Page 34

River Ashland

W hile the other girls were going on and on, chatting about random shit, I sat watching my best friend.

Since becoming a mother, I felt like I hadn't been there for her how I should have.

It was never intentional, but the way I've been in my head has had me neglecting spending time with Chosyn.

We talked daily, but nothing compared to time spent.

The time apart also helped me to notice something was wrong with Chosyn.

She was withdrawn from the conversation about Navy and Honor, which was strange because she was really Navy's only friend here.

Honey and I were cool with her, but Navy spoke to Chosyn more than she talked to any of us.

Chosyn didn't even say much when Honey started going on about Lynx and how he wanted her to chill on robbing niggas.

She sat quietly with her phone in hand, and tossed out the occasional mhmm.

"Chosyn, let me talk to you in the kitchen."

I didn't wait for her to agree because it wasn't up for discussion.

I grabbed her hand, told the girls we'll be back, and walked her into the kitchen.

She hopped onto the counter with her lips pursed.

I laughed because it reminded me of when we were younger.

Anytime my mother wanted to talk to us, she asked us to come in the kitchen.

Chosyn would hop on the counter and twist her lips up, thinking it would stop my mom from finding out whatever she needed to know.

"You know what my momma would say if she saw you?" I laughed.

"Girl, turning your lips up won't stop nothing I have to say. Now fix your mouth." She giggled, sounding just like my mom.

"Right. Lakelyn did not play that suffering in silence shit."

"She didn't, but somehow you still found a way to do it."

"Huh?" That caught me off guard because this wasn't about me.

"Don't huh me. I didn't want to say anything in front of the girls, but you told Crown you love him, River."

"Okay?"

"That's not a small thing."

"Never said it was," I snapped.

"Woah! I'm not the enemy here. All I'm saying is telling Crown you love him doesn't fix all the real problems the two of you have."

"What problems since you know so much about our relationship?"

"You know what, never mind. I have my own problems to figure out. Do what you want," Chosyn threw her hands up.

"You don't get to say that bullshit, then say never mind. Say what you have to say."

"Fine." She shrugged. "I love that you're finally opening up to the idea of love, but for you to give Crown what he deserves, you have to close the door on Sincere."

"Chosyn..."

Shaking my head, I followed her name with silence.

"Grieve him, River, and move on. Not because you feel like you have to, but because you want to."

"I hear you," I mumbled, not having much of a response besides that. "What’s wrong with you? And please don't say nothing because I'm not in the mood to drag it out of you?"

"Choyce sent me a picture of her daughter holding mine."

"What?" I blacked, and within seconds, the rest of the girls filed into the kitchen.

"What happened now?" Honey asked.

"Choyce has been reaching out a lot lately. Normally, I ignore the texts because I'm unsure whether I want a relationship with her or to kill her."

"I vote for killing her," Navy asserted.

We all looked at her, and she shrugged. I guess those insecurities of hers were starting to get the best of her.

"I know you do, friend." Chosyn giggled.

"No, but forreal. I kind of understand why she did what she did, but what hurts is that she didn't think enough of me to just ask for my help.

I don't care how much time passed, or that I thought she was dead.

I raised that girl. All she had to do was ask for my help, and I would've done whatever for her. "

"That's one perspective," Kyree said.

"What?" Chosyn frowned.

"I'm saying from your point of view, I understand why you feel how you do, but look at things from hers. She was thrown into the back of a car. Like you, she didn't know what happened to you."

"Yeah, but she found Chosyn," Honey spoke up.

"True, but she probably didn't understand that the time away didn't change the love you have for her," Kyree finished.

"Not you caping for her," Kysre sneered.

"I'm not. Just putting things in perspective. Making decisions based on half the picture will get you killed."

"Mhm," Kysre smacked, rolling her eyes.

I wasn't going to say anything, but that felt like Kyree was shooting at her twin.

"Anyway, that doesn't even matter because who I'm mad at is my husband. Phoenix left here with Wolfe. It's his job to keep my daughter safe and away from my fucking sister," Chosyn spat as a light flickered in her eyes.

"Fuck it. What you wanna do?" Honey tossed out.

"Wait, Phoenix was with Choyce's daughter, which means Honor was around Choyce?" I couldn't tell if Navy was slow or just too caught up in her own head to hear what all had already been said.

"Girl, I'ma need you to hit the blunt. Choyce is living rent-free in that pretty ass head of yours," Honey said before walking away to the living room.

"She's not lying. I would never let a bitch see me sweat." Kyree smirked.

"Yeah, okay." Kysre snickered.

"Bitch—"

"Can you two knock it off, damn," I huffed. "Chosyn, before you go do something crazy, why don't you just call Wolfe and find out what happened?"

"Yeah... no... there's something I've been wanting to do for a while but couldn't because I was pregnant. Now that I'm not, I think I should remind Wolfe and Choyce who the fuck Chosyn Gravehart is."

"Ohhh, I'm down!" Honey squealed, coming back into the kitchen with a blunt in hand. She passed it to Navy, who took it without question.

"I'm... I'm in." Her ass coughed out the words from inhaling too deep.

"What do you have in mind?" Kysre quizzed.

"A cocktail party," Chosyn smirked.

"Say less, I'm about to text Rize and tell him we need?—"

"No!" We all shouted except for Kysre.

"Rize is with the guys. If he leaves, then they'll know something is up and stop us before we can get started," Chosyn explained.

"When did you and Rize become close?" I asked.

"The night Crown almost killed Rook," Kyree answered like it was nothing. "You might wanna check on him. Crown fucked him up pretty bad."

I groaned, knowing Rook probably didn't want to see me, and his wife, Monica, was probably waiting to curse me out.

"We don't need a nigga for what I wanna do. Just be ready to get yelled at when they show up." Chosyn hopped off the counter and ran up the stairs. The rest of us gathered our things to do whatever Chosyn's crazy ass had planned.

"I can't believe you have me out here about to burn down this nigga's childhood home." Hopping out of Chosyn's car, I grabbed my two cocktails and tucked them in the pockets of my sweats.

"I mean, you can always stay in the car with Navy." Chosyn chucked her chin toward Navy parked behind us, sitting in the driver's seat, shaking her head at our childish behavior.

"We could use another lookout. On the way over, I swore I heard her sniffling while driving," Kysre announced, walking over to us with Kyree in tow.

"She was crying. Honor got our girl down bad." Honey sighed.

"It's not Honor. That man loves and worships the ground she walks on literally. Navy just can't see beyond the shit she doesn't like about him. Enough about her. Y'all ready to light the block up?" Chosyn giggled.

"Yup, and Rize said the guys are like a block away." Kyree cheesed.

"Let's get this over with."

The five of us dressed in black sweats and hoodies courtesy of Wolfe's closet, pulled down our shiesty masks and jogged across the street and toward the back of the house."

"Wait, what about the street cams?" Honey asked, causing all of us to freeze.

"I have it covered." Kysre smized.

"The dog, nigga?" Kyree asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. Stay out my business. Chosyn, you ready?"

"Yup. Stand back so I can break the windows."

Taking a hammer, Chosyn broke all the windows on this side of the house, then moved over to the ones on the right side. Once done, we all took out cocktails and Chosyn went down the line lighting them all.

"Throw them as far into the house as you can. Wolfe said there's still some furniture in the house, but nothing crazy. I want this bitch burned to the ground."

We all nodded, then proceeded to throw twenty-five Molotov cocktails into the house.

"Let's go!" I spat after seeing shit start to catch fire.

Honey, Kysre, and Kyree took off first. Chosyn started to run but stopped when she didn't see me behind her.

"River, we gotta?—"

"It hurts, Chosyn," I winced.

"Wha... what hurts?"

Doubling over, I screamed in pain.

"Ahh, fuck. River, come on, lean on me. We have to?—"

"Four what the fuck you doing back here?"

His voice was enough for me to push through the pain. I walked the few steps to get to him before falling into his arms. Crown scooped me up and all felt right again, but I didn't miss the nasty look he shot Chosyn before carrying me back to the car.

"Crown, I?—"

"Don't say shit Four," he gritted, strapping me into the seat hard as fuck.

"Crown, look at me... Cortez, give me back my fucking glasses!" I shouted.

"If you can't see maybe your ass will forget how to talk too."

"That doesn't make sense," I huffed.

Slamming the door, I watched him jog over to Rize and Lynx. They said a few words then dapped each other up. When he came back, he stopped at his trunk.

"Take this," he said after opening my door. Looking at what was in his hand, I scoffed. "Four take this fucking cane."

"No! Give me back my glasses or grab me one of the other pairs you have in the back of your car like a fucking creep."

"Oh, now I'ma creep." He nodded, licking his lips. "Keep fucking talking and your blind ass won't ever see again."

"There are contacts for a reason." I smirked.

At the mention of contacts, I at least thought he would say a snide remark or make a joke but this nigga's entire face turned cold. Leaning toward me, Crown gripped my throat.

"Contacts is the reason your ass is recovering now. Keep fucking playing with me, Four. I'm not the type of nigga who talks just to hear his own fucking voice. Take this fucking cane. It'll be your eyes until I feel you appreciate the beauty in being able to see."

"I appreciate the beauty in seeing," I croaked.

"Obviously not 'cause your ass keeps ending up in bullshit situations. What made you think setting Wolfe's childhood home on fire was a good idea?" He frowned, loosening his grip on my neck. His hands caressed my throat until his fingers squeezed at my jaw.

"I was being there for Chosyn."

"Yeah, well, following Chosyn earned you a week with this cane."

"You can't be serious," I pouted, hoping that would help.

"Fix your face. That cute shit's not gon' work on me. Being able to see is a privilege, and I revoked yours."

Kissing me on the lips, Crown closed my door before hopping in on the driver's side.

As I looked out the window, I caught chills seeing the house go up in flames.

By now, someone should have called the fire department.

Navy pulled off first, with Honor following her.

Rize and Kyree pulled off next, and his car was followed by Honey and Kysre.

I looked for Chosyn and her ass was just now coming across the street with Wolfe at her side.

"Y'all get up out of here. The fire department and shit are on their way," Wolfe said, eyeing the fuck out of Chosyn.

"Nigga, don't look at me like that." She smirked. "River, where are your glasses? Did you drop them?"

Crown's goofy ass started snickering, so I slapped his chest.

"Apparently, my vision privileges have been revoked, and I'm left with a cane." I moved the cane up for Chosyn to see and her ass started laughing.

"Crown, give my friend back her glasses," Chosyn spat.

"Nah. She's gotta do her time like the real nigga you got her acting like."

"I'll call you when he gives me my first phone call!" I shouted out the window as Crown sped off.

As he drove, I caught the flames growing in the distance. I inwardly laughed because if one thing was true, Chosyn was always going to be Chosyn.