Page 7 of For the Love of City

She shrugged her shoulders and looked around before focusing back on us suspiciously. “Shit changes.”

I was gone let her lil cussin’ slide but the first time she cussed at me she was gone be in a world of hurt. “Yeah, I apparently got a dependent and shit and didn’t even get to enjoy the nut it took to make you.”

Her mouth dropped open and she put her hand over her mouth. “Did you really just say that? Out loud?”

“Aye, we can tone shit down, but you gone have to be a little less uptight around us. We some hood niggas and I’m glad you ain’t like these chicks running around trying to be up in any and everyone’s faces, but you gotta toughen up.”

She huffed again like a brat at Travis’ words. “Fine. Anything else?”

“You know how to shoot a gun?” I looked at Travis trying to figure out why the fuck he thought it was a good idea to ask her that shit. In his head he was trying to put her on game but he ain’t even try to ease this girl into this shit.

She looked appalled at the question and it took everything in me not to laugh at the face she was making. “I’m fourteen, why would I know how to fire a gun?”

“Baby girl, I caught my first body at twelve. That’s how I earned the name Trigga.” I sighed and lifted my head to the sky. This nigga was just not understanding that he was about to traumatize this damn girl. I had to live with her so having her trust us was a big damn deal.

“Admitting to murders, not quite what I thought today was going to be like.” She took that shit far too well for me but I still had to figure out how she was feeling.

“I’m sure you didn’t, but this is going to be a quick training to get your ass up to par.

We do shit to make money and folks might frown on the how.

You participating is up to you. But we got a lot of folks that might want to use you to get at us.

Your affiliation can be kept quiet or it can be made known, the choice is yours.

” I didn’t want to throw her into something without giving her a chance to keep living the life she had been.

Her daddy kept her in the house and her mama clearly did but to avoid dealing with her, not to protect her.

I wasn’t about to start off this family shit with treating her the way other people had.

“So either hide or toughen up.”

“Yeah.”

Trav didn’t sugar coat that shit but I was glad he hadn’t. I would’ve tried to make it sound less bad when really it was probably a lot she was gonna need to adapt to.

“I’ll choose door number two. My daddy always taught me never to start a fight but to ensure I finished it.

I’m not about to run around being scary and making his name or y’all’s look bad.

Even if this whole situation is weird, y’all seem okay.

My best friend says y’all some real niggas and I got lucky, whatever that means.

I know better than to think that life was gone be easy so I’m not going to be the weakest link in the family.

” Lyric took a deep breath after she gave us her answer.

Like she’d been rehearsing that speech in her head the whole time we’d been in the other room talking.

“We family now?” My ass was soft but I was grinning at her like a kid. I was happy she said that shit before I had to tell her. We had her back from this point on and nothing would change that.

She humped her shoulders but I could tell she ain’t quite believe that shit yet. “Gotta earn my keep. Since y’all seem like y’all not gonna be on some bullshit earning bread so I’m not a burden is clutch.”

“Damn, you think we just gone be starving you out or something?”

“Nope. But I’m not about to sit around and not take care of myself. You gotta understand who my mama is.” That spoke volumes to how she’d been treated and I glanced at Travis who was frowned up.

“Damn. You used to having to fend for yourself? She really ain’t shit.”

I hit him in the chest with the back of my hand because he couldn’t be talking about that girl mama like that. “Trav!”

“Nah, he don’t need to stick up for her.

She’s had me calling her Reina for the last few years so I don’t even think of her as my mama.

Just the babysitter who kept looking out the window for my parents to come home.

Whatever y’all are trying to tiptoe around I’ve already adjusted to.

” Her shoulders humped again and I was beyond irritated that Reina had fucked this lil girl up the way she had.

Even if she didn’t say it out loud, I knew how that shit hurt from experience.

“Damn, you are smart.” Travis was looking at me like his earlier comment was now valid. His ass still didn’t make any sense but I’d let him have it.

“Yeah, but I ain’t too sure on school.” Lyric’s face was scrunched up like she ain’t have no love for her education but I wasn’t about to have that.

She wasn’t gone get people looking at me because she ain’t want to follow the rules.

And hanging out with dummies wasn’t something that we did.

It gave too much space for people to get caught up.

I chuckled and crossed my arms in my first act as big brother/father. “But your ass going. Georgia not about to get my ass on some truancy bullshit. You gone make good grades too.”

When she sucked her teeth my brows shot up but I couldn’t help but laugh. “Anything else, warden?”

“For every A you bring home, pop quiz report card whatever, you get one step closer to your studio time.”

That got her ass bought in with the quickness. “And if I wanted to earn money on my own?”

“What you mean?”

“Like I said, my friend—” She was fumbling over her words and her hands so I knew she knew she shouldn’t be speaking on this shit for real.

“Don’t know shit. She’s assuming. And whatever business you earn your way into ain’t got nothing to do with her, feel me?

” From what I heard about her friend was that she was hot in the ass and was quickly becoming a pass around for the young niggas on the block trying to work her way up to a bigger fish.

I wasn’t about to have Lyric sucked into that life with her.

And telling that girl any of her business would be the same way that King got caught up pillow talking.

“Yes.”

I ain’t say shit for a minute before I gave a quick nod and motioned for her to get up off the floor. “Good. Now you and your knife get your shit together. We finna go eat and figure some shit out. Aight?”

She smiled for the first time since she got here as she stood up from the floor.

“Aight.”