Hood Life and Love: It Is What It Is (Sample)

chapter 14 (E and P)

Phone conversation with mama:

"Anna, what are you doing calling home? Did you get into trouble?" mama asked.

I took a deep breath, how do I tell her this, "Not yet," I said, biting my lip. Truth be told, I was scared, I was nervous. That girl in the bathroom said they were planning to get me when I got off the bus. So I was feeling like I escaped this with my butt still attached. But I was going to need backup.

"What you mean not yet, Anna? You better talk now." Mama said, authority ringing in her voice.

"I got into a fight earlier, with this girl and her boyfriend. I bussed his head... And now a lot people who ride my bus are planning to jump me when I get off the bus. None of my friends ride my bus, so I need ..."

"They plan on jumping you?" she asked, cutting me off.

"Yeah." I said.

"Okay," she said.

Okay? Okay. All the things I expected her to say, and she said okay?

"What am I going to do?" I asked.

"You are going to get on your bus and come home. I got this. They don't know who the hell they fucking with. Trying jump my baby. Don't worry, Ann I'll handle this. You just be on the bus and ready for whatever."

And then she hung up. Seriously, mama.

Forty-five minutes later on the bus:

It was too quiet. The tension was so thick I felt like if I looked out the window, it would go down. I was a dog in a pit with hungry angry wolves and they were all ganged up on me, teeth bared, claws out. I saw Keisha with her messed up red and blue face. It really took a lot not to laugh at her. She looked horrible, but her boyfriend was nowhere in sight. Apparently, he went to the hospital with a busted head, thanks to Tommy. I felt no guilt for cracking his shit. He him and he had it coming.

I started feeling more relaxed as soon as the bus pulled off the highway. Two minutes tops to get to my bus stop. However, that also seemed to be the time that they wanted to jump stupid, with their dumb asses.

"You know, my boyfriend ended up going to the hospital. He had a concussion, and he needed stitches." Keisha said, I guess she was smiling. It looked like it hurt for her to talk. The jaw I had favored was so swollen it didn't move an inch while she talked.

"I don't really give two shits." I said, looking her in her face.

"You really should," She said, standing up. "Many people are pretty pissed that he can't play in the game tonight."

I stood up to and noticed about five other people standing. A few people that were sitting were mean mugging me and cracking their knuckles. For real, that's what this was all about, a fucking football game. Fuck homecoming.

I shook my head laughing, "Again mush face, I DONT CARE. I mean, what the fuck yall want to do about it? Jumping me will be the worst mistake you ever make in your fucked up life. Don't forget I know where half you mother fuckers live and don't think I won't be in your bushes."

"What the hell?" This was from the bus driver. He was coming down the street towards the corner that was my bus stop. I noticed a few people had taken their attention off of me and were looking out the windows. That had to be my mama.

I turned towards the front of the bus and smiled. Shaking my head even more. One thought came to mind..... they were deep as fuck. All my boys were there. All of theme decked out in white, grey and black. They looked like bandits with the grey bandanas tied around they face. There were also a few chicks I knew from around the way they were cool and had invited me a few places with them, but I had always said no. Because really I didn't trust them. I had seen one of them eyeing Christian a couple times. But they were here, so maybe I could fuck with them a little.

In front of the crowd was my mom's. And she looked ready to battle in her tennis shoes and sweat pants. I turned to the rest of my bus mates. The smile is still on my face.

"Or maybe yall gone learn today." I said quietly, right before the bus came to a stop.

The bus driver opened the door and my mama stepped on and got in the bus driver's face. I guess she heard he said I started it. She was going ham on him. She told him she would kick his ass for lying on me when I been having problems with these same mother fuckers for a while. Then she turned to me.

"Ann, where is the bitch at that's been giving you problems?" She yelled.

I looked over to see Keisha practically under her seat and pointed to her.

"You," my mama said, authority leaking from her voice. "Off the bus my daughter going to beat your ass one on one and Anna you better kick her ass or I'm gone kick yours."

One thing I didn't want was my mama's hands. So I grabbed Keisha and threw her off the bus. She didn't really fight back, and after a few punches, she was out like a light.

"Anybody else?" My mama said angrily. When no one spoke up she said, "I thought yall was going to jump her. So yall can jump her but nobody wants to fight her one on one?"

"If you touch that damn dispatcher ill break your face." She told the bus driver when he tried to call the bus company. He put his hands up, like he didn't want any smoke. "They were going to jump my baby, and you probably would not do shit about it."

"Where the nigga at?" Leo shouted.

"He ain't on the bus." I said, looking at the bus from the outside. Nobody moved on there. It was even quieter than it was earlier when I got on.

"Fuck that. We ain't come up here for nothing," Christian said. Did I mention he had his shirt off? Yummy.

The next few minutes were crazy. Reese opened the emergency door and jumped on followed by Joey and Todo. They got to sleeping any dude they saw. I mean, for really they were dishing out one hitter quitters. My mama had teed off on the bus driver like she had been wanting to do and she seemed disappointed when Christian started whooping him. People were jumping out of the windows running down the street. They didn't get far though because one of my people always caught them. It was one of the biggest fights I've ever been in. everybody got it, even people I'm sure didn't plan on jumping me like fruit loop chic, wrong place, wrong time.

EPIC. That's how I felt after watching the bus driver drive off down the street with the front door open, the emergency door open, and kids still jumping off and hanging out the window. That was an Epic fight and like always, we won.