Continue to support me please! Posting this during a hurricane, lol. Vote and comment for me please. Keep me company tonight as I brave the storm. 

https://youtu.be/d7cVLE4SaN0

Chapter Four, "I Ain't Saying He A Gold-digger"

Ash

"Can I help you?" I asked the tall dark guy standing on my porch.

"I'm looking for Kenzie," he said, hoodie on, eyes low, shades. The only feature I could even make out was some of the hair that he had a mustache.

"I don't know where Kenzie is," I said, unlocking the door.

"Give him a message then?" the guy asked of me.

I nodded, opening the door. 

"Tell your brother that if he think he can take clients outside his  neighborhood, then he's going to wake up with a bullet in his head," he warned.

I slowly closed the door back. I sighed. it had been along day. "Look, if my brother's ginger cookies from his boy scout venture are selling better than yours, the only thing i can suggest is  a better sales pitch, maybe a cute lil jingle." I took the key out. "Now, I think you better leave this neighborhood before you end up with a bullet in your head," I said.

He laughed. "Cub tryna sound like a lion," he mocked. "Give the message to your brother. He doesn't want Dom on his back."

"Noted," I mumbled and entered the house, locking the door behind me.

"Who was that?" Mom asked, sweeping the front room in her underwear (if you don't have a black parent you might find that gross, if you do you know what I'm saying).

I looked out the window as that Dom guy got into the black, tinted Honda parked across the road on the Johnson's curb. "One of Kenzie's friends," I told her.

"He's upstairs, Beautiful," she said. "You could have gotten him."

"So they could get high and eat everything in the kitchen?" I snorted. "Yeah, no thanks."

Mom laughed. "Your Aunt Tina is coming to drop me to my screening," she said. "Are you guys going to be okay here?"

"Aren't we always?" I said. "Kenzie is the most responsible big brother on earth, minus the weed, the guns, the drug charges, the multiple gang affiliated fights, the having sex with other girls while he's in a relationship, stuff."

"A regular old saint," Mom said. "Make sure he stays alive, at least passed 25?"

"I'll try, but death looms," I said. "And Kenzie seems to actively try to get himself killed."

"Well, you're the de facto older sibling, so make sure he doesn't."

"Talking about me?" Kenneth asked, jumping down the stairs. "Aye Gay Black Guy," he greeted, coming into the room with Dennis in tow, whose face was twisted into a look he got whenever Kenneth said something dangerously stupid. Stupid enough to get him committed into a psych ward.

"Gorgeous, what did I tell you about calling your brother that?" Mom said. "It's mean and if you don't stop you're going to get punished."

Kenze laughed. "How?"

"I'll beat your ass with this broom until it's blue," she warned.

"Ah, black mother threat #16," Dee said, laughing, "A classic."

"Those are the best," Mom said, before she headed for the stairs.

When she was gone, I looked back at Kenzie. "You do realize that some guy named Dom was here talking about you expanding your business into his territory, right?"

Kenzie rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm a business man." He plopped down on the chair, Dennis sat on the chair handle next to me. "I asked Dom if he wanted to partner, he said no."

"So you're trying a hostile takeover?" Dennis asked him. "Dom is pretty dangerous, Kenzie."

"I'm aware of the bathing enemies in acid stories," he said. "He doesn't scare me."

"Well he scares me," I said. "I was a bit ballsy with him a second ago, so he might just kill me for the fun of it."

"Then I'll just kill his little sister or something, damn, get off my back," Kenneth King said, folding his arms. "It ain't that heavy, and ain't gonna come to that, so you Frank Oceans just needs to chill."

"And you need to get a clue," I retorted, "I'm not going to die for your incompetence."

"Whatever," he said, sucking his teeth. "Go listen to Madonna or something."

"That's white gay music," I said.

"Then go listen to Diana Ross."

I huffed and headed for the stairs, and Dennis, laughing, started jogging up behind me. 

I stopped at the top of the case and peered down. For the first time, I seemed taller than he was. 6'2 vs just under 6-feet.

"You busy?" he asked.

"Um," was all I got out. I was probably supposed to go Erika and the gang at Urban Life & Times, but hanging with Dennis? "I'm free for the moment."

"Good, because I need to talk about Zac Efron," he said in a high voice, intentionally girly, pushing passed me, before turning around to laugh. "It's a tumblr post."

"I'm aware," I said, snorting. "I'm also kind of stunned that you want to hang."

He shrugged, digging his hands into his basketballs pants. I just noticed that he was wearing Nike white socks with those Nike slippers. I hated when boys did that, but I somehow wasn't bothered by it on Dennis.

"I know we tried to hang, a bit more seriously in the past, and it didn't work out, but you never know," he sad. "Plus, I wanted to reconnect. We were important people to each other when we were teenagers."

"We dated for a year," I said. "I was in love."

"I was too," he answered. "But I fucked up."

"As all black boys do," I replied. "Eventually."

He raised a brow and leaned against the banister. "That includes you too, you know."

"I know," I said. "It's just a matter of time before the doggish nature that resides in all black boy-slash-men when it comes to dating, rears its ugly head and I find myself in bed with someone I shouldn't be in bed with."

"Because if you give a man all of the planets, he'll still want all of the stars," he said. "Someone told me that once."

I smiled to myself, but it was sadder than anything. "I'm glad that one stuck with you."

His head trailed to the floor for a second, with him smiling. "When can we hang?"

"There's a candle light vigil I'm going to next week," I told him. "If you want to come, you can."

He looked back up and smiled, tooth gap on full display. "Yeah, we can do that," he said. "Also, in about two weeks, I'll be having my first performance at the art center and I'd like it if you and Kenzie came," he said. "I could use the moral support."

"You want moral support from Kenzie?" I asked. "All he's going to do is shout the n word in admiration the entire performance."

Dee laughed. "Good. I wouldn't expect anything less from his crazy ass." A rush of silence. "What about this afternoon?" he asked. "Want to listen to some Aaliyah songs and smoke some weed?"

"I can do the Aaliyah stuff," I laughed. "But I don't smoke."

"Fine," he said, laughing his own deep, masculine laugh, "I'll smoke and you can deeply deconstruct what Aaliyah means when she tells us to 'rock the boat'."

"Or I can suck your dick."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, jumping a little. "You can do that instead."

When I got up to my room, my phone rang as soon as I closed the door. I didn't even have to say anything into the receiver before Erika started talking.

"I heard about the party," she said. "Lola told me. She also told me how Recce bitched about you having coerced him into giving you a plus three."

"Yeah," I said, taking off my shirt and pants and just lying down on the bed. I placed the phone and speaker and grabbed a bag of chip that Kenzie thought he hid well in his gun drawer (yes, gun drawer).

"I'm coming," she said. "I need Pete to be there as well, that leaves an open spot."

"Why do we need Pete?" I asked. "Is he hacking stuff?"

"No," she said, "He's my date. A black woman on a white man's arm makes me look exotic to these hacks. The more attention I get, the better chances you have to set up some hidden cameras that we're bringing along."

I blinked. "That's creative."

"Maybe you can bring Nikko with us to distract some people," she said.

I snorted. "Somehow, I don't think Nikko recounting how he trains in the gym everyday would be an exhilarating experience for anyone there." I thought for a moment. "I have the perfect person," I said. "Just make sure the team is ready. It's this Saturday."

"We will be," Erika said, "Just be prepared to do what you must."

She hung up first, and I, sighing, stared at my ceiling. Gray and white and black in some spots. I'd have to paint this entire room red in order to feel like I was a functioning human being.

My phone rang again and I groaned. Can't a brotha just wallow in his existential crisis for like 5 minutes?

I didn't even bother looking at the i.d "Hello, No One speaking."

"Arya Stark?" Reece said over the line.

I snapped up, nearly spazzing my back. "Reece?"

"No, Cersei," he answered. "What are you up to at this very moment?"

"Hanging up a cellphone," I said.

"Ha," he replied, dryly. "It has come to my attention that I might need to buy you an outfit for Saturday. I would like it if you came downstairs."

"1. That's presumptuous and 2. Why would I come downstairs?"

"Because your brother is reloading his pistol in front of my face, retelling a war story that I think he's confusing with a gang related one, and he sorta terrifies me."

I hung up the phone and screamed into my pillow, before pulling on clothes, just basketball pants and a white tee and slowly descended the stairs, where Kenzie was waving a gun around, Dennis was clenching his jaw and Reece was eyeing me as I made my way into the room.

Reece 

"And that's when boom these men in blue came in and said, we've got the place surrounded!" The Kenzie boy shouted, flailing his loaded (loaded) gun around. "They were like hands and stuff and me and my crew was like click clack bang, you know?"

I heard a door one from upstairs (how thin were these floors?) and I sighed on the inside. "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean," I said.

"Really?" he said, scratching his head with the gun. "You've been caught selling weed?"

"Well, I've been caught smoking it," I confessed. "Off a stripper's hole. Don't ask which one. Spent a night in jail."

There was a creak and I looked up to see Ashley descending the stairs, eyeing the three of us. 

The Dennis boy had yet to utter a single word to me. All he did was stare with his jaw tightened, like he was some sort of Venus fly trap and had caught some bug.

"Kenneth, what on God's earth are you doing?" Ashley asked, hands on his hips, standing with his legs crossed at the end of the staircase.

"I'm simply telling your melanin-less friend about the story of how we were almost robbed and murdered by men," he said.

"You mean the time the cops caught you all selling weed and you all went to prison for a week?" Ashley asked, before focusing his attention on me. "Do we have to do this now?" he asked. "It's like...6 in the afternoon. I'm tired from all the preparations for the news broadcast and I really need to jerk off."

"Um," I trailed. "Yes. The party is in a day. You're going to have to have something nice to wear." I looked at the other two boys. The lighter skin boy, the one giving me the death glares, looked like he knew how to dress. If he was bringing him. But his brother, Lord – would be a disaster. I don't think Ghetto chic was in this season."Perhaps your friends can come along if they are also coming?"

"Kenzie is," Ashley said. He looked at the lighter skin boy. I already forgot his name. "Dennis and I have plans another time."

"Then we need to find him a nice suit as well."

"Ugh, fine," Ashley grumbled. "Do you at least have a car?"

I actually cackled at that one. "My brand new stretch Range Rover is outside waiting for us."

"Great," he said, "Lead the way."

"I call dibs on the wine," Kenzie said, pushing Dennis out of the way to shoot out the door.

He saw the limo and literally bowed in front of it. "The Gypsy woman said that this day would come," he whispered. "Praise Black Jesus."

"Get your materialistic ass up," Ashley said, grabbing his brother by his ears and ringing him until he stood up.

Once Kenzie stopped grinding on the car to some song called Don't by Bryson Tiller (that he yelled at me for not knowing), we left for the Alexa's.

 The single most exclusive male clothing store in the Metropolitan area. I had asked her to not lock up and to rent the store out for my exclusive use to get these two suits.

"Reece," Alexa sang in her high, snobby accent. I always found it annoying, but she usually gave me 10,000 dollar suits for rent when I complimented her. She kissed my two cheeks.

I never knew how old she was. So much cosmetic surgery that she could have been as old as Moses at this point.

She looked at Reece and Kenzie, who was picking his teeth. Her smile slightly faltered, but she kept it up "Who are your....friends?" she asked. "Security in these exceptionally dangerous times?"

"No bee," Kenzie said, "We his friends."

Alexa's eyes glided back to me. "Hmm."

"I wouldn't use friends," I said, laughing a bit. "However, I do need suits for these gentlemen for the party at the red manor this weekend."

"Ah," she said. "Reece Red, always the charitable young man.," she chuckled.

"Maybe with his venereal diseases," Ashley mocked, coming up next to me. "I'm not wearing no stuffy suit," he said.

"Look around," I said.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Kenzie said and whistled over a clerk.

"I hope you aren't expecting a thank you," Ashley told me, turning toward me. "I know this is all for show."

"Or maybe I actually think you're something special."

I didn't.

"You don't," he said.

Damn, he was good.

"And that's why I'm going to thoroughly enjoy working at Red."

I narrowed my eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He just smiled and looked at Kenzie.

"I'm looking for something that says, 'Can I bust a nut on yo titties' in the most elegant way possible." Kenzie said to the stunned blonde saleswoman. "Preferably in teal or purple. I find that those colors accentuate my beautiful eyes."

I groaned.

Ashley 

After about an hour in the store, the door opened again and a lady dressed in what looked like zebra fur walked in, took off her shades and threw them to the side. Then she snapped her fingers, and the guy who she brought with her dived to get them.

She looked at me first, up and down. "You must be the new hire," she said in the most ridiculous accent I think I've ever heard.

"He is," Kenzie said. "You must be the channel mascot or something?"

"I'm the COO of Red corp, Morris Chestnut."

"Thank you," Kenzie said, smiling while fixing his hair in a mirror he had a clerk hold up for him. "I enjoy compliments."

The lady blinked. "I've noticed." She leaned against the help desk and rang the bell. "Who do I have to get murdered to get some help out here? Hello! White woman needing assistance!"

A sales clerk scurried out of the back. "Mrs. Red, how nice to see you."

"Yeah, where's my son?"

"He's trying on a suit in the back."

"Which is code for he's getting a blowjob in the back," Mrs. Red – meaning that this was Reece's mother, woah – said. "Tell him to put his probably average penis into his pants and get out here immediately.

The clerk wiped her mouth. "Yes ma'aam."

Mrs. Red rolled her eyes and looked at me again. "Your light skin, what are you mixed?"

"No, I'm fully black. We come in all colors."

"I've realized," she said. "Like a soft palet rainbow."

"That was only slightly racist," I noted. "I expected you to be fully racist, so it's a step up I guess."

"Thank you," she said, taking off of her gloves.

Reece, hair messed up, stumbled in front from the back. "Mother."

She instantly rolled her eyes. "Are you a man or a sentient shit filled condom?"

"Which ever you'd prefer," he said. "To whom do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Your sister, Liza is back in town and we need to have a family meeting about our current black problem."

I coughed. "Black problem?"

"Yes," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "You see, we're being accused of being a bunch of racist, low class rich white people," she told me. "They can call me pretentious, rich, spoiled, a bitch, greedy, forceful, bitchy, the devil, Queen Bitch or Literal Empress of Hell, but I draw the line at low class."

"Not the racist part?" I asked.

"The accusation comes with the skin tone," she said. "I need you home. In twenty minutes."

"Fine mother," Reece huffed. "I'll be there."

"Good," she looked at me one more time. "You'll do."

Then she walked out of the store.

"Was that Kathy Bates?" Kenzie asked.

I ignored him and focuses on Reece. "Sucked in a dressing room?"

He shrugged. "You would too, if you could."

"I somehow doubt that."

He smiled. "Ice cream?"

"No thanks."

"Fine," he huffed. "I'll just take Anna."

I snorted. "Your ex-girlfriend?"

He stepped closer and flared his nose. "She isn't an ex. She accepted my apology after dinner and a necklace." He looked happy about that.

"I ain't saying she a gold digger," Kenzie said.

I laughed. "I think you'll find me more of a challenge, than Anna."

"Negro, please," Kenneth laughed. "Didn't Dennis grind you on a beach?"

I snapped my head to him. "That's beside the point."

"Didn't he pound you into the ground?"

"Kenzie."

"Didn't he nut in your eye or some shit?"

"Kenneth King."

"Look, I'm just saying, don't act like you ain't a hoe when my friend ate yo bootyhole like it was Froot Loops," he said. "Aye you fine ass white girl, can I get your number? You got a man? You allowed to have friends?" he asked the clerk, who scurried off after he took the mirror himself.

"I'm going to figure you out," Reece said, smirking.

"Good luck," I retorted.

New chapter tomorrow, if the weather allows it.