PERIOD OF GEE III

fourteen.

- excuse my mistakes, love.

Southside Chicago, Illinois
1:20 PM

Ariel Velazquez | Lady Gee

1997

"There go yo crush right over there, Mami."

Sipping on my water, I looked behind to see him up on a wall with a lit blunt behind his ear as he communicate with his homeboys. He was doing him, posted on his block and making money.

"Bye Vanessa. You know he not fronting me, girl." I playfully waved her off. She was always airing my shit out.

"You know you want him." My other friend, Sanaa, said which made Vanessa nod.

"And do, so what? He gone ignore my sophomore ass."

"Class of '98, what it do babyyyy!" Vanessa cupped her hands around her mouth so she was louder than her ass already was.

They started laughing while I rolled my eyes at they old asses. Being the youngest out the group was trash.

"Trace talking to him anyway, lets go over there." Sanaa said, referring to her boyfriend.

They been together since their freshman year with a baby on the way. I loved that. Shit, I wanted that.

The more we walked over there, the more I grew nervous. As we got closer, the group of boys noticed. I tried to keep my head down and stay silent while as they said their "heys" to them.

I was relatively new around here, so Sanaa and Vanessa were my only friends.

Vanessa went over to one of her niggas, so I stayed with Sanaa and her boyfriend. I loved my girl, but she be hoeing it up. I tell her everyday that she gone catch something if she's not safe.

( if y'all be paying attention: Vanessa, Chapo mama, died of HIV years later lol )

"Who this Sanaa?" I looked up and saw my crush sizing me up. He smirked when his eyes met mine and looked over at Sanaa for his answer.

"This my homegirl, Ariel. She just moved over on this side. Ariel this is Gee."

I gave a faint wave before looking back down at nails. A pretty white coated them.

"You shy or some, can't speak?" He joked, making me chuckled a little.

Whew, he's so fine.

"Oh this what we doing now Vanessa?" I looked over in the direction I heard the voice come from. Jamar, another one of Vanessa's nigga, was all in that boy Rodney's, the one she left us for earlier, face.

Rodney was too sweet to be having Jamar ass all up on him.

Vanessa had a shocked expression all over her face. She knew she was caught the hell up.

"Oh lord." Sanaa worried as she went over there with Trace following behind to help his boy out.

I started to walk over there when a tug by my hand stopped me. I looked up to Gee who had that same smirk on his face from before.