him, before my breath lost me.

That mansion was the stuff of dreams.

High ceilings, at least three levels. A chandelier hanging in the entrance, and winding staircases. Fredo kept us walking all the way to the back, where it looked more like a hood function.

Guys in green hung around as loud rap played. There were boys skating in the empty pool, and girls dancing and drinking.

We were definitely the youngest people here.

But a lot of people I noticed, I had them as friends on MyRoom.

They acknowledged me and Fredo, dapping us up, handing us bottles. Fredo grabbed an unopened bottle of Hennessy and poured us both shots, before taking us to the other side of the pool, away from people.

There was an empty jacuzzi there that we took residence in. They were right; Kilo wasn’t the best skater there, but it was still fascinating seeing black boys doing tricks in an empty swimming pool, like that one movie.

“You ever thought about skating?” I asked Fredo.

“Nah. I fell once off a bike and was cool off all that shit,” he chuckled. “I wanted to play soccer.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Ricky didn’t,” he shrugged.

“Y’all do everything together?” I asked, my face screwed up with secret envy.

“Not everything, but back then, yeah. We both tried it, but then I ran into someone, and Rick beat that nigga down, right there at practice. It was easier to just give up.”

“So he’s like that with you too? Over the top?”

We both locked in on Rico, who was sitting with other guys from his gang. Everyone else around him was talking and joking, but he just stood there, one corner of his mouth up, looking zoned out, but probably listening to everything they were saying.

“We brothers, Wyn. Twins. Womb to the tomb type shit. I’m the same way with him.”

“Rico told me he didn’t even know you could fight until you got put on,” I giggle.

His grin widened. “Me and my pops had to slapbox away from him, so he wouldn’t jump in. He take that older brother shit too seriously. But I fasho got squabbles, girl. I’m the one who taught Ty-Ty, and I know he can beat Rico’s ass if he wanted to.”

“I can’t believe you and Tyree are really blood cousins. How was that?”

And just like that, I spent the morning and afternoon hearing story after story of a young Rico, Fredo, and Tyree. Fredo was way more open than his brother, even though I knew he stayed away from heavier topics, like why Tyree was living with his grandmother and aunt, and what happened to his other friend Peanut, after elementary school.

But it was fun hearing about Rico from Fredo’s point of view, so as the sun traveled across the sky, I settled in, sipped Hennessy, and let him talk.

“Okaaaaay! Where's mybrother!”

My eyes were a little heavy, but I still focused on the group of girls coming into the backyard.

Most of the filming was over, and now it was more so a kickback. People were chilling inside the empty pool, and Fredo and I moved into the grassy area with the rest of their gang.

Fredo had taken out his braids as I laughed at him for trying to trick me. He held the half-empty Hennessy bottle, but he’d long stopped drinking.

The girls made a beeline for us. It was four of them, and they were definitely out of high school. The two in the back were taller, while the two in the front were short and voluptuous.

And one of them was staring holes into Rico's face.