While they were descending in the elevator, he handed her a small fold of bills. She quickly fanned through them, guesstimating about two hundred dollars. Rhonda felt funny about taking the money from True because she genuinely liked him, but it didn’t stop her from stuffing the money into her pocket. True was a good dude, but he had it and she needed it.

They exited the building into the afternoon sun. True’s BMW 540 was parked right in front of the building, so he didn’t have far to go. As he and Rhonda started walking down the path toward the car, Pooh and Alisha came jogging up to the building. They were both draped in their school’s mandatory white tops and blue bottoms.

“What’s up, True?” Pooh said, punching True in the arm.

True threw a few phantom punches at Pooh. “Look at you, ya little bad muthafucka. Get outta here before I slap you,” he joked.

“I seen ya new video,” Alisha said, playfully pushing True. “Why y’all always gotta look so mean?”

“We gangsta rappers, shorty,” True replied.

“Yeah right, True.” She placed her hands on her tiny hips. “You’d have to have shot somebody to be a gangsta rapper. Shine shot some people, so he’s gangsta. You, you’re just a nigga from the hood.”

“You better watch your fucking mouth.” Rhonda swatted at Alisha, but the preteen danced out of her reach. “I’m gonna bust you in your smart-ass mouth if you keep running it. Apologize to True for being disrespectful.”

“It’s cool, Rhonda. I know Lisha don’t mean nothing by it,” True assured her. “She’s just her mother’s child.”

“Yup.” Alisha smirked at her mother.

“You know what? Take your little ass upstairs before I kill you, Lisha,” Rhonda snapped.

Little Alisha sucked her teeth and stormed toward the building. “Come on, Pooh.”

Pooh looked from his sister to his angry mother and decided to bow out gracefully. “Later, True.” He dapped the young rapper and hurried to catch Alisha.

“Bad-ass kids,” Rhonda said offhandedly.

True pushed her playfully. “Stall her out, shorty. You know Alisha ain’t no worse than you were at that age. I can remember your brothers chasing your fast ass up the block back in the day.”

“Nigga, please. I wasn’t nothing like that little heifer. She’s gonna fuck around and make me do something to her.”

“You’re still crazy as ever. But check it, I’m outta here. I gotta go meet my niggaz and hit the studio. Hit me up, though,” he said, holding his two-way in the air.