Just as he began to reply, he was tapped on the shoulder, only to turn around and discover Zora Tucker standing before him.
“Hello, Boon,” she said.
Boon couldn’t hear her, but he knew what she said. He only nodded, as if to say, “What’s up?”
Zo mouthed something else, but Boon couldn’t hear what it was. He leaned over, so she could say it in his ear.
“Mind if we talk for a moment or two on the lawn?” she repeated.
Boon extended his arm, palm open, facing the ceiling, motioning for Zo to lead the way. Boon looked back at Drakus, who was shaking his head at his baby brother.
“I miss being here. The parties. The scenery. Do you miss college, Boon?” Zo started.
“Pretty fucked up way to open up, Zo!” Boon wasn’t about to be toyed with. Zo seemed surprised by his response.
“Well, damn. My bad,” Zora apologized. “How you like my dress?” She quickly changed the subject.
“How yo’ baby daddy like yo’ dress?” Boon retorted.
His brothers had tormented him for years, and it was on full display in his tone. Zo only hung her head.
“Boon, I can’t apologize enough for that. For the last six years, I have beaten myself up for what I did.” A single tear rolled down Zo’s cheek. “Boon, he even looks like you,” she continued.
This made Boon swell with anger.
“But he ain’t mine, Zo! You gave that twat up on me, unprotected. What, man…what you lookin’ for me for? Real shit,” Boon asked, impatiently.
Zo paused to wipe her tears and gather her thoughts. “Honestly, I was hoping we could talk about us. Maybe we could try again. Be a family.” Zo said, searching Boon’s face for his feelings.
“Are you fucking serious right now?” he asked. “You pull a fuckin’ Maury Povich on me, got the whole city of Chicago lookin’ at me like the whipping boy, and you got the nerve to ask me about us?” Boon was livid. “Yo’ us is wit’ yo’ kid’s daddy, Zo. And I’d appreciate it if you’d change the li’l nigga name from Daniel too!” Boon turned around, heading back into the party.
Zo called his name several times from behind him, but he ignored her.
“How’d it go, kid?” Drakus asked Boon, as he sensed the frustration emanating from his youngest sibling.
“Fuck is wrong wit’ broads?” Boon asked, rhetorically.
“Them just yo’ broads, bruh,” Drakus slurred, obviously feeling his liquor. “It’s a trillion fish out there, Boon. You just keep stickin’ yo’ dick in the wrong damn pond.” Both men laughed at this, but Boon still felt some type of way.
Boon and Drakus saw Damian walking towards them with three women. They appeared to be triplets.
“This is Ashley, Alexis, and Amerie. They’re triplets,” Damian said. The women looked Hawaiian and were identical to one another, including their shapes. “I told them it was ironic, because there were two niggas downstairs who looked like me too.” The group laughed, as Boon and Drakus introduced themselves. Boon quickly leaned in to whisper in Amerie’s ear, and she led him to the dance floor. He was surprised to hear the young lady talk. She was from San Bernardino, California and had graduated from DePaul last year.
“I’m studying a lawyer,” she told Boon.
“Funny…me too. Must be fate,” Boon replied.
After multiple dances and the most incredible conversation, Boon and Amerie exchanged numbers and vowed to get to know each other better. Soon, the party was dying down and Boon was ready to go.
“Bruh, drop me off. I’m too drunk to drive and yo’ sister-in-law gon’ kill me if I don’t go home,” Drakus said, as he climbed off the couch and followed Boon to his car.
As Boon got to his car and cranked it, his phone rang.
“What up?” he answered.
“You ready for me?” Taz asked.
Boon was anxious. “Hell yeah, but you gotta come to me though,” Boon said.
“I’m not drivin’ though, baby,” Taz whined.
“Get one of your homegirls to bring you, or a cab or somethin’. I’ll pay. My brother a li’l inebriated and I gotta drop him off,” Boon said, pulling off and listening to Drakus snoring in the passenger seat.
Taz agreed and Boon gave her the address. He dropped Drakus off and headed home. On his way home, Boon’s phone rang again. He looked at the screen and saw his sister, Deysha, smiling at him.
“Mae, what you doing up so late, girl?” Boon called his older and favorite sister by her childhood nickname. Her middle name was Tremè, but the family called her Mae for short.
“Just checkin’ on my baby brother. I done called Dooly and Drake already. I know y’all was goin’ to the party tonight,” she said.
Deysha was exactly 5 foot tall, 130 pounds, and dark-skinned with long, pretty hair. She was very loving to those she loved, but Mae was also a firecracker.
“Fa’sho. I’m good. On my way home to get ready for Taz…” Boon abruptly stopped speaking. He remembered that Mae had beat Taz up for talking recklessly to and about Boon some years ago. Boon knew Mae was about to go off.
“The hell you getting ready to do with her?” she asked, putting her full attitude on display.
“I’m not finna do shit,” Boon lied.
“Boy, you ain’t gon’ learn. Leave them no-business-havin’, broke-ass hoes alone. You got too much goin’ on fa yo’self. Yo’ dick don’t attract nothin’ but triflin’-ass women, bruh,” she hollered.
“Damn,” Boon muttered.
“Damn is right. You’re grown though, so just be careful, baby brother. And tell that ho I said walk light,” Mae responded. She and Boon said their good-nights, and hung up the phone.
Boon got in the house and kicked out of his Nike’s. He texted Taz and told her to be on her way. It was almost 3:00 a.m., and for some odd reason, Boon thought about CiCi. He sent her a text to see if she was awake. She didn’t have a significant other at the moment, and would usually call or text back if she was awake.
Boon went to the bathroom to take a leak. “Damn beer is runnin’ through me,” he groaned aloud, as he relieved himself. After flushing the toilet and washing his hands, he heard the phone ring. He ran and grabbed it, expecting Taz to be on the other end; it was CiCi, however, and Boon happily answered.
“Wassup, wifey?” he greeted her, as he always did.
“Probably one of yo’ li’l skank’s legs over there,” she retorted.
“Funny. Man, why I run into Zo, Taz, and Gia in the same week? And they all act like we never had a fucked up spot in our history at all. All three of them!” Boon exclaimed.
“You and yo’ li’l bird gang. Did you keep yo’ cool? Or did you lose it?” CiCi asked. She was very attentive and actually cared about what went on in Boon’s life. She truly would be with him, if only he would slow down and court her again.
“I lost it on all three of them hoes; especially, Gia. This ho had the nerve to ask me for some money!” Boon recalled.
“I told you them bitches ain’t shit,” CiCi said. Boon laughed at the