Gangsta's Paradise

Twenty one

October 5, 2013

Meek

I leave out the house to Meet with my chasers at the barbershop. It was time for us to get a cut.

"What's up?" I say dappin' and slappin' er'body up in the shop. I take a seat in my barber chair.

"Son Nicki left out?" Omelly asks.

"Yeah. She said all she will need is a day" I say chuckling. "That girl there hell" I say. Omelly and Chino laugh at me.

"That's yo girl though" they say.

"Aye I think me and Cookie could be some serious" Omelly says.

"Can't be no more serious than me and Nic" I say.

"Hell nah. Y'all crazy niggas" Beetle says, "but me and GiGi kickin it. She said she don't want nothing serious" Beetle says.

"You too young to want anything serious right now" Tak says. I chuckle.

"You right" he says.

"Nah but real shit I realized me and Nicki been together for 'bout five months now" I say.

"Damn it been that long?" Deen asks.

"Yeah. I'm not sure if she paid attention but I have"

"Of course you have young bull" my barber Chris says. "Every man notices when they been been with a female and one female for a long time because that's when you start having each other house keys and spend time with each other more and more. Then ya' talk 'bout movin' in together"

"Chris how long you been married?" Chino asks.

"Y'all know me and my lady been together for 16 years" he says.

"Damn that's a long time" Beetle says.

"Don't seem like it when you with the right person. It seems like not enough time is in a day for you and that person to spend together. Then when you away from them you feel alittle lost" he says.

"Not Meek and Nicki" Omelly says making us all laugh. "I'm telling y'all niggas act just the same. Meek will says some shit like I don't beg a bitch to stay and Nicki crazy ass will say get out cause I don't beg no nigga to stay. They act like they gone leave but bring that ass here boy!" He says. We all laugh and crack up.

"Get off my ass and my baby man" I say still chuckling.

"That just goes to show that they know where home is" Chris says. Chris been cutting my hair since I was 18 and was a old head.

"You and your lady been together long enough. What did you do for her when you realized y'all been together over three months?" I ask him.

"I think I took her out to eat, shopping and then we got the gifts unwrapped" he says dapping me up. Me and the boys laugh.

"Since Meek so serious about Nicki and being a lil bitch why don't we help him?"

"Aye I ain't being no bitch 'bout nothin'. And y'all niggas gone help cause some of y'all need to tap into ya man hood on shit like this. Especially that nigga Esquire. He can't even pull Imani."

"Yeah or keep a girl for that matter" Beetle says laughing.

"I'll go ahead and help. Shit me and Cook hooked up the same time as you Nic. Unlike Beetle dry ass we rockin too" Omelly says.

"Bet" I say.

Nicki

Getting to my hotel I go up to my room and change into some jeans with a off the shoulders top and some boots. Letting my curly hair out it's bun I part it and leave out. I was meeting with both Rylie and Renee at a bar and grill.

I was just sitting at a table on my phone and I hear them call my name. I get up hugging them both.

"Damn Nicki you still look good" Renee says.

"Y'all do too" I say looking at them. They sit across from me at the table.

"Yo what's been up?" Rylie asks. "Cause I haven't seen you in years"

"Right" Renee says, "not since you and Blaze ran off and acted like trap stars" she says making me laugh.

"I've been just doing me. Gettin' my money stacked and living" I say.

"I'm so happy to see you Nicki. I mean really. And our mom heard we was meeting you today she wanted to come too but she had to work"

"Does she still do nursing?"

"Yes. She got a doctorate degree" . Their mom was young when she had Ronnie and Rennie. She went to finish school and had Renee then Rylie. She wanted to keep the R's.

"That's good" I say. "I always thought ms. Paula could run the hospital one day" I say laughing.

"Run it or the people up out of there" Renee says making us both laugh. "But how long you in town for?"

"Just today and some of tomorrow. I'm trying to figure out something" I say.

"What's up?" Rylie asks. I take a sip of my drink and look at them.

"Don't get mad at me asking this question" I say.

"What is it?" Rylie asks.

"Well actually for starters I hear that Ronnie is out hiding and I wanted to come to you both to see if that was true". They just look at each other.

"You mean is he still alive?" Renee asks.

"Yeah." I say.

"Nicki so much happened that year" Rylie says. "I mean I just graduated from college, Ronnie got locked up, Meek got locked up, you ran with Blaze and his stuff, Ronnie was the talk of the town " Renee says.

"You're not answering my question" I say.

"Nicki we all know how Ronnie wanted you. I mean he wanted to see Blaze dead just to get you" Rylie says. "But listen, we never told you this because we didn't ever feel the need to" she says.

"Ronnie went to the hospital after being found shot " Renee says. "We all went to the hospital to check up on him and when we got there he was gone" she says.

"We didn't know where he was and the doctor never released him. They said he couldn't even been in shape enough to walk" Rylie says as I look to her. "That's when Rennie felt the need to be involved".

"He went to find Meek's chasers and he didn't have trouble. They been looking for Ronnie and when they found Rennie they shot him".

"So it wasn't Ronnie?" I ask.

"No... it was Rennie. Ronnie is around. We know, but we haven't seen him" Rylie says.

"Y'all have no clue as to where he is?" I ask.

"We haven't heard from him since Rennie got shot. He said he will make sure things even out. Last we even seen his face around was six months ago" Renee says.

"Listen I want to talk to Ronnie. If he gets in touch with y'all anytime soon tell him to find me in Philly" I say.

"That's if we see him" Renee says.

"Enough about the past. Let's go out and have some fun" Rylie says. I just hang out and catch up with them the rest of the day and night.

Shae 💰