Matón

October 21, 2006

I walked down to the court with Don and Carlo to play ball.

"Man it's cold. Can't we just go back home?" Carlo spoke.

"The court is clear today!"

"I don't care, I'm freezing my dick off!"

Carlo turned around and Don waved him off.

"Forget that nigga, he can't hoop anyway!"

I laughed while crossing the ball between my legs as we walked.

When we made it, two other people were playing. I instantly recognized Jamal from school but I never saw the other one around the neighborhood.

"What's up?" Don spoke.

"Y'all tryna play?"

"Yea.."

"Aight, come on!"

We were playing two on two and Don and I were eight points ahead and only needed one more shot to win. Don crossed Jamal and passed it to me before I made the shot.

"That's game!" I gleamed as the ball flew through the net.

"I'm tired as shit!" Don spoke resting his hands on his knees and catching his breath.

Jamal walked over to the ball, grabbed it, and chucked it, hitting me in the chest. The impact of the ball caused me to lose my balance.

"Let's play again, yall cheated."

"Hell na, nigga! You just wack!"

"Fuck you mutt!"

I charged towards him, took a lick, and we ended up tussling on the ground.

"Get off of em' Joaq!" Don spoke pulling me up.

My chest heaved up and down as I mugged Jamal while he dusted the court gravel off of his clothes.

"What? The nigga is a mutt!" Jamal laughed while fixing his shirt and wiping blood from his lip. "I ain't scared of no mexican nigga!"

"Man you trippin'!" The other guy spoke.

"Fuck yall! This ain't over Joaq!" Jamal spoke walking off.

I watched him until he had turned a corner around the block.

"Fuck that nigga, you whooped him anyway!" Don assured me. "Wait til I tell Carlo about this. He gone flip!" He laughed but I didn't find anything funny.

I turned to the Jamal's basketball companion and approached him.

"Ain't you leaving with the nigga?"

"Na, I don't even know him like that. I just moved out here with my ma and sisters and he just came down to the court."

"How old your sisters?" Don asked.

I elbowed him in the arm and shook my head and extended my fist.

"I'm Joaquín."

"I'm Spooky." He introduced himself as his fist meshed against mine.

"I'm Don!"

"We about to go back up the street, you wanna come?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna tell my mom and I'll meet y'all."

"Cool."

Don and I turned the opposite direction and headed up the street.

"I wonder how old his sister's is?"

"Nigga, shut up." I laughed while bouncing the ball as we walked along the cracked pavement.

We introduced Spooky to Carlo who didn't seem impressed and had a stupid look on his face.