Twisting the locks, I opened the door, and that boyish half smirk that sat on Crew's face was both annoying and innocent at the same time.
"Damn, it took you long enough to open this mutha fucker."
He walked into the apartment, and I shut the door, putting my hands on my hips.
"What do you want, Crew? I'm busy."
"Well, I can see you're not busy with cleaning."
He picked up a pillow from the floor in front of him.
"Whatever. What do you need? Did Hov tell you to meet him here?"
"Nah."
I followed behind Crew, who went straight to the refrigerator, grabbing one of my water bottles. He stood in the fridge with it open as he downed an entire bottle like he ran over here instead of driving one of his many cars. Ever since I've known Crew, he drinks water like that. He often said he was just hydrating his soul for its first class trip to hell. Crew was more unhinged than Hov if we are being honest.
"Hov doesn't know I'm over here. He's in the Bronx handling some shit." Crew went to the pantry grabbing a bag of one of the only snacks we had in there, Skinny Pop popcorn.
"What business does Hov need to handle in the Castle Hill Projects. Doesn't he have people like you to do his dirty work?"
Crew laughed as he opened the popcorn, spilling a few onto the floor.
"Oh, he's doing dirty work, alright, but it's none I can handle. How the fuck do you know he's in Castle Hill anyway?"
He threw the popcorn into his mouth.
"He told me."
"Yeah fuckin right."
Crew didn't believe me, but that's because he knows Hov doesn't tell me anything about his whereabouts or dealings in the streets. All he ever tells me is, 'I'm handling business Cash,' or 'I'll be back in a little while,' just like he did earlier. I was as far outside Hov's business as one of his opps, as he calls them.
"You still haven't told me why you are here."
"I'm here to see why you're telling Hov you're pregnant all of a sudden?"
"I didn't tell him, the robbers did."
"But why did you tell them?"
I shrugged my shoulders because that answer was complicated, and I didn't feel like explaining it to him. Truth is, when I started to get nervous that Hov didn't actually care about me, I told them to use that as a ploy. It worked, Hov was ready to pay for me in an instant.
"So, you really going to have a baby and you don't know if it's mine or not?"
"I mean, what am I supposed to do? Keep having abortions and telling my boyfriend that wants kids that I just don't want any?"
"You could've been told him the truth when you met him and none of this would be going on. You know, I had you first. Shit before anyone else ever did. You made this shit messy by being greedy."
Crew rubbed his thumb and index finger on his chin with a cocky smirk. He took pride in knowing that he was my first time many many years ago when my father was mentoring him. At the time, he was at risk, but he was a basketball star, and in my head, he would go pro one day, and we could be together then. I knew my dad wouldn't approve of Crew at the time, so we kept it a secret. Crew's biggest fear back then was my father distancing himself from him because he was fucking with me. We were together until he went to college, forgot about me, and left me heartbroken with no one to talk to about it. I try to ignore those times and the fact that Crew was my first love and way before I ever even looked Hov's way.
"Crew, you know the truth is complicated and we've frankly waited too long to tell it. When I started dating Hov, you were already long gone in my life, and he was there for me."
"Oh, and how is that working out for you? I see your pussy couldn't lock him down either, yet you give him the grace you never gave me. Why is that?"
I walked up to him and slapped fire from his face. Only he and Hov could get this type of reaction out of me because I try my hardest to be a fucking lady.
Crew held his cheek and smiled menacingly before something in his eyes snapped and he grabbed me around my neck forcing me to the wall.
