Everything is Everything Book 2 by Pepper Pace Page A

since you almost jumped my cousin, and me she thought.
    Donald handed Phonso a beer and slapped hands with him.
    He sat one can of beer down and opened the other. After it was opened he winked at Vanessa and made a show of wiping off the rim with his shirt and examining it for any dirt.
    “I know how you ladies like your cans’ clean. Here you go Vanessa.”
    She smiled despite herself. “Thank you.”
    “I was watching you dance a little while ago. I heard you went to the Performing Arts School.”
    “Yeah I did.” There was an awkward silence as she wished he would go away. Donald Miller had always made her feel nervous. When they were in grade school he was the very reason that they’d had to start a girl’s gang. Him and his boys would lift the girl’s skirts and once he had pulled down a girl’s panties and all the boys had looked at the terrified girl.
    He’d nearly caught the projects on fire. He had gotten a can of lighter fluid and had set some bushes on fire and the fire department had to be called because it spread across the grass rapidly.
    Vanessa remembered how Donald’s father had dragged him out in the open and whipped him with a belt. But Donald didn’t cry, he screamed and cursed and struggled against the bigger man, never accepting his punishment but possibly learning not to get caught.
    She sipped her beer and thought about something she had been wondering about for years.
    “Do you hear from Anthony Johnson?”
    “That nigger’s in college.” Donald replied, hiding his disappointment. Why was this bitch bringing up another nigger when he was talking to her?!
    “That’s what I heard,” she watched him expectantly as if waiting for him to tell her who he was fucking.
    Donald shrugged. “He comes by around the holidays to visit his family and we hang out. But he made it out of this place and that’s something he’s always wanted to do.”
    Phonso nodded thoughtfully.
    Vanessa thought that Anthony had been a rare individual who everyone liked. He had no enemies and could get along with everyone. She smiled to herself as she remembered the time that he had kissed her—stealing her first kiss. In his excitement he had knocked out one of her loose teeth and her mouth had filled with blood. Poor Anthony had freaked out thinking that he had injured her. He was sweet. And she was happy that he had made it out.
    She looked at Donald and wondered how the two could have ever been best friends. Anthony was a gentle giant and his presence seemed to calm Donald whenever he got too crazy. Anthony had even been friends with Scotty back when they both went to Walnut Hills High School, a school for advance students. She remembered the way they would get off the school bus at the top of the hill where both she and Anthony lived in Garden Hill Top. The two boys would study together and Vanessa would wait anxiously at the window to catch a glimpse of Scotty.
    God, they had come a long way.
    “Do you want to dance?” Donald asked, drawing Vanessa from her reverie.
    She shook her head. “I’m kind of tired and hot now,” she took another swallow of the cold beer relaxing as the alcohol took affect. “Maybe later.”
    Donald gave her a short smile before returning to the apartment. “Sure Vanessa. Later.”
    When he was gone Phonso made a face and then made the universal sign for ‘crazy’ when he circled his finger near his temple.
    Vanessa covered her mouth and chuckled. “I know, right.”
    “I don’t know why G let him and those other fools onboard. The money ain’t been right since they came along.”
    Her eyes grew big at that revelation. “You don’t think …?”
    Phonso just raised his hand to stop her and then shook his head. This was not the place to talk business.
    “You hungry?” he asked. “You want something to eat? They ate up all the ribs but there’s some barbecue chicken wings left.”
    “Nah, but you go on if you want something to eat.” She said.
    “I’m not