All I Want is that Hood Love Read online

  Instead of consoling me, Angie grabbed me and took me downstairs to the living room. She and I were both crying hysterically. She grabbed the phone and went into the kitchen. I could hear her on the phone as she spoke to the 911 operator. Angie reported the homicide and told me to stay in the living room until the police arrived. She told me that she loved me and not to let anyone tell me any different. She promised that she would always be with me in spirit and that she was sorry for the pain that she had brought into my life. I really didn’t understand where she was going with this. I was so young at the time. She kissed me on my forehead as the tears flowed from her red puffy eyes. Angie ran upstairs and slammed the door shut. Next thing I heard was…..POW!

  Angie had failed as a mother! She was aware of that which is why she decided to take her life on the night her child needed her most. I had never met my real father so I was basically the state’s property. Taysia was the closest thing to family that I had. I would run away before I let them separate us. So we came up with a plan. We knew her mom Debra was a selfish bitch. When we told her that she could get an extra $250 dollars in food stamps, plus a government check for me, she went straight to Division of Family & Children Services pleading for custody. Being that I was a kid from the projects and wasn’t worth shit to them, they agreed. They didn’t even give her ass a drug test! Ain’t that some shit? The system was all fucked up. Even though she was using me, I didn’t give a damn. I would still be with my best friend and that’s all that really mattered to me.

  “Shakira Mitchell!” The nurse came from the back with my chart in her hand, interrupting my thoughts. I grabbed my purse and headed to the back. I was so fucking embarrassed. This was the same nurse that saw me that last two times I was here. Shit!

  After about forty-five minutes, the Nurse Practitioner came in and confirmed what I already knew. I had Gonorrhea. I didn’t even cry this time. She gave me an injection of Ceftriaxone and wrote me an oral dose of Azithromycin. I walked out of the clinic and headed to the nearest pharmacy to get my prescription filled.

  *****

  After leaving the pharmacy, I met up with Taysia and our homegirl Simone at the mall. It had been a long day for me and I needed to go shopping to blow off some steam.

  “This mall don’t ever have shit,” Taysia said as we walked out of Dillard’s empty handed. We had been in the mall damn near three hours and still hadn’t found any clothes.

  “I told ya’ll let’s just go to Citi Trends! I know they got a sale going on up in that bitch!” We fell out laughing at Simone’s cheap ass. We was not about to go shopping at no damn Citi Trends. For what? So we can be dressed alike around town? Simone was fucking damn near every nigga in the city. Money shouldn’t have even been an issue with her. Taysia’s mom, Debra, would always quote when she wasn’t high, that if a nigga can fuck you then he can help you and if he can’t help you then you ain’t got no business fucking him! That shit wasn’t anything but the truth! That was probably the realest shit she ever told us.

  “Something told me we should’ve taken a trip to Columbus,” I responded. The Peachtree Mall in Columbus was way better than the Albany Mall.

  “Let’s go by Auntie Ann’s real quick. I got a taste for some Cinnamon Sticks.” Every time I came to the mall, I had to stop by Auntie Ann’s. Those Cinnamon Sticks be on point.

  As we made our way to Auntie Ann’s, I noticed a group of chicks walking behind us carrying on a conversation. They obviously wanted my attention because they started slick dissing.

  “Giiirrrrl, I can’t wait to get up with that nigga Jay again tonight! That nigga know how to lay that pipe down for real! And dat nigga said he was gonna let me push the Bentley truck,” one of the girls said. I could hear them hive fiving each other as they continued to talk.

  Now I know there’s a million niggas named Jay in this world, but it was only one in this area that pushed a Bentley truck. I was done with Jay true enough, but I’ll be damned if I was about to allow one of his little hoes to disrespect me. Fuck that! My name ain’t Shakira Mitchell if I do!

  “I’m tryna see what his brother JaMel sex game is like. That nigga walk like he toting a muhfuckin Anaconda around in his pants,” the other girl added, and they fell out laughing.

  I looked at Taysia and she was already giving me that look. She was ready to take off. Simone wasn’t really about that life. As big as her mouth was, she wouldn’t bust a grape in a fruit fight. I can’t recall how many times Tay and I had to fight bitches for her back in the day when we were younger. One thing about Shakira Mitchell is I can hold my own. I didn’t need for nobody to put the battery in my back. I got me!

  We stopped dead in our tracks and turned around. I knew one of the girls from college because we took a class together at Albany State in the past. Her name was Maleka. I’m pretty sure she had already informed them of who I was. I had no idea who the other three buckets were but I was damn sho about to give these bitches what they wanted. All that picking shit wasn’t necessary.

  “I’m not sure which one of ya’ll lil’ buckets was trying to get our attention, but now you got it! See, bitches like you kill me bragging and boasting about fucking a nigga. You fucking him, sweetie? Huh? That’s it?” I was being sarcastic as hell, looking at each one of them. They were all silent. They weren’t expecting my lil’ po’ ass to stop and turn around.

  “How bout this! How bout you get some of Jay’s money or a key to his truck. Or better yet, how about ya’ll get a house together or get that nigga to get you a ring or sum shit…then fucking that nigga might be worth something. Until then, sit yo’ stupid looking ass down somewhere and quit tryna flex about some pussy you giving up, and ain’t gotta damn thing to show for it! Figure out how much that lil’ shit is worth!!” Tay and I high fived each other and laughed. I had slick-quoted a meme I saw on Instagram, and that shit worked like a charm. I had read they ass worse than Phaedra read Kenya on the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” reunion.

  “And whichever one of you bitches brought up my husband JaMel’s name up, can kick rocks. His Anaconda is only fit for this pussy right here! Ni do ya’ll got some more shit you want to get off ya chest? Cause it’s a parking lot outside that’s big enough for all of us if ya’ll still want to pop off,” Taysia added. The looks on their faces was priceless. Those hoes were all bark and no bite.

  “That’s what the fuck I thought! Let’s go ya’ll!” I turned around and Simone and Tay followed. Let me find out them bitches wasn’t really about that life. Shit like that wasn’t new to me though. It seemed like every bitch wanted a piece of Jay’Ceon. Bitches wanted to take my position so bad not even realizing that they would only be taking my problems. I would be glad to hand them over the disease I was walking around with.

  We stayed in Albany another two hours before finally finding some clothes. My phone was going off the whole time. It wasn’t anybody but Jay. I bet one of them lil’ bitches he was fucking had called and told him what just went down. He was old news to me. He had made his bed so it was only right for him to lay in it.

  CHAPTER 7

  MEGA

  “Nigga, I gave yo ass twenty-five bricks to deliver, and you come back empty handed! You must got me fucked up!”

  CRACK! I swung viciously and landed my pistol across Tech’s face.

  “Aargh!!!” He grabbed his face in pain! Trigga and Mike had him strapped down to a chair, butt ass naked in one of our warehouses we had setup in the country part of the Bany. It was broad daylight but that was no excuse to me because business is business.

  “MEGA….DEM NIGGAS ROBBED ME, I SWEAR!” Tech was breathing heavy, lying straight through his teeth. Beads of sweat poured down his face. If I didn’t know any better I would’ve thought the nigga was about to go into cardiac arrest.

  “MUTHAFUCKA, YOU GONE LOOK ME IN MY FACE AND LIE? HUH NIGGA?” Wham! My fist connected to his nose. Blood immediately gushed out.

  “Ahhh!!!! Shit!!! Come on Mega…I swear man!” He could bare
ly talk.

  I started pounding his face with blows left and right. The brass knuckles I had slipped on were tormenting his face. I was fuming. Tech had been down with the crew since the beginning and he went against the code. He had fucked with the wrong nigga and I was going to make sure he knew that. He was supposed to make a drop to one of my associates name Vic from Atlanta, but failed to do so. What the dummy didn’t know is that I had already peeped game.

  He was the only nigga that kept coming up short within the past few months. I had Trigga and Mike follow the nigga to make sure shit was legit. Instead of dropping the package off as planned, this ungrateful muthafucka took my twenty-five bricks and stashed them at an abandoned house on the eastside of Albany. The story he told was that Vic and his team robbed him for the twenty-five bricks, and kept the money too. Bullshit! I knew better than that! If Vic and his crew wanted to rob me, it damn sho wouldn’t have been for twenty-five bricks. That wasn’t shit to Vic. He would’ve taken way more than that.

  “Mega, please let me go boss! You know I wouldn’t pull no shit like that on you!” He was crying like a baby at this point. That pissed me off even more. I hated a pussy ass nigga.

  “You want to leave nigga? Okay…no problem!” This nigga said he wanted to leave so I was going to let him walk away a free man. Too easy right? I pulled my razor blade from out of my back pocket and removed the safety cover.

  “Mega, what you doing man? No man, please! Trigga…Mike…please don’t let him do this, bruh!” he screamed frantically. I bent down behind his chair and sliced the back of one of his ankles.

  “Arrrrrgggghhh!!! What the fuck man!!!! Aaaahhh!!! Shit!!!”

  I sliced the back of his other ankle.

  He continued to scream uncontrollably. He was trying his best to squirm his way out of that chair. My dick was getting hard at the sight of the blood pouring from his ankles. I untied his hands from behind his back and untied his legs from the chair.

  “The door is open nigga! You free to go!” I said, as I leaned back against the wall and lit a cigarette. Trigga and Mike were laughing like hell. Them lil’ niggas loved to see me in the act, because I was always coming up with some crazy shit to torture a nigga. It was rare that I got my hands dirty. I had niggas like them to take care of shit like this for me. They were my protégé’s; some smart lil’ niggas, too.

  This was a little more personal to me because Tech and I grew up together. Unfortunately, friends don’t mean shit in this game. Tech tried to stand up. As soon as he tried to take a step his ankle split in half, leaving the bottom of his foot barely hanging on. He fell to the floor as his body began to shake ferociously. Blood was everywhere so I know that he would eventually bleed to death. He cried out in pain. Chills went through my body at the sight of him begging for his life.

  “You need some help boss?” Trigga wanted some of the action. I could tell that Mike wanted some, too, by the look on his face.

  “Yeah, handle that for me!” I nodded and put my cigarette out on Tech’s nose. He had to be numb because that nigga didn’t flinch.

  “Make sure ya’ll clean this shit up when ya’ll done,” I said to my lil niggas and walked out of the room. I hadn’t made it outside the warehouse yet and heard damn near a hundred rounds being let off into Tech’s body. I had created some monsters. I loved that shit too. Trigga and Mike were trained to go. That’s what that nigga get! Nobody fucks over Mega. My phone started vibrating as soon as I hopped in my Range Rover. It was a text from Mrs. Lady. She had finally given in.

  CHAPTER 8

  NATAYSIA

  It had been two whole weeks since Mega gave me his phone. I don’t know how many times I thought about throwing it away, but just as quickly as that thought came it left. I ain’t gone lie; I went through the phone as if I was his girl or something. I mean really, like he was going to give me his phone with all of his personal shit still in it. Silly me.

  The phone was turned off majority of the time. The only time I turned it on was to be nosey and shit. I kept the phone inside of my Yellow Michael Kors purse on the side part that zips up. JaMel never goes inside of my purse. He had been handling a lot of business lately with the clubs, so he was always on the go. He made sure to check on me at all times though. I was cool with that because I was grouchy as hell since I was pregnant, for some reason. I didn’t want to take any of my frustrations out on him so I let him handle his business in peace.

  I had been over Mrs. Mildred’s house numerous of times making my rounds, and there was no sign of Mega. I wanted to ask her about him but decided not to since she had already peeped game. I never used the phone he gave me because I was too afraid of what might transpire between us. Today I was feeling a little different though. Shit, ain’t nothing wrong with having friends right? Even though it felt so wrong I had to admit that Mega had me wanting to see him. I was pregnant so it wasn’t like I was going to fuck him or anything. His personality had me infatuated though. I gave in.

  ME: Hey!

  Soon as I sent that message I regretted it. I was about to turn the phone off but a message from Mega popped up on the screen.

  MEGA: Damn Mrs. Lady, it took you long enough. What’s good?

  ME: Nothin, I’m with my girls shopping in Albany. Where you at?

  MEGA: I’m in Albany right now. I got a crib over here. Let’s meet up.

  ME: Okay, I’ll call you soon as I leave the mall.

  Mega: BET.

  Now if I say I had butterflies all in my damn stomach that would be an understatement. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio were fighting up in that bitch. I was excited, nervous, and undecided at the same time. If my husband knew what I had going on, he would probably put a bullet in my ass. Right now I didn’t care though. I needed to see that fine muthafucka one more time at least. I couldn’t wait to leave the Mall. Good thing Kira and Simone drove their own cars. I had been playing hard to get long enough. Besides, it ain’t like I was going to have sex with the nigga.

  Instead of pulling my Havana twists up today, I decided to let them hang. My high waist faded shorts were showing just how big my ass really is, and my all-white maxi top had the word “flawless” written in gold across the chest. I had on my white and gold Juicy Couture sandals and my gold Juicy Couture purse. I said goodbye to the girls as we made our way out the mall. JaMel was aware that I was meeting Kira and Simone in Albany. He was used to that shit though because I was a shopaholic.

  *****

  “Mrs. Lady, where you at?” Mega said into the phone. It was just something about the way he called me Mrs. Lady that made me blush like a school girl.

  “I’m leaving the mall now. Where you want to meet up at?” I asked hoping it was somewhere secluded. I wasn’t trying to run into nobody that I knew. People from Cuthbert stayed in Albany shopping somewhere.

  “Aight cool! I’m bout to text you the address. Put it in the GPS.”

  “Okay,” I responded and disconnected the call.

  It took me about ten minutes to get to where Mega was. This Charger don’t bullshit! I followed the directions of the GPS and was stunned when I pulled up to a huge gate with a security guard that looked like D-Bo from the movie Friday, sitting inside of a booth. He had a glass eye just like that nigga and everything. The gate was wrapped around a mansion that looked similar to the rapper T.I.’s crib, but a whole lot bigger. Our house was big but it didn’t have shit on this.

  Mega must have informed the security guard that he was expecting company, because he stood up from his chair and I saw him press a button that slowly opened the gates as I drove in. I looked in my rearview mirror and I could see the gates slowly closing. There were about four cars parked in the driveway, including his chromed out Pontiac that was at Mrs. Mildred’s house that day that we met. There was a black Bentley coupe, a white-on-white Range Rover, and a candy apple red Rolls Royce. I prayed nobody else was here because I was not trying to be seen.

  As I got closer to the house, one of the garage door
s rose up and my phone that Mega gave me started ringing.

  “Park in the garage,” Mega said not giving me a chance to answer the phone. He was really trying to make this as private for me as possible, huh?

  “Okay,” I obliged and pulled into the garage.

  Once I made my way to the stairs, the garage doors closed. The huge double doors at the top of the stairs opened, and Mega came out dressed like the rapper Plies. He was so arrogant and full of himself. I loved that shit too! He had on a pair of Levi shorts with a pair of brown high top converse. His shorts weren’t baggy; they fit him perfectly. He had them pulled down just enough to see the top of his Ralph Lauren boxers. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and his Spartan chain with the cross pendent, was touching his navel. It swung back and forth as he walked down the stairs. His brown New York Yankees fitted cap matched his Converse to a T. I couldn’t tell which was shining the most, his grill or his chain. His whole demeanor had my attention.

  “Sup Mrs. Lady? I’m surprised you came. Thought you were gone set a nigga up and shit.” He gave me a hug and kissed me on my cheek. To my surprise, I returned the gesture. I could tell he was happy to see me. Little did he know the feelings were mutual.

  “Nah I wouldn’t do you like that,” I started blushing.

  “Come on, let’s go inside.” He grabbed my hand and led me up the many stairs that led to the huge double doors. The doors were tall enough for a giraffe to walk through. Here I was thinking my husband was doing the damn thang, but it was obvious he wasn’t doing it like Mega. I was trying to act calm as if I was use to this type of shit, but in all reality I wasn’t. Soon as I stepped foot in his house, I’m damn near fainted. This was some real kingpin shit he had going on. The marble floors were so shiny you could literally use it as a mirror for a selfie. The walls were covered in majestic art. I could tell he had a thing for black art, because there were African American paintings on the walls. This entire house needed was a woman’s touch though. You could tell this was all him. He led me to the living room where he had my favorite movie playing on his eighty-two-inch smart TV that was mounted in the wall.