Page 14 of June: When Gangstas Collide

Anthony and I rode through the streets as I tried to get to Naheem. I was boiling inside, all while Anthony was unbothered. As I hit each corner, my eyes bounced from the road to him. The fact that he was so unbothered bothered the fuck out of me.

“What do you see in Naheem, huh?” I asked.

Anthony glanced at me, “Everything you don’t.”

“Nigga you got to be sick. Naheem is no better than Angela. I’m confused, are we seeing the same nigga.”

“I could ask you the same thing about Angela, but I digress.”

“Oh, so now you’re the smart twin, bet.”

“No nigga, I’m the fucked up one. Naheem helped me. Naheem is my pops. I have one person, other than you, whom I barely know, who sees me. So yes, Bishop, I see him differently than you. I think you need to talk to him.”

This nigga was bat shit crazy. I knew that Anthony felt like what I wanted to do to Naheem would be him losing a person who he thought loved him, but I knew Naheem, that nigga didn’t love nobody but himself.

My phone vibrated, and I saw that Pierre was calling. I hit ignore because I was in the middle of talking to my brother. Anthony and my disagreement bothered me because I couldn’t understand why he felt the way he felt, and he didn’t understand why I felt the way I felt. Instead of taking him with me to see Naheem, I decided to drop him off. Anthony rubbed his scar on the side of his head.

“What are you going to do about that nigga, man?”

“What nigga?”

“The hood nigga night rider. He said he related to Indi and Tania. Is there some truth to that?”

I honestly didn’t know, but the way Indigo talked, and he acted, it had to have some truth to it. Hell, the Merciers vouched for it. I looked back at Anthony, “Yeah, it is. I know you grew up around Indigo and Tania, Anthony but we’re blood. I need you to understand that, so whatever it is they are going through with that nigga has nothing to do with you. Let’s talk about something else.”

I wanted to get to know him more but wasn’t sure what to ask. It was already clear that he had been through hell and back, and a part of him was disconnected from the world. He was already agitated from the conversation, so I held off. It took me no time to reach Lani’s. When I pulled up, Anthony turned to me.

“What’s your favorite color?” he asked.

“Blue, yours?”

“Red because that’s all I’m going to see if you don’t handle that nigga,”

he slurred before getting out.

I laughed because the comment was slick. However, I knew my niggas were counting on me to fix shit, but I was separated from my baby, and that was making it hard for a nigga to function.

It had been a few days, and things seemed to be ok. There was no smoke in the city yet, and that made me feel a little relief, but the lingering feeling of June not wanting to let shit go still settled in the back of my mind.

We needed to replenish our nursery inventory. June said we were going to rebuild, but in the meantime, we would set up on the other side of where the shop used to be to sell plants. When I arrived at Café Lane, the thought of dealing with Ms. Snow gave me a tinge of excitement because she really believed that Mr. Midnight was going to come crawling through her window. If she kept fucking with me, she would meet Mr. Midnight permanently.

Before getting out of the car, I noticed June pulling up in that fucked up ass Caprice. What the hell? He got out, glanced around, and disappeared into the alleyway. I sucked my teeth and opened my door. I wasn’t the type to make an ass out of myself, but it wasn’t June that I didn’t trust, it was that Ms. Snow bitch. I hurried across the street and into the alleyway. When I reached the storefront, I stood outside the window to watch. June patiently waited in line until it was his turn. The cashier said something to him and then went to the back of the store.

The bitch hadn’t gone to the back this entire time. My arms crossed over my stomach as my eyes rested on my husband. Moments later, Nyomi came waltzing her ass out the back. She laughed, then reached out to touch him, but he stepped back. Laugh, extend her hand. Smirk extends her hand again. When she tried the third time and landed that hand on him, it had me riled up.

Tell the bitch to move her hands before I break my foot off in both y’all’s ass.

His head spun around to look for me, but I knew he couldn’t see me outside the window because of the crowd of people inside.

Oh, so you’re a fighter now?

Let me show you.

I came around the outdoor seating and entered the shop. Her eyes landed on me, and so did his. My feet moved fast to get closer to them. I stood next to June and smiled.

“I didn’t know if you needed help with the order.”

June placed his hand on the small of my back.

June, get your fucking hands off me.

I cut my eyes at him, before they landed back on her.

“Can we add an extra couple of ounces of the Midnight tea. I devour a cup a day, maybe two.”

You know I don’t even move like that, chill yo ass out.

Just get the fucking tea!

Nyomi sucked her teeth as she slowly backed away and into the back. It took another ten minutes before they came out with the cases we needed. As soon as he had them in his hands, we left. “Zaria!”

he called out, but I kept walking.

I didn’t know what was going on between him and me, but I didn’t like the feeling. Could it have been the pregnancy hormones? It’s possible, but my heart was telling me that the couple everyone looked up to was falling the fuck apart. I was fighting with the tears that were screaming to roll down my face as June’s voice calling my name got louder and rougher. I began walking across the street when I heard him scream my name louder than ever. I spun in the middle of the street to look at him when I saw him drop the boxes, hauling ass toward me. I turned to look, and a car slammed on its brakes, almost hitting me. My eyes fluttered, my knees felt weak, and I blacked out.