Do Or Die

Chapter 1

QUARTER I

Chapter 1

I walked towards Lionel and Marcus, dribbling my basketball at the same time. I laughed while approaching them commenting “I see yall punks still waiting on me as usual.” 

They ain’t take it personal like most people I know would. I’ve been friends with them since second grade. I met them in the principal’s office when I got caught jumping a third grader for trying to hook up with my lil sister, Rose. They were in for flipping off Mr. Howard during class. They were bad. I was bad. After the meeting, we did everything together-even initiating ourselves into the Blood set [1-2] Elm Street Pirus (A.K.A. The 356) [3]. Since then, I’ve learned that Lionel is competitive and Marcus is the trash-talker. 

“I know you not talking with yo pretty boy act!” Marcus lashed back.

“Funny you say that. Yo sister called me a man last night!” I joked.

“While yall talking, I slept with both of yall sisters AND Mamas last night!”

Everything went silent between us as I shot Lionel a death glance.

“Sorry man. I forgot.”

“You cool.” I sat on the school steps and looked up at the dawn sky. “Mama and Tiara some place better than this hellhole.”

It wasn’t Lionel’s fault that they were dead. It was Eddie’s fault for not being there to protect them. I call him Eddie ‘cause he is one of the many people in this sick and twisted world who doesn’t deserve the title of a father. 

I looked back at Lionel and Marcus, who completely forgot about the blasting war, checking out girls passing by. It was normal for them since they knew half the girls at the school wasn’t their type. The other half was either taken, playing for the other team (if you get what I mean by that statement), or after some other boy. 

“Aye man, check out the one near the tree. She is fine!” 

“And she got the three B’s! Booty…”

“Body…” Lionel continued.

“Breast!” They recited at the same time.

I laughed and looked at her. I ain’t really think many girls around here were ‘fine’. Pretty or cute, maybe. But ‘fine’ wasn’t in my dictionary…until now. 

She sat against the tree rocking some Baby Phat while listening to her iPod. Something about the limited light around her made her extremely sexy. I slowly started smiling and licked my lips for no particular reason.

“DJ, she ain’t a piece of chicken,” I recall Tiara telling me when I started dating this girl in eighth grade. 

“I bet yall five dollars neither one of you can get her.”

I looked up at Lionel with a skeptical look. “This is not ‘The Wood’. I am not betting on who get the booty first!” 

“I ain’t saying that. I meant whoever can get her to like us. And when I say ‘us’, I mean me. So hand over five dollars smart ass.” 

“Boy, in yo dreams! She’s mine, but be happy to watch and learn!” Marcus laughed, handing Lionel five dollars. We looked at him talk to the girl. There was a moment of silence before we heard Marcus yell “Man, no body want yo ass anyway!” 

“What happened?” Lionel said on the edge of exploding into laughter.

“She flipped me off!”

“But what did you say?” I asked peeking over Marcus to look at her.

“All I asked is if she was DTF. [4]”