Free Paper Chasers by Mark Anthony

trying to bait him.”
    As Dwight was talking to Wiggie and me, the guy finally hung up the phone and walked toward his car. Dwight made his move.
    â€œYo money, you got another quarter? I ran out of change,” Dwight explained.
    â€œNo,” the kid quickly responded and he briskly kept it moving.
    Dwight got closer to him, pulled out on him, and carefully issued instructions.
    â€œDon’t move, money! I know you already know what’s up, so just run that chain.”
    The guy hesitated as he glanced at his surroundings and pondered his options.
    â€œYo, money, take off that gold right now or word is bond, I’ll murder you!” Dwight screamed and sort of barked that command as he simultaneously got closer to the kid’s face and attempted to intimidate him.
    Dwight came across very convincingly and the kid wisely listened. He took the chain from out of his shirt, pulled it over his neck, and held it out.
    Dwight snatched the chain and patted the kid down to see what else he had on him. Dwight took everything that was in his pockets, and there were definitely some more quarters.
    â€œOh, I thought you didn’t have a quarter. You lied to me!” Dwight yelled, and with that Dwight slapped the kid upside the head with the gun.
    â€œNow turn around!” Dwight screamed. “Turn around and start running as fast as you can!”
    Like a flash the kid took off running. Dwight quickly walked back to our car and we bounced. As we were pulling away I pulled my gun and I shot out one of the windows as well as one of the tires on the Jetta that the guy had been driving. I did that just for extra precaution.
    â€œYou didn’t have to do that, Holz,” Dwight said, sounding a bit perturbed.
    â€œWhy not?” I asked.
    â€œâ€™Cause I took that nigga’s keys, so he ain’t going nowhere no time soon.”
    Dwight also had the guy’s gold nugget watch, fifty-five dollars in cash, and his wallet, which had his driver’s license and some credit cards in it. But undoubtedly the most surprising thing that Dwight had snatched was a chrome .380 handgun, one just like Randy always carried.
    â€œYo, that cat had heat on him!” Dwight informed.
    â€œSay word!” I said, sounding as if I were shocked.
    â€œWord. But yo it’s ours now . . .”
    Wiggie decided that we should head back to Queens, so that’s where we headed.
    â€œY’all see how easy that was?” Dwight asked while we were driving. “And yes, it was a dude that time.” Then Dwight proceeded to school us.
    â€œDon’t ever sleep on anybody when y’all are jacking them. If I had jacked that kid the wrong way, or if I did it like I was scared, that kid would have blown me away with his burner! But I did it right, and now I got his biscuit, the same biscuit that could have killed me, and the same biscuit that probably could have killed all of us.”
    Again, that made me think I had to be insane to be doing what I was doing. Dwight’s stick-up enforced in my mind that I indeed had to keep my mind transformed into that of a crazed psychopath. Dwight continued to advise us.
    â€œFrom now on, don’t take anybody for granted, because they just might be packin’ heat. Even ladies carry tiny handguns and Mace. If we make one mistake too many, it could cost us our lives. If y’all tell a cat not to move and he flinches, pop a cap in him! Don’t waste no time. If y’all tell a cat to give you his joints and he hesitates, pop a cap in him! After y’all get whatever it is that y’all want, make the kid either turn around and run, or make him lay face down on the ground. Once he’s down on the ground, fire a shot into the air, that way he’ll think you shot him. We have to do one or the other, that way we’ll be protecting ourselves.”
    â€œYo, why don’t we just start frisking everybody we rob?” Wiggie