Dope

CHAPTER 2

Eastpointe High School.
            Population: seven hundred and fifty students, forty-two staff and seven security guards.
            Location: between East 8 Mile Road and Couzens Ave. Almost as big as Pistons stadium, the school takes up a whole city block.
            I walked through the metal detectors and then into the hallway. I passed many kids on the way to my locker. When I saw Stacy, I grabbed her arm. “How you doing, baby?”
            “Hey!” She gave me a hug, squashing her big titties against my chest. The chick was dripping with perfume. “What’s popping, Prince?”
            “Me, if you keep doing that.” I looked her up and down with a grin. She loved that. Stacy been trying to get with me since 9th grade. With those pouty lips and that diamond stud in her nose, she was a hottie. But I wasn’t interested in no girl at the time. I was focused on getting my grades up and winning basketball games.  
            “Did you hear about Rich getting shot ‘cause of a game of dice?” she said, like she was the shit because she knew what the whole neighborhood knew by now.
            “Yeah. I was there.”
            “You kidding, right?”
            “Nah. I saw the whole thing.”
            “Heard it was Bone who shot him.”
            “Do you doubt that?”
            “Nah. That’s Bone’s style. I wonder why he ain’t in jail or dead yet.”
            “That’s ‘cause everyone is scared of him. But don’t worry. He’s gonna get what’s coming to him soon enough. Anyways, catch you later, Stacy. I got class,” I said and gave her dap.
            First period was History. I couldn’t concentrate ‘cause I kept thinking of the game we were going to have that afternoon against Trinity. I dozed off during English and then came math. What I didn’t know was Mr. Green was giving a make-up test for those who faile d the initial test. I hadn’t even prepared.
            “I’m giving a four-part test for all those who failed. At least you won’t say you didn’t get a second chance. You’ll get partial credit so make sure all your work is on the paper you hand in. This will make up thirty percent of your final grade so be careful. You can leave whenever you’re finished.
            My stomach tightened up real bad. When I looked at the problems it got even worse.
 
1.     -2X – 5 + 12X – 3 – 4 = 8 solve for X
2.     X/2 – X/3 + 7 = 5X/6 – 5 solve for X
 
            That’s how the problems went. I just kept looking at the numbers and they didn’t mean nothing to me. We had gone over the problems in class but the way it looked in front of me didn’t make sense. I looked up at Mr. Green and he was looking dead at me. I tried my best to solve the problems and then I handed in my paper.
            In the hallway some of the kids were talking about how easy a test it was. It wasn’t easy. I knew that. But I figured I did okay on it. When I was writing I was looking around for the answers and I didn’t know if I got it right or not, but that’s how those tests go. You look around for something that looks like the answer and then you go with that. Sometimes you’re right. When you get partial credit that’s good. At least it shows you know something.
            In the cafeteria the test was still on my mind. It was only part over. The part of taking it was over but then the next day, or whenever Mr. Green marked the papers, was the rest of it. I got my food and went over to the table where my crew sat every day during lunch. Cash, Lil Ray and Malik were there as well my twin siblings.
            “Yo, Cash. Fuck that food shit. Gimme a beat,” Lil Ray said.
            “Oh word?” Cash responded and then began tapping the table producing a beat for Lil Ray.

            “Uhnn uhnn
            Niggas wanna take ma spot
            I put a bullet in their head before they reach their Glock
            See I can’t stress a dime
            ‘Cause I’m addicted to them rhymes like Vanessa’s thighs
            I bring the heat up on the beat
            So y’all just get in line
            I’m serving niggas lil metals from my .45
            You know your bitch is mine
            Up in the pro-jects!!
            I’m in the corner with my niggas it’s a coke fest
            We slinging dope and coke and fucking hoes
            You know the way it goes
            Money over everything
            Lil Ray, I been over everything!” 
 
            There were oohs and aahs coming from the crowd in the cafeteria when he was done followed by clapping. Everyone was cheering for Lil Ray. I knew that kid was gonna go places with his talent.
            “You can’t teach that shit, fam. It’s God-given.”
            “Word.”
            I returned to class after lunch. Class finished at 2:00 P.M. and then I went over to the locker room to prepare for the game with the rest of the guys. When we got to the gym, my eyes fell on a girl sitting on the bleachers. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She had butterscotch skin, with caramel eyes. Her long jet black hair was laid back and she was putting on the Trinity high school uniform. I wasn’t one to stare at girls for long but I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She must have noticed me looking at her because she turned in my direction and our eyes met but she immediately turned away like I wasn’t there. I made it a point to speak to her after the game.
            Eastpointe was in Green tops and white shorts while Trinity wore all red. I wore the number twenty-one jersey in imitation of Joel Embiid, my fellow Cameroonian who was a star player in the NBA playing for the Philly 76ers. We did our warm up routine and then the game began. I and Malik were starting but Tony was on the bench. He had been brought into the varsity squad from JV because he was very good. The first time I got my hands on the ball I knew I was going to make them know I was there. I went right toward their big man, and when he stepped out I faked left and drove around his right side. Their forward came over quick but he was a step late so he could have kept his butt home. I went up, did a 180 and slammed backwards. The crowd went wild. I looked at the girl from Trinity but she wasn’t impressed. I understood I couldn’t impress her ‘cause I was playing for the opposing team.
            The next few times up and down the court and Trinity was moving ahead slow without playing any real ball. They were bringing their forwards out, sending their guards into the low post, and using their center for some picks that looked illegal to me but the referee didn’t call them. At halftime Trinity was ahead 32–22.
            The second half started with me scoring a three-pointer. Trinity was trying the same things they did in the first half and we were in the same zone, but still standing around trying to figure out who they were playing where. We were down 42–30 with eight minutes to play when the coach signaled Tony to go in. That was when I really got in the mood. My brother and I were a good combo. We scored almost every second.
            With thirty seconds to go it was 51–51 and they had the ball. Everybody knew they were going to hold it for one shot. Their point guard was quick but he was skinny. I went out after him and put my hand on his hip. I could stop him from going to his right just by pushing him a little. The referee was watching close and I knew he was looking for me to push too much and he would call a foul. It got down to fifteen seconds and I reached my hand up like I was going to push the guard again but instead I swiped after the ball. He braced himself for an instant and I got a fingertip on the ball.
            It only went three feet away from him but it was like five feet from me. I started to dive but then something went past me like a shot. Tony scooped the ball right into his dribble and was gone. Their guard went after him. The dude was quick. He got to Tony just as he reached their basket and fouled him as the buzzer sounded. Our bench was on its feet and so was the Trinity bench. There wasn’t any need to line up. All I had to do was make one of the foul shots and we had the game.
            For some reason I thought I might blow the shot because I was nervous. I wiped my neck off with a towel and then went to the line. The ref gave me the ball. The ball went up, hit the front rim, rolled around twice, and then fell through. Case closed. I made the second shot, too, but by then we were shaking hands with Trinity. They were pissed off because they thought they had the game before I got it. Good.
            “Nice game,” I told Tony after the game. “You won it for us.”
            “Maybe I’ll even start one day,” he answered.
            I left the guys and went looking for the girl I saw before but she was nowhere to be found. I wondered if I’ll ever see her again.
            That evening, there was a police raid on the projects. I was in the kitchen washing dishes when I heard a knock on the window. I pulled aside the curtain and saw to my astonishment, Scatter. He was standing on the fire escape shirtless. He lived a floor above us and had climbed down the fire escape to our window. He was extending a black bag.
            “Hey, nigga,” Scatter said. “Hold these for me until I ask for it. Hurry up.”
        Automatically I opened the window and took the bag. Scatter’s face was strained and urgent. I knew he was in trouble for he’ll be an obvious target during the raid. My help was instinctive. When he left, I opened the back and found two handguns inside. I put the bag under my bed and waited for him to come and collect it. I learned that the cops raided his apartment and he had been taken away to the precinct. They must have been knocking on his door when he handed the bag through the window.
            I never said a word to anyone for I was terrified that I could go to prison or even my family members for keeping guns in the house. Two days later Scatter reappeared in the neighborhood and came to our apartment before I left for school. He asked me casually, “Do you have my bag still?”
            I nodded. Ma offered him some tea while I went to the room to get his bag. I returned to the living room and handed over his bag. “Did you look inside?” he asked once Ma was outta earshot.
            I shook my head. “I’m not interested in things that don’t concern me.”
            “You’re a good kid, Prince. If you ever wanna make some extra money, I mean real money, you come see me.”
            Friday was payday. As usual, I headed for the store after school. I didn’t know if Dad had come up with Bone’s protection money. I hoped he had ‘cause Bone didn’t threaten people for nothing. When I was a block away from the store, I heard gunshots. Normally, I would run away from the center of the gunshots but this time around, my instincts took over and I ran towards the gunshots. I got to the store and saw Bone and his goons running outta the store. I feared the worst. They didn’t see me though.
            I went in and found my Dad lying behind the counter in a pool of his own blood. He’d been shot thrice in the chest. I called his name but he wasn’t responding. I then checked his pulse. I felt nothing. It was then that I knew my father was dead. I dialed 911 and within a few minutes, the street was flooded with 5-0 and an ambulance.
            The medics carried my father and put him in the ambulance but I knew it was a waste of time. He had no pulse so there was no way they could save him. A medic asked if I was okay. That was when I realized I was covered in blood. Not mine though. They took me to the ambulance to make sure I wasn’t hurt then we went to the hospital. The memory of seeing Dad lying in a pool of his own blood has been with me ever since that day. It was the day my innocence was taken away from me. I vowed to get revenge for Dad.