Free Riding Dirty on I-95 by Nikki Turner

baby,” she said, smiling at her niece.
    “Girl, you look like shit,” Chrissie said.
    “I feel like it, too,” Mercy replied.
    Just then there was a knock at the door.
    “Damn, I hope that ain't none of these nosy hoes coming to borrow shit or being fucking nosy,” Mercy said, groggy
    “Who is it?” Chrissie screamed.
    “Damn.” Mercy held her head to try to ease the pain that ran through it at the loudness of Chrissie's voice.
    The visitor at the door screamed back, “Where Laila Ali at?”

CHAPTER 4

In da Joint
    “ W hat in the hell you want, man?” Chrissie asked, protective of her girl as she swung open the front door.
    “Damn, shorty, chill. I'm looking for Laila Ali. I want to see if the champ is a'ight.” Chocolate Smooth spoke through the screen as he used his tongue to play around with the toothpick in his mouth.
    Mercy came into the living room with her pajama short set on. After her brawl with Brianna, she felt like her head was about to implode. The slightest whisper was amplified by a thousand. Surprised, but not wanting to let on, she said, “What the hell you want? And why you showing up at my shit unannounced? I haven't seen you since my days at the hotel.”
    “I just happened to be around here taking care of something and saw you from a distance. You went into the ring before I got a chance to say hi or get your number. And I came over to check up on you,” he said.
    “I'm living. And?” Mercy said, folding her arms.
    “Look, ma, don't give me a hard time. I had to bribe some little kid to show me where you live.”
    Chrissie had her arms folded, looking Chocolate Smooth up and down. He did the same to her.
    “Damn, y'all sure are some hateful-ass women in this house. I ain't come here for no fight, because I know it ain't no win. Y'all some ruff necks in disguise for real!” Chocolate joked.
    “Let him in, Chrissie,” Mercy said, walking over to the green, faux-leather sectional sofa that she had gotten from a secondhand furniture store. Chrissie unlocked the screen door so he could come in. “But don't get too comfortable,” Mercy added.
    To Mercy's surprise, when Chocolate Smooth walked in, he held a giant basket of fruit and a gift box in his hand. “For you, champ,” he said, winking and handing them to Mercy.
    Looking at the fruit basket, Mercy showed the beginning of a smile, “Oohhh, this is cute. What's in here?” she asked before slightly shaking the wrapped box.
    “Open it and see,” he said proudly, as if he knew he had picked out something she would like. Then he walked over to the couch and sat down next to Mercy.
    She eagerly tore through the mystery box as Chrissie stood by the sofa, just as eager to see what was in it. Mercy pulled out a pair of boxing gloves with a card inside that read: “Let's go a few rounds.” Mercy laughed out loud.
    “Ma, for real, I want some boxing lessons. You fight like Muhammad Ali. No bullshit. I'm from the rough, and I ain't never seen a girl fight like that.”
    “Looks to me like Mercy did more than a lil' fighting. Look at her eye,” Chrissie interrupted.
    “She do look like Popeye, don't she?” Chocolate Smooth chuckled.
    “I was basically fighting for the respect of my niece,” Mercy said in a serious tone. “Even if I would have gotten my ass kicked,I still wouldn't have lost because I was fighting for her. I love her that much. Shoot, she's all I have.”
    “I respect you for that,” he said. “I really do.”
    A pair of eyes peeped around the corner from the kitchen.
    “Hey, cutie pie,” he said. Deonie ran and hid. A couple of seconds later she peeped around the corner again, smiling at Chocolate. He started playing peekaboo with her. That went on until they all heard someone blowing his European-sounding car horn like crazy. Chocolate ran to the window and looked out and saw the Richmond Police Department racing up to the door. Before he could prepare himself, the police were banging at the