Rebel's Kick it by NBA Youngboy "Can I take a minute for to tell you how I'm living? Yeah I'd rather show you, fuck the critics, I'ma try leave out the killing; Young nigga pull up in that Bentley with no head. This a motion picture from the trenches, check how a nigga kick it"

"I think I'm being followed." Ella and Sage were seated in a diner on the lower east side of New York munching on hamburgers and fries. The two were trying to catch up with each other about everything going on in their lives. It was finally Sage's turn to let everything off her chest when she admitted to the feeling she's been having for weeks. It was December so the girls were draped in fur and the sky was turning dark fast.

"Are you serious? How do you know?" Ella asked sincerely. Her voice was laced with concern and her brows were etched in a frown.

"I just have a feeling, sometimes I feel a presence. It's so scary." She leaned in and took a glance around the diner just in case someone was listening a little too close to their conversation.

"Girl, what the fuck? Who would it be?" Ella peered in a little closer as well.

"This might sound crazy but maybe it's my dad! I swear it has to be him," She muttered bitterly and popped a few fries in her mouth. "Maybe he's catching on to the sneaking around, I don't know."

"Maybe, but I feel like your dad isn't really that sneaky. He's a lot more straightforward. Think about all those times he told you everything," She replied.

"Yeah but what if he's using a different approach?" Sage queried. She was starting to sound paranoid. Suddenly, Ella's phone vibrated back to back on the table.

"Oh God, it's that Marcus dude. He doesn't get I'm one hundred percent over him!" She declared, scoffing at the screen of her phone. Sage giggled.

"Okay how did you tell him?"

"I told him not to court me anymore because my boyfriend kills people and he didn't seem phased." She answered. It sounded like a joke but Ella seriously let him know especially since she's been off the market for a little.

"Doesn't he sell too?" Ella nodded to her question and sipped on her strawberry milkshake. "What's up with us and drug dealers lately?"

"I don't know girl but something tells me this shit ain't gonna be easy." And it was clear how true that statement was.

***

The switch from twilight to dark was quick in New York City, as Dave sniffed another line of coke on his balcony. He had wanted to stop but things were spiraling out of control in his empire and this was something to take his mind off of it. He couldn't trust anyone anymore but Sage and Aubrey and it fucked with his mind. With running a domain, it wasn't enough to trust two people in the World but then again maybe it was. His eyes rolled back as the substance filled his system. He felt it, he missed this shit. The hiatus from cocaine was over.

"Yo Dave you still there?" His airpods were in and he forgot.

"Yeah, dawg." He was but he wasn't. He couldn't focus when his head was pounding, his mind drawing blank.

"Bro, we gotta tighten up. We lettin' cats go wild," Aubrey said firmly. He wanted to make sure he and his brother were still on top of things no matter what.

"I know, I know...you found anything?" Dave asked before taking a seat in the corner. The skyline looked gorgeous as the lights twinkled. The air was cold but David didn't even notice as his blood ran hot from the cocaine.

"This nigga named Key, he ring a bell? Key Glock?" On the other line Aubrey was flipping through the pdf of all the notes their team of undercover agents found. He was scrolling through when his heart stopped. "This that nigga Marcus?"

"What nigga?" Dave's ears perked up at the tone of Aubrey's voice.

"This that nigga Ella had a thing with before I cuffed her. Bro, it's that Marcus..." His voice was charged with venom as he recognized the man in the photo on his laptop screen.

The line was quiet for a while before Dave finally spoke up again, "Let's piece this shit together. Your girl was fuckin' with Marcus? Marcus was fuckin' with us?"

"You got it. So now what we finna do?" He replied. He was eager to get to the bottom of this.

"That's what I'm confused about. Why come after me all of a sudden? For Ella... cause you my bro?" Dave wondered aloud. His mind was racing a mile a minute. He needed another hit. He padded his finger with the powder and sniffed it into his nose.

"True, it's weird. He might be jelly cause he a small town lil nigga from Long Island," Aubrey posed questioningly.

"I just need to know who his leader is... Unless he independent that would make more sense 'cause we know everyone and this the first time we hearin' of him," he stroked his beard and let his mind do all the work. His emotions were running high, he just wanted to go back into his room and lay with his baby. That always made him feel better but he would never admit it though.

He knew that Aubrey was more impulsive and wanted to act right away, it's always been that way but he didn't consider the politics of just punishing someone for being a suspect. Everyone knew Dave's punishments were normally fatal so fuck ups on their part aren't pretty.

"Fuck are we waiting around for? We been looking at this shit since September, blood," He was irritated and quite frankly didn't care to be patient any longer.

"Bro, I get he was fuckin' with yo girl but relax!" David barked before standing up again. He was definitely hot now.

"You think this just 'bout Ella? This ain't, it's much more than that and you know that!" Aubrey's voice was crass as his feelings were messy too.

Dave began pacing back and forth on the balcony wishing he disposed of his wife beater. Ain't it supposed to be December? It's hot as fuck. He shook his head before replying.

"You know I ain't even mean it like that," He took a deep breath before continuing, "All I'm saying is, by now you know how much mess we could get into by just jumping on the bandwagon and shooting little niggas. C'mon man, we been doin' this."

Suddenly a gust of wind blew past and Dave felt his body temperature fall and his face muscles relaxing. He needed that.

"You right...I just get paranoid when I ain't shootin' niggas," Aubrey admitted. He was joking but he was serious at the same time.

"I know. I got yo back always though." He heartened.

Aubrey let out what seemed like a sigh of relief, "Me too. I'mma let you go though." After exchanging farewells, Dave tossed his phone on to the concrete and let out a scream into the serenity of the night. He wanted so badly to cry and but he couldn't let himself. He didn't know what sadness was sometimes, he was sure of it tonight though. He wanted to know if this was going to be his reality for the rest of his life. Dealing drugs, hurting people, being paranoid and the cycle going on forever. This shit didn't end well for most of the OG's from what he saw, they either died or went to jail for this shit.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the sliding door to the balcony open with a sleepy Sage making her way to him. She caught him staring out into the sky with that unreadable face he made sometimes. She tightened the sweat pants around her waist to prevent them from falling because they were way too big for her and snaked her arms around his waist.

Dave held her and the two stood there for what seemed like eternity.

This. This was her drug of choice.

Endnote: How are you feeling about Dave and Sage now? What famous couple would you compare them to? Let me know what you think! (Also two updates in one!! Show me extra love 😋)