Mi Vida Loca

2. The Homie

Days went on and I got into more fights at school. A few that I got suspended for and made my father mad. He always believed my side of the story though. The fight that introduced me to one of the best friends I made though happened during last period, P.E. This class was a mix of all grades 6th, 7th and 8th. And the older kids were always punking on the younger kids. Unless you knew them they left you alone. Well one of these kids my age thought since they had his back he could try me. His name was Anthony and while the 8th graders punched the guys they always fucked with before the teacher came, Anthony thought it would be funny to punch me in the stomach. I shook it off then he looked at me and did it again. Everyone watching I put my backpack down and swung on his head.
"Let's go then motherfucker" I said in anger.

Anthony just started at me quietly, and said "nah".

He was shocked that I hit back and everyone saw it. Everybody was hyping me up.
"DAMMNNN Ricky fucked your shit up fool" a lot of the kids said laughing. Before that day me and Anthony were cool. After that he never spoke to me again. Later after class in the locker room , one of the 8th graders named Danny called me over.

"Ay those where some nice moves outside" he said.

"Oh you saw that ? Haha" I replied.

"Everybody saw that looked like you were ready to box with your fists up"

"Damn I didn't even realize it"

"Yeah the names Danny homie what about you ?"

"Ricardo, see you around G"

We didn't really kick it at school but later on that summer vacation we hung out almost everyday. Danny was a Southside banger, and he looked older than most kids at out school. He had full grown sideburns and more muscle than most of the school. His homies always called him chango because of the facial hair but he wanted to be called Tweety. Eventually that stuck. I found out he lived 3 houses down from mine on the east side of town walking home from school one day. He was posted up outside with his fam.

"Oh shit what's up homie" I called out.

"Ay what's crackin ese" he said with a smirk on his face.

"Headed home, this where you stay?"

"Yeah what about you ?"

"Right down the street, that's crazy"

He had just moved here a couple months ago. We both smoked weed and we both had our own all the time so we'd always be getting high. That summer was how it all started. No school for 2 1/2 months. I was ready to finally sleep in and stay out late. Danny and I were hitting each other up and riding around the whole city on our bikes high as fuck. Kicking it with homies and the homie girls. Danny was always writing some love letters with some artwork for girls at school. I was surprised that it actually worked. So like I said I was affiliated with any hoods. Hanging out with Danny so much changed that. I was with him when he was getting into fights and dropping east siders with ease. Danny was a beast when it came to fighting. I once saw him knock down a buff ass cholo that looked like he could've been 30. They got into it and threw blows and Tweety was the only one standing. I remember asking him how he does that shit. He said something I thought was the funniest shit ever for him to say.

"The bigger they are the harder they fall" he shrugged.

"Man you're crazy you actually believe that?" I laughed.

Sometimes I actually had to jump in and help. We did live on his enemies turf after all. And they didn't like him at all once word got out that he was making them all look weak. A 15 year old kid dropping older thugs to the floor in their own hood? They were watching him after that. Tweety lived on the corner house of our block. We would post up and kick it in the front yard. One day one of the east siders riding by on a bike threw up his hood looking him in the eye. That was nothing new to us they were always coming by. They even threw bricks and rocks at his families cars and windows before. Right after the punk on the bike rode by, one of the east side OG's himself pulled up in the passenger seat of a truck right next to us and threw a bottle of beer at Tweety's feet. CRASH! The bottle shattered and beer spilled all over the drive way. Tweety reacted quickly and threw a metal pipe he had on the floor at their truck denting it. They quickly stopped the truck and the passenger hopped out.

"What's up then bitch let's go!" He shouted.

"Cmon then puto" tweety said.

I rushed up behind tweety ready to jump this clown.

"ONE ON ONE FOO ONE ON ONE!" He yelled at us.

I stayed back knowing tweety could fuck him up alone. All of a sudden Tweety's brother in law came rushing from behind the both of us. His brother in law was big as fuck, looked like he did time in prison or something.

"WHAT'S GOOD!?" He hollered ready to fight.

His name was Enrique and the crazy part was that he was a former east sider. Coming to defend his girls little bro. The east sider hopped back in the truck and took off fast as fuck. Tweety's fam came out the house wondering what happened. And Enrique took off in his ride racing after his old homies. We both looked at each other wondering what he was doing. Hours later Enrique came back, tweety sent me a text saying the east side wants him dead. Enrique tried to call it off but they weren't taking orders from a drop out. Tweety wasn't even jumped in and he had a bigger reputation that some of the Southsiders in that city. Shit was getting real on our block.