Page 6 of The Ninth

Cassie: OH! I’m not alone!

She laughed again.

Cassie: My cousin is with me. Remember I told you Devyn was coming? Devyn, say hi to K3. This my fucking MAN!

Inmate: Oh. What up, folks?

He said flatly. The talk-you-through-it voice was completely gone.

Me: Uh, hi K3.

Outside of the car, the protestors began yelling and shouting. Two women started walking down the steps, holding their middle fingers up. One was dark skinned with a body you would only see on Instagram. The other was light as hell with beautiful hair. She was plus sized curvy, and her body was plump in all the right spots.

Cassie: Baby, Devyn wants to struggle and pay for shit. She wanna know what the rent, cahh payment, and gas amount is. I guess the groceries and shit too.

He started crying laughing. I could even hear about two other niggas laughing with him.

K3: SHORTY, THAT SHIT COSTS AN ARM AND TWO DICKS!

Me: How much?

K3: My baby doesn’t pay bills. And honestly, ma’am, I don’t really like for her to know the price of shit. Then she gets to acting humble. We don’t do humble, you feel me? Just don’t fuck over Cassandra...or else. I don’t have to touch you to touch you. Otherwise, you’ll be straight.

Cassie laughed. K3 didn’t let out a giggle and neither did I. He was dead fucking serious. And his threat didn’t fall on deaf ears. I could feel how heavy his word was through the jail wires.

The both of them continued talking as if I wasn’t there. I looked out the window and sat up straight in my seat. The two girls were now beating the fuck out of the protestors! I wanted to jump out, but who do I help? The people with the right to protest, or the crazy ass girls beating them with their signs?!

Before I could get Cassie’s attention, they broke away. My mouth slightly fell open as I noticed they were walking directly to the car. The windows were tinted, so the dark skinned one who was the most angry, came straight to my door. She snatched it open, mean mugging the fuck out of me. I sat there, not speaking and incredibly stunned. She stood there as if to tell me to get the fuck up.

By the grace of God, Cassie finally broke her attention away from K3. She smacked her lips, telling the beautiful girl to move around. She slammed my door hard, storming to the driver side. Her and the other girl slid in at the same time.

Cassie: Hold on, Deddy...

She turned around.

We both looked at the two girls. The light skinned one waved and gave me a small smile. I smiled back, feeling terrible. She was holding the aftercare papers for an abortion she just had. We all just sat in silence. How could Cassie bring me to such a sensitive moment for her friend?

Cassie sighed deeply, signaling she was about to speak. I welcomed her encouraging words in the moment.

“The next one is free....right?”

My chin fell to my chest. The three of them plus K3 just started dying laughing. Cassie turned around, ripping away from the sidewalk. She didn’t look towards those poor people on the ground not one time.

“BITCH, YOU GOT ME BENT!” the light skinned laughed. “Can we get crabs and margaritas before work?”

“NO!” Cassie and the other yelled.

The girls yapped while I stared out the window uncomfortably.

The skyscrapers were gone. We were in an area that was more residential heavy. Kids ran across the street even though our car was coming. A woman stood on her porch with a box of snacks, collecting money from the kids. A group of girls of all ages had ropes, playing Double Dutch. I squinted my eyebrows, looking over at Cassie.

“Are we still in Chicago?”

She glanced to the back as the four of them chuckled.

K3: Baby, this is Chicago. Chiraq!

Cassie smiled, “Do not call it that.”