Page 59 of Stay Dangerous

Who else in our crew was doing the most over a female?

We walked up two flights of stairs, before he knocked on one of the blue doors. We had to have been at some type of dorm or campus apartment, since Kenton State University was down the street.

The door opened, and a pretty girl smiled up at Peanut, showing all her white teeth. “I told you it was fine,” her airy voice said, before letting us in.

All the noise he made about her, I got it instantly. The way she looked at Peanut, Snow looked at me.

Not like a nigga who would fuck her into oblivion. But like someone who she truly enjoyed being around. Innocent and pure.

I smirked, feeling good that he experienced what I did, too.

“It’s not fine, girl. You ain’t ate, so I brought you some food. This my Ace, Rico. Rico, this is Tati.”

Her gaze and smile shifted to me as she reached for the food and drinks in my hands.

I side stepped her, placing it on the island. “You good. It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.”

She averted her eyes, and I was sure if she was lighter, she’d be blushing.

I didn’t know what would be my boy’s type, since he actively hated every bitch in the Birch. But as I watched the short, thin girl with deep dark skin wearing sweats and a henley wrap her arms around my bro, I didn’t think I’d picture her in my wildest dreams.

“Your hair nice,” he said in a voice I never heard come out of him.

“Thank you. Well since you’re here, let’s eat.”

We washed our hands and took seats at the island. I nodded as I examined all the swirls in the two-strand twists in her hair. “You did that? It’s fire.”

“She not doing yo fuckin’ hair, nigga,” Peanut gritted, mouth full of fries.

“Patrick,” she hissed, making my eyes stretch.

No one, not even old ladies, called his nigga Patrick.

And no one could get Peanut to look embarrassed.

“I’m just saying… you don’t need to be doing niggas’ hair. You need money or something? I can give you some money, but he not sitting between ya legs on some Mario shit.”

“Chill out,Patrick. I got someone to braid my shit. It’s still nice, though.”

She turned to me, throwing me a quick smile and thanks before turning back to Peanut and arching an eyebrow. “Are you gonna be nice? He’s your best friend, which means I want to get to know him.”

“Knew this was a bad idea,” he mumbled. When she turned back to her food, he drug his thumbnail across his neck at me, over her head, making me chuckle.

“So you ready to admit you feeling her?” I asked him as we cruised back to the Birch. It was already late, so after she bickered about it being too late for us to dip, we escaped after promising that he would call her as soon as we got home.

“Oh, I’m marrying that girl,” he said, turning off the radio. “May propose the day she graduate law school. And she having my baby. I think I would be a good girldad.”

I stared at my bro like he grew two heads. “You’re serious?”

“As a muthafuckin’ stroke. She the one, my boy. You was my last test. If she looked at you funny, I’d be over it. But she resisted yo charm, so I know it’s real. She got like six years of school left. Plenty of time for me to make something shake. I gotta be all the way good so I can spoil her.”

“Damn, I ain’t even thought past next week,” I blurted out, turning my head toward my window.

“Well, you should. All of us should have a little change saved from the bullshit pennies Tiny throws at us. Enough to maybe get a place once we turn eighteen and get the fuck up out the Birch. Soon as I turn eighteen, I’ma get my GED and maybe enroll in some classes or some shit. Shad and Turk fasho going to State, and hopefully Set will follow Turkey ass.”

“So fuck the Babies then?”

“Hell yeah,” Peanut bellowed. “This gangbanging shit old and moving work is fasho temporary. Man, these niggas gon’ be dead or in jail in five years, mark my fuckin’ words. Muthafuckas have no direction or drive. Tiny break them off way more than us, andniggas still on they grandma Section Eight. Could never be me, and fasho not gon’ be none of y’all, on my mama.”