if you see these men, RUN. || (DAVE EAST) (CHRIS BROWN)

Chapter 1

Summer 2021

Quentin Noel Grey, August 28th

It was mad hot today. Wasn't shit I could do about it either. I was sitting in my brothers hot ass car and I couldn't open the windows or turn on the AC. Shit was broken and Elijah refused to let go of this old ass car.

It was our pops' car from when the nigga was 17. So you could imagine how wack the shit looked. Wasn't gettin no type of cuddy in this fossil aged, Flintstone, lookin ass whip.

But on the other hand, it was good for what Eli and I did. You see, we both had a job. Get the shit, sell it, make the money all back. Never use your own supply. And stay STRAPPED! Simple as that. I been doing this shit since I was 11.

Pops been in jail since I was 9. So me and Eli kinda took over his 'business.' You know, he was the 'candy man' of our luh neighborhood. Ran with a gang in the 90's, met my moms a few years later, settled down, had me and Eli. But when she died, he went back to selling drugs to support the family.

Pops even returned to the gang life. That's what got him arrested and put in prison.

But before that, it was just me, him and Eli. And instead of having a normal childhood, Eli was learning how to cook crack in the kitchen. You know, being that he was the eldest. Bro would get smacked in his head if he ain't do it right either. And I sat back and watched this shit happened. Until it was my turn of course.

When my pops went to jail, Eli taught me everything my old man taught him. How to get the supply, cook the shit, and have it on the streets by a certain time. We were too young to sell it so we had to give it to our uncle. This was kind of a family 'business.' At least on my pops' side.

He would swing by our crib every night and get whatever drugs we were selling out on the streets. With the money we made, we used it for our supply then wired the rest to my pops all while he was in jail. Then he would give us a small percentage to buy food, clothes, shit for school, and whatever else we needed.

Talk about a lost childhood.

Why we couldn't stay with a family member? Ion know and I asked myself that question everyday. There were so many questions I had as to why we couldn't just do shit a different way. Why we just couldn't leave the hood.

They all went unanswered and I was left in the dark my entire life. And on God I would literally kill fa a normal existence. But it was the life that was chosen for me.

I had to suck it up and take shit for what it was. Wasn't no changing it.

Reaching over to turn on the car radio to drown out my thoughts, I fidgeted with the buttons. The stereo was terrible and I got nun but static til I finally heard some music.

I switched back and forth between the stations until I heard sum that sounded like drill.

"Ayeeeeeee!" I exclaimed, bopping my head and looking over at Eli.

He wasn't paying me no mind though. Just staring out the drivers seat window with a vacant look on his face.

But then I started throwing all types of gang signs in his face til ole dude noticed me. I barely knew the words but the ones I did know, I shouted em. "Whoopty...bitch I'm outside issa...ayeeee!"