Free End of the Line by Treasure Hernandez Page A

the best of her, and she answered it. Hearing the voice on the other end made her glad she did.
    “Oh, dang, hey, Dino. How you doing?”
    “I’m doing okay. I just had you on my mind, that’s all.”
    Hearing this made J-Rite smile. “Seriously?”
    “Look, I’m sorry I ain’t called you, but I’ve been having bad luck like a motherfucker.”
    “Oh yeah? What kind of bad luck?”
    “I lost my job, and some punk stole my car. Look, I would love to fuck with you, but right now, my paper ain’t right.” Dino was running game on her like he was known around Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo to do to females. “But when my paper is back tight, I’m coming for you.”
    “Where you at? I wanna see you so we can kick it face-to-face.” J-Rite was playing into his deceptive hands and didn’t even know it.
    Grabbing a blunt, two twenty-dollar bags of weed, and placing the items into her purse, J-Rite was out the door. Stopping at the gas station for a juice, she was on her way. A few minutes later, she was parked in front of the address Dino had given her. When she got on the porch the door opened, and she was at a loss for words. Dino was standing with his shirt off. His chest was chiseled, and he had a perfect stomach. Damn, this nigga fine; he got it going on.
    “What up doe?”
    “Hey, Dino, what’s up?”
    “I just finished cutting grass, so a nigga might smell a bit.”
    J-Rite didn’t care if he smelled like a sewer; she just wanted to reach out and touch his handsome ass. However, she tried to focus. She needed to keep her head in the game and stay getting money on the regular.
    “Let’s go to my car and talk. So you wanna smoke this blunt with me?” she asked, rolling up after they each got comfortable.
    “Naw, I’m good, ma. I don’t smoke.”
    Now, that’s what the hell I’m talking about; a nigga that don’t lay around smoking blunts all day like Mike Mike. “Wow, that’s what’s up. Well, do you mind if I smoke?”
    “Naw, go ahead.”
    After hitting the blunt twice, she blew the smoke out the window and coughed until her eyes watered. “Look, I know you had my number and was sitting on it, trying to leave a sista hanging, but—”
    “Naw, ma, it wasn’t like that. My situation is just on hold right now. But when I get right, we gonna hang out and do that shit all the way.”
    “Real talk, Dino, you never know when shit might change for you! You can never tell where a blessing might come from.” J-Rite handed him some money and an eight ball of dope.
    “What’s this for? I’m confused,” he puzzled, holding the cash and drugs in his hand.
    J-Rite sat back in the driver’s seat feeling like she was a true female boss. She was trying her best to impress Dino, even if she had to pay the price to pull it off.
    “Yo, I ain’t gonna front; I never met a chick like you before.”
    “Is that a good thing or bad thing?” she asked, hoping it was the better of the two.
    “It’s a damn good thing, but damn. So, can I take it you out here in these streets?” Dino insinuated, already knowing the answer.
    “Why you ask me that?”
    “Well, most girls don’t give niggas dope and cheese just because.”
    “Naw, guy. I got this from a friend that owed me some money. So since he blessed me, I thought I would bless you.”
    Needless to say, he knew better. He didn’t believe her. He’d already done his homework on her pedigree. “Yo, I can’t take this from you.”
    “Yeah, you can; just consider it a favor ’til I need a favor,” she winked, blazing up once more.
    “That’s good looking; you know you a real one. Most people have ulterior motives. But I feel that you genuine with this.”
    “It’s just that I’ve been through so much shit my damn self, so I know what it feels like when the world is on your shoulders.” She tried her best to make her speech seem genuine, but the truth of the matter was, she was trying to run game on him while he was busy doing the same to