The Dopeboy Next Door

Remember?

Saturday 2:00pm

Me and Araceli laid on my living room couch legs on tangled in each other's on opposite sides scrolling through our phones. It was hot outside so we had the fan on full blast. Jazlynn was still worn out from her 'busy night' so she went and slept in my room.

The doorbell rang and I jumped up to get it. I opened the door expecting someone only to see a delivery van drive off. I looked down and grabbed my moms package off the ground then sat it on the bench inside.

I stepped back out the door to see who was outside I looked over to my neighbors house and saw Ms. Jonisha standing on her porch. The BMW wasn't there. I waved when she saw me and she called me over.

As I ran across the grass. "Girl! Be careful for my flower!" she scolded me.

"Sorry"

"What ya up to over there?" She asked me.

"Nothing Ms. Jonisha." I said innocently.

"Bailey, cut the shit, ya mama not home." She laughed.

I smiled at her. Jah jah was always cool.

"Mybad Jah jah. Who them boys you got staying over here?" I asked her.

"Oh Lil Key? I'm surprised you don't remember him. Girl, I used to have to bathe y'all lil niggas together cus y'all was so close. That's my sister Diane's son." She told me. "And Eric is her half-sister Debras oldest boy."

"Really?" I asked surprised.

Me and Key knew each other? How could I not have remembered. And why didn't he say anything when we hung out?

"Yea girl. You know Debra got 6 kids now. 4 different daddies." She gossiped talking about Stone or Eric's mother.

"What happened to Key?" I asked trying not to too sound interested even though I was.

"He got caught up some years back runnin that shit for his stepdad Ricky. They sent him outta state to one of those juvenile camps."

"Dang, that's cold. Why don't I remember him?" I asked out loud, but more so talking to myself.

"I guess you was kinda young, his mama stopped bringing him over right before he turned 8. They started making him work and shit. Broke y'all's little hearts too."

"So why he back here now? What happened to his mama?" I questioned.

"Key can't stand his mama, but he love her. She still livin' in the hood playin' trap queen... Key come back here for peace. Told me this is the only place he finds it. He been back and forth for a few months now." She explained.

"I guess I never paid attention." I said quietly. "Jah jah, you used to have all the kids over here includin' me. This was the spot." I told her thinking about how much she used to keep me.

My mom and dad got divorced when I was 4. Jah jah was there to babysit me before I could even remember. My mom was going back and forth to court, then she finally won the house and full custody of me. But then she started working 2 jobs and went back to school so I practically lived next door with Jah jah who take care of me. My dad moved out of state and got remarried so he wasn't around anymore.

"Yea, it's quiet round here now, but it's nice watching y'all grow up." She said looking at me then around the neighborhood. "Oh, there go Key now." She waved toward the white Beemer pulling into her driveway.

Key stepped out the driver's side wearing a white and gold Fly Emirates soccer jersey with grey sweat-shorts, and all the white Yeezys.

Stone got out the passenger seat wearing a black and red pinstriped Chicago bulls jersey with matching shorts and the Jordan Bred 11s. Tattoos crawling down his arms.

"Wassup Bailey." Stone greeted me.

"Wassup." I waved.

"Grab them bags." Key commanded Stone popping the trunk on the car. "I bought groceries, Jah." He told Jah jah.

"I appreciate that baby." Jah jah thanked him. She looked over at me and smiled.

"Key, you remember lil Bebe?" She announced using my childhood nickname, her not knowing we spent the night together.

"Mmmhmm." He said winking at me.

My face felt hotter than it already was in the outside heat.

I got ready to walk over to him when a gray sports car pulled up in front of my house.

It was Ivan.