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Strikes on My Heart

Page 46

by Ciara Nashae

While I drove, Juicy had her face in her phone. I focused on the music and dodgin’ dumb ass kids dippin’ in and out of traffic. When I was a young nigga, I did the same stupid shit, so I couldn’t even trip.

Juicy leaned over, turnin’ up my music. “You still listen to Gucci like this? Oh, my God.”

“Ain’t much changed ’bout me. I’m still me,” I said, watchin’ her bob her head.

“You’re saying that while driving a quarter million dollar truck, wearing a Celine sweatsuit and a limited-edition Rolex. Spare me.” She laughed, still scrollin’ on her phone.

“That’s just material shit. This don’t mean nothin’ to me. Some days I wish I was regular. For real.”

“Well, unfortunately, you are who you are. Your talent made you famous…”

She looked out the window, tryna see where we were. I was surprised it took her this long to figure it out. She nudged me, and I laughed at the expression on her face.

“But apparently not too famous to be in West Baltimore. Juvie, where the fuck are we going?”

“Chill. You said you was hungry. Shit, I’m hungry too. This is all I could come up wit. It’s fast, and it’s good as hell.”

“Juvie…”

I kept my eyes on the road, already knowin’ what was comin’. “What?”

“We are NOT going to K & K!” she screeched.

“Yeah, we are,” I said, pullin’ up to the curb. “You scared or somethin’? You ain’t gotta get out.”

“Oh, my God. I can already see the damn headlines. You act like you don’t know who you are,” she fussed, puttin’ on her coat. “And I ain’t never scared. Your famous ass should be.”

I cut the engine, laughin’ my ass off. Juicy pushed her door open, still fussin’, but I knew she wasn’t gon turn down a chicken box. I pulled my hoodie over my head and stepped out. The smell of fried chicken hit the air, and my stomach growled, thinkin’ about how good this shit was about to be. She walked behind me toward the door, mumblin’ under her breath.

“You lost your damn mind, Juvie. Ain’t no way we out here, and you don’t have security.”

I swung the door open and looked down at her. “The faster you get inside, the less opportunity I have of somebody recognizin’ me. You just gon’ keep complainin’, or we gon’ get some food?”

She opened her mouth to say somethin’, then rolled her eyes and stepped inside. Only two other people were standin’ inside, waitin’ for their food. Juicy stood off to the side in a full-length fur, tryna tell me where I should be, and she looked like the famous one. I stepped up to the counter, and someone from the back came over.

“What can I get you?”

“Yeah, uhm, let me get two six-piece, fried hard. Salt, pepper, ketchup. And two large half-and-half.”

“$41.87,” the cashier said, lookin’ from me to Sav. “It’s cash only.”

“Nigga, I know,” I replied, diggin’ in my pocket for my wallet.

I pulled out a fifty-dollar bill and dropped it on the cash tray. “Keep the change.”

When I turned around, Juicy was lookin’ at me, shakin’ her head. I leaned against the wall beside her, takin’ in the place that I spent so much time in as a youngin’. Sav was here wit’ me too, orderin’ the same shit we ordered today. The same black and white floors with the dingy ass paint. Right in the hood that raised me.

“Didn’t your old agent advise you not to do shit like this?” Sav whispered.

“Yeah. But I wasn’t home then. Relax. You look tense as fuck. You gon’ give a mufucka a reason to start some shit.”

“Whatever,” she said, rollin’ her eyes. “Next time you plan to do something like this, have security with you.”

“You got it, boss lady.”

The two other people grabbed their food, and three more people came in and placed their order. I paid attention a lil’ more to my surroundings. More people started walkin’ around outside, and one of niggas standin’ on the other side of the room kept lookin’ at me. I was hopin’ he wouldn’t say shit and keep it movin’, but that was too much like right.

“You Juvie Ross?” he asked, squintin’ and walkin’ closer.