430 pulled up.
“Ms. Jones, here is your car.” She hopped in and pulled off with looking back as if Sevyn was never standing there. Sevyn returned to the tent where he left Tracy standing. He saw she had the biggest smile on her face. The smile on her face was saying, That’s what your ass gets, mister.
“I can get any girl I want.” He laughed. “Tracy, you just mad you couldn’t pull me,” he said as they joked around. “Tracy, wazzup? Do you know shawty that hopped in that Lexus?”
“Yeah, I know her. That’s Tara. Rebecca’s friend from out of town.”
“Oh, okay. Damn, she sexy.”
Tracy sucked her teeth.
“Why you suckin’ your teeth?”
“Nothing, Sevyn! Nothing.”
“Aye, fresh oh lord, what is it now, Tracy?” Sevyn knew a shitload of questions was about to be asked once Tracy called him by his nickname she gave him. And she felt the same way when he called her Lady T. Sevyn is the only person who called her that.
“On a serious note, Sevyn, when is you going to give the game up?”
“Tracy, we have had this same conversation so many times.”
“I know and you keep giving me the same answer.”
“Soon. Tracy, I’m making a change. It’s just taken me sometime. Change don’t happen overnight, baity girl. It takes time.”
“I know but I want you to be safe out here because these streets are dangerous.”
“Well, you want to know what I think?”
“What, Tracy?”
“All right, don’t be such a smartass black ass nigga.”
“I’m not black, I’m brown-skinned.”
“I don’t know who the hell lied to you, but whoever it was must be talkin’ ’bout the palm of your hand.” She laughed.
“Whatever you like it.”
“Sevyn, please. You think you all that.”
“Nope, I know I’m all that.”
Tracy blushed listening to the comment come out of Sevyn’s mouth. But she knew he was telling the truth.
“I think you need to start back writing books. I think you will make a great author one day.”
“Me too. Maybe I’ll give it some thought. Writing books takes times and dedication, something I don’t have right now. When I’m ready, I’ll get back to it.”
“Sevyn, you gatcha pistol with you?” The question caught Sevyn totally off guard.
“Yeah, why?”
“Because ever since you returned to the tent, those three guys leaning on that smoke gray Tahoe have been watching you and pointing over here.”
“Trust me, Tracy, them niggas don’t want these problems because I really hate to fuck up this cookout. Tracy, what are they doing now? They leaning up off the truck one by one.”
Sevyn reached under his shirt, clutching his 45-caliber pistol. They started heading Sevyn’s way. “Tracy, if they come any closer, Imma start squeezing out this bitch.”
As they approached the tent and got within feet of Tracy, Sevyn slid the safety off his pistol and pulled it out slow. The three dudes stopped in midstep and held up their hands. The slim Kat with the Tom Ford frames on spoke with the smoothest tone ever.
“Hold up, playboy. We come in peace. We just have a message for you. A message from my nigga Rich. He want you to holla at him.”
“Who is Rich? And why does he want me to come holla at him?”
“I guess he’ll let you know when y’all meet up. Rich does understand that time is money, and he doesn’t want to waste your time. Here’s $5,000 for your time. Here take this card. The address is on it.”
“Wait, 456 Fellwood Homes? That’s the projects.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“With all due respect, tell yo man Rich I’m not coming over there.”
Why not? It’s just the projects. I mean, you gotta pistol, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Fall through and stop being so scary tough guy.” He laughed. “We out.”
When the three men were out of sight, Sevyn just stood there, ashamed, knowing he just let Tracy see his true colors. Tracy burst out laughing.
“You scary li’l punk. Why you so scared to go to the projects? My fourteen-year-old son goes over to Fellwood Homes by his self all the time.”
Sevyn turned around and said, “Shut the hell up. Have you ever gone to Fellwood Homes project?”
“Yeah, boy, plenty of times. Sevyn, are you goin’ to the projects or what?”
“Yeah, I have no choice. I took the money, right?”
“Okay, good, because I’m ready to go shopping.”
“Excuse me?”
Tracy totally ignored Sevyn and kept talking. “I need new shoes, a bag, and that new iPhone.”
“Oh, really?”
“Hell yeah, really.”
“I like how you make plans with my money.”
“We a team, right?”
“I guess, Tracy.”
“Okay then, put me in the game, Coach,” she said.
The next day, Sevyn stepped out the house so fresh and so clean. Gucci from head to toe. He approached his S550 Benz. He spotted the young lady from the cookout riding by. He screamed, “Shawtyyy!” at the top of his lungs. She stopped and backed up. As she got near Sevyn, she brought her car to a complete stop, and the window rolled down.
“Is that how you get a woman’s attention?”
“No, not at all, but I had to scream so you wouldn’t get away from me. How are you doing? My name is Sevyn, but my best friend calls me Fresh.”
“Fresh!”
“Yeah, Fresh.”
“Why Fresh?”
“Because whenever she sees me, I’m always dressed in nothing but the best.”
“Your best friend is a female?”
“Yeah,
