Thugs with Tendencies 8
TWT8 – Yusef Buchanan
On my block you took what you could get. When someone offered you 25 dollars for 50 dollars' worth of food stamps you took it. When someone asks you if you want to ride, you ride. Doesn't matter where you're going. There might be money involved. There might be danger. You roll the dice. No questions asked. It's better than sitting at home. There was no opportunity sitting at home. You take what you can get on my block. When someone asked you if you wanted to hit this blunt, you hit it because God knows when the next blunt would be? God knows if you would even make it to the next blunt.
"Let's toast to Sterling..." Ty says.
Ty raises his shot glass at that moment to Sterling. They shoot a few shots in the air for him. Sterling is drunk before I know it. I have to admit that I find it hilarious that people are looking at the guy like he is some sort of hero or something like that. I'm amused by it to say the least.
Sterling drinks his shot and before he can finish Ty pours him another one, "Again."
"I'm kind of tipsy," Sterling admits.
Tipsy isn't the word for it. He's drunk. A couple of the guys laugh. I don't think they are used to being around white guys...especially not the ones that act like Sterling. Sterling seemed to be down but the drunker he's becoming the more well-spoken he actually is. It's having the opposite effect. His true self is coming out and it's a pretty, well-mannered suburban white boy. Truth is it doesn't matter anymore. Sterling saved Ty. He was a hero.
"If you going to start hanging with me, then you're going to have to work on your liquor tolerance," Ty explains to him.
"Sterling...Sterling are you serious?" a voice says.
I turn to see Meech. I didn't even realize he was still at the party. It's the middle of the night. I figured he would have left earlier. It kind of annoys me that he is here.
"Meech, go home. What are you doing here?" I ask him.
I grab him and pull him aside. He seems confused about Sterling. I can tell why. Sterling is surrounded by a bunch of thugs and if this was any other case you would be worried for the guy. However, they were welcoming Sterling right now. Sterling was damn near a member of a fan club almost immediately after saving Ty's life. I don't think anyone doubted him or thought he was a cop especially after he kind of shot someone to save Ty's life.
"Not without Sterling," Meech explains.
"He's good. Ty was attacked."
"By who?"
"A Bakersfield boy. They call him Blackey. The Bakersfield guys sent him here to kill Ty. Luckily Sterling stopped him."
Meech seems confused at that moment. He crosses his arms. He sighs a little bit before shaking his head and starting to walk back over to Sterling.
"I'm taking him home. He's fucked up."
"Why do you care?"
"He's Cheyenne's fiancé."
"Cheyenne is dead," I let Meech know, "Why the hell do you care about that guy?"
"He's...not from around here..."
"You like him..."
I knew my cousin. I knew my cousin well enough to know when he liked someone. He got a little tongue tied talking about them. Right now he was tongue tied. Listening to my cousin talk about this guy is straight up hilarious to me to say the least. My cousin blushes a little bit realizing that he's caught before shaking his head and attempting to deny it.
"Of course not."
"Bullshit. Did Cheyenne know?"
He sighs.
"We...had sex once. Before I knew they were together. He told Cheyenne the night that she was killed. I don't know why he's still in town. I think he feels like he owes me something. I don't know. I should take him home before he does anything stupid."
"I'll go get him."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Head to his car. I'll go get him and make sure you can drive him home," I state.
Meech nods, "You always look out man."
Meech had no idea. This was good news. Meech was into Sterling. Sterling was so naïve. He was easily manipulated. Maybe it's because he wasn't from our blocks. Either way it didn't take much to convince Sterling that Lopez was his enemy. The last thing that I wanted was Meech with Lopez. If Sterling was able to take Meech's mind off of Lopez that was all for the best.
So yes. I'd look out Meech. I'd make sure that you and Sterling got as close as possible.
I go get Sterling. I damn near have to drag him away from the other guys. I lean him up against my arm. Before we get to the car Sterling stops and throws up in the bushes.
"You need to clean yourself up," I explain, "Meech is waiting."
Sterling's eyes light up, "Meech?"
I know that light. He was just as interested in Meech as Meech was with him.
"Yeah. Meech," I explain and smile, "You know what? Meech is worried about you..."
Sterling raises his eyebrows, "He is?"
"Sure is. Thinks he likes you. As you know a friend. Or...whatever."
Sterling gets quiet for a minute. I watch as he struggles to clean himself up. It isn't working. Luckily we stop. I take a napkin off the table and hand it to him. He cleans himself up frantically like a drunk person trying his best to act sober. I hand Sterling a piece of gum as well. I had to make sure that he didn't turn Meech off completely.
"I like Meech too," he says but then quickly adds, "As a friend."
"Well maybe the two of you can be closer friends," I suggest.
"Did he say that? Did he say he wanted to be closer? Um...friends that is?" Sterling asks.
"He did," I state.
There's nothing like a little white lie.
Sterling smiles. His teeth spread all across his face, "Damn. Um. Wow. I had no idea."
"Yeah. Get to know him on a deeper level. Maybe go out with him," I state, "He likes pizza. It's his favorite. He loves salad. He makes an awesome salad. You should have him make it for you. He loves watching his salad get eaten."
I give Sterling a wink. Sterling stares at me.
"Uh..."
"It's OK. My cousin tells me everything. I know about the two of you," I admit at that moment.
Sterling shakes his head, "It's complicated. You know...with Cheyenne."
"Cheyenne would have wanted you to be with her brother."
"You think?"
"Of course. You said it yourself. She told you to take care of him. I think she would have wanted you to be in his life since she's not around. You should do that. Besides that, guy Lopez. He's been hanging around Meech. He's a really bad influence. Maybe you should take Meech's mind off of Lopez. Also make sure you take him out on a date. He loves dates."
"Why are you helping me?"
I smile.
"Just looking out for my cousin."
Sterling smiles back at me. He gives me a warm smile actually.
"Thanks man. You're a good guy Yusef."
I smile and make sure Sterling gets in the car with Meech. Meech waves and they drive off together.
I might be wrong. I can't stand the thought of Meech being with Lopez. Lopez was a piece of shit. All the times that he used me for my fucking body he never even assumed to get with me. I liked Lopez, probably more than I should have. I settled with Ty when Lopez showed that I was nothing more than a piece of meat for him to use and throw away. He would want Meech. At first I hated Meech because of it, but now I don't. Meech is just caught in the fire.
Just like the other Buchanans. They were just caught in the fire...
I head back to the patio. DJ and Kool Aid are laughing and discussing Sterling still. I look around for Ty but I can't find him.
"Where's Ty?" I ask them.
"We ain't his keeper motherfucker," DJ argues.
"DJ I asked you one goddam question," I respond.
They would have treated me better if they knew that I was Ty's lover. They would have been a lot nicer to me. They treat me like shit. They treat me like I'm some random guy on the block who just hangs around for no reason. I should be running these blocks alongside Ty. I belonged next to Ty. I belonged right next to his side.
"He's upstairs," Kool Aid responds, "He's talking to Boozie."
We are at Boozie's house so I figure that is why he's upstairs. I end up walking upstairs. The party is really ending and a lot of people are going home anyway. I might as well see if he was ready to go. I head up to Boozie's bedroom.
I get to Boozie's door.
That's when I hear it. I hear these slight moans coming from Boozie's room. I open the door slightly and then I see Ty standing there. MY boyfriend is standing there with his jeans to his motherfucking ankles. His ass cheeks are clenched tightly. The reason his ass is clenched so tight is because he's getting head. The person he is getting head from is none other than Boozie. Boozie is deep throating my boyfriend.
My boyfriend shoves his dick in his mouth over and over. He's aggressive with Boozie's mouth. I watch almost shocked when I see Boozie spitting up saliva all over his floor as he treats Boozie's mouth like a pussy! My heart is racing. I'm beyond pissed watching this shit.
"Yeah suck that dick, bitch," Ty is screaming, "Choke on that dick. You like that? Huh? You like that 10-inch dick."
Ty's dick wasn't 10 inches. He had a big dick but it was more like an 8. None the less Boozie is struggling to take it all in. He's leaning his head all the way back. He chokes on Boozie's swollen dick. He's like a little thirsty whore though not struggling to push Ty away. He gags on it over and over yet still allows him to fuck his face hard.
I'm am so shocked that all I can do is stand there and shake my head.
Ty starts nutting.
"Swallow every last bit of that nut, you nasty fucking slut. Yeah. Just like that. You like that. Swallow that shit. Open up. Get every drop. Lick the fucking nut off the floor. Don't waste my nut, bitch. You hear me? Don't fucking waste it."
"Really?" I ask.
Ty turns around quick when I catch them. Boozie's eyes almost come out of his head. He drops to the ground like he's searching for something and that's the reason he's on his knees. It's clear his mouth is full of Ty's nut the entire time he's doing that.
"Aye it's not what it looks like," Boozie is struggling to say through the sound of guzzled cum, "This isn't any homo shit..."
He can't even talk right. Ty nutted too much in his mouth.
"Yo... um..." Ty starts up, "Um...Boozie. Go down stairs yo. Let me talk to Ty for a second."
Boozie stumbles past me. I stop him grabbing his arm.
"Hey Boozie."
"Yeah?"
"I'll see you around homie," I tell him.
Boozie seems more than anxious to do that. I watch at that moment as Ty pulls his pants up in the room. I'm beyond pissed. This motherfucker then attempts to walk up to me at that moment. I push him away hard as fuck.
"Really? Boozie? That ugly fucking drunk?" I ask him, "Really? You going to cheat on me with that motherfucker?"
"Yo. Quit tripping," he responds, "You fuck Nene all the time."
"Nene is my baby's mother."
"So what? Don't act like you're all innocent. I was just getting some head," Ty responds to me, "You think I give a fuck about Boozie? Let's be serious. It was just fucking head. You know where my heart is."
"Do I?" I ask.
I shake my head. This was disrespectful. Sure I might have fucked around on Ty every once in a while. Not just with Nene either. I fucked around with Lopez. That wasn't the point. I was smart enough to make sure that Ty never caught me fucking around. He could have at least done the same. I can't believe Boozie either. DJ and Kool Aid were all close. At times I thought they had some gay thing going on. Boozie was the one who I swore was straight. I guess everyone was in the closet nowadays. I shake my head annoyed at this situation. I was annoyed and I was heavily disrespected.
Ty walks over to me. He puts his arms around my waist, "I love you. You know that right. Didn't I tell you that it was going to be you and me?"
"Doesn't seem like it."
"What do you mean?"
"You haven't been completely honest with me," I explain to him, "Don't think I'm stupid. Don't think because I convinced dumb ass Sterling that Lopez did the shooting that I actually believe it. I know it was you Ty."
Ty drops his face a little bit. I watch him look over at his desk. A gun is sitting on the desk. He doesn't go for it but he looks at it. I know Ty. He's letting me know that I better not do anything stupid. He's letting me know that I better behave.
"What you going to do about it?" he asks me.
"You think if I was going to tell anyone I wouldn't have done it by now?" I ask him, "Who am I going to tell? Kenyatta? She's still real chummy with the Bakerfield boys. What about Meech? He wouldn't be able to handle it."
Ty raises his eyebrows, "So you're going to keep it a secret."
I sit on the bed.
"Yeah. But I swear to God Ty, if you ever fucking hide some shit like that from me again..."
Ty seems relieved. He walks over to the bed with me. He grabs me and he pulls me close. He kisses me a few times.
"I swear to God I never would," he explains, "I love you yo. I honestly didn't mean to kill the Buchanan's."
"Who helped you? There were two shooters."
"Boozie."
"You trust him?"
"Yeah. Man it's just Boozie. He's loyal... he won't spill."
I look at Ty for a minute. He's trusting. That's always been his issue. He is way too fucking trusting. Him being trusting was going to get him killed and if Ty got killed there would be no one around to look after me. I had chosen him over my own fucking family. Ty owed me and he would stay alive to make sure he paid his debt.
"I bet you think Lopez is loyal too huh?" I ask, "Even after all Sterling said."
"Sterling is cool as fuck, but...I don't know. He only said Kenyatta wanted Lopez to attack me. He never said Lopez actually agreed to it."
"Funny. You just so happened to be attacked today."
"You think it was Lopez."
"I think you should take him out while you have the chance and stop being so fucking stupid," I say.
"Watch your mouth when you fucking talk to me!" He responds pushing me hard. I struggle to maintain my balance.
"I don't mean it baby. It's just...I don't trust Lopez..."
"He's my brother."
"And Meech is my cousin. You killed his family. I'm sitting here on your side after that happened, aren't I?" I ask him, "Lopez has been in jail for how long? Who knows if he is the same person he was before he went in there?"
Ty grabs me up. He's aggressive. He does it in a threatening way. I can tell that I'm hitting a chord with him by even bringing Lopez up. I can tell that he's pissed off. He lifts me high up off the bed.
"You keep accusing my brother of shit and I'll forget that I love you. You hear me? I'll beat your fucking ass Yusef. I swear to God."
Ty means it as well. I can tell he means it. He is so blind. He's so stupid. He's so willing to fuck me up for bringing up Lopez. It annoys me really. Ty listens to me about everything but when it comes to Lopez there is a fucking block there. He's loyal to a fault when it comes to his family and it's just annoying to me. I shake my head and try to soften my face. This is a fight I am realizing I'm not going to win and I'm not going to get my ass beat trying to fight it.
There were other ways...
"Fine," I state and shake my head, "I'm sorry."
Just at that moment Ty lays me down. He's crazy. One minute he's threatening to beat my ass and the next minute he's comforting me. Maybe that's what attracted me to him in the first place. Ty is crazy and I have to admit that I'm a little fucking crazy too. Together we were perfect together. Together we were going to be great.
"You remember when we first got together I promised you that we'd run these streets together. I told you that I'd give you everything. Remember that?" he asks.
"Before you started keeping secrets from me?" I ask.
"That changes now," he responds, "I'm going to launch a big attack against the Bakersfield boys. I'm going to wipe them out. Once my territory expands I'll be the most powerful motherfucker in Chicago. And I want you with me."
I wanted to say something smart. I wanted to say something rude about him wanting Lopez with him more. I feel like if I do he might just slap the dog shit out of me though. So instead of saying anything smart I just nod.
"I believe you," I respond.
"Open your hand."
"Why?"
"Just do what the fuck I say, Yusef. Open your hand."
I open my hand at that moment.
Something is dropped in my hand. I look down at that moment. It's a ring.
"What is this?" I ask, "Are you asking me to..."
"Yeah. Between me and you. Don't wear it...or no gay shit like that. But I want you to marry me. When I control everything we'll make it official in Canada. We'll be married on the DL. No one will have to know but us. That's what important. That's what's always been important."
I'm shocked when I look at the ring. Still I smile. Still I hug him. Still I'm happy. It's amazing that I just been proposed to by a guy who just threatened me. Not too long ago the same guy had been getting head from someone else. He was the same guy who also killed my Uncle, Aunt and Cousin. This wasn't Romeo and Juliet. This wasn't some perfect love story.
This was the block. Who was going to love me? Nene. I wasn't in love with her. She was just some girl who I fucked to hide the fact that I liked dick. She was crazy as fuck too. Even now I swear she put holes in the condom to trap me with a baby. No. Nene wasn't going to love me.
Who was going to love me? Lopez. When he looked at me all he saw was a fuck. All he saw was a piece of ass. He was too busy falling hopelessly in love with Meech. I don't know what it was about Meech that made these guys fall so hopelessly in love with him. Lopez. Sterling. Meech got all the boys tripping.
Who was going to love Yusef?
Ty was. He was grimy. He was a thug. He was a murderer. He was a liar. He was all those things but he was going to love me and goddam it...I was going to love him back.
On my block. You took what you can get.
It's the end of the week and I'm smoking in my house outside of Meech's house. I beep the horn a few times. It's eerie coming back to the Buchanan house. I think Sterling has been staying there keeping Meech company. Kenyatta hasn't been around the Buchanan house. I'm pretty sure she's out with the Bakersfield boys. That's what got her family shot up in the first place. She knew better than that. I wouldn't be surprised if she was dead before the end of the summer especially when Ty really got his hands on her. What a dumb bitch?
I beep the horn, "C'MON MEECH! HURRY THE FUCK UP!"
"I'm coming, nigga! Wait!" Meech screams from the house.
I kind of feel bad sitting in front of this house. I feel like I shouldn't be with Ty because of what he did. But this is Kenyatta's fault. She brought this on the family---not me. I just wasn't about to let this effect the good thing I had going on.
I beep the horn louder. I lay on the thing.
Meech finally comes out. It's night time. He has on a nice little outfit. I watch Sterling watching him from the door. Sterling is watching his ass the entire time. Meech gets in the car and I drive away.
"Where we going?" he asks me.
"We riding. I told you."
"Riding where?"
"You ask too many questions. What's going on with Sterling?" I ask at that moment, "Did you fuck him again?"
"No."
"It's just been you and him in that house and you mean to tell me you haven't fucked him? That boy is going crazy trying to fuck you. What the fuck are you doing?"
"He's not like that. He's like. I don't know. He's some kind of romantic or something," Meech explains to me shrugging his shoulders, "Maybe that's what they teach them in the suburbs. He's some kind of gentleman. He cooks for me and all that kind of shit. Doesn't even want head or nothing for it. Never tries to fuck me...even when he was drunk. Didn't even try to pull his dick out. Can you believe it?"
"Nah. That's nuts."
"He has this house up north Chicago. Not Chiraq. I'm talking about Chicago. The nice parts. He was talking about I should get out of here and go stay up there with him."
"Maybe you should go with him," I explain.
"Nah. That's not for me..."
"Figured you would say that. You real hood, huh Meech?" I ask my cousin, "You from the block. Well c`mon. Hop out the car. I'm about to show you some hood shit."
"Where are we?"
I don't respond.
I hop out the car. I knew this area well. I knew who frequented it. I pull out my glock and start running down the side alley. At the end of the block is the little wino house that people get liquor from at all times of night. I watch some guys walk out of it. One is walking down the same alley as I am. Meech notices the person before I do.
"Boozie what's up man," my cousin says to him.
Boozie waves at my cousin, "Wassup man."
"I told you I'll be seeing you again..." I tell Boozie.
Boozie doesn't expect me to hit him over the head with the side of the glock in the alley. Meech doesn't expect it either.
"Why the fuck you doing all that?" my cousin asks me, "What the fuck?"
I start stomping Boozie out in the back of the alley. My foot is landing on his face. It's hitting him in his sides. Blood is spraying on my boots. I keep kicking and keep kicking though. I am kicking his face in. I'm kicking him right in the mouth that was sucking Ty's dick.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," he's begging.
He should have never fucked my man. My cousin is in shock when I pull the gun out and aim it at Ty's head.
"Oh my god. Yo...Yusef you're tripping! You're tripping!"
Maybe I was tripping. I had to do it. I had to do it not just because he fucked Ty. No. That was easy. I had to get rid of any evidence for Ty. Ty didn't know he needed this but he did. Boozie was a drunk. You couldn't trust a drunk with a secret. You see, the problem with drunks...they spill their guts when they get drunk. He'd tell someone about killing the Buchanans. I had to make sure he was dead before then.
Ty's problem is he was too trusting. He trusted Boozie. He trusted Lopez. I had to make sure that Ty ran these streets. I had to make sure that he was the number one man like I always had.
I start squeezing the trigger.
"I didn't mean to kill your family!" Boozie says out of no where
Fuck. I shoot the gun. Three shots in his head. Meech is just staring blankly. He's confused.
Great.
Now I'd have to figure out a way to explain this to Meech.
This is exactly why Boozie had to die. Ty should have taken him out a long time ago. He spilled his guts the first chance he got.
You couldn't trust a drunk.
To read the next chapter in advance go to www.crushedcrown.com