Chapter 12
Casper found Creanna sitting on a park bench under a big shady tree. Her face was sitting in her hands blocking her face but he recognized the shapely body in the white halter top and a pair of jeans even sitting down. Her chestnut brown hair was straight down to the tip of her ass and her toes were painted a bright pink color.
Like she sensed him close by Creanna's head suddenly snapped up. When she saw him walking towards her, she got up sprinting to meet him halfway. Casper was surprised when she rushed him with a hug because usually she would try her best not to stand within three feet of him. The dinner he took her out too last time probably loosened her up a bit.
"Thank you so much for coming," Creanna said pulling back. "I know this is so sudden but I just needed someone to talk too and I don't have anyone except my sister. The one you meant at the club." Creanna said.
Casper didn't actually remember who this sister was exactly because he was entertaining lots of women that night so he just skipped over the question.
"So what's the matter," he asked wondering why she called him.
"I'm sorry, can we walk and talk please." She asked.
Casper nodded as they began to slowly stroll like they were on a date.
Creanna sighed, "My aunt was shot...five times." She lied. Instantly the palm of her hands got cold and clammy and her throat got dry. Creanna sucked at lying and hated lying to just about anybody. It made her feel really untrustworthy and disgusted with herself; but she was sure lying was gonna have to be part of this game she was playing with Casper if she wanted this to work.
"Oh shit...word?" Casper asked wide eyed.
"Yeah. I'm sorry I just..." Creanna trailed off blinking back tears as she fanned her face. The only reason she was able to produce real tears was because it was something that truly did happen, just not to the person she said it happened to. "She was on her way from the grocery store when she was hit by stray bullets." Creanna knew the story sounded way too close to what happened to Santana, but she wasn't worried about Casper finding out who it really was. "She's in critical condition and she might die. She's my favorite aunt. I'm in so much debt. Her hospital bill is ten grand because they have to do surgery to get the bullets out. My whole family is pitching in..." Creanna cried. "I'm just so stressed out."
Creanna dug into her purse and pulled a tissue out. She dabbed her nose then looked out straight ahead. Casper noticed her freeze and peer out at something. She then began to swipe at her eyes as quick as possible then sucked the tears up like she was trying to hide it before unexpectedly taking off.
Casper watched her run off to a little cinnamon toned girl with a green dress on and a long French braid to the back of her shoulders. Brittany. Casper closed his eyes for a split second and reopened them just watching the two from a distance. This wasn't the area Brittany lived in but it was walking distance from where she lived.
He watched Creanna hug her and a small smile came to his face when Brittany smiled and hugged her back. He watched Creanna turn around and point toward a small blue and white cart that sold ice cream. Brittany nodded her head anxiously and Creanna raised up and took her hand taking her to the cart.
The man put three big scoops of different flavored ice cream on the cone for Brittany. She tiptoed and took it from the man and Creanna paid him. Creanna then looked over at Casper and smiled and that was his cue to walk over. Damn, he thought. Now his cover was blown. He wondered how Creanna would react knowing this was his sister.
He slowly strolled over and put on a fake smile as he got closer. Brittany looked up from the mint flavored chocolate chip ice cream she was eating and when she saw Casper, an inaudible gasp left her lips and she rushed him. She wrapped her free arm around his leg since the other hand was holding her ice cream.
Casper smiled, scratching the back of his neck. "Hey Brittany." He mumbled.
"You know her?" Creanna said, her eyebrows scrounged together.
"Yeah kind of." Casper said. He saw Brittany frown probably wondering why he wasn't telling her they were brother and sister. Casper ignored her stare so Brittany looked at Creanna instead and made a motion to ask for a writing utensil.
"Uh, Brittany, you shouldn't be running around here. Go back home." Casper said holding her hand to stop her from asking for something to communicate with. He smiled down at her and softly nudged her in the other direction.
"But last time at the bus stop you were acting like she was just some random girl you saw me talking to." Creanna said confused.
"Long story." Casper said.
Creanna sighed, she bent down until she was at Brittany's height and smiled, wiping her nose free of the green mint ice cream and pulled the hems of her dress down. "Well Brittany...our friend here is right. It's nice and warm out here but your a little too young to be strolling around here by yourself." Creanna dug in her purse and pulled out a twenty dollar bill and gave it to Brittany. "Spend it wisely because I don't know when I'm gonna see you again and I'm a little low on money right now, okay?" Brittany nodded and excepted the bill hugging Creanna tightly.
"Okay sweetheart." Creanna smiled coming back up to her normal height. She watched Brittany then turn her palm out to Casper with a big smile.
"Oh, no Brittany honey don't do that." Creanna said gently taking her hand, "She wants money," Creanna tried to explain to Casper not knowing he already knew what that meant.
Casper put his hand out to stop Creanna, "Naw it's cool." He dug into his wallet and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. He bent down slightly and placed the money in Brittany's hand. "Remember to count this, you good at math so don't let those chumps in the corner store try to take your money. If they do next time tell me okay?" Casper smiled letting Brittany see the gold and silver grills in his mouth she liked so much.
She giggled but no sound came out and she kissed his cheek before running off.
"I'm sorry she didn't say thank you, she can't talk." Creanna said.
"Really? Wow." Casper said like he was surprised.
Creanna exhaled, "Yeah. I wish I had enough money to adopt her. She's so adorable. I just feel bad for her mom too you know? Her mother is a drug addict. Like what made her turn like that? I don't think her mom is bad. Everyone needs help."
Casper was surprised because he didn't have pity for his mom. He didn't care about anybody that turned into a crackhead. That's why he never felt bad for selling crack; he didn't put a gun to anybody's head and forced them to smoke it. Unless they were literally strapped down to a chair and was forced an injection, Casper didn't feel sorry for people like that.
"Oh and about Brittany, you didn't have to give her so much money. You could have given her-"
"It's cool...she's uh...she's my sister." He mumbled at the last part.
It was silent for a moment until Creanna spoke up, moving her head a little closer like she didn't hear him right. "Excuse me?" She said.
Casper turned to her with a smile. He licked his lips when he saw how good her eyelashes looked framing her big brown doe eyes. "I said she's my little sister."
"But-"
"I didn't say anything the last time because I didn't want you to start playing nice with her just because you knew she was my kin. I don't play about my family shawty; so now that I see that you always giving her money and genuinely looking out for her and not just tryna play nice to look like a good person is why I'm telling you now."
"So is that why you took me out for dinner last time? Because I bought her the dress and gave her some money? Is that the thing I did you for that you appreciated?" Creanna asked, moving a strand of her brown hair behind her ear.
Casper just nodded his head, looking away from her at the people surrounding them. A few people were staring at his overly tatted face but quickly looked away once they caught his intimidating eyes watching them.
"Well not to pry or be rude but..."
"I have a restraining order against me. I'm not even suppose to be near her. If a cop catches me talking to her and they find out I'll get locked up. When I first came up here from Saint Louis and found out my mom had her roaming the streets, I almost beat her to death so she got the restraining order against me. But I guess now I learned to live with Brittany just walking the streets. That's why she looks the way she does and isn't properly taken care of like she should be. Because she technically can't be under my care." Casper explained knowing she was gonna ask why he was living the way he was and why Brittany was living the way she was.
"Well...I'm sorry." Creanna said feeling bad for making him talk about it.
"It's cool." Casper reassured. "So, about your aunt. How much was her bill?"
Creanna gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "No, oh my gosh I probably sound terrible. I hope you didn't think I called you out here to beg for money. I only called you as a friend to vent because I had nobody else to talk to." Creanna tried to reason as they resumed walking.
Casper sighed. "Look beautiful, imma keep it a buck with you."
Creanna hesitated for a minute then stopped walking. "Um...okay," she mumbled. Casper stopped too and watched her with furrowed eyebrows as she went in her purse. She pulled out a dollar bill and handed it to him.
He looked down at the dollar then back at her. "What is that for?"
"I thought you said you wanted a buck from me."
Casper genuinely laughed and shook his head. "No I said imma keep it a buck with you, imma be real, you know, be honest. It's a slang term, shawty."
"Oh," Creanna raised both of her eyebrows in embarrassment, her cheeks heating up. "Sorry..." she mumbled stuffing her dollar back in her purse.
They stopped at a smoothie cart and Casper bought Creanna a fruit mango smoothie. As they began to walk off again, he looked at her strangely. "And why would you be tryna give me money when you the one who needs it?" Casper asked amused.
They walked around a black gate which was another section of the park. No one was in that area except for the two of them.
"It's a habit of being helpful. I like to help people so excuse me if I do it again after this." She said barely making eye contact as she sipped on her smoothie.
"C'mere," Casper said. And before Creanna noticed, his large hands were on her hips, pulling her close. Creanna thought about his hands on her hips in the parking lot that night when he took her out for dinner and she was dying to put her hands on his arms again to feel how strong he was; but she was too shy to try it.
Creanna nervously held onto her smoothie as Casper stared down at her. It was quiet as the breeze blew, nervousness flowing all through Creanna.
"Why you never look at me when you talk baby."
Creanna's heart rung. "I don't know," she mumbled with the shrug of her shoulders. Right after she said it she looked at him for a split second and looked away. She had to admit the eye contact wasn't because of his strange intense eyes anymore, but the guilt from her own from knowing what she was doing to him.
Casper slowly licked his lips looking at her small round face. He gently lifted her chin making her look at him then put his hands on her shoulders. "Stop looking down when people talk to you ma, look up."
Creanna's head snapped up making direct eye contact. She poked her chest out like a solider responding to a lieutenant making Casper chuckle. "You funny." He made a head motion for them to keep walking. Casper sighed, "But like I was saying. Imma keep it real. In about a year-I don't even know of we'll still be talking that long, but if we are, in a year I won't be around anymore."
The face Creanna made, made Casper pull his head back slightly. He looked around the place just being silly then looked at her again. "The fuck? Why you making ya face like that? You acting like I'm ruining yo' life or something."
"I know I'm sorry. We don't even know each other and I'm being weird. It's just that you've been really nice to me every time we see each other. Trying to make jokes, just playing around with me and I've just been a bitch each and every time." She said knowing her standoffish behavior was actually because she was scared of him. "And now that you actually came to see me even though we hardly know each other, even after I wasn't as nice to you as you were to me whenever we saw each other...It just sucks that you might not be around. I have no friends really..." she lied.
Casper felt kind of bad but there were more terrible things to deal with in life so she'd just have to suck it up.
"Yeah sorry bout' that ma, but I have moves to make." Casper said keeping it short and sweet. He thought about the one year promise he made to Amal just an hour ago and for some reason he couldn't wait to do it. Maybe giving up all these girls weren't so bad.
"Oh..." Creanna said sadly, thinking he was talking about moving because of a business trip to another state or country.
"But until then I guess we could hang." Casper smiled. He assumed she really just wanted a friend because despite one of the million dollar cars she saw him pull up in and the money she knew he had, she still wasn't tryna throw no pussy his way. But Casper was still gonna tap that. The shit was on his bucket list.
"Thank you." Creanna said suddenly tiptoeing to hug him. Her breasts swished against his chest. He was really warm and he smelled amazing.
When she pulled back she noticed they had stumbled onto a basket court. Creanna gasped. "I love basketball. I use to to play on the girls team back in my High School."
Casper stopped walking and turned to face her. "Forreal?"
Creanna nodded her head. "Yeah, forreal."
"Aight then, check it," he turned her toward the outside of the park toward the busy street and stores, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Right across the street from us. You see that store over there that say Street Gear? Go in there and get you some sport shit to put on, sneakers, sweatpants, basketball shorts or whatever. 'Cause you not about to say I only bust yo' ass 'cause of what you were wearing."
Casper dug into his pocket and pulled out a black card. "Go buy your shit and meet me back here." He said giving it to her.
Creanna gave him a strange look. That's when Casper hesitantly pulled his hand back a little, "I mean I know your granny almost-"
"Aunt."
"Aunt," Casper said correcting himself, "almost died and if your not in the mood to play then my bad I wasn't tryna pressure you."
"No," Creanna said shaking her head, "No not at all, it's just weird your taking it so seriously to the point your giving me your credit card to buy clothes to wear just to play basketball." She said truthfully.
"Yup 'cause you ain't making excuses when I kill you on this court. Now go." He said placing his card in her hand and pushing her toward the exit. "Hurry up."
As Creanna walked, she looked over her shoulder, it was a little weird for her to be doing this. She was basically taking a stranger's money. That was technically the plan but she did feel strange doing it. It wasn't like her.
She stopped and turn to face him, "Please, I may need some help but I do have money, I can't just take your-"
"What I tell you when we were in that restaurant last time about money? I said I pay for everything." Casper smirked, "Now go, for I have to beat your ass for not listening. And buy a basketball too."
While Creanna was gone Casper stood watching the direction she went in; his mind drifting back fifteen minutes ago to how Creanna interacted with his sister. It was so natural, she really looked out for Brittany. It was weird to Casper because Amal was like that mother to his little sister. But obviously Brittany took a very big liking to this chick too; and anybody that treated his sister right was more than just another potential "body" in sex. It wouldn't hurt to chill with her for one year, Casper thought, but imma still smash tho'. He told himself, chuckling.
Ten minutes later Creanna came back.
She was dressed in a long white t-shirt, a pair of gray sweatpants and some cheap looking black and white Nikes. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she held the basketball under her arm, outstretching the credit card to him along with a small white piece of paper that was the receipt. A bag was in her hand filled with the clothes she had on previously.
"The fuck, I sent you to Street Gear or to the thrift shop, shawty?" He laughed.
"I'm sorry; I just picked up the cheapest things I could find. This isn't my money and I wouldn't spend it like it is. Oh and I didn't look at the remaining balance on your card, I swear I didn't." Creanna pushing his credit card and receipt in his hand.
Casper smiled in amusement, stuffing his card in his back pocket. "If I cared about allat I wouldn't have given the card too you now would I?"
Creanna fiddled with her fingers.
"You shoulda bought better clothes though; I gave you the black card for a reason mami."
Creanna lowered her head like she was being scolded.
"Go put your shit off to the side." Casper said referring to the bag her clothes were in. Creanna quickly ran off putting her things in a place that was still close enough and visible then came jogging back.
Casper clapped his hands. "Pass me the ball."
Creanna threw it and he caught it before he licked his lips and tossed the ball back to her. "Aight ma, I'll let you start off first. We gonna do a quick game of twenty points."
"Um, okay." She mumbled holding and feeling the ball in her hands, staring at it like she didn't know what it was.
"Come on ma, whatchu scared? You was talking all that shit just now. Not unless you lied."
"No, I really did play!" Creanna whined, then gasped, covering her mouth after her outburst. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to get crazy with you." She mumbled.
Casper laughed. "You too soft, when you start chillin' around me enough imma have you talkin' ya mama crazy."
Creanna giggled but didn't say anything.
They started the game off with Creanna making a free throw shot and after that the rest was history. For hours the two played ball forgetting about what was suppose to be a twenty point game. They hadn't even realized the sun had gone down. It was still warm outside though at seventy six degrees in the Summer.
It was a great vibe between the two; Creanna had gotten into the zone so much she had took her shirt off playing in her sweatpants and sports bra. Casper only in his brown khaki pants. Casper was surprised when he actually started playing her. For a girl she really was good. He had to admit playing against her was better than trying to pretend teach a girl how to play while flirting with her.
Creanna smirked, dribbling the ball as she watched Casper to see what direction he was gonna go in. She really turned into another person when she played basketball. It wasn't her dream but she loved the sport and she took it very seriously when she played.
Casper lunged forward for the ball and Creanna crossed him up going left. She dribbled the ball across the court and shot it when she got to the three point line. The ball made it in and he clapped his hands, watching her ass as she went to get the ball.
"Thirty-four to sixty in your favor." Creanna smiled reminding them of the points as she tossed the ball to him, walking past him.
"You're score would be thirty-two but I just let you get that one baby, don't get too hype." Casper said tossing the ball back to her.
Creanna started dribbling the ball in and out of her legs, a slick smirk on her face. "Gotta step your D game up."
Casper chuckled, "Trust me ma, my D game on point. Yeen even gotta worry bout' dat. But I can show you better than I get tell you."
Creanna smirked, "I can't wait to see it then." She couldn't even believe she was flirting. Casper was actually a very easy and fun person to be around.
Creanna fake went left but instead jumped up and threw the ball, Casper jumped up easily and caught it due to his height. He dribbled it once and threw it into the basket. It went in making a 'swoosh' sound.
He smiled, licking the silver grills on the bottom of his mouth. "Damn, no backboard, just straight net from across the court. You see that ma?"
Creanna ran off and got the ball, coming back to return it to him. She twisted her lips and rolled her eyes. "It was aight."
He chuckled, "Hatin' ass..."
"Uh huh, just wait till' I...oh shoot!" Creanna gasped now noticing how dark it got. She pulled her cellphone out her sweatpants pocket looking at the time that read 6:20PM along with twenty two missed calls from Santana. "Casper I gotta go," she said backing up "I'm sorry I gotta-"
"Wait," he said grabbing her hand. "you gotta leave so soon?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry."
"Well here, lemme at least give you something." He said patting himself down.
It was then for the first time Creanna noticed the tattoos on his body. Not a quarter of his skin was showing. Creanna was fascinated. His body was literally a work of art. He had everything from Chinese words to tribal tattoos, ancient Chinese dragons and gang tattoos. She forgot herself and almost touched him when his voice snapped her out of it.
"Here, I wanna give you this." He said extending a thick band of money.
"What is that?" She said realizing how stupid she sounded after, "I mean, I know what it is, but why?"
Casper shoved it in her hands and began to pat himself down some more, pulling another roll from his left side pants pocket. "It's for your aunt, shawty. Who cares if you don't know me like that. You have the money and she needs it for her surgery. Just pay me back later, aight?" Casper said knowing she would never be able to pay him this.
He put the other stack in her hand making her quiet as a mouse.
"That's ten G's right there exact."
"You walk around with ten grand in your pockets?"
Casper chuckled. "Yeah, twenty actually. I got five thou in each sneaker." He said making Creanna look down. She then looked back up and hugged him again, squeezing him almost painfully.
"Thank you so much!"
"You good."
Creanna took off running, grabbing her bag that sat on the sidelines before running out of the park. When she was out of sight, she bit her bottom lip and looked over her shoulder. She smiled, for the first time ever, she actually couldn't wait to see him again.