Nico was quiet.
“Nico, it’s simple. If you using Mia as a mule to transport your drugs, just say that and I’ll know what’s up. But if you fuckin’ her then just say that too, so I’ll know what’s up, and I’ll know where I stand.”
Nico was no dummy. He knew when to keep his mouth shut, and he also knew the right words to speak. He just smiled.
Jasmine also said nothing.
“So who was homie wit’chu down in the restaurant? This his weed on the table?”
“He wasn’t nobody. I met him last night at the bar. He was telling me he plays pro football, and he asked me if I would go to breakfast with him.”
“So are you fuckin’ him?”
“Nico, please don’t try to spin this around.”
“I ain’t spinning shit, but if you wanna keep shit one hundred, let’s keep it one hundred.”
“I always keep it real, Nico, and you know that.”
“Yeah, I know that. And I also know you murdered Shabazz. And if you murdered him, you think my mind don’t wander?”
“Oh, my God!”
“Babe, I saw you murder your ex in cold blood, and I been riding with you and I ain’t ever blink about the shit.”
“Wait. Hold up, hold up. First of all, you ain’t ever see me do shit. And how dare you try to put that shit on me?”
“Nah, hold up, baby girl. You the one slinging those murderous accusations, and you need to cut that shit out. Let’s be mature adults about this shit. You feel me?”
Nico’s prepaid phone started to vibrate at that moment, and he saw that it was BJ. “My nigga, speak to me,” he said and then walked into the bathroom so he could speak in private.
“The coroner finally released the body to homie’s family. The funeral is on Friday,” BJ explained, referring to Bebo’s funeral.
“So whatchu saying?” Nico asked, still being careful not to say much of anything on the phone.
“We need to both be there,” BJ replied.
Nico had no plans of ever attending Bebo’s funeral, but he trusted BJ’s judgment, and if BJ was saying that they both needed to go, then he would go.
“I feel you.”
“You know what I mean, right?” BJ asked.
“Yeah, I been outta pocket, so the streets been talking.”
“No muthafuckin’ doubt,” BJ replied. “They on that conspiracy shit, but if we both there, it’ll quiet all that.”
“Yeah, yeah. So Friday, huh?”
“Yes, sirrr. At Gilmore’s in Queens, over there on Linden.”
“A’ight, speak to his moms and make sure they straight with cheddar and all that. Let them know that we gon’ make sure his kids is straight and that they’ll be all right.”
“Cool.” BJ ended their call.
Nico put his phone back in his pocket and exited the bathroom.
“For the record, I wasn’t slinging no murderous accusations. If you heard what I said, I was just saying that I didn’t know what to think,” Jasmine tried to explain to Nico.