Page 76 of Stay Dangerous

“They got into a wreck trying to outrun the cops. Ain’t yo fault niggas was on the other side of the street.” Fredo shook his head as Autumn went into the kitchen, where Snow was.

I wanted to go to her, but she and I knew what was up. Claiming her wouldn’t stop the jokes. Peanut ain’t understand shit about females. Half the time he talked about his lil’ crush on Tatiana, he acted like he hated liking her.

“Where Reem and Sean?”

“Reem’s in my parents’ bathroom, while Sean’s in our bathroom. I got towels and new shirts and shorts and socks in the bathrooms. If you got sticky fingers, don’t use my parents’ shit. My dad isn’t stupid.”

“Thank fuck. I need a hot shower bad.”

“You do. You fuckin’ stink,” Ty-Ty said, mushing Turk.

“I call next, since I won’t take long,” Autumn said, disappearing to her room.

Peanut stood, counting us as we lay around the room.

“Aight, so ten. That’s straight.”

“Ten?” Fredo asked, wrapping his arm around my neck in a half headlock. As we got older, we were better about being separated, but not being able to call whenever got to him like it did me. No matter what we were doing, if we needed to get in touch, that was one call neither of us ever declined, especially after Ma.

So I let him hold me in a headlock, if only so he knew I was there, and we were good, even if we were stank and dirty.

Peanut grinned. “Y’all fucking missed it. Autumn ass was playing bumper cars! Murked at least three Tree bitches, lowkey saved me and Rico life. Rico named her Haze.”

“That true?” Fredo asked me.

I nodded, grinning at the look in her eyes when she was hyperventilating. “She thurl as fuck.”

“But when I asked–”

“AHNT!Back up. You ain’t ask me shit, Freckles.” Peanut tried to palm Wynter’s face but she dodged him to glare at Set.

Set sighed. “If I told you no, why would I tell Autumn yes? You gotta talk to Turk.”

Sean chose that moment to emerge from the bathroom. He went straight to Snow, hugging her waist. “You still cooking for us, Freckles?”

Wynter glanced at me, softening for a moment before she rolled her eyes. “Fine. Tell Auty the bathroom is open.”

Sean winked at me, making Fredo snort, before going to do what Snow said. She left us to go in the kitchen, and when Set got up to follow her, Fredo tightened his hold on my neck so I wouldn’t follow.

But I could see them from where I was. It was the first time I really saw them interact, just them two. Set moved some mail off the end counter and hopped up, while Snow began to mix flour and shit for pancakes. They spoke in low tones, but I could tell Set was apologizing for excluding Snow.

Like I’d ever let her ass be a part of anything Peanut planned. But she didn’t tell me she’d asked Set, too.

Once she was done mixing, she set the large bowl on the counter and folded her arms at Set. He smiled at her, showing dimples, and she shook her head before she smiled too.

They did some dumb ass handshake that they probably came up with when they were kids.

He hopped down, and grabbed some sausages and eggs out of her fridge before handing them to her. She shooed him out of the kitchen, and he backed up some, before turning and walking back toward us.

Still smiling.

“Let it go,” Fredo mumbled in Spanish, carefully, since he knew Peanut could speak Spanish, too.

I shook Fredo off me, and got up, walking toward her parents’ room as Ty-Ty walked out.

“Yo ass stay cheating! I hate playing with you on my mama,” Ty-Ty gritted, throwing the controller down.

“Cry baby ass,” Peanut and I both said, before dapping each other up.