Three Deep

The reunion

The next morning Tyrell was stretched out on the couch half asleep. Lazing around the room, he was smoking a blunt with music playing loudly. Tyrell seemed to be in another world, until heard the house phone ring. He hesitated to answer.

“Hello?”

“What up nigga? This Rachi,” Sarrachi said. Tyrell sat up, he lowered the volume to the music.

“My nigga! What’s good?” Tyrell asked.

“Meka told me you just got out.” Sarrachi exclaimed. Nodding his head, Tyrell stood up.

“Hell yea. Spent the other day with the fam.” He retorted. “Where you at dog? I’m finna come through.” He slipped on his shoes.

“I at the Hills, you gon see me outside.” Sarrachi replied.

“Say no more,” Tyrell said and hung up. He got up, stretched and rolled the creeks out of his neck. Before he left the room he looked through the window outside. On the third floor of the housing complex he could see what was going on in the streets below. It seemed pretty slow for a Wednesday morning.

Tyrell locked the door and jogged down the stairs. Chilling on the bottom floor of the apartment complex was a group of four Crown Joka’s. Although they were in a different set, they claimed the same gang as Tyrell.

“TY! What good with you dog?” One guy asked, dapping him in their gang handshake. “When you got out?”

“Yesterday. I’m bout to make moves right now,” Tyrell said. The guy studied Tyrell; he could tell he was high.

“What you been smokin’ on cuz? Over there lookin’ like Egg fu yung,” He teased. Tyrell and the others laughed.

“Just some mid. It been fire though,” Tyrell boasted. “You know how I rock,” he laughed as he tapped the guy in the side.

“I hear ya,” The guy smirked. “We bout to get like you dog, … but don’t let me hold you. Ya know what I’m sayin’, I’ll holla.”

“Yea, do that,” Tyrell said walking off. He went to the bus stop at the entrance of the neighborhood. The bus took five minutes to come and was overly crowded. Tyrell got onboard and sat near the middle; he started to fall asleep on the ride to Valley Hills.

While Tyrell was on his way over, Sarrachi and Diamond were outside of Sarrachi’s apartment working on his car. Sarrachi was now 19 years old, he was 5'7" and slimly built. Dressed in black, he had a bandana in his back right pocket. His dreads were in two ponytails on the right side of his head.

Sarrachi’s cousin Diamond was now 16-years-old. She’s dark skinned, 5’3”, and slender for her size. She wore her hair in micro braids that drop to her neck. Diamond’s eyes were dark brown, and her eyelids naturally low, giving the impression that she’s high. She joined the Black Joka’s at age 12. In the same set as Sarrachi, Diamond was the last known member to join the Savage Ville Joka’s. She wore all black with a bandana on her head.

Diamond leaned in the trunk of Sarrachi’s old Crown Victoria. She struggled to fit the proper wires together in an attempt to get the sound system to work again. Standing by the car smoking a black, Sarrachi was of no help. When a loud popping noise rang in the air, he went to check it out.

“The hell was that?” He wondered. He watched as Diamond blew out a few sparks that caught flame. She tried to hide the burn marks on the trunk carpet.

“Aint nothin’…” she lied. “Almost done.”

“You sure you know what you doin’?” Sarrachi taunted.

“Yea nigga. I put this bitch in aint I?” Diamond got defensive. Sarrachi took a long pull on his black and blew the smoke in his cousin’s face.

“You fuck up my car imma whip yo ass.” He threatened. Diamond waved the smoke away and frowned at him.

“Shut the fuck up.” She hissed.

“Yooo!” A voice called from the distance. Sarrachi and Diamond turned around with a scowl, until they realized who said it. Tyrell walked up to Sarrachi first and dapped him in their gang handshake, afterwards he dapped him in their special childhood handshake.

“What’s up bruh?” Tyrell asked. He went over to Diamond and dapped her in their gang handshake as well. “What’s good with ya’ll niggas?”

“Aint shit…” Sarrachi replied. He leaned on the door of his car. “Hopin’ Dia don’t mess up my whip.” Tyrell glanced at Diamond who was busy in the trunk.

“Oh yea?” Tyrell said. “Dia, when you learn that shit?” Diamond looked up from her work and wiped the sweat from her brow.

“A few months back.” She answered. “When my pops got out he showed me what’s up.”

  “Oh word,” Tyrell nodded. He took a whiff of the air, smelling the burnt wires. “Yeaaah… so, where everybody else? I aint hear from no body in a minute.”

"Come on bruh, you know we couldn’t do shit. We still on probation." Sarrachi retorted. Sarrachi was referring to a law that that prohibited felon gang members from contacting fellow members who were incarcerated. Since both Sarrachi and Diamond have previous convictions, they were subject to the law, and could only contact Tyrell through Jameka.

“Yea you right dog.” Tyrell admitted. “But I aint hear from Tay, Amp, or GG.” Diamond stopped her work on the car. A serious look grew on her face. Seeing his friend Tyrell knew something was up. “What? Somethin’ happen to em?”

“Damn…” Sarrachi paused. “Meka aint tell you?” Tyrell shook his head. “Bruh, Tay dead. Him and Amp.”

“What? What bout GG, where she at?” Tyrell wondered.

“I don’t know. She went up top and we aint hear from her since,” Sarrachi answered. “Probably fucked around and got locked up,”

“You lyin’.” Tyrell said. Diamond shook her head.

“Wish he was.” She added. “But it true, The Ville dyin’.” Diamond was referring to their set, Savage Ville Joka’s.

“Yea,” Sarrachi nodded. “Seem like ever since JP got kilt, shit’s been goin’ down the drain. And now that you out, it’s just us three.”

“Damn yo. . .” Tyrell sighed.

“But you know that’s how it go.” Sarrachi said. “So, you talk to yo P.O yet?”

 “Hell naw. I gotta see that nigga in like twenty minutes.” Tyrell replied. “All I know is that he puttin’ me down with a job.”

“That’s what’s up, I got you on a ride. Where it at?” Sarrachi offered.

“Downtown somewhere. I really don’t know. I just got a phone number.” Tyrell answered.

“Word.” Sarrachi looked at his Cousin. “Man you done yet?” Diamond slammed the trunk shut and mean mugged Sarrachi.

“Yea nigga. You good to go,” She retorted. “Your welcome.” Sarrachi ignored her and hopped in driver seat.

“Shit, you said you got twenty minutes aint it?” he asked. Tyrell nodded his head. “Good, first thing first. Let’s get you strapped.” Tyrell and Diamond jumped in the car and shut the doors.

“That’s what I’m talkin’ bout.” Tyrell grinned.

“You gon need it. The Murda done spread.” Diamond referred to their gang’s number one rival, the Insane Murda Mafia.

            ”And? What the hell they gon do to me,” Tyrell shrugged.

            “eh,” Sarrachi added. “ He pulled out the parking lot and drove down the road.