How Do U Want It?

xxii

Today, I actually went to school after being absent for 10 days. Fortunately for me, Dre was unaware of my lacking of presence at school. Usually, when I was absent for a number of days they'd alert my parent or guardian. And ever since I left my father's house, my guardians contact information was never updated. Man, if only Dre knew.

I never realized how wack school was without O-Dog and Caine. They went to another school, somewhere nearby. I think Snoop and I, plus them, at one school would be popping foreal.

When Faith found out about my new friends she wasn't too happy about it; of course. She said they were more bad influences, and that I shouldn't be with them so often. I feel this was mostly coming from jealousy, so I decided to go out of my way to talk to her all day at school.

As of right now, Faith and I sat at the lunch table, waiting for Snoop to join us.

"Big and I broke it off." Faith sighed as she twiddled her fingers and looked down.

"How come?" I asked her, giving my full attention.

"You know how I mentioned how I thought he was talking to other girls? All this time it was true. I caught him kissin' some girl behind the school. I was devastated, Ebelle." Faith ranted to me with sorrow in her voice.

I gave her a hug and said to her, "You were too good for him. He was beyond lucky to have you yet he was too blind to see it. I'm sorry Faith."

"Cheer up, it was about time you dropped that coffee bean lookin' ass nigga." Snoop chimed in out of nowhere, we didn't even know he was sitting at the table.

"Has he said anything to you about her?" I asked Snoop. He shook his head, "Nope. I mean we still cool and all, but he cheated on one of my best friends. That ain't right."

"I heard you and Tupac had a moment the other day after that shit at the store." Snoop started smirking and I tried to hold back a smile.

"We were just laughin'... not that big of a deal."

"He unhooked yo shorts off that fence, I also heard." Snoop said.

"I was stuck! I woulda did the same for him ... I think." I rolled my eyes giggling.

"So what's up with you and O-Dog?" The inevitable question made me blush.

Faith sighed at that name and I could tell she was starting to get annoyed.

"Nothin', we just friends." I smirked as I thought about O-Dog.

"Yeah, okay," Snoop retorted.

After that, the 3 of us talked about useless things, and it reminded me of how things used to be between Snoop, Faith, and I.

As the lunchroom was let out of students, Snoop pulled me to the side. "Did O-Dog call you?"

I shook my head in confusion, "Nah. Was he supposed to?"

"Yeah, said he had a come up for us." Snoop informed me. "I didn't wanna mention it around Faith, you know how she feels about our lil' outfit or whatever."

I nodded, "Yeah. What kinda come up?"

Snoop said, "Ion' know. He said he ain't want one of us bitchin' out early so he said he gone tell us this evenin'. 6:30, at the old abandoned firehouse."

I simply said, "Okay." And we went our separate ways. My stomach churned just thinking about what O-Dog had in store for us.

*

"Yo hair stank." I said as I played in O-Dog's braids as he sat in between my legs.

We were at the old firehouse, sitting on the front steps outside waiting on Caine and Snoop. It was 6:46, and O-Dog insisted that they weren't coming, but I told him to stay at least until 7.

"What it smell like?" He turned his head, looking at me with a frown.

"Scalp." I said before laughing and placing my hands on his shoulders.

I wasn't really sure if I liked O-Dog romantically, but we sure did have a lot of chemistry, and I wish we had met sooner.

I feel that if I were to date O-Dogg, it would upset Eazy, like how he was upset with Tupac. He'll probably get even more upset now that I've responded to his romantic needs; 2 years! 2 years, I told him, and he'll be able to love me freely. That was a mistake, because at that time I was in a state of vulnerability. Now I'm not.

"You got pretty hands." O-Dogg pulled my hands from his shoulders and intertwined them with his.

"They just hands." I snickered.

Just then, we were approached by Caine and Snoop, who almost immediately started cracking jokes on us.

"Did we interrupt somethin'?" Caine said, folding his arms trying not laugh.

O-Dog got up from his seat in between my legs and sucked his teeth, "Ha ha. Very funny." His tone of voice was mellow.

"Now if y'all are done," O-Dogg said, "We got business to discuss." The laughing came to a cease as he spoke.

"We gone take out old ass Rizzoli, and his faggot son."

O-Dogg's words almost made me vomit, was he serious? "Why?" I asked him, staring in disbelief.

"Why not? He tried to shoot at us!" O-Dogg looked at me for a brief second before looking at Caine and Snoop, who were in shock as well.

"Come on O, just chill." Caine said.

"It's not that serious, foreal. What we killing' him for?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

O-Dog was a close friend, someone who I could get along with well. Him and I were like 2 peas in a pod. We were just cool like that. I knew he was crazy from the jump, but damn; I was conflicted.

"So you ridin' wit me? Or am I gonna have to do it without my Bonnie?"

"What's the plan?"