Echoes of The Block

Kelz

I woke up to the familiar crackle of flat irons and the loud beat of Sexxy Red blasting through the speakers. Lena was up, and when she was up, the fuckin apartment knew it. I stretched and rubbed my eyes, the smell of burnt hair and cocoa butter filling the room. Lena always had a way of making mornings loud and chaotic, chaos I'd grown used to.

I rolled out of bed, the worn out carpet underneath my bare feet felt soft. The bathroom door was wide open, and there she was, standing in front of the mirror, doing her hair with a kind of the ferocity that only she could muster. She was singing along to the music, off-key but with hella energy.

"Damn, girl, you tryin' to wake the whole block?" I said, my voice still raspy from sleep.

She turned around, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Good morning to you too.. I have an interview at Ultra Beauty- I can't be late, I have an hour to be there."

"A'ight. Just turn that down- it's too early fo allat," I state, lifting the toilet seat up and pulling my dick out. She looks down at it and a devilish grin spreed across her face.

"I hate when you do that." She pouts, facing towards the mirror again, continuing to flat iron her shoulder length hair. "You gone have to fuck me before I leave."

I chuckled at her bluntness, as I flush the toilet. "Whea you want it?"

•

I leaned against my black Charger, the bass from the speakers thumping some old-school Gucci Mane. The night air in Cali was thick, almost suffocating, but it was familiar. Shawn stood next to me, taking a long drag from his blunt, his eyes scanning the surroundings with that paranoid edge he always had.

Heem's apartment complex loomed behind us, the kind of place where folks kept their heads down and minded their own business. It was a good spot to lay low, but tonight wasn't about business. Tonight was about remembering when things were simpler, before the streets swallowed us whole.

"You remember high school?" I said, my voice slipping into that drawl that comes natural down here. "Back when all we cared about was ball and gettin' fly for the hoes."

Shawn chuckled, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "Hell yeah. We used to run them courts. Ain't nobody could touch us."

I laughed, thinking about those days. We were kings back then, at least in our minds. I had dreams. But dreams don't always pan out the way you think.

"You remember Miss Frey's class?" I asked, grinning. "Yo ass use to fall asleep every damn day."

Shawn shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. "Bitch voice was like a damn lullaby."

We both laughed, the sound mixing with the music, creating a weird kind of harmony. It felt good to laugh, to remember a time when things weren't so heavy. But even as we reminisced, I kept my eyes peeled. In this life, you can't ever let your guard down.

A car rolled by slow, its headlights cutting through the night. Shawn's hand went to his waistband, fingers brushing the grip of his piece. I felt that familiar tension coil in my gut, but the car kept moving, disappearing into the darkness.

"Fan a niggah down, think he finna come round hea playin." Shawn said, more like to himself, blowing smoke out his mouth.

"True that," I agreed. "Ain't no rest for the wicked."

We stood there in silence for a while, the music filling the gaps in our conversation. I glanced at Heem's apartment, wondering what was taking him so long. He said he'd be down in five, thirty minutes ago.

"Wha the fuck is taken bruh so long?" I asked, just as Shawn passed me the blunt.

Shawn shrugged, but his eyes were still sharp. "Probably onna phone witta hoe- you kno he be weak in the knees for em."

Just then, the apartment door opened, and Heem stepped out. "Waddap?" he said, dapping us up. "Y'all been out here long?"

"This niggah." Shawn laughed as he points his thumb at Heem. "You was onna phone wasn't you?"

The three of us bust out laughing soon as Heem face contoured into a guilty smile. "Mannnn gone head on," Heem responds waving us off.

Before I could respond, I saw a figure out of the corner of my eye. Ron. He was walking up, his face hard to read in the streetlights. Shawn noticed him too, his hand tightening on his piece.

"Wassuh?" I called out, trying to keep my voice steady. "What you doin' round hea?"

Ron stopped a few feet away, his eyes darting between us. "Needa talk to y'all."

The mood shifted instantly, the memories of high school days fading like smoke. This was the reality we lived in now. No more basketball courts and carefree nights. Just the constant grind, the hustle, and the danger.

"What's up?" Heem asked, his voice low and serious, as he made his way down the path.

Ron shifted looking uncomfortable. "Ian have my pole on meh when shit went down- that's why I went and gotchu." He tried to explain.

"You got me instead of runing over to yo crib and grabbin yo pole? ..That don't read." Heem tone icy.

"I wasn't thinking bruh, the rain- the gunshots, clouded my better judgment. I knew that you was gone come no questions asked. I thought I was doing the rite thing G." He responds in a desperate attempt to win us over.

I shook my head letting Heem handle the situation. I looked over to Shawn, who was clenching his jaw, with a dead look in his eyes.

"That's why you wasn't answerin yo phone for days?" Heem questioned, as he pulls his joggers up slightly.

I puffed on the blunt I forgot I was holding.

"I knew y'all was pissed. I didn't know what to say at the time- I just knew y'all wasn't gone fuck wimme for real, so I waited it out." He said sticking his hand in his pockets. First mistake.

"That makes sense." Heem voice laced with sarcasm.

"On soul, bruh I'm not on no flaw shit." Ron states, walking towards Heem. Second mistake.

I exhaled calmly, seeing Shawn fly from his post sidelining Ron. He stumbles back, looking at Shawn in shock. Shawn reaches inside his waistband grabbibn his pole, I lifted up, he sits it on the ground and immediately start beating Ron.

"Yop. Beat his ass bruh." Heem cheers. I shake my head amused, blowing out a cloud of smoke, before flicking the blunt on the pavement.

"Y'all hell." I laughed, pulling out my phone recording as Heem do the dougie.