Page 74 of Stay Dangerous

“Fuck y’all. I think I peed a little. Ijustgot my permit,” she whined, shifting gears as we followed the back streets.

“Coulda fooled me. Left them niggas in a haze, both times,” I remarked.

Ty-Ty turned in his seat, just as Peanut slapped my chest and snapped his fingers.

“That’s it! Haze! Man, I know Turk gon’ be mad as fuck he missed it! You fasho caught–”

I elbowed Peanut and shook my head. Ty-Ty turned the radio up as I whispered, “She barely holding on. Donottell her she killed them niggas.”

Peanut glanced up at her before nodding his head.

Poor Haze was trying to breathe through her mouth.

But she was thurl as fuck. She didn’t stop until we were at the underpass by the riverwalk. Ty-Ty loved getting cars from there, so it was nothing for him to hotwire another car, torch the wrangler, and have Peanut drive us back to the Birch after we watched it burn for a while.

It was quiet as Peanut drove us back to the Birch. Autumn was in the back, wrapping a bottom strip of Ty-Ty’s shirt around his arm. The adrenaline was seeping out of me, and I sagged lower and lower into the passenger seat.

“You think the others are good?” Ty-Ty asked as we pulled into the parking lot.

“Fredo still alive,” I muttered, heaving myself out of the car.

We hobbled inside Tower Two. Peanut had been staying at his grandmother’s crib, and since she couldn’t leave her bed, it was easiest for all of us to meet there.

“You all arecrazy,” Autumn huffed, leaning into the bar in the elevator car.

“How the fuck you even get in this, Haze?”

Ty-Ty shook his head, while Autumn averted her eyes from me. Normally, I wouldn’t even say shit, but Fredo wasn’t here to be our mouthpiece, and she was an accomplice anyway.

“Prolly following Turkey ass around. I see you took out that bulldagger shit. Or is it just flipped?”

Autumn glared at Peanut, before unflipping a septum ring from her nose. She wiped it off, then tried to wipe her fingers on Peanut. He cackled as he fought her off, dodging her nasty ass fingers.

“How was I supposed to know when Tyree and Turkey tell me they’regoing toy shoppingthey meant grand theft auto?! I thought we were going to the mall! Believe me! I’m staying home next time.”

“Fuck that!” Ty-Ty barked as we exited the elevator. “Yo ass Foe Dub, too, Haze. You ain’t gotta shoot nobody, but you got whips, and we need that. We’d be dead without you.”

“Fasho dead,” Peanut agreed. “I guess you cool, for a female. But you a dyke, so–”

Peanut grunted as we cackled, while Autumn spedwalked away from us. When she saw we stopped by a door, she huffed and came back, rushing in as soon as Peanut unlocked the door.

“Thank the Lord,” Turkey said as he stood, but Autumn just stormed over to him.

“You told Peanut?!”

Slap!

Peanut cackled as he moved Autumn toward the bathroom. “Go wash them grubby hands. He ain’t tell me shit. I been knew as soon as you got that damn ring, girl. Waddup, Big Turk?”

We all dapped him up, and surprisingly, Ty-Ty and Turk hugged the longest.

“I must say, you a fool wit’ it,” Turk cheesed.

“And ain’t even need all that psy-op shit. But you a beast, too.”

“Well, glad you’re bothbestiesnow,” Autumn spat, taking Turk’s spot on the old ass floral couch while Peanut went to check on his grandmother.

Turk’s smirk left his face as Ty-Ty reenacted everything he missed. That time, Autumn let Turk pull her to him so they could talk in the kitchen.