The Kiss of Death [Dave East]

17

SPADES GROANED AT THE THROBBING PAIN in his head, hangovers could be a bitch. He rubbed his sore temples as he stood up from his bed, dipping occasionally in his steps. He lazily dragged himself to the washroom and did his hygiene routine. He stepped out of the shower, rubbing the white cotton towel against his curls. Spades yanwed tiredly as he wandered into his living room, stopping in his steps. "You sober enough?" Anissa asked, arms folded. He stared at her emotionless face with just as much lack of feeling. "What's up?" He asked, not really wanting to hear whatever it is she wanted.

"The night of the Piru. What happened?"

He licked his lips slowly. "You know what happened. You were there beside me." He wanted to tell her everything but he already knew her reaction before she'd even react. "You aren't yourself Spades." She crosses her arms again. "Stress. I'm just shook the jakes gonna crack on us. That's it." He lied, walking towards the sink. "You can't lie to me." She responded, taking a seat on one of the stools. "You got Dave waiting." Spades easily dismissed her as he poured himself a glass of water.

"I need you to have on a straight head for the Union meeting."

"Man fuck the Union!" He shouted out, slamming the dishes against each other. He turned around to face her. "All they gotta do is get you mad before we air out they shit too!" He cussed in her face but she didn't flinch or even blink. "I killed a soon to be mom. For you!" He gritted his teeth down. He's never felt any sort of emotion except loyalty towards her, but right in this moment he had pure hatred for her. "You're leaving?" She asked in a whisper. "I could never leave you. We owe each other our lives. No matter my animosity towards you, ima always be the first one behind you." He grabbed the cigarette pack off the kitchen counter from last night and headed to his room to get dressed.

Anissa sighed, rubbing her nose as she heard him from the other room. He came out shortly dressed in grey Nike shorts and a wife beater, walking past her and out the open door. Dave peeked his head in not even five minutes after. "Didn't work out?" He asked. She shook her head. "All you gotta do is try." He stated simply.

_____

Spades smoked his cigarette as he watched the streets of Bed Stuy wake up. He was sitting on the stairs of the fire escape at the side of their apartment building. He smoked in silence when. "Could I get one?" She looked up to meet Dee's soft gaze. He gave her a confused look, she's never smoked a cigarette. "No." He said shortly, looking back down at the street. "What you do, I do." She shrugged sitting beside him. He rolled his eyes in annoyance, clutching the pack at his side. "Listen, I wasn't in the warehouse when it went dow—"

"Good." He cut her off. "What happened?" She asked, touching his shoulder softly. "Bodies dropped. What else?" He shot back, roughly ripping his shoulder away from her touch. Dee kissed her lips, shoving him a bit. "Remember Zion's funeral?" He asked quietly. She glanced down at him, nodding. She wasn't a very active member of Vicelords, all she did was make sure halfway houses were in check and to make in calls, so she didn't do much. But she was there for his funeral, they all were. "Yea you were late." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah I wasn't. I was at the grave earlier than all y'all. I was there at 4am, out of mind about it. I just stared at his tombstone, like I was trying to make up for lost time. I smoked six of these." He said, gesturing to the pack in his hands.