Hate the Player and the Game

chapter 8

Chapter 8

Cruze

         I listened to Calli's dog's howl in the garage. Two large pit bulls that he was training to be vicious were chained up in the corner. It was my job to feed them. I was counting down the days until I was going to start school. By this time, I couldn't wait to go back because sitting around the house doing nothing all day and selling dope on some nights when we really needed the money was getting boring. I needed something to do. I figured that going to a new school and making a few friends wouldn't be so bad. I figured that getting invited to house parties that people my age were throwing and meeting a little boo thang was going to be the perfect high school experience. When I was in school, I couldn't wait to get out, but now that I'm out, I couldn't wait to go back. This expulsion was just a little too long for me, and Uncle Ronnie had been calling my grandmother trying to get all the information that he needed to get me enrolled. Uncle Ronnie had never had any kids so he didn't know what to do to get me into school. He was so pissed that since my grandmother had custody of me then she had to be the one to do everything to get me enrolled so she was on her way to Queens. I felt alone even though I was living in a house full of niggas. I had no friends here in Queens and all of my homies were back in Brooklyn. That's why I was anxious to start this new school now, because I knew that everybody was going to like me. I was sitting on the couch in the living room by myself watching TV when I heard the key jingling in the lock on the front door. Uncle Ronnie stepped through the door with my grandmother right behind him. I watched Uncle Ronnie close the door behind her. It was awkward seeing her again. I thought that she was done with me. "Hey unc". I say acknowledging my uncle's presence and not hers. I was surprised that she was missing work to come all the way up to Queens to enroll me into another school.

"Cruze.....you see your grand momma over here. You better say hi boy". My Uncle Ronnie says. I looked at her and stretched my lips to the side of my face. I wasn't happy to see her.

"Hi". I say.

"Hey". She says. "You like it up here"? I nodded my head. "I heard that your doing good up here with your Uncle. I knew that this was a good idea". I still refused to say anything to her though. I just turned my attention back to the TV. "We went to the school. It's big and I think that your going to like it.....as long as you stay out of trouble. You start this Wednesday". Today was Thursday so that was six days from now, but that still felt too far away. My grandmother soon realized that I was ignoring her so her and my Uncle Ronnie went into the kitchen. I couldn't believe that she had the audacity to show up here smiling in my face after she kicked me out and never bothered to talk to me and it's been well over a month. I wished that she would just go away and never bothered to show up in my life again. I was done with her and I knew that it wasn't his fault, but I was done with my granddad too. After a minute I heard my grandmother and Uncle Ronnie in the kitchen whispering an argument over me. I stood up and leaned on the wall just beside the doorway to the kitchen.

"I want him back"! I heard my grandmother say in a loud whisper.

"It's too late". Uncle Ronnie whispered back. "He's mine now and you just enrolled him in a school up here......don't think that just because you finally saw him again in a couple of weeks that you can just come up here and take him back".

"Oh, but I can. He's still my grandson and I still have custody of him......plus I'm responsible for him now since Colline is gone. I made a promise to my daughter that if anything happened to her then I would take care of him".

"Ma you can't do this....you made this choice. You made this happen. You decided to let him come up here........it's just too late. Careem is ours, plus your getting too old. If I decided to get custody the courts would let it happen because of your age".