Free Still Hood by K'wan Page A

her hand and tried to place it on his crotch, but she snatched it away.
    â€œDon’t do that in front of the kids.”
    Marcus looked over at the players, who were trying to pretend they weren’t being nosy. “Man, this ain’t nothing they ain’t never seen. Hell, most of them probably get more pussy than I do.”
    â€œYou keep talking reckless and that’s gonna be a true statement.”

    â€œAnyway”—he sucked his teeth—“you going to class from here, or you wanna catch a flick?”
    â€œNah, I don’t have class tonight. Me and Reese are supposed to hook up. We’ll probably go out for some drinks or something.”
    â€œShe better be careful; you remember what happened the last time she got drunk,” he joked, but Billy didn’t laugh. “Boo, you know I was just kidding.” He reached for her but she jerked away.
    â€œWell, you’ve got a fucked-up sense of humor. That girl has been through a lot,” Billy said with hostility. Poor Reese had made the mistake of getting twisted with a group of young rappers and letting them run a train on her, which resulted in an unwanted pregnancy and an STD. Thankfully, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, but the identity of the father was never discovered.
    Marcus’s head dipped a bit. “Sorry. That was foul.”
    â€œJust like a nigga.” She shook her head. “I swear, y’all are so insensitive when it comes to certain shit. What if that had been you?”
    â€œI don’t think I’d have been too upset if I had fucked five or six chicks at one time,” he snickered. This earned him a hook to the ribs.
    â€œSo I ain’t enough woman for you?” she snapped.
    â€œBilly, you know I didn’t mean it like that.” He rubbed his ribs. “Why you getting so uptight?”
    â€œCause you don’t know what to say out ya mouth sometimes, Marcus!” Some of the kids were starting to look, so Billy lowered her voice. “Look, why don’t you just go wherever you were going and I’ll catch up with you later.”
    â€œA’ight, boo. I’ma get up outta here,” he said, leaning in to kiss her on the lips, but she gave him her cheek. “Oh, its like that?”
    â€œIts how you made it,” she said flatly.
    â€œI hear that, Billy,” he said as he left the gym.
    Billy stared at his departing back so hard that it’s a wonder she didn’t burn a hole in it. For the most part, Marcus was a very caring and sensitive man, but every so often that ignorant-ass street nigga peeked out. She hated it, but she knew at the end of the day it didn’t define who he really was. Regaining her composure, she turned her attention back to the court.

    MARCUS STEPPED OUT OF THE gym feeling like a complete ass. He meant the statement to be a joke, but Billy had caught feelings behind it. The way her moods changed frustrated him to no end. Sometimes they’d be laughing and having a good time and in the next instance she would withdraw or become angry. He tried to be understanding, in light of all she had gone through, but it didn’t make it any easier to deal with.
    When he stepped out into the afternoon sun he peeped two young ladies admiring his red-and-black Yamaha. One wore a short skirt, while the other had a pumpkin-sized ass stuffed into a pair of jeans that were so tight that they looked liked they might rip if she bent over. They didn’t look to be more than seventeen or eighteen, but they turned very seasoned eyes in his direction as he approached.
    â€œThis your bike?” the one in the skirt asked.
    â€œYeah,” Marcus said, easing past them and mounting the motorcycle. Though he tried to ignore their stares, they were both eying him like the last supper.
    â€œWhy don’t you spin us around the block?” Jeans asked.
    Marcus pulled his helmet on, leaving the visor up. “First of all,