the screen door, smiling.
âTangela, hey, baby. Kashawn and Bree arenât here.â
âOh, I know. Iâm actually here to talk to Deanthony about something.â
âDeanthony!â Mama Liz hollered.
âHuh?â
âGet up, boy, you have a visitor.â
âWho is it?â
âWhy donât you get your butt out of the bed and find out.â
Mama Liz cut me a smile like she was some sweet old woman, but everyone in the neighborhood knew she could get real ghetto if she wanted to be.
âHowâs your mama doing, baby?â
Was she serious? We both knew that she didnât give two shits about my mama.
âSheâs doing all right. Sheâs coming home from the hospital on Thursday actually.â
âIâve been intending to go see her, but I got sidetracked with Kashawn and Deanthonyâs party.â
Intending to isnât doing, I thought.
âYes maâam, I understand.â
âLord, whatâs taking that boy so long? Deanthony!â
He slowly crept around the corner, scratching his head like he had gone through hell and back. His low-budget ass was dressed to the nines in a white tank top, black, baggy basketball shorts, white socks, and black slippers, looking ghetto but far the fuck from looking fabulous. He squinted his eyes from the bursts of bright light of the afternoon.
âIs breakfast ready?â he asked, looking slightly disoriented.
âBoy, itâs one oâclock in the day. I called you half a dozen times to come down for breakfast, but you didnât come, so me and your uncle went on and ate. I have some cornflakes in there you can eat.â
I grinned when Mama Liz said that.
âIâm not your housekeeper and this ainât no bed and breakfast.â
âOkay, Ma, dang,â Deanthony said, acting like Mama Liz was like a gnat buzzing around his ear. He deserved the scolding he got after that shit heâd pulled with Bree.
âDonât okay me. I better not go back there and find that room in a mess, either.â
Deanthony rubbed sleep out of his eyes as he stepped out onto the porch. âWhat up, shorty?â
âLetâs go out here to my car and talk.â When we got out to my ride, I lit into Deanthonyâs black ass. âD, what the fuck was that shit you pulled on Saturday?â
âFuck are you talking about?â
âDonât play dumb. Calling Bree, telling her that the reason you came back was for her.â
âI had to make it look good. I am an actor after all.â
âShould I be concerned?â
âAbout what?â
âI donât want you fucking this up. You need to stick with the plan. I didnât work this hard so you could throw a monkey wrench into this shit.â
âThat you worked for? You need me more than I need you right now. I was making big things happen in L.A.â
âYou mean selling your dick in West Hollywood for money? Those kind of big things?â
âBitch, keep your voice down, damn.â
âââCause of that dumb-ass stunt you pulled on Saturday, Bree might tell Kashawn about your little crank phone call. Even worse, she might come clean about everything.â
âSheâs not going to say shit.â
âOh, so just because you fucked her, you know what she will and wonât do?â
âYou know what? You need to watch your tone with me, Tangela.â
âOh, really? Well, why you donât tell it to somebody who gives a fuck. Deanthony, Iâm telling you, if you mess this up, I will make sure Mama Liz, Kashawn, and Bree see the big things youâve really been doing.â
Before I could utter another syllable, Deanthony grabbed me by the throat.
âIf I what, huh? If I what? I donât know who you think you fucking with, girl, but Iâm not the nigga to cross. Who the fuck are you, anyway, just some crazy psycho bitch pining after my brother