! BOOK THREE OF THE NAS TRILOGY !
Feed the ego and you'll become gluttonous. As fifty approaches, Nasir "Nas" Jones has had it all. The money, the cars, the clothes, the homes and the women. Not to mention, the perfect marriage and not so perfect di...
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"Tonight in Harlem, a man shot dead in his own vehicle."
My moms had her feet kicked up on the ottoman, shaking her head at the news flash. Will was chillin' on the loveseat with his arms folded behind his hi-top fade.
"Man. That's cold." He said lowly as his eyes remained glued to the screen in front of him. All I could do was stand behind the coffee table that separated the couch and the loveseat.
"The man has not yet been identified, but multiple calls to dispatch were issued from this very apartment complex at approximately twelve-twenty this morning."
I could see Ma shaking her head as she continued to crochet a new sweater to wear out.
"This is why I tell you and Jabari to leave those streets alone." She said without looking at me, weaving intricate stitched patterns on the sleeve of her sweater. The yarn was maroon.
"The engine of this BMW was left running until one of the tenants came downstairs and recalled that the man behind the wheel was lifeless. We'll have more details as the story develops."
Ma sucked her teeth as I moved on my feet while pulling my sweats up over my waist.
"Come on, Will. We're going to be late." I said casually as I looked around for my Jordan 4's. "Oh, shit!" Will said in the distance. I could hear my mom telling him off for using foul language in her home. Ma wasn't having none of that shit.
Once I found my sneakers, I slipped my feet inside, making sure I didn't crease them. I grabbed a black hoodie to match the color of my sweats and reached for my red and green Seattle Supersonics hat from off of my dresser.
I checked my fit in the mirror and thought it was cool enough to head down to the park and catch the jam session in enough time. I closed my bedroom door behind me and met with Will at the entrance of our apartment.
"Ma, we're headed to the park!" I called out to her with my hand twisting slowly on the door knob.
"You better beat the sun, you hear me?" She called back.
"Yes ma'am!" Will said for me, mocking my voice. I hit him in the chest, trying to hold in my laughter as we slipped out of the front door with ease.
"You're welcome." Will said with a wink and a smile on his face as he hooked his arm around my shoulder.
With the added weight on my shoulder, we made our way to the park without a care in the world. Yet, all I kept thinking about was the crime scene. The way the back window was fogged but the break lights were beaming on the back of his 735i.
Crimson leaking on the streets in a puddle where the driver's door was. His hand, just hanging out of that bitch. They zoomed in on the wedding band on his left hand.
I could hear my mom's voice echoing in my head as I scanned the park, watching the DJs set up their turn tables using wires hooked up to the electricity from someone's unit. The extension chords wired from the open window of someone's kitchen out into the courtyard.
So many people were gathered to see the freestyle battles and scratch mixes. As much as I wanted to enjoy the park jam, I knew Will and I couldn't stay long.
"You good?" Will patted my shoulder. He must've been studying my facial expression while I was in deep thought.
"Yeah. I'm good." I lied.
I couldn't get that man's lifeless body out of my head. I was thinking about his family. If he had any kids. What about his shorty?
I tried to snap out of it when two girls walked up to talk to Will. I could hear him telling the girls that we were a duo, trying to put out our own tapes and shit. The one Will was talking to was aight, but her friend was fly, sporting Tommy Hilfiger jeans and a bright red windbreaker with fifty-four elevens on her feet.
She wasn't from around here.
"This is my boy, Nas. He's up next." Will said with a smile. The girl with the red windbreaker extended her hand to shake mine. I took her hand and examined her white fingernails before shaking it.
I could tell she was a fly girl who had her shit on lock.
"Is that right?" She smirked as the wind blew her hair from her face, revealing soft features that were once hidden behind it.
"That's right." I said with confidence. I let go of her hand and placed mine back in the pockets of my sweats. "You got a name?" I asked her, slightly tilting my head to the side.
I noticed that Will had already scooped her friend up and took her to where the Marley Marl had his turn tables set up.
The girl walked up closer towards my face and stopped, leaving only centimeters of space between us. With a sparkling smile to match her gear, she looked me dead in the eyes and said:
