At 17, Candyce's small worldview is maginifed when her big brother, Ace, invites her into his world as punishment. Ace may have been an overbearing big brother at home, but in the streets he was feared and respected as a young drug dealer, proving h...
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Chapter 28
No one is happy to see me as I emerge from the crowd of sick junkies looking to get sicker. That much is clear by the mug Curry greets me with as I climb the steps of the trap house. Simon barely glances at me while he interacts with one dope fiend after another. Calvin sits close by, on the banister but this time, he's puffing on a black and mild. He's the only one that regards me with nonchalance.
Sensing the vibe from all of them, I head straight for the door. I'm not here to make amends with any of them anyway. I did what I did to protect Simon and I'm not apologizing to anybody, including him. So, when he excuses himself from the porch, handing off some bags to Calvin to sell in his absence, I continue walking into the trap house. Not that I get very far, cause the screen door creaks open before I can make it to the kitchen.
"Candyce!" Simon yells.
I roll my eyes. I'm not for his shit today or anyone else's. I just wanna' stay around long enough to run interference with Daz. It's Saturday, so it's weekly pickup and drop-off day for cokerunners. I'm not sure where we fall on his route so I got here early just in case. It's a quarter past 9 and already, Simon is approaching me with anger practically seeping off of him.
"What type of shit you on, Candyce?!" He yells.
"What are you talking about, Simon?" I ask.
He stops a few feet away from me.
"You know what the fuck I'm talking about. I know you only see three of us out there right now. What did you do with Neco and Maj?" He demands.
"I haven't been here in days, what--"
"Stop it, Candy. I know you know wassup. You catch me leaving the house at 5 in the morning and next thing I know, Caesar sending word through Calvin that they all gotta hit the block. Neco, Maj, Curry and Cal."
I sigh. So this what Simon's been banging on my bedroom door wanting to talk about. I figured as much. But he stopped knocking three days ago, so I naively hoped he'd gotten over it. I can see by his demeanor that I was wrong. Simon being Simon, he was just letting that shit build up until there was no longer a door between us.
"If Caesar told them to leave then why are they still here?" I ask.
"Why you think? I can't sell and watch my own back. I asked Cal to stay and he asked Curry to stay. You ain't been here in a while but it's getting crazy out there. These people want they fix rain, sleet or snow. I can't keep them at bay by myself. That's why I need them. So why you getting in between that?" Simon says.
"You just said Caesar gave the order, so why you harassing me?" I ask.
Simon smacks his teeth, "You know damn well yo errand boy ain't making moves without yo permission."
I sigh, too tired to keep up the facade that Caesar acted alone. I did what I did 'cause I knew it was right. Now, it's time to stand by that.
"Alright so yeah, I told Caesar I was gonna replace his corner boys with someone more experienced. With someone I know is gonna' watch out for you. But I didn't need him to do it; I was gonna do it myself," I say.
