Chappell,” Franky said, waving his hand to get her attention.
She turned to him but didn’t answer. She wore her frustration all over her face, and the kids took full advantage of it.
“May I go talk to him?” he said, nodding toward the door that Nard had just walked out of.
Ms. Chappell nodded, and Franky jumped up and headed out of the classroom.
“Nard,” Franky called out once he was in the hallway.
“What’s up, playboi?” he said, stopping to allow Franky to catch up.
“Why are you giving that lady such a hard time, man?”
“I don’t know,” Nard said, smiling. “Ain’t got nuttin’ else to do.”
Franky sighed. “That’s not cool, man.”
“Why it ain’t?”
“What’s up with the money y’all talking about making?” Franky asked, getting to the real reason he wanted to leave the classroom.
“You down?” Nard asked.
“Depends on what y’all talking about.”
“Well, my man got some stuff. This stuff will pretty much sell itself. I’ll share more details with ya once I know you’re in. We see that you be fresh and figured you might have a few extra dollars to make some more. Just wanted to know if you wanted to be down.”
“What’s it gonna cost me?”
“Depends on what you wanna do.”
“Meaning?” Franky asked.
“Well, it means if you invest a lil money, your cut is one thing, but if you wanna get a little deeper, then it’s another. Still decent money no matter which way you go.”
“How much are you guys talking about?” Franky asked, knowing full well that he wouldn’t be selling any kind of drugs.
“You give me two hundred and I’ll get you five hundred by Friday. You get me four hundred and I’ll get you a thousand bucks by Friday and so on.”
“So it’s that simple, huh?”
“Pretty much. So whatchu gonna do, barbecue or mildew?”
“A’ight,” Franky said, feeling himself crossing over into a world he always said he didn’t want any part of. “Come holla at me after school, but I never wanna know what you guys are doing. I don’t care. I just need to make some money.”
“Sounds good to me,” Nard said, walking away. “See no evil, hear no evil.”
“And, Nard,” he called out.
“What?”
“Come back to class and give the lady a break. We are in there acting like we belong in a zoo.”
“Most of them fools do belong in a zoo.”
“Maybe, but those same people respect you, man. So I bet if you act right, then they will, too.”
“What?” Nard asked with a confused look on his face. “Why do you care about what that skinny lil white girl thinks about us?”
“It’s not about her. Even though she shouldn’t be talked to like that,” Franky said, walking away. “Are you coming?”
Nard looked at Franky like he was from another planet. Franky turned around and walked backward, keeping his eyes on Nard. Nard dropped his head and shook it. “I can’t believe I’m letting you talk me into going back to that bony lil white chick’s class.”
“Aww, come on,” Franky said, slapping his arm around Nard’s neck once he caught up to him. “It’ll be good for you to do the right thing every now and then.”
“I’ll go back, but I ain’t doing jack,” Nard said. “So don’t ask me to.”
Franky laughed and held the door for him to enter.
14
“G randma,” Jason said through sniffles. “She … she … she’s dead.”
Franky held the phone up to his ear in a state of shock. His little friend was crying so hard he could hardly make out what he was saying.
“Jason,” Franky said, trying to get a word in between the little boy’s sobbing. “Calm down a little bit, whoadie.”
“She dead. She told me she wasn’t ever gonna leave me, and now she done left me to go die. She gone and I don’t wanna stay with nobody but her.”
Franky took a seat at the kitchen table, because his legs were too weak to stand on. He had dealt with so much death over the last few years, and he realized that it was one
She turned to him but didn’t answer. She wore her frustration all over her face, and the kids took full advantage of it.
“May I go talk to him?” he said, nodding toward the door that Nard had just walked out of.
Ms. Chappell nodded, and Franky jumped up and headed out of the classroom.
“Nard,” Franky called out once he was in the hallway.
“What’s up, playboi?” he said, stopping to allow Franky to catch up.
“Why are you giving that lady such a hard time, man?”
“I don’t know,” Nard said, smiling. “Ain’t got nuttin’ else to do.”
Franky sighed. “That’s not cool, man.”
“Why it ain’t?”
“What’s up with the money y’all talking about making?” Franky asked, getting to the real reason he wanted to leave the classroom.
“You down?” Nard asked.
“Depends on what y’all talking about.”
“Well, my man got some stuff. This stuff will pretty much sell itself. I’ll share more details with ya once I know you’re in. We see that you be fresh and figured you might have a few extra dollars to make some more. Just wanted to know if you wanted to be down.”
“What’s it gonna cost me?”
“Depends on what you wanna do.”
“Meaning?” Franky asked.
“Well, it means if you invest a lil money, your cut is one thing, but if you wanna get a little deeper, then it’s another. Still decent money no matter which way you go.”
“How much are you guys talking about?” Franky asked, knowing full well that he wouldn’t be selling any kind of drugs.
“You give me two hundred and I’ll get you five hundred by Friday. You get me four hundred and I’ll get you a thousand bucks by Friday and so on.”
“So it’s that simple, huh?”
“Pretty much. So whatchu gonna do, barbecue or mildew?”
“A’ight,” Franky said, feeling himself crossing over into a world he always said he didn’t want any part of. “Come holla at me after school, but I never wanna know what you guys are doing. I don’t care. I just need to make some money.”
“Sounds good to me,” Nard said, walking away. “See no evil, hear no evil.”
“And, Nard,” he called out.
“What?”
“Come back to class and give the lady a break. We are in there acting like we belong in a zoo.”
“Most of them fools do belong in a zoo.”
“Maybe, but those same people respect you, man. So I bet if you act right, then they will, too.”
“What?” Nard asked with a confused look on his face. “Why do you care about what that skinny lil white girl thinks about us?”
“It’s not about her. Even though she shouldn’t be talked to like that,” Franky said, walking away. “Are you coming?”
Nard looked at Franky like he was from another planet. Franky turned around and walked backward, keeping his eyes on Nard. Nard dropped his head and shook it. “I can’t believe I’m letting you talk me into going back to that bony lil white chick’s class.”
“Aww, come on,” Franky said, slapping his arm around Nard’s neck once he caught up to him. “It’ll be good for you to do the right thing every now and then.”
“I’ll go back, but I ain’t doing jack,” Nard said. “So don’t ask me to.”
Franky laughed and held the door for him to enter.
14
“G randma,” Jason said through sniffles. “She … she … she’s dead.”
Franky held the phone up to his ear in a state of shock. His little friend was crying so hard he could hardly make out what he was saying.
“Jason,” Franky said, trying to get a word in between the little boy’s sobbing. “Calm down a little bit, whoadie.”
“She dead. She told me she wasn’t ever gonna leave me, and now she done left me to go die. She gone and I don’t wanna stay with nobody but her.”
Franky took a seat at the kitchen table, because his legs were too weak to stand on. He had dealt with so much death over the last few years, and he realized that it was one
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