Soulest

o1

"Wus good India." Some dude calls out as I walk out of the corner store with an Arizona. I sip my drink while walking over to where he and his boys sit. He looks familiar but shit, they all do after a time.

He stands up from the bench and meets me about halfway from the bench, wraps his arms around my waist and gives me a tight hug while squeezing my butt. Pervert.

"Wassup."

"You know, the regular. The real question is when you gone let me wet it up for you? You be playin' games girl."

"Ha you comical little boy. You got a quarter or what?" I ask with the most disinterested expression I could muster. And trust, it wasn't a front. Ole' dude straight zonin' man.

"Yea I got it little girl. What you want red, loud, or reggie?" I take another sip of my Arizona.

"That reggie and loud together. Don't short my shit either." He laughs and walks away to go get my medicine and I stare down at my white Air Force 1's while waiting. He comes right back with a bag just a little over 25. "Thank you boo."

"Now where is my money?" I laugh and turn around, putting a little pep in my step for effect.

"What money baby? You know how I do you boo." I blow a kiss over my shoulder then turn the corner and stuff the weed in my bra. Ole' dude know that I don't pay for his weed and he don't say shit so he was probably acting big 'cause his lil crew was sitting around. He can kiss what he will never get. Tuh!

I walk up the steps to my apartment building and hop in the elevator to the fifth floor. I hate my damn apartment. Shit is always breaking, hella mothafucka's stay running in and out the building, and it's some loud mothafucka's on my floor. Ugh, shit's aggervating. I walk down the piss smelling hallway to my door and put my key in. Stretched out on the couch is my mother's on-again off-again boyfriend Jonathan, probably drunk. My mom is probably somewhere on the streets. I go to the back and open my bedroom door, revealing my big brother Zo sprawled across my bed, drunk and high.

My brother is an alchoholic and a druggie, smoke cocaine and weed. If he not stoned or drunk, then he on the streets making moves, leaving me to deal with his crazy babymama, who still don't think I'm his goddamn blood sister but one of his hoes, and his daughter when his jealous ass babymama drops her off. My momma, she a druggie too but she just fuck with cocaine and crack. Her boyfriend, he has a job at some warehouse moving boxes and shit but I don't like him. He just...he just him, that's all.

Anyway, I pack some clothes and shoes into my duffel bag with my phone charger, tablet charger, and tablet. While in the elevator I dial my only friend.

"Yes babymama?" I smile.

"You know what it is. You got spot for me?" He sighs real deep before replying.

"C'mon apple head, you know I got you." I hang up and walk back out into the sun. Damn, I forgot my Arizona upstairs. Knowing my brother he probably gone drink it. Shit, I should've peed in it then left it up there. Whatever.

When I get to my bestfriend's house, his girlfriend opens the door and when she sees me she gets straight pissed. I'on know her name and I don't care to either, I call her ChiChi 'cause she Mexican and remind me of a Chihuahua.

She rolls her eyes and says some smart shit in spanish.

"Teito Taco Bell to you too bitch." I say while slamming the front door. "Yo Shy! Get yo mutt man, she tryna bite!" ChiChi turns around and glares at me and I stick my tongue out at her.

Shy comes from the kitchen in only basketball shorts and Nike Elite socks. My bestfriend fine but I could never fuck with him like that. We've been rocking since I slapped him in Preschool man and he's the only one that I know forreal has me. But I don't tell him everything. Shy is big in the drug game and I've seen him turn on niggas he been rocking with since 5th grade but, then again, it was only 5th grade ha. I still don't tell him everything though because he is real protective over me and I just don't trust anybody with everything about me. I share the facts that's on the surface.

"Baby, why she always up in here with her skank attitude?" ChiChi says in her accent while eyeing me and wrapping her arms around Shy. He laughs and removes her arms to whisper something in her ear. She rolls her eyes and he smacks her flat ass as she walks up the stairs.

"Yo why you always buggin' on my girl?" He asks with a chuckle. I follow him back into his fly ass kitchen and sit at the island.

"Fuck her illiterate ass. Fat, flat ass bitch can't even say stank right." I say while laughing. Shy laughs too and takes a sip of water from his cup, leaning his back against the counter. I pull my weed from out of my bra and begin to roll up.

"What's that, the good shit?"

"Nah this that hood shit. YOU fuck with that Jamaican shit, not me." He chuckles.

"Aah, you got that from Darnell. You know he asked me when yo mean ass was gone let him top."

"Tuh! Puh-leeze, he can top these nuts mothafucka! And that's ole' dude name?" He burst into full out laughter and I can't help but to laugh too. Shy is the only dude that can put up with my mean ass and I will forever love him for that.

"Yo you wrong for that and you know it. So are you going back to Ms. Richardson's dance studio?" I let out an annoyed groan and fire up my blunt. Shy has been asking that same question since she kicked me out two months ago. And my answer is always the same.

"Fuck her."

"India. You ain't been right since you left like you know dancing is your first instinct, just suck it up and go back. Damn." I slam his lighter down on the island and my temper goes all the way to 500.

"If a nigga you was beefin' with brought a gun to a fist fight and fired that shit would you just be like 'aw nigga I'm a let you slide with that'? No bruh you gone strap up and bust holes in his ass! If a nigga you don't like throw some sour ass weed in yo face what you gone do? Serve that sour ass weed right back to him except he gone be smoking it from his dick! Don't go there with me." I settle back down and take a few more puffs.

Shy look lost as.f.

"That's how I know you fuckin' high 'cause ain't none of that shit make sense."

Me and Shy start getting weak as.f!