Page 9 of All The Smoke

S moke.

“You been coming to see me a lot more lately, lil nigga. Clientele must have doubled,” Mase said as he counted the money I’d given him.

Just like me, he hand counted his money because it was more accurate and dependable than an automatic counter. I would hate to go to a nigga’s house and kill him because he shorted me after seeing the machine made a mistake. So I always counted my bread by hand.

“Something like that.” I nodded. “I been selling them pens and shit you recommended and my wax too.”

“You need to let me invest and go into business with you with ya wax shit,” he said. “You’d make a killing off that shit in High Timez.”

“And so would you.” I smirked.

I had been making my own wax for my blunts since I was a lil nigga.

The first time I tried it I was higher than the price of eggs but stopped smoking other people’s shit because one of the homies tweaked out.

So I learned to make it myself. I put Bino and Scoot on and at first it was just us that I supplied, but them niggas had been spreading the word about it like wildfire so mothafuckas had been inquiring about it lately.

I sold it to some of my clientele, including Mase, but I didn’t fuck with everybody on that shit.

Only reason I sold it to a few of my jugs was because he pushed me to let others try it.

“Yeah, but you more than me.” He laughed. “You know I’ve been rocking with you since you were a fucking kid, I wouldn’t buss your head.”

“I’m knowing.” I nodded, running a hand down my fade. “I don’t know though. Shit would take a lot of my time. Between hustling, being a father, and my brother, a nigga is scarce on free time.”

“I have complete confidence that you would figure it out,” he replied, passing me the blunt he had rolled. “I want you to go to Cali with me and meet some of my distributors out that way.”

My brows furrowed. I wasn’t aware that he worked with anyone other than the OG Cannon. “You cop from other mothafuckas?”

“Naw.” He chuckled as he began to pile the money into the safe.

“They work for me. I got about four stores across the states, but none of them have this.” He lifted the little container of wax I brought him.

“Me, Rock, his brother, Mott, and the OG going to Cali in like two months. I want you to go with us.”

My brows lifted. “Yeah?”

I had been working with Mase since I was a little nigga and had only seen Cannon in passing so him asking me to be around the nigga was huge for me.

Shit, Mott too. Them niggas was top fucking dogs for real.

I’d linked with Rock and Keem a few times before already, especially at The Spot, but it was still an honor being in their presence too.

I felt like all the hustle and shit was about to start paying off.

“Hell yeah. I been telling them how much work you be putting in since I do a lot of business with them, so I want you to officially meet them.”

It made sense that he worked hand in hand with them because them niggas were the fucking plugs around here. I couldn’t imagine anyone was slanging shit out here without them knowing. Plus, with Mase having a dispensary and shit, why wouldn’t he be working hand in hand with the fucking connects?

“Shit, hell yeah I’ll go.” I grinned. “Damn man, I appreciate you for inviting me.”

I wasn’t a groupie nigga by far, but I was grateful. I had plans on leveling up and locking in with niggas like Cannon and Mott, hell Rock and Keem too, was lit. They were really some boss ass niggas I had always looked up to.

“It ain’t shit.” He smiled and stood and I followed suit, passing his blunt back to him. “Cannon is kind of tight with details until the last minute, but as soon as I get them then I’ll get with you.”

“Bet.” I dapped him up. “Thanks again, bro.”

“No doubt.”

With one final nod, I headed out of Mase’s office and went to the register to buy more of his weed pens that I mainly sold to my women clients.

Sure they could have shopped with Mase for them, but I sold them cheaper and High Timez was on the opposite side of town from where I did business, so I was a little more convenient.

After making my purchase and heading to my car, I called my lil man. He had been with his mother all week and was usually ready to run out the door to me.

“Hey, Daddy!” he exclaimed as soon as the call connected. “Where are you?”

“’Bout to ride by my crib then I’m gon’ come grab you.”

“Mommy got us tickets to Splash Mountain next weekend since it’s spring break.”

“Yeah?” I smiled and nodded, a little impressed that she had actually taken some initiative. “That’s going to be lit as fuck, Solo.”

“She said you’re coming too.”

My smile slowly faded. I didn’t want to discourage my son because he had no idea how much I really hated his stupid ass mama, but she knew. I promised my brother that I would take it a little easier on her but I ain’t said shit about going on no fucking vacations or no shit.

“Where ya mother at?”

“In her room on the phone.”

“Let me holla at her.”

Nodding, he climbed off his bed and jetted out of his room. His little ass acted like he didn’t know how to walk. I had to get on him all the time about running through my crib and my parents’ shit too.

“Stop running through here, Solo,” Bri fussed and his motions slowed immediately.

“Sorry, Mommy,” he mumbled before giving his phone to her.

“Hey.”

“What’s up?” I greeted. “Tell him to go back to his room so I can holla at you.”

Her brows pinched but she did what I asked, telling Solo to have his sister fix his plate, letting me know she had either cooked or bought some food. It was more than likely the latter because her ass rarely cooked.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Why you tell Solo I was going up the mountains with y’all, Bri?”

“I didn’t… I don’t know.” She corrected the lie she told. “He wanted us to go as a family.”

“Yeah, you and his fucking sister, Brianna, and you know that.” I shook my head. I hated how manipulative she was when it came to our son. My parents did the same shit. They knew the only way to get to me was through my son or Noah. I hated that shit.

“Smoke, would it be so bad?” Bri asked, jarring me from my thoughts. “He needs to see us do more than argue and go at each other’s throats.”

“He never hears me talk shit to you, Bri. It’s you that can’t control your mouth when you need to.

” I sighed and ran my hand down my head before putting my car in park since I was at the crib to put all the shit away.

“How you know I don’t have shit to do next week, while you making plans for me and shit. ”

“Surely hoes aren’t more important than your son, Mr. Father of the Year.” She rolled her eyes then asked, “Do you have plans?”

“If I did, I don’t anymore,” I grumbled.

“He was too excited to hear I was coming for me to turn him down.” Excitement swept across her face hearing that.

Brianna tried everything to get me to stay a night with her.

She tried to use holidays as a reason, when Solo was sick, appointments.

You name it, her ass had tried it, but I shot her down every time.

My days for sliding in that loose ass pussy were over and I didn’t want my son or her daughter hearing me disrespect her when she tried that shit. “You booked a room already?”

“Yeah, at the resort. There are two beds so you can have one with Solo and I’ll take the other one with Nini,” she suggested but I wasn’t feeling it.

“Naw, you know that ain’t happening.” I shook my head. “I’ll book my own shit.”

“It’s booked up.” She smirked.

“You did this shit on purpose.”

“Just want our son to enjoy himself.” She shrugged and smiled.

Fake ass.

“Whatever,” I mumbled. “Tell him I’ll hit him back later.”

I didn’t give her a chance to reply before I disconnected the call and headed inside the crib. I’d come to drop my shit off before heading to my house but I noticed Bino and Scoot’s whips in the yard so I was gon’ see what they were on. It had been a minute since we just kicked it anyway.

After grabbing the duffle bag from my back seat I killed the engine to my car and snatched the keys up before heading inside, finding them in the kitchen putting groceries away.

My brow furrowed at the sight because we never kept food in this house, not the kind they were putting away.

We had snacks and shit for when we were high and had the munchies, but these niggas had full blown groceries like we were about to live in this bitch.

“What’s this?” I asked, tossing the duffle on the counter.

Bino and Scoot did the same shit I did, only I supplied them.

They were scary ass niggas when we were jits so they didn’t push back then, but when they saw how good I was doing they wanted in on it.

Since they were like brothers to me, I put them on.

We had a smooth ass operation running too.

We made plenty of money but I was nowhere near where I needed to be, which was why Mase putting me in front of the big homies was clutch as fuck.

“We gon’ have a pool party tomorrow.”

My brows furrowed as I looked between the two of them. “The pool not even ready.”

“Jericho came through and got it ready for us.”

Jericho was this old dopehead from the hood that could legit do anything asked of him for the right price or some dope. I didn’t dabble in that shit but Bino did, so he was always around doing some shit for us.

“Who y’all inviting?” I asked. “I don’t want no house full of hoes over here.”

“Nigga, this ain’t just yo’ spot.” Bino laughed.

“I know that but this my fucking operation, smart ass, so don’t be making the spot hot.”

“We not. It’s this shorty I been talking to and some of her people gon’ fall through. ’Bout six chicks max and maybe some of the homies. We gon’ throw some shit on the grill and just vibe.”