Ganja on Fourth Street

Chapter Two

Laken Rivera

I stared at Denver and gave him another shove. I expected him to be asleep or something. All this time I've been thinking he was knocked out when actually he was just doing mischievous things around his neighborhood.

"What are you doing Laken?"

"You just gon' let ol' girl push you around, D?" One of his friends chuckled. He looked at me with those same kind eyes he always gave me.

Denver wasn't one of those guys you'd think would be a hardcore hood guy. He had soft kind eyes, a calm personality and was full of creativity and humbleness. Seeing him coming at Tessie was shocking.

"I'll call you later, ight?"

He walked passed his friends as they followed. I looked back at Tessie and saw she was checking up on her little brother. When he assured her he was fine, she looked over to me and cracked a small smile.

"Thank you. You didn't have to run out there and do that."

"How could you just let him hit you?"

"It didn't hurt. You know Denver?"

"Yes, he's my boyfriend. I've never seen him act that way."

"Ha! Then you've never seen him in action in the hood. He's apart of that little gang...uh...Fourth Blood."

"Fourth Blood?"

"Yeah. Once Blood members but managed to break off and start their own little gang specifically taking over fourth street."

"This is called fourth street?"

"Yup," she popped her P, "Just a street full of ruthless fuckups."

I looked at her, taking note that she just categorized her and her neighbors as fuck ups. I'd say although their living environment isn't the best, they probably still have the potential to do great things—they just don't choose to.

"How come your  brother didn't fight em' off? He's an actual guy."

"Oh, no, no, no, no. You see, Randon is on paroll. He can't get into any fights and they're cops everywhere just waiting for some shit to happen. I don't want to see him go to jail, so I handle everything."

I sighed, feeling bad that she had to take all that. I never knew Denver was that way. It was a major turnoff and I was going to talk to him about it.

"We should head back in...thanks."

She smiled and headed back in the shop. I stood in the middle of the street, trying to take everything in. Lesson one of fourth street:

Beware of the Fourth Blood.

_

Kady and I were headed back to the apartment after the manager was a no-show. It didn't bother me that much since I personally wasn't looking for a job, but I wish I'd known she wasn't coming so I didn't have to stay in the shop all day.

"Hungry?" Kady asked me.

"A little. Is there a McDonalds around here?" I asked, in the mood for a big mac.