Sky's The Limit

xiv

fourteen | ishaan

"I thought you was goin' to get Cris," Antonio said as I entered the studio space.

"Why would I do that?" I scoffed while plopping down in my usual chair.

"'Cuz that's what you always do," he replied.

"Cris ain't comin'," Will mumbled with his nose deep in his rhyme book.

Tony kissed his teeth. "That don't mean she won't be back."

Will spoke again. "Ain't no comin' back for her."

Antonio looked at me to gauge my thoughts on the matter.

I shrugged.

"Yo, you trippin' too, 'Shaan?" he sounded surprised.

"You must've forgot how Will had a gun pointed at him, and I was in a chokehold," my head tilted.

"Y'all scared of Mace?"

"No!" Will's response clashed with mine.

"You not?"

Antonio ignored my question, only responding to Will. "Then what's the hold up?"

Will remained silent. I took the initiative to answer.

"She don't want it bad enough."

Antonio and Will both looked at me as if they were waiting for me to continue.

"When it comes down to it... Maceo is always gonna come first... As bad as she wants to be in I.V., she wants to be in a relationship even badder."

"It's not about the relationship," Will corrected. "It's about security."

"How would you know?" I quizzed.

"'Cuz that's my sister, 'Shaan. Maybe if you spent more time listening to her than tryna talk down on her, you'd know that," he shot back.

"That's my sister too, McKay. Just because I don't spoil her doesn't mean I love her any less. Just because you stand by while Mace beats her ass doesn't mean we all gotta do the same thing."

"What'chu think you doin' right now, 'Shaan?"

"I'm telling her to leave the nigga!"

Will scoffed. "If you was about half the shit you talk, Mace would be dead right now, 'Shaan."

"If you actually used your fists for the right shit, Mace would be dead right now," I retorted.

"A'ight. That's enough," Antonio inserted himself into our dispute. "Maceo ain't dead, and neither one of you niggas are killers so this is where this conversation ends."

An immediate silence was established, but just as quickly as it came, it was resolved by Tony.

"If it's security that Cris needs, then provide that shit. Don't argue about it. Just do it."

"How can we provide it when Maceo got her on lock?"

"We gotta' show her that I.V.'s security is better than—"

I almost laughed. "Nah. I ain't doin' that."

"'Shaan—"

"Nah, Tony. Like I said before, she can't be in and out. She's already shown us that she is unreliable and not serious about this shit."

"He's got a point, Tone," Will agreed.

Antonio refuted. "But she's willing to work. We just gotta push her."