Street Love

Inner City Blues

B. Knowles

I ran the streets night and day until my stomach started to hit my spine. Blood stained my clothes, dying the fabric a deep, brown-burgundy as the days went on. We were on missions after missions after our third member of the crew succumbed to his injuries.

And Manny being in his feelings ain't make it no better. Never did I want it to get this far, but a bullet didn't have a name on it so we had to do what we had to do to avenge our potna.

"You going by Grams?" Manny ejected his promag from his custom pistol. I sat in the drivers seat stuck, following the back street back to his drop off spot because I had plans on seeing Onika.

"Nah, I gotta go make a move right quick," I said, knowing I kept Onika worried at night. But with all the bitches we knew going shop with her, I knew she was busy with work so hopefully that kept her mind from running.

The least I could do was send her clientele since she wouldn't let me fund her.

"You pussy-whipped already," he rolled his eyes like a bitch. I scoffed, keeping my head straight, beginning to think about Onika more and more now.

"You always speaking on my bitches, go get you some pussy brother. Then you sprayin' at anything, not giving a fuck who right there man, you the one crashing son!"

He scoffed then.

"None of them motherfuckas was innocent, B. When you gon' get that through your head? Tender over the hoes get you clipped, bruh, I'm on some us shit, you on some you shit," he patted my shoulder and I thought about life since Onika.

What?

Wayne's "Get Over" was on while I drove from Manny's crib in deep thought. This nigga was tripping big time, I'm starting to think he's plottin' for real. If I'm not cutting my time out to drill, this nigga swear I'm not for the team no more. This a new experience for us, experiencing our first hard hit, so I knew he was hurtin' in his own way.

But, fuck? I knew we were taking it far, but if that's the case, everybody was. It was real in the city, like motherfuckers getting tagged by association, any and everywhere.

But, this wasn't something I was willing to lose our lives over. It was only so long before somebody pushed back on us, and I had to get Manny in his right state of mind before neither of us were here anymore.

Tee wouldn't want that shit, I wouldn't even allow it. We rightfully got the niggas back who caused it, but the loses started to intertwine territories, it was only us two against whoever feeling like we took one of theirs.

I hated to feel like I had to fall back from my nigga. Cause it was never a problem I came to him about that regarded a woman, that was something we never had to disagree about.

And Onika wasn't the woman giving him drops, I think me and mine good. I really ain't that easy, but a month had flew and Onika treated me how I treated her. I could feel her, but I had no missed calls or unread texts from this woman. This was not something I would ever include her in, I hope she knew that.

The music's clarity lessened as I opened and closed my car door when I made it to my paint shop. This car gig was my cover up for the different streams of illegal income I brought in, every nigga, rich or okay living, wanted a fly whip.

And all money ain't good money, but some money better than no money. Especially for a motherfucker like me, I had a fine taste for material luxuries, and I loved being able to buy and cop whatever I wanted to whenever I wanted to. Along with financially benefiting, I actually enjoy both art and cars so being able to do them simultaneously kept my head on straight, focused on living instead of chasing death.

After entering my office, I placed the money I had made over the past two days beneath concrete slab under my wall dresser.

The day was damned near about to start so I went back outside to pull in the garage, deciding to open up shop for today anyway.

I didn't go to school, nor did I ever want to. Instead, I made my living by painting vehicles, and I was the best at what I did. Top dollar motherfuckers booked me for my services, and it kept the pigs away too.

I thought about Onika and how my gift to her business will make up for me being physically absent. I wanted to do the whole relationship thing with her, but it is so much other shit that has to have my time at this point in time. Still, I was going to continuing courting her and showing her she was more than a fuck or a long time desire. She treated me like a real woman, I liked that she was older, I was used to them other girls blowing my shit up.

This lady was not on my body like that.

A few hours flew before a Mercedes pulled up at the edge of the driveway. I got up, tucking my 9 in the waistband of my Dickies before leaving the office area to walk out of the garage and towards the driveway.

The window let down, Megan smiled, the jewels on her necklace sat on her perky breasts that were spilling from the tank she had on.

We had never really had no run in like that for real, I was cool with her nigga up until now and was willing to fuck her out of spite. I knew what it took to gain her absolute trust, and she wasn't like any of these other hoes who was in street shit they ain't have no business being in.

Megan was in school and she was into music, something no other girl in the hood was on for real. We grew up liking the same things; the arts.

"I want all of it pink," she cut the ignition, opening the door to step outside of the Mercedes. Her feet were in the latest sneaker, she was always fresh with it.

"And when you want that by?" I stood next to her, invading her space. She wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her face in my neck.

"Tonight," she pulled away from me with her lip bit, her softness comforted me in a time like this. We hadn't even fucked.

Then that reminded me of Nicki for real, and I really liked her.

"I can't tonight, Meg."

Her arms dropped from my waist and I pursed my lips, "you always do this shit, B. Stop hitting me if it's gon be this every time."

All I could do was look her up and down, her thighs and ass bursting out of her jeans, her waist nice, then her breasts.

This was a beautiful woman.
Somebody who trusted me enough to give me her body, and I was going to take advantage of her lust to get closer to her guy.

"You know how shit is with us, let me come by you, ima make it up to you," I promised. We never fucked, but we smoked together and laid up together a few times.

"You better, Friday?"

I nodded, smacking her ass as she got into her coupe and pulled off. Hopefully this could put me up on game bout the way her nigga so happened to be moving. If I could get Megan to talk to me, I could put this turf war shit to rest and give Onika my all. I was already young and established, I just wanted out of the street shit for Onika.

I know what type of people her people are, they upper class folk, ain't none of that street shit allowed by them, and they meant that shit. I had been around them before, but Onika mentioned a dinner the last time I had seen her and I wanted to meet her mother with respect.

My phone pinged and it just so happened to be Onika shooting me a text, demanding me to home in the next few hours. We matched energy most of the time, besides my inconsistent visits, I think she really liked me.

Loved me even. I knew I loved her when I first met her.

My stomach fluttered as I thought about Meg possibly having anything to say to Onika, but it was no way in hell they knew one another. Besides, I missed Onika and obviously she missed me too, I wasn't letting no outside shit ruin us. Whether I caused it or not.

I read the text, deciding that the next two customers to pull up were going to be all that I was doing for the day before I closed shop and headed home to Onika.