I'll Ride For You, Homie

t e n

September 27, 1999

Smutt

So Arique is avoiding me at all costs. He went apartment hunting the day after our encounter, and is already moved out of here. Finished up today actually. He had his PawPaw help him. Since the situation happened, he hasn't even been staying here. I'm kind of fucked up about it on the cool.

Arique has also been ignoring me at the shop, which you would think is impossible, but he's doing it. I'm sitting at home with my gal, and worried about her cousin. This shit is ridiculous. I didn't think he would react the way he did. We was already "doing wrong" we kiss like we a damn couple when nobody is around, amongst other shit. Hell, my brothers consider him as my dude, more than they recognize Ericka as my gal. But they, really just J, don't really care for her anyway; conversation for another day.

"Pop!" Bugg yells coming in my room dressed. "You tomin' wiffus?"

"Us who, and where y'all goin'?" I ask him.

"Me and mama, we go tee Untle Bubba new houte." He tells me excitedly.

"Yeah I'm comin'." I smile at him, actually trying to downplay how excited I am myself.

"Otay, I go tell mama." He runs out of my room. I get up and start getting ready. I was lounging around in boxers and a wife beater, so I put on some basketball shorts, socks, and the hood house shoes. I go over to my nightstand to get my pager, PrimeCo phone, wallet, and keys.

I walk out of the room to see Boo putting something inside of a gift bag as she sat on the couch. Bugg is on the side of her kicking his feet and watching TV. "Who the gift for?" I ask sitting down next to her and kissing her cheek.

"It's a house warming gift for Arique at his new apartment." She rolls her eyes, "you know he stay at the same complex as Josh? I can't stand his ass." She mumbles the last bit to herself.

"My Untle J, mama?!" Bugg asks excitedly.

"Mhm." She's agitated now.

"Why I no tee him dat mu'h no mo', mama?" He asks.

"'Cause he mean." She says not looking at him.

"Not to me." He tilts his head in confusion.

"He mean to me, and I don't want him in my house." She is petty. Whatever happened, happened six months ago.

"You still ain't tell me what he did that was so bad. One minute y'all thick as thieves, the next it's fuck him." I laugh. I care that they don't get along, but to a certain extent. I know the reasoning behind it can't be too serious for her to be this mad. But, maybe she's embarrassed. Sometimes when you embarrass yourself, you place blame on the other person. Especially since J don't have no animosity towards her. He's stated his dislike for her, yes, but he don't treat her fucked up. She the one always skating around the reason she don't like him, and keeping him from around her.

"Whatever. Is he gon' be there?" She ignores the topic yet again, with attitude still very much evident in her tone. She is stuffing the colored tissue paper for the gift bag, inside of said gift bag.

"Prolly. You know him, Psych and Arique is coo' huh?" I ask her so she'll know what to probably expect.

"No I didn't. I can't wait to meet y'all other brother with as much as y'all used to talk about the nigga with each other." She says making minor adjustments to the tissue paper still before she sets the bag on the table. "How he meet him before me any-damn-way, and when? I thought the nigga was locked up." She looks at me confused.