Honey

21.) Rules of the Game

Tristan went to meet up with Trevor at the Hyatt. When he got to his suite, they greeted each other like friends, but they could never be as tight as they once were.

"Wassup, boy?" Tristan asked, bumping shoulders before Trevor let him in.

"Ain't none much, my nigga. Been looking for some legit shit to get into," Trevor replied, going to the fridge and getting two Buds out and giving one to Tristan, inviting him to the sofa.

Tristan opened the can and sat down on the sofa, relaxing.

"Get a degree, nigga. Them streets ain't go take you nowhere fast. I know this for life."

Tristan shook his head a little. He woke up with his father on his heart. A year ago, he got the news. He had never been so broken down.

"I'm sorry about your pops, man," Trevor said sincerely.

Trevor had gone to pay his last respects at the funeral. Despite what he had done to Tristan, the man's father had been like his second dad, and he looked up to him. He had respect for him. He had thought about not attending because he knew how Tristan was feeling about him, but he couldn't let that stop him. He went.

"Thank you."

There was a little silence between the men for a moment. Trevor moved to sit on the arm chair.

"Do her right, man," Tristan said.

"Look, Tristan, I know the way me and Lea went about shit was grimy. We seen her at the same time, and she decided to pick yo ol' pretty boy ass," he joked, making Tristan laugh.

The memory was a funny one. The boys had been chilling on one of their acquaintance's porch when Lea walked by. She was looking up at the porch until she got close to it. In her white baby tee, denim shorts covering her ass but accentuating the bump, and her clean white and blue sneakers, her hair cut in a bob, she was looking good. The only two with any sense were Tristan and Trevor, not calling to her like a dog, but Tristan hopped off the porch before Trevor. So Trev let his boy get to her. It was too much pussy floating around to cock-block over one girl.

If anyone would've asked Lea then who she saw first that day, she would tell them Tristan, but she really saw Trevor and liked his roughneck appeal.

When Tristan hopped off that porch, he was cute, but he wasn't her type. That was why he had to chase her so damn long. Eventually, she did start liking his charm, and with that, she learned to accept his cuteness for what it was.

She did tell Tristan, though, when he asked why she was staring at the porch. "I saw your boy," she admitted.

"Which one?"

"That one," she told him, nodding to Trevor on his sofa, playing video games.

Trevor found this amusing. Tristan furrowed his brow, and she shrugged. "I gave you my number doe, didn't I? You should feel accomplished. 'Cause you ain't really my type, pretty boy," she teased.

When she and Tristan started dating, she knew he hustled, but she stayed. She got to know Trevor as Tristan's friend and thought he was just the funniest thing. She liked that he stood by his boy, right or wrong. When Tristan needed something, Trevor was at his aide.

When Lea got pregnant, though, the streets swallowed Tristan whole. She saw more of Trevor dropping by to make sure she was okay than she saw of Tristan in a week. He never missed an appointment, but he missed out on spending time with his woman. The more Trevor told that man his girl was lonely, the more excuses Tristan made not to be home.

"Them dollas don't do nothing fo' your girl."

"They gon take care of her and my seed," Tristan said hotly.