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“Good. Because I'm not fighting nobody at a family reunion.”

I laughed harder this time. This fucking girl. I shook my head, and we fell into a comfortable silence again before I cleared my throat. I wanted to revisit the conversations she had with my brother about me, so I was hella nervous about asking the right questions.

“My brother must’ve pissed me off because I normally didn’t mention him.”

I held my breath as I waited for her response. From the corner of my eye, I could see that her brows were furrowed with confusion.

“Nigga, are you serious? All you did was talk about how he wants to be you. You even told me how he took your first love, and she gave him her virginity.”

She paused and let the silence settle between us. I ain’t have shit to say because that was some hating-ass shit. Knowing that I’m supposed to be him lo-key made my stomach hurt.

“You even told me that if he and I were in the same room that he would definitely shoot his shot at me because I was his type.” She admitted.

I tried my damnest not to laugh. This nigga was really obsessed with me, but he was absolutely right about Justice. She was most definitely a nigga type. But he was a fucking liar. I ain’t steal his girl. Half of the time I didn’t even want the bitches he dealt with as friends, but I couldn’t beat them hoes with a bat.

Half the women Chase dealt with, I wouldn't have fucked if somebody put a bow on their forehead and dropped them at my front door.

My brother attracted some bad-ass joints, but that’s because the nigga looked smack like me, especially before he cut his hair and before he cut his beard down to a goatee. We were the same height, almost the same build; he was closer to the lean-fit look, and I was more fit. Same dark brown eyes, same fucking face.

If there had been a show called Brother, Brother, we could have been hired for it. Having a twin who looks exactly like you was supposed to be a pro in our lives, but I never wanted to act like his crybaby ass, well, up till now.

Now he looked like an off-duty cornball-ass officer of the law. In other words, we were really twins.

He lacked the swag and charisma I possessed; that’s why he couldn’t keep a bitch and had to fuck his inmates. After a few hours with that nigga, most of the shorties he pulled ghosted him.

Regarding his first girlfriend, Crystal… I’ll admit I handled it poorly. I was young and naive, and I was in ninth grade during that time. We were playing a game of seven minutes in heaven at a friend's house. Chase asked me not to go into the closet with her. I didn't want to seem weak, so I said I was going in, even though I didn’t plan to touch her.

All bets were off the table when her fast ass attacked my lips with hers once the closet door shut behind us.

“Yeah, but I can promise I won’t be talking bout his ass tonight. I’m tryin’ to see what’s up with your fine ass and catch up.”

“Mmhmm. Well, if you didn’t stuff yourself in a magic hat and disappear, you wouldn’t have to catch up.” She looked out the window as if ending the conversation.

She looked out the window, effectively ending the conversation.

I was gon’’ kill my brother. The look on her face had me ready to track him down and whoop his ass. Give him the ass whooping our parents never gave him.

She believed I was the nigga who made years of promises and then disappeared when those prison doors opened. Instead of clarifying this for her early on, I foolishly followed in my brother’s footsteps.

Idiot.

Twenty minutes later, I turned into Code Red's private entrance. Justice immediately sat forward, looking around. The fly girls and hood niggas were in the building tonight.

“Oh, this is nice,” she acknowledged while looking around.

I smiled because I was really proud of my sister. She wanted to own her own hookah spot. I told her if she finished college, I would give her the money to start the process. She earned every penny. Code Red has become one of the most popping places in the city.

“You ain't even inside yet.” I teased.

“My best friend had talked about this spot for a while. Plus, I can tell by the parking lot.”

I stepped out before she could grab the handle. When I walked around, she had already opened the door, causing me to frown.

“Close it,” I demanded.

“What?” she asked with a puzzled look.

“Please close the door, Trouble,” I said patiently.