“Laugh all you want, boo, but a nigga is on his way to doing big things,” he said, removing one of the CDs from his dirty knapsack. “I’m selling these shits for ten dollars a whop, but since you ladies are so lovely, I’ll let it go for five.” He gave them a yellow-toothed smile, which caused all the girls to laugh.

“Eight, we don’t wanna buy no CDs,” Billy said politely.

“A’ight, so I’ll set ’em out for three,” Eight negotiated.

“Nigga, we don’t want no CDs!” Rhonda barked.

Eight’s eyes took on a great sadness, then anger. “Word, you ain’t got no love for my work? Bet you’ll be on my dick when you see me at the Grammys.” He gave her the finger and pedaled off.

“Fuck you, you dirtball muthafucka! You need to go wash your ass!” Rhonda tried to go after him, but Billy and Reese restrained her. “I hate that muthafucka.”

“Yo, it’s some bad bitches out here!” Jean proclaimed, not seeming to realize that Rhonda was about to go on the warpath seconds prior.

“Hold that shit down, Jean. If you wanna chase pussy, take your ass to the other side of the park. Don’t bring that kind of attention over here,” Reese warned her.

“Look, somebody walk with me to the liquor store,” Rhonda said.

“I wanna catch the game,” Billy said.

“Me, too,” Jean added.

“I’ll walk with you.” Reese cut her eyes at the two girls.

Rhonda started toward the park exit with Reese and called over her shoulder, “Don’t look to put you nasty-ass mouths on the bottle if you ain’t trying to walk.”

They had just about made it to the corner when Rhonda’s phone rang. She looked at her caller ID to make sure it was someone she felt like speaking to, then answered, “What’s up, bitch?”

“Shit, out here on the ave,” Yoshi responded on the other end. “Where y’all at?”

“Kingdome, trying to see what’s up with these sorry-ass niggaz.”

“I’m out here, too. I rode down with Scooter on his new bike.”

“I don’t know how you fuck with those things. I’m scared to death to get on a bike,” Rhonda told her.

“Shit, if you was fucking with a nigga who handle bread like Scooter, you’d be on a bike too, bitch.” The two girls laughed. “But yo, check this shit. I just seen that nigga Paul.”

“Where you seen him at?” Rhonda asked, trying to hide her excitement.

“On Fourteenth. He right in front of the liquor store with Larry and Ice. I ain’t know Paul fucked with that pimping ass nigga like that?”

“You know Paul know some of everybody, girl.”

“Yeah, he’s real popular these days. You should’ve seen how Ice’s hos were smiling all up in his face,” Yoshi taunted.