Life Can Be Messy. Sometimes, You Gotta Make Iffy Choices To Protect What's Yourz. It's Not 'Bout Enjoying The Shady Shit, Just Surviving The Curveballs & Keepin' What Matters Most. Life's Not Always Clear-Cut, & You Gotta Roll Wit The Punches To Safeguard Your Own.
- 𝒥uan Collins
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𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐈 | VOLUME ONE. ❝ TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE ❞ [ HARLEM, NY ]
As the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Juan wrapped up his English class, which had a substitute teacher filling in for Ms. Green. He'd already messaged Sosa, summoning him for a discussion about pending matters, and Sosa confirmed he was en route. With the impending departure, the class started packing up, and Malik and Roscoe, curious about Juan's plans after his low profile following the morning altercation, turned their attention to him. "You straight, B?" Malik asked Juan, and Juan simply nodded. It wasn't a big deal to him; he saw it as a lesson to be cautious about keeping his two lives separate and avoiding getting caught. In reality, it was Roscoe who needed to be more careful, especially after being the one caught in the crossfire earlier. "Straighter than ever, but listen we needa be careful 'round here. People starting to figure us out, especially you Roscoe. Keep whatever shit you got going on privately." Juan whispered some advice to them, offering a few tips that he felt were necessary. His gaze lingered on Roscoe, recognizing the latter's tendency to get carried away when intoxicated and start sharing things he shouldn't, particularly with girls.
"Chill on me, I got this." Roscoe tried to offer comfort by making calming gestures with his hands, but both Malik and Juan seemed unconvinced. Juan shook his head, then turned his attention to Malik, realizing he had something else on his mind. "You needa watch an eye on Tjay, something 'bout this Nigga I don't trust." Juan cautioned Malik about Tjay, since he was indeed his worker. Malik, wearing a puzzled expression, didn't grasp the reason for the warning, as they had all been on good terms. "Caught him eavesdropping our morning conversation and began to move sketchy, it's cool tho cause I got it handled and ima figure this shit out." As Juan shared what unfolded after he left, casually zipping up his backpack, it only sparked curiosity in Malik and Roscoe, leaving them eager to know more. "Handled how?" As Roscoe questioned, Juan's pager beeped. Glancing at it, he noticed Sosa waiting outside. With the class thinning out, Juan grabbed his belongings.
"I'll catch you niggas later." Quickly dappping them up without saying another word, Juan signaled that explanations would come later. Exiting the class, he strolled down the halls solo, prepared to descend the stairs, only to encounter Travis and Shantae together. Travis halted him on his way down. "Wow, where do you think you're going big Chief?" Travis raised a hand, asserting his authority for their scheduled study session. Feeling empowered by the respect he had gained, he was ready to direct Juan. However, Juan surprised him by pulling out a file from his backpack, handing it to Travis without a word. Travis, perplexed, exchanged glances with Shantae before slowly opening the file. The shock on Travis's face grew as he read about the criminal activities his father had been involved in back in France. The words escaped him, leaving him with nothing to say. "If you're willing to keep that scholarship of yours, I'd suggest you to get the fuck out of my face." In a serious and aggressive tone, Travis sniffed and cleared his throat, embarrassed by the revelations in the files. Quickly hiding them from Shantae, he stepped away from Juan, allowing him to pass.
