21

21/Ch. 28

Can't sleep at all. Hakeem won't answer his phone and my mind is racing with the recent engagement of Rakim. Kim set us up...why?

I'm just now leaving Taco Bell and was aching to go back to Hakeem's to drink the Mascato that I chilled over ice.

*Ring, Ring, Ring*

"Hell--"

"Cherelle! Where you at?"

"I'm about to go inside your--"

"Drive away from there!"

"What?"

"Get the hell away from there!"

"Where am I gonna go, then?"

"I'm going to text you an address. When you get there, tell the guards that I sent you and that Juan is making a move."

"Making on move on what?"

"Shut up and do what I say. They know who you are and they followed me here. My phone is about to go dead. I'm on my way back."

"Just tell me the address."

"2477 Trinidad Court. There's a white abandoned looking building. Stay strapped and keep your eyes open. If someone follows you, call 601-665-2347 and tell Ronnie. I gotta go. I love you."

Before I could reply, his phone died. I called this Ronnie person to tell him who I was.

"Ronnie?"

"Who this is?"

"I'm Elle. Hakeem gave me your number and I'm on my way to an address he gave me."

"What else did he say?"

"He said that Juan is making a move."

"Alright. Hurry up here. You got heat?"

"What?"

"Heat. Do you have a gun?"

"Yeah."

"Loaded?"

"Yeah."

"Keep it on you. Where you at?"

"On Holland Place. I should be there in about 20 minutes."

"That's too long. Take the highway and stay in the fast lane. I'll call you back in a little while."

He hung up and I was panicking. Is this a set up?
************

I made it to the building and told the guards what Hakeem told me to say. They let me through and more guards guided me to the back of the building with more girls and men.

"What's going on?"

"They're watching you, too."

I looked around and saw a familiar face.

"What exactly do you mean 'watched'?"

A muscualr, cute man came up to me.

"You're Elle?"

I recognized his voice...Ronnie.

"Yeah."

"You his girl?"

"Can we stop playing 21 questions and just tell me what's going on."

"Juan and his crew. We competing on being the top drug dealers and they don't like losing the competition. They trynna take us out."

"And they know who I am?"

"Apparently."

"Hell no. Y'all joking. Where Hakeem goofy ass at? This a set up, right?"

"I don't joke."

Reality started to sink in.

"All y'all girls need to go upstairs and keep the doors locked," Ronnie announced to us.

"Why can't I stay down here?"

"Because you're a girl. You can't defend for yourself and we need to protect y'all."

"I wanna stay down here. I wanna help."

"Where yo gun at?"

I pointed to my hip.

"You can protect y'all up there. We need to come up with a plan and don't need y'all in the way."

"Are you--"

"Don't make me call the guards."

I stared him up and down before following the rest of them upstairs.

I don't like him at all.
........

So far, I only like 3 out of the 6 girls.

Komisa' is in the gang, I see. She's not scared, but sympathizing. She's trying to help some of the weaker ones.

Rakiiba is the skinny, tough one. She's pretty, but also a bad ass.

Toni is Ronnie's girl. She's 8 months pregnant and her hormones are aggressive.

Now for the ones I don't like?

Kilani is here. Hakeem is taking care of her scary ass, too, I see. She's the only scared one.

Tyra is a dark skin Barbie looking chick. She looks like a THOT, but it's not my place to judge.

Lastly, there's Whitney. She resembles Tyra, but she has beautiful, bushy hair.

"Why are we here?! Sitting around and waiting for them tell us what to do?!" Toni was hyped.

"Fuck that. Elle, right?" Rakiiba addressed me.

"Yeah."

"You're with Hakeem? His girl?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I was just asking."

I have a feeling that it was gonna be trouble with her.
************

Hakeem came up and unlocked the door. He saw me and motioned for me to follow him.

"You iight?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Ronnie told me to talk to you about your attitude."

"So?"

"Calm it. It's not that serious."

"Did you really just say that it's not that serious?"

"You know what I mean."

"I have class at 6. Can I leave?"

"Someone has to take you. You can't go out anywhere by yourself."

"You wanna bet?"

"Do YOU wanna bet. You can't get out easily."

"When will this be over?"

"Whenever we bring Juan down."

I kissed him.

"Nah. It ain't the time or place for that."

"Just kiss me back one time and I'll be good."

"Go back in there. I gotta finish planning and shit."

"I'm not going back until I get what I want."

He sighed and started to back away before I grabbed his arm and gently pulled him my way again. He grabbed my jaws and kissed me hard. He pushed me to the wall and kissed some more. I couldn't breathe. As much as I regretted it, I pushed him away because I was too close to the wall to pull back and grab air.

"Chuckles. You ain't ready."

He walked back downstairs and I walked back into the room with the rest of these hoodrats.