Oakland's Baddest

Chapter 5

Oakland's Baddest: Chapter 5

~2 Years Later~

I was now 8 years old and every hood on this side of Oakland knew my name. To say I made a rep for myself is an understatement.

Mama was working more and was in an on again / off again relationship with some nigga named Calvin. I was just about never home and when I was there was always some fight that broke out between Marco and I. Eddy kept his distance from me and knew what buttons not to push but Marco pushed every one of my buttons as I did the same.

It was summer and we had just gotten out from school about a week ago. Well I was suspended for a week before so I've been on summer break for 2 weeks. I smashed a kids head into a desk because he was talking shit about me. Kid learned otherwise to watch his mouth and to keep my name out of it.

Me and a few of the hoodlums were sitting out in the summer heat on the sidewalk just waiting for some excitement to go on.

"Aye Varo" I looked up and saw Rico. Rico was the newest kid to move into the hood and in no time he knew I was the talk of the streets

"What you want?" He was my age and no more of a punk ass than me

"Just wanted to know if you wanted to try this hookah pen I got from my brother's room." Hookah?

"The hell you did with that?" I asked as he handed it to me. I looked at it and it was something I've never seen before

"You inhale and water vapor comes out dumbass. Like smoking." He pulled out another one I'm guessing for him

"Nah I don't want it. I ain't into smoking" I handed it back to him but he wouldn't take it back

"Just try it, don't be a bitch about it" I rolled my eyes and ignored him but he was persistent about the damn hookah pen.

"Nah Varo don't fuck with that shit, if you finna smoke you smoke the real shit not no electric piece of shit" Jazz laughed as he took it out of my hands "How many puffs this got anyways?"

"500- 600 I think" Rico said as he brought it to his mouth

"Man you 8 the hell you tryna prove with that pen anyways?" I asked as I got up and moved out of the way he was blowing out the smoke

"Cause its cool Varo-"

"Nah, that's dumb. Aye Jazz you should take me to the mall so I can get my ears pierced. I want em done but my Mama said she won't take me" Jazz was 17 and lived in the apartment below mine. We didn't really start kicking it till he watched a fight go down between some kid who came into the hood and I. Long story short we chilled afterwards and now we're friends.

"Ears pierced huh? Why you want them done?" He asked with a laugh as he pulled his keys out of his pocket

"Lexis has had his pierced since he was like 1 and I noticed em recently. Looks pretty cool, so I want mine pierced."

"Shit lets roll, while you get them done I can pick up a cutie there" I chucked up the deuces to Rico and together Jazz and I walked out to his car. "You got money?" He asked

"Mhm 40 bucks" I held up the two Jacksons

"Where an 8 year old get that kinda guap?"

"My Mama's purse. She left it out so it was up for grabs in my eyes" I shrugged my shoulders. This was one of those times where I was leaving the hood. My ass was always there except for school. I may have been young but that hood was mine so leaving it wasn't usually on my agenda.

We pulled up and it was packed with people. I saw a huge smile on Jazz's face when a group of girls walked by.

"Now they were a 10" He laughed as we walked in