CONNECTED

36.

Tae.

"Ssssshit" I hissed under my breath, closing my eyes as I settled my breathing. Realizing what I had done yet again, I hurried to wrap some toilet tissue around my hand, wiping my kids off my hand and the bathroom sink. I hated this shit.

"You good Bro?" Julio asked as soon as I rounded the corner, wiping my wet hands on the sides of my Gucci Joggers. "You missed a whole blunt."

"I'm straight" I took my seat back at the card table, in between Mel and Mila. Mila was always the only Woman around, but she acted just like us, held her drugs like us, and talked more shit than we did so she always fit right in.

"Yeah now he is." Mila messed with me, already knowing what had took me so long. "Left or right?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Shut the fuck up." I laughed, picking up my glass of Hennessy.

"I hope you cleaned up my shit." Jerzee nosey ass always had something to say. Big ass airplane wings he had for ears.

"Nigga, fuck you and that cheap ass looking bathroom!" Julio got on his ass every chance he got. They deadass had some underlying beef going that neither one of them spoke on. "Mothafucka look like a $40 dollar a night hotel room bathroom!"

We all laughed while Jerzee sat back and shut up, pretending to be looking at his hand of cards. We all were gambling at his crib tonight instead of chilling at his weak ass Lounge.

"Mi, roll up another blunt." Julio handed her weed across the table. "You been pearling them shits all night."

"Thank you, thank you very much." Mila imitated Elvis Presley causing us all to laugh again. She was funny as fuck.

We played in silence for a while minus the occasional shit talking. I was up a few hundred but I was starting to get irritated— I was losing more money than I was winning.

Mel slapped his whole hand down. "Plowwww on all y'all ass!" He laughed excitedly, clapping his hands loud as hell in my ear. "I'm rich!" He damn near leaped on the table grabbing his earnings. He gabbed my $200 along with everybody else that was playing this round.

"Fuck" I cursed to myself, sitting back folding my arms across my chest. If I lost one more round I'd be down a thousand.

"What's the matter Tae?"

"That nigga ain't used to losing that's the problem!"

"Nigga off his game tonight!" They all started clowning me.

"He missing my Sis, that's the problem." Mila finished rolling. "Go ahead and call her so you can stop pulling at your dick."

"We not together." I really couldn't say anything else. I indeed missed the hell out of Nicole, but I'd be damned if I called.

"Well you don't let her date so might as well be."

"Damn, she shouldn't have told you that." I shook my head, sipping my drink. Mila told me I was wrong multiple times. "When you gone let it go? She don't care."

"You've convinced yourself that she doesn't care and she doesn't want to upset you but you know I don't give a damn." She made me laugh. "I'll beat your ass for her."

"Foreal bro, that shit is not what's up." She got Julio started. "Y'all still not together or even involved romantically so I think you should fully let her do her."

I honestly had been thinking about it but I wasn't about to tell them that. It wasn't anybody's business and they had their own shit to be worried about. "Drop it" They knew that meant to completely change the subject.