After finishing the food Joey got for us, we sat in his car out in front of my house for a while, just talking.

"So your moms was mad because I stayed over again?"

"Yeah, talking about I'm not raising no babies." I mocked her, rolling my eyes.

He chuckled, leaning over to me with knowing eyes.

"She still think we be fucking.."

"That's because we do, Josiah." I chuckled, pushing him away as a smile fell upon his face.

"Yeah but she don't know that."

"Plus I use a rain coat every time I'm up in that thing." He playfully humped the air, putting his hand between my legs as I hit him softly.

"Be quiet before you lose all your privileges." I pointed at him, making him zip his lips.

The car then fell into a comfortable silence as I focused on not falling asleep. My eyelids felt like weights.

"Take your medicine today?" I spoke lowly.

"Yeah." He mumbled, quickly dismissing it.

"Aye, you want to ride out with me for a little while until it's time to link up with them?" He then blurted out and I nodded, instantly perking up.

I was still tired from the club and that food didn't make it any better but I could never pass up a ride with him. It was always fun watching him do his manly errands for the day. Sitting in the passenger seat as if I was a queen.

He chuckled at the look on my face as he started the car, turning the music all the way up before pulling away.

Yeah, hunnid thousand for the cheapest ring on a nigga finger, lil' bitch, woo

I done flew one out to Spain to be in my domain and Audemars-ed the bitch, woo

Dropped three dollars on a ring, cost a Bentley truck, lil' bitch, woo

I was in the trap servin' cocaine, I ain't been the same since, woo

I watched as he bobbed his head to Future's - Life Good, sneakily admiring all of his features.

Absentmindedly, I grabbed his free hand and intertwined our fingers. He didn't say a word as he squeezed my hand and kissed the back of it.

"Too many convicts that roll with me to play in this shit, woo." He rapped as I relaxed in my seat.

A few moments later, we were pulling up to his neighborhood and there were a bunch of guys on the corner.

"Is that your brother and them?" I asked and he nodded, pulling up to them as I let his hand go.

"Yo." He spoke as he rolled my window down.

"What's up, bro?!" Josiah's older brother, Messiah, put his arms out with a smile on his face as everybody looked over to us.

"This nigga always loud for no reason." He whispered to me, making me laugh.

"Always."

Messiah then walked up to the car, ducking down into my window, licking his lips at me.

"What's up, Montana?" He spoke.

"Hi, Messiah." I smiled, playfully rolling my eyes.

"Looking good as always, ma." He macked as he always did.

"Bro." Josiah spoke up, shaking his head.

"He always cockblocking us, baby." He looked at me, making me laugh. He was always like this but it was harmless so I didn't mind it.

"What's up with you though, bro?" He asked Joey.

"I just came over here to talk to you about something real quick." He went on to say as he got out of the car.

They ended up walking away from the car to talk. They weren't far but I couldn't hear what they were saying which means it wasn't meant for me to.

Minding my business, I scrolled my phone and all of the other guys on the corner looked directly at me but I ignored them.

When they were finished talking, they dapped each other and Josiah came back to the car. As he got in, he looked at me and smirked.

"What?" I asked and he shook his head.

"Nothing." He said simply, grabbing my hand again.

"One of them niggas say something to you?" He asked and I shook my head.

"Better not." He taunted playfully as I smiled. He then started the car and his brother tapped the hood before he pulled away.

As we pulled up to the stop sign at the end of the block, I watched as Joey let my hand go to pull out his phone and send a quick message.

"We're about to go to my house real quick."

"..then can go and link up with Teesh and them." He said, patting his pockets.

"Okay." I nodded, just enjoying being around him.

It didn't take us long to get to his house, it was only two blocks down from where we were.

"Staying in the car?" He asked and I shrugged.

"Yeah."

"Not going to come in and speak?" He asked, referring to his mom and I shook my head.

It wasn't that I didn't want to speak to her. Ms. Carol just always made me nervous. She always pressures for Josiah and I to be together and I would almost crack every time.

"Aight. I'm telling her that you said that too.." He trailed off as we both laughed.

"You better not." I warned as he jogged up the staircase and walked into the house.

I sat there scrolling my phone as Teesh and I texted back and forth. We weren't talking about anything in particular, just talking.

After about 10 minutes, I became bored and started snooping the car. I was originally looking for tissues but I ended up finding something else in the glove compartment.

A gun.

Now I knew Josiah wasn't a saint and I knew he had a gun but why was it in the car? That was just dumb to me.

As soon as I reached for it, he was coming down the staircase.

"My fault. You know how my mama is.." He trailed off as he got back into the car and I simply nodded.

"She never stops talking."

"Why do you have a gun in here?" I blurted out, ignoring his last statement.

"Protection. You know that.." He spoke unfazed.

"And if you get pulled over by the cops?"

He said nothing as a smirk crept onto his face.

"Come on, Josiah. Don't be dumb." I warned him and he looked over to me and nodded.

"Aight, Montana. Damn." He sighed, opening the box again and grabbing the gun.

He then got out of the car and took it into the house with him.

"Such an idiot sometimes." I shook my head.

*

"Can't believe that bitch tried to catch me slipping in the mall." Teesh went on while we ate our food in the back seat of Josiah's car.

We'd went to the mall as planned but of course, Teesh got into it again with the girl she was fighting on the block yesterday. This time the girl had her friends with her so I couldn't just sit back and watch like I normally do.

"Monty started knocking bitches out." Milly joked, making me roll my eyes.

I wasn't happy about what went down and I was no fighter but I wasn't going to allow three girls to jump my friend. That just wasn't happening.

"Yup. That's my bitch." Teesh went on, hyping me up.

Shoving fries into my mouth, I watched as Josiah said nothing while he drove us back to the block. Kace was mute as well.

"I think Kace is mad at you.." I whispered in Teesha's ear and she nodded slowly.

"I know." She mouthed without actually speaking.

The rest of the car ride was silent. I was just simply enjoying my food since I didn't know when I would be able to eat again. Josiah was nice enough to buy me food at the mall but I wasn't going to keep asking people to do stuff for me. My hunger depended on how much money I made tonight so I'd work my ass off to at least feed myself.

We got back to the block faster than expected. Josiah dropped Teesh and I off at my house first. We needed girl time and their mad asses needed "guy" time.

"I'll see you later. Ok?" Teesh said to Kace but he stayed silent, looking straight ahead.

Josiah hadn't even acknowledged me either but I knew it was simply because he didn't want to make things obvious. He'd curse me out later via phone or in person when we finally had some privacy.

Sighing, I got out of the car first as Teesh got out right behind me. We then made our way into my house, going straight up to my room.

"Girl, Kace is going to curse me out later." She expressed.

Tell me about it.

"I don't think he's that mad, I think he just needs time to cool off. I mean, you did cause a scene in the middle of mall, Teesh.." I trailed off, quickly getting rid of the opened condom wrapper that sat upon my dresser before she could see it.

"I mean, yeah but these girls come at me, Monty."

"What am I supposed to do? Just let them bitch me?" She went on.

"No but Teesh, all this fighting isn't good. You're giving these girls the exact reactions they want out of you."

She sighed deeply, nodding her head.

"You're right. I just have a bad temper and it gets me in fucked up situations all the time but I can't control it." She rolled her eyes.

"And these bitches know that.."

In the mist of me responding to her, my phone buzzed twice in my hand, making me look down.

🤞🏽❤️

We'll talk later but you already know what's up.

🤞🏽❤️

You got me fucked up, Montana.

Closing out the message, I huffed as Teesh looked at me.

"Look, Teesh. I get you can't control your anger or how these hoes approach you but you automatically put me in the situation because I wasn't about to let nobody jump you and you know I'm not a fighter. You know I don't even like drama for real."

"I know, friend and I'm sorry. I was wrong for engaging but I'm glad you were there and that you had my back." She poked her lip out and I couldn't help but to playfully roll my eyes.

She's one of my closest friends and I know how she is so I couldn't even really be mad at her. I wasn't going to allow her to get jumped no matter what.

"Alright, Teesh. I forgive you but I'm really not the one you should be apologizing to. You need to make things right with Kace."

"I know." She sighed, pulling out her phone.

"Let me go and call him." She stood to her feet and walked out of my room.

As she did, I looked down at my phone and sent Josiah a quick reply.

Okay. We'll talk later.

*

Awaking up from my slumber, I whined as I sat up, looking down at my vibrating phone alarm. I'd been sleep since Teesha left around 10 and here I was up again at 2am to go to a place that I dreaded.

Grabbing my phone, I stopped the alarm and then looked at all the calls and messages from Josiah.

"Shit." I spoke out loud, realizing I'd fallen asleep before we got the chance to talk.

Bypassing all of these texts, I decided to call him as I got up to get ready.

"Montana." He answered on the third ring, sleep evident in his voice.

"Sorry I missed your calls. I was asleep." I explained as I walked to the bathroom to start the shower water.

"I figured.." He trailed off.

"I'm not even gon' snap on you like I planned to but you know you got me fucked up." He spoke as I put him on speaker, sitting my phone down onto the sink.

I looked at myself in the mirror, wiping the sleep out of my eyes as he began his rant.

"You know how protective I am over you and you go and jump in a fucking fight with Teesh!" He snapped out as I shook my head.

"This man is crazy." I said to myself.

"I know you hear me talking to you." He spoke sternly once he realized I wasn't responding to him.

"I hear you, Josiah. Can we just talk about that situation later? I'd rather just talk to you without being cursed out for now."

He stayed quiet for a few moments before I heard shuffling.

"Aight."

"Thank you."

*