Page 30

Age 23

I rub my temples trying to get some of this tension out. This nigga Sincere, man… I already rewrote his weak ass lyrics, and showed them how to rap them, and he’s still not doing it right.

The rest of the guys already went out. We were supposed to have been done, but he just had to dip out earlier and go see Brina.

He thinks I don’t know that she’s his new girlfriend, and for the sake of plausible deniability, I let him believe that. Seeing Set sob and ramble about Brina never coming back still haunts me, and I’d rather not be an accessory to a massacre.

“Bro. What’s the issue?”

I speak into the intercom.

Sincere scoffs.

“The problem is these wack ass raps you wrote. It’s just not hitting. I’m the rapper, nigga, and respectfully, you should stick to producing.”

I stand slowly, making sure all the words he just said digest correctly.

“What you say?”

Sincere sighs and scratches his arm.

“My bad, . It’s just, I need this. This my last shot, and it’s not sticking.”

He sits back on the stool in the booth, looking like his dog died.

But I don’t have much sympathy. Not anymore. Sean was on him about perpetrating, and he didn’t listen. He thought muthafuckas would stall him off the strength of him and me, and he thought wrong.

That viral video of his chain getting snatched by some BBs is still making its rounds months later. He expected me to do something, but just like him, I’m not a BB. Foe Dub, yeah, but I ain’t a project baby. And instead of keeping his nose down and doing Set’s bidding, he upped and took his girl.

His rep should be the least of his worries.

“Look–”

The door bursts open, interrupting me. Set barrels in, pulling his piece out as he rips open the door to the booth. Sincere shoots up, backing into a wall.

Set sets his piece on the stool before throwing a left hook straight into his cheek.

“Set!”

He doesn’t hear me, though. He just starts mollywhopping Sincere. That nigga’s crying, yelling for Set to stop, but he just keeping throwing his fists. He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t smirk or even scowl.

I let him get some hits in because Sin deserves it, but when Set straightens and peers at me, I know that was a mistake.

He turns to Sincere, kicking him twice in his stomach to make sure he stays down, before grabbing his gun and rushing toward me.

I turn toward him and don’t flinch when he pushes the barrel into my forehead.

“You knew?” he rasps.

I nod once, and his hand drops, like his gun is all of a sudden too heavy. Hurt spreads over his face as his eyes turn glassy.

“Damn.”

He blinks once, and a tear drops halfway down his cheek before he turns his back to me and walks out.

I curse under my breath and follow him out into the hallway. When I call his name, he turns around to me. All previous emotion is gone. He sheathes his piece and rubs his waves.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him about B’s miscarriage. About how Sincere is the only reason why she’s still hanging, and that’s the only reason why I haven’t stepped in. It’s on the tip of my tongue to remind him how he just, just got to a better place. But I can’t seem to get any words out.

Set just nods.

“Never thought I’d see the day you’d choose up on yo brother. But we not really brothers, huh?”

His words feel like bullets piercing my heart.

“And seeing who yo punk ass daddy is, I shouldn’t be surprised. You dead to me.”

Set turns and walks out of the studio, and out of my life.