Hate the Player and the Game

chapter 16

Chapter 16

Cruze

        The next morning, I watched Diamond slip the jogging suit back on and did the best she could with her hair. I had made her wake up early because I knew that niggas wasn't even going to be awake yet on the south end. It was almost eight o'clock in the morning and I was still tired. We hopped into Calli's Acura and I started it up. I backed out of the drive way and headed for the free way. Almost the whole ride was silent until I said. "Diamond, you know you can't tell anyone that I sell weed". I say.

"Yeah, I know". She says.

"You never know who you can trust. You can't tell anyone about all that happened yesterday either".

"I know Cruze". She says frustratingly

"Good cuz I can't have people bein' too suspicous around me". I looked at Diamond. She didn't say much the whole ride. She barley spoke at all. I wondered why she was acting like this now. I wondered what she was thinking. I drove her to the twins town house and parked just outside of it. Before she got out of the car I grabbed her arm. She looked back at me irritatedly then sat back into the seat. "Diamond, you my girl now so I have to protect you". I say starring at her. She sat with her arms crossed and was looking out of her window. "Your exposed to everything now. For all we know, Slick could try to get his niggas to kidnap you and threaten to kill you just cuz you were seen with me. I love you girl, and I don't wanna see you go down like that. Like I said...........you mines now and I'll take care of you. Just say you got my back". Diamond uncrossed her arms and looked at me.

"You know I do". She finally said. "One hundred percent, but now I'm mixed into all this shit that I don't wanna be in.................and just cuz I was seen with you"?

"I know ma........and I'm sorry, but for now..........you just gotta watch your back". I reached under my seat and grabbed a silver nine millimeter. "Here take this". I say handing it to her. I watched as her big eyes widened and listened to her as she gasped.

"What am I supposed to do with it"? She asked. I put it in her right hand and helped her aim it towards my forehead.

"Learn how to use it and protect yourself with it". I took the gun and shoved it in the back of her pants. "Don't let it fall into the wrong hands. Be cool Diamond. I'll see you tomorrow at school". I told her. She leaned in and kissed my lips. I didn't want to stop kissing her, but I let her go. I watched her grab the shopping bags from the backseat, get out of the car, and run up the wooden steps to the condo. She pounded on the door and I waved goodbye as Chardenay opened it. Diamond turned to wave at me and I sped off back to the west side.

~        ~          ~         ~

           It was Sunday evening. Calli, Uncle Ronnie, Raheem, Miles, and I were all in some dudes pent house in downtown Queens. He calls himself Gay Tony. You guessed it, he's gay, but that didn't matter because he was in the triangle and he could keep cash coming in fast. Turns out that Slick had been fucking him over too. He heard Calli's name on the streets and he wanted to partner up with him to air Slick out. Gay Tony was a skinny, Cuban guy, with an orange spray tan and spikes gelled up in his hair. He was always wearing some type of suit and some shades. He was sitting with his feet propped up on a desk. He had a huge, beefy looking man standing next to him. I guess the man was supposed to be protecting him. It was almost nine o'clock at night and I was tired. I didn't even want to be here. I wanted to be back at home and in the bed sleep. I watched Gay Tony. He seemed too cocky. Something about him just wasn't right. "So California........I heard about you". Gay Tony said in his Cuban accent. We all watched him pop a cork off of a champagne bottle and let the drink over flow onto the floor, then he went on and poured himself a glass. "I heard that Slick stole almost forty thousand dollars from you". Gay Tony said sipping on his drink with his pinky stuck out and starring at Calli heavily. All of us were just standing a few feet away from the desk side by side.