And they definitely didn’t know he hacked into his school’s database and changed Mondays’ lunch menu to pizza.
So, he could keep a secret for his father. Besides, how bad could it be?
They got off the elevator at the top floor and made their way down the long hallway. There were older boys talking, all of them wearing either dark green pants or a dark green shirt. All of them having a gun tucked.
Rahshad had never seen a gun in real life before. He stayed close to his father, and rushed inside the door he opened.
Only to freeze again. There were more than a dozen white bags on the coffee table. Even more on the kitchen table further in the apartment. There were more guys on the couch, and a short woman standing at the table, moving the white bags into a duffel. She looked up at the door opening, and her eyes softened when she and Rahshad locked eyes.
Bishop ushered him into the hallway and then into a small bedroom. The curtains blocked out most of the sunlight, making it feel like it was nighttime instead of the morning.
On one wall was a set of bunk beds. On the other side was a dresser with a tv on top, next to a gaming console. It was a bareroom, much like the room Rahshad had at his grandparents’ house, except he had a desk, too.
Bishop flicked the light switch and Rahshad heard a groan coming from the bottom bunk.
“C’mon, Casey. Get up.”
Feet Rahshad didn’t notice before began to move, and a boy a little older than he was stood up to face them. He was tall, brown like them, and even though the scowl cast shadows over his eyes, they didn’t look dark.
The boy ran his hand over his waves and locked eyes with Rahshad. “Don’t call me that shit.”
Rahshad’s eyes stretched. He knew cursing in front of any adult meant getting his mouth washed with soap, and Bishop didn’t look like he played about disrespect. Who was this kid? He had a cut on his cheek, and an intricate design of swirls and stars etched into his Caesar. He had on green like the other men Rahshad saw, a dark green t-shirt and light grey sweats.
“Rahshad, this is Casey, your big brother. He goes by Set, though, and’ll prolly beat yo ass if you call him anything but that,” Bishop chuckled like his son didn’t just curse at him.
“He’s with you today. Tiny and I got some shit to handle in Hudsonville. We’ll be back tomorrow night.”
Rahshad turned so fast he got dizzy. He pushed his glasses back up his nose and looked up at his father. “You’re leaving?”
Bishop placed his bag on the floor and squeezed Rahshad’s shoulder. “I got a lot of business to handle, but also, I need you and Set to build a bond. In this world all you gone have is your brother, and unfortunately, you’re eleven years late on building that bond you gone need. Big brothers lead, little brothers watch their big brothers’ back. I had a big brother, your Uncle Boog, and we wasn’t as close as we should have been, and that got me sent up top and him dead. Y’all gone be better than us, and that starts now.”
Bishop left them together, closing the door behind him.
“That nigga full of shit. Yo mama was finna put him on child support so he decided to apply for joint custody instead. You gone learn, Bishop is for himself.”
Rahshad turned around and glared at his new brother. Set slid on his slip on Vans and tied a durag around his head. He slipped two phones into his pockets and shouldered past Rahshad. “C’mon nigga.”
Rahshad sighed and followed Set out of the apartment, then the building. It was a typical Southern California winter morning, meaning it was warm with a slight breeze that appeared when it wanted to.
There were a dozen boys crowded by an illegally parked car in front of the building. One of the older boys, light as hell with wild black curls, looked at the approaching Set and Rahshad and grinned. He tapped another boy, and they left the group to meet them closer to the curb.
“This him?” the boy said, looking Rahshad up and down. “Damn he look just like Unc.”
“This Peanut and Turk. Peanut my cousin. Turk my ace. You can’t find me, you find them, aight?”
Rahshad nodded and waved, immediately feeling dumb after. Especially when Turk and Peanut snort.
“Nigga green as fuck,” Turk said.
Rahshad tuned them out though, when he saw some boys by the basketball courts shoving a smaller boy. The smaller boy looked Rahshad’s age, and reminded him of how he was before he stood up to his bullies.
He tapped Set on his shoulder before pointing to the boy. “Why are they bothering him?”
Set looked to where Rahshad was pointing and waved him off. “That’s just Sincere. Fuck that nigga.”
Rahshad cut his eyes to his brother. Other boys began to trickle over from the car, and soon, they surrounded Set, and Rahshad was on the outside of the circle.
Closer to the boy Sincere.
