I Want to Die in New Orleans // $uicideboys

13: Peacemaker

     "Yeoo.." Echoed in the void.
    I could hear footsteps approach my limp body. My eyes glared in the darkness, trying to squint to see better. I tried to move my hand, feeling as if I was in a paralysis state. I let out a little laugh, or at least mentally, slowly moving my fingers getting the feeling in my body back. 
    My eyes slightly opened, rays of blurred lights entered my vision.
    "Bro? You good?" Ruby asked, seeming very paranoid.
    "Yuh," I answered quietly, finally being able to lift my hands, opening my eyes fully revealing Ruby looking down on me. I let a smile appear on my face which changed his worrisome expression to relaxed.
    "You sure?" He asked again.
    "Why wouldn't I be?" I asked in response.
    "I don't know, thought you woulda got up when you heard me walk thru the door," He answered.
    I lifted my head looking to see my comfortable position on the couch, alone. Ruby let out a little snicker, "You layin there reminded me of back when I saved yo ass after the concert the first night I met y'a."
    "I'm the only one here still?" I asked.
    "I don't know, scott's prolly in his room, i didn't check," He answered as I sat up making room for him to sit. Confusion filled my head, I decided to keep my mouth quiet about the whole situation with Scrim. I don't know why but at the moment it felt like the best choice.
    "Aye wussup," Ruby said. I looked at him to see he was looking towards the hall, shifting my view from Ruby to Scrim.
    "Yeo," He answered back, making his way to the refrigerator, "You went to the sto'?"
    "Yea, bouta go get the groceries out the whip, have y'all met?" Ruby asked, about to introduce me to this 'stranger.'
    "Yuh, almos shot her, shoulda warned me someone was gonna be passed out on our couch," He answered. Ruby's brow raised.
    "She didn't know you was here," He interrogated.
    "What kinda introduction you want me give her, I walked in, almos shot her, asked her who she was, told her who I was, n' she passed back out," He shrugged, making his way to the door.
    Ruby stood silently, "I can help bring sum stuff in," I offered looking up at him.
    "It's good, it's not too much," He answered as I began to get up, gaining back control of my body.
    "I don't mind," I said with a polite smile, slipping on my shoes and making my way to the door, Ruby following.
    I grabbed a good bit of bags, almost half of them.
    "It's not a competition," Scrim scoffed with a small grin on his face.
    I was confused for a second, then looking down to see all the bags I was toting towards the door, "It's not, I just grew up like that, grab as many, make less trips," I answered.
    "Trips are nice," He said, placing the bags on the counter in the kitchen. Ruby let out a chuckle as Scrim made his way back outside. I began to unbag the groceries.
    "Speaking of trips," Ruby grinned above me. He slipped his hand in his pocket, taking out a little ziplock full of small blue squares. My eyes widened along with a smile that practically covered my face. I looked up at him like a kid grinning for Christmas at the gift they've been wishing for.
    He stuffed the bag back into his pocket, grabbing the plastic grocery bags, stuffing them into each other and tossing them into the trash.
    "Well you went on a spree didn't you," I snickered.
    "Had to get the necessities, money had been kinda low so," He answered.
    "I've been thinking.." I began to state.
    "Oh no," He taunted.
    "No forreal, hear me out, if y'all give me the ok, i know some places that would go wild over y'all music, get y'all some hype," I announced. Ruby's face changed, I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
    "Ayo cousin," He called out.
    "Wuh," Scrim said approaching the kitchen, "you forgot where the shit go?" He poked.
    "No fucker, listen to this, say it again," Ruby said turning back to me.
    A cold sweat ran upon me, I was comfortable with Ruby but this was something slightly concerning. I couldn't read the situation, I felt my bones start to quiver. I must've been standing there for a second too long because Scrim butted in saying, "what? She lost her mind? Maybe it's in the cabinet."
    "No," I answered isolatedly, "I work in nightclubs and at parties."
    "Don't tell me you gave my cousin some STD," He said bluntly.
    "No! Jus listen," Ruby scolded.
    "I'm tryna man, my mind ain't keepin up with this pausing shit," he motioned.
    "I know a couple spots that would mob yall music.. If y'all give me the ok to share y'all stuff," I once again proclaimed as my nerves finally calmed. Scrim shared the same blank face Ruby did.
    They turned to each other, meeting each other's eyes. Scrim cocked his head towards the other room, making his way out the kitchen with Ruby following. A panic once again rose in me, I went back to unbagging the rest of the groceries, stuffing the food that needed to be in the fridge and the freezer inside. I opened a couple cabinets to memorize where everything was, putting the snacks into their assorted areas. By the time I was done they still weren't back.
    I made my way back to the couch, taking my phone out my pocket to pass time from their awkward disappearance.
Maybe i should've kept it to myself..
    Ran through my head.
Messages
    I clicked on iMessages app, opening it to see a surprising text at the top of my recents.
Marley: Hey, it's been a while, heard about your job and I hope it's going well, wanna hang soon?
    I clicked on the contact, making sure that my read receipts were off, then exiting the app. Footsteps began to approach once again, Ruby and Scrim both entering the room in a synchronized manner. Ruby plopped himself next to me on the sofa as Scrim sat on the recliner on the side of the couch, lifting up the foot rest.
    "We discussed it," Ruby began to state.
    "Look shawty, ima just tell it to y'a as it is," Scrim butted in. I felt Ruby shift once the word shawty slipped from Scrims mouth, but I turned my attention to Scott, trying to prove I was serious, "Ion kno you, Ion kno your motives, this is me and Ruby shit. We haven't even shown our homies our music, but Ruby knows you, and convinced me that you ain got no sick and twisted intention.." He claimed seriously, trying to intimidate me as if me and him didn't slightly get to know each other a couple hours ago.
    "We gonna let you do it, ok?" Ruby said flat out. My heart beated a little faster, a smile began to twinkle on my face.
    "But you fuck us over and there's consequences, even if yo homeboy next to you don't like it," Scrim added.
    "I think she knows," Ruby grumbled.
    "Aye i'm just making sure," Scrim snapped back.
    "Nah I get it, i just mentioned it cause it would give me something to do," I answered trying to break the tension. Silence fell upon the room as scrim reached over to the coffee table, grabbing the tray that was sitting there, pulling a bag and pack of swishers out his pocket. I could feel Ruby relax, letting the cushions somewhat engulf him.
    "Wuchu do at them clubs.. if you don't mind me asking," Scrim questioned respectfully, for once, after gutting out the blunt.
    A little laugh escaped my lips, "Not wuchu think, I just go and direct people," I said.
    "Direct people?"
    "Yeah, help the hosts, the drunks, and the tweakers, tell them where the bathrooms are, nearest stores, or where they can buy."
    "So you're a manager or sum?"
    "Nah, I just do all that cause i'm bored, I sell," I pleasingly answered.
    "You the hotspot?" He asked, abruptly shifting his gaze from the weed to me.
    "I guess you could say that," I answered.
    "No the hotspot, you new here right?" He inquired.
    "Yea?" I said confusingly.
    "Well no shit huhhh," He laughed to himself, going back to laying the empty gar with weed.
    "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, as if the rounds of questions already challenged weren't enough. 
    "You're popular on the downlow," Ruby said as Scrim sealed up the blunt.
    "Popular on the downlow.." I repeated, then began to think back to the message from Marley.
    "Yup," Scrim murmured with the bunt between his lips, lighting it up.
    Somewhat concerned my heart fluttered a bit, I was able to sink back into the couch and finally relax as well, hitting the blunt and passing it back to Ruby.
    "I guess we gonna have to make a file of the songs we want people to hear so I can send it to y'a," Ruby brainstormed out loud as he took a couple of drags. Scrim nodded his head peacefully with his eyes closed.
    A feeling rose in me that for the first time in a while they felt like they could relax and sit back for a second. It made me feel good. The words Ruby and Scrim told me circled in my head, "The right person to run into," and "Maybe you're not as bad as I thought you were gonna be." For once I felt useful, and for a good reason, not to supply people with their bad habits, or leave them with tools to possibly die from. I had finally succeeded in doing something good.
    Ruby confirmed I caused some tranquility after a couple passes of the blunt, "Well, once we're done hustling our shit," he began to state, reaching his hand back into the same pocket of the ziplock, pulling it out and tossing it to Scrim, "We can all have a real breather," He said joyfully, with a smile from Scrim that followed. I joined the group of grins.
    "You goin help us decide..Candy woman?" Scrim asked giddily.
    "Well of course," I said with a heartened smile.