Pannel & Hook

Chapter 13: The Crocc Spot

"Two tickets to 'The Great Gatsby' please?". It was about nine o'clock on a Friday night and everybody in Neverland who had time and a pocket full of cash then they'd find themselves at the Croc spot.

A drive-in movie spot downtown that smelled like half-decent popcorn mixed with cheap gas and condoms.

Nate dropped Kimi and me off there but didn't waste any time being ominous about keeping my phone and my switch on me but gave Kimi a piece.

We wandered around for a bit and finally found a spot to break out the lawn chairs. On the way there Kimi was complaining that the movie sounded boring but within the first 10 minutes she was glued to the screen.

The Great Gatsby was my favorite movie of all time, partly because I felt like Toby Mcguire since I felt like this wide-eyed newbie in this new world behind the screens of normal people while Nate was like Gatsby and Dicaprio all in one.

No one knew much about him personally, not even me, and all the ladies wanted him but he couldn't be bothered except for one.

From time to time I'd steal glances and find myself looking at her for whatever but tried to play it off when she caught me staring and pretended not to hear her giggling.

Halfway through, I looked down and noticed my popcorn was lower than it was before and hers was empty. I knew this foo was lying when I asked if she took some when there was butter all over her fingertips and a little on her lips.

-

A few minutes later, we left our seats and went to the snack bar to wait in line for more popcorn.

"Yo!". I shouted while some fool in a Gucci suit bumped past me in line.

"You got a problem Lil bill ass nigga?". He looked at me up and down before pulling up his shirt for a second, flashing his piece.

"Thought so, pussy". He laughed to himself, stepping in front of us before I heard the hammer lower from a piece inside Kimi's hoodie.

With the way she had her wrist bent and the look in her eyes, I could tell what she was thinking.

"You better apologize to my Lil homie ova there before I take that shit from you and test yo' fuckn jaw".

I heard a familiar deep yet stoic voice stretches far enough to break my gaze with Kimi.

"Dam jit, you went to juvie for a min and now you think you Nate Pannel or sum?".

"I'm an LB, first. Ask about me. Now for your best interest don't make me repeat myself".

Dante Curtis was the literal definition of the two phrases "mean what you say" and "fuck around n find out".

The Gucci suited fool came over and gave a half-hearted apology as he walked away mumbling.

"Damn P, been gone five months and bitches still punking you". Dante laughed, dapping me up.

"I would've been fine even if yo big head ass didn't step in". We grew up together in the same neighborhood but the difference is he loved fighting and was the only one who actually "grew up" ...literally.

"Who this Jawn you got here homie?". He looked at Kimi up and down but she barely reacted to it before looking at me and then taking her hand out of her hoodie to smile.

"Katalina Garcia but please, call me Kimi. I'm Pete's um...personal bodyguard slash roommate".

She shook his hand but Dante being him only changed his normal mean mug expression  to a smile after he heard 'roommate'.