“Yeah.”
Trav didn’t sugar coat that shit but I was glad he hadn’t. I would’ve tried to make it sound less bad when really it was probably a lot she was gonna need to adapt to.
“I’ll choose door number two. My daddy always taught me never to start a fight but to ensure I finished it. I’m not about to run around being scary and making his name or y’all’s look bad. Even if this whole situation is weird, y’all seem okay. My best friend says y’all some real niggas and I got lucky, whatever that means. I know better than to think that life was gone be easy so I’m not going to be the weakest link in the family.” Lyric took a deep breath after she gave us her answer. Like she’d been rehearsing that speech in her head the whole time we’d been in the other room talking.
“We family now?” My ass was soft but I was grinning at her like a kid. I was happy she said that shit before I had to tell her. We had her back from this point on and nothing would change that.
She humped her shoulders but I could tell she ain’t quite believe that shit yet. “Gotta earn my keep. Since y’all seem like y’all not gonna be on some bullshit earning bread so I’m not a burden is clutch.”
“Damn, you think we just gone be starving you out or something?”
“Nope. But I’m not about to sit around and not take care of myself. You gotta understand who my mama is.” That spoke volumes to how she’d been treated and I glanced at Travis who was frowned up.
“Damn. You used to having to fend for yourself? She really ain’t shit.”
I hit him in the chest with the back of my hand because he couldn’t be talking about that girl mama like that. “Trav!”
“Nah, he don’t need to stick up for her. She’s had me calling her Reina for the last few years so I don’t even think of her as my mama. Just the babysitter who kept looking out the window for my parents to come home. Whatever y’all are trying to tiptoe around I’ve already adjusted to.” Her shoulders humped again and I was beyond irritated that Reina had fucked this lil girl up the way she had. Even if she didn’t say it out loud, I knew how that shit hurt from experience.
“Damn, you are smart.” Travis was looking at me like his earlier comment was now valid. His ass still didn’t make any sense but I’d let him have it.
“Yeah, but I ain’t too sure on school.” Lyric’s face was scrunched up like she ain’t have no love for her education but I wasn’t about to have that. She wasn’t gone get people looking at me because she ain’t want to follow the rules. And hanging out with dummies wasn’t something that we did. It gave too much space for people to get caught up.
I chuckled and crossed my arms in my first act as big brother/father. “But your ass going. Georgia not about to get my ass on some truancy bullshit. You gone make good grades too.”
When she sucked her teeth my brows shot up but I couldn’t help but laugh. “Anything else, warden?”
“For every A you bring home, pop quiz report card whatever, you get one step closer to your studio time.”
That got her ass bought in with the quickness. “And if I wanted to earn money on my own?”
“What you mean?”
“Like I said, my friend—” She was fumbling over her words and her hands so I knew she knew she shouldn’t be speaking on this shit for real.
“Don’t know shit. She’s assuming. And whatever business you earn your way into ain’t got nothing to do with her, feel me?” From what I heard about her friend was that she was hotin the ass and was quickly becoming a pass around for the young niggas on the block trying to work her way up to a bigger fish. I wasn’t about to have Lyric sucked into that life with her. And telling that girl any of her business would be the same way that King got caught up pillow talking.
“Yes.”
I ain’t say shit for a minute before I gave a quick nod and motioned for her to get up off the floor. “Good. Now you and your knife get your shit together. We finna go eat and figure some shit out. Aight?”
She smiled for the first time since she got here as she stood up from the floor.
“Aight.”
CHAPTER TWO
H-Town Bounce
PORSHA
“‘BOUT FUCKING TIME.”
I watched as the car I’d paid for finally eased its way on the block to pick me up. I had too much shit to do today to have this nigga flaking on me yet again, but here he was, doing what he did best. There was far too much going on right now and the stress was going to make me lose it. I ain’t have anyone to talk to because my best friend for years had turned out to be a snake and my mama would only look at me and say ‘I told you to stop dealing with that nigga’.
I was keeping all this shit bottled up and I could feel myself about to lose all the sense God gave me as soon as I got in this car. It was hot and my hair was braided down under some bundles. I was the best advertisement for the work I did but right now I was pissed that I had all this hair keeping my head so damn hot.
Think about your health. You can’t afford to be spazzing out over this nigga.
