Mark was sitting in his room playing watching "Martin" When he got the call. It was the episode where Martin was doing his best Wesley Snipes from New Jack City impression as he interrogated all his friends about his walkman.
He was still laughing as he answered the call "Yooo whassup?" Mark grinned into the phone.
The person calling was Remy. Remy was one of the craziest people Mark knew. He was also one of Mark's best friends.
Ever since they were kids Remy always had Mark's back. So Mark always felt like he owed him. It was just that when they were younger Remy never needed anything. Remy was the strongest of all his friends. He was the most popular. He was the best looking. He was the smartest. Remy was the best fighter. Remy was always the leader. Remy was the most fearless person Mark ever knew.
Now you give these traits to some white kid in the suburbs, there's no telling where they would take him. Senator, Judge, Surgeon, Astronaut, President, CEO, who knows? But give those traits to a black kid named Remy in one of the toughest neighborhoods in the city, and you get a potential crime lord.
Remy broke every law there was to break. And while he was still that well loved kid everyone from the neighborhood grew up with... in the more recent years Remy was also one of the most feared people Mark ever knew.
Mark tried his best stay out of trouble if he could. And as a result he tried to stay away from Remy as much as possible. But whereas Remy never once asked Mark for a thing all those year of saving his ass on the playground, as young adults it was like Remy was always asking for one thing or another. Amd Mark could never say no. Not to Remy. Mark always felt like he owed Remy his life. It was just that Mark was sometimes afraid that debt may fall into collection.
"Damn nigga you sound like you in a good mood. What you into?" Remy asked into the phone
"Oh nothing man, just sitting here watching TV" Mark responded
"Think I could get a ride real quick? I'll pay you" Remy negotiated
Mark thought for a second. Rides with Remy almost always end in some type of adventure. Mark knew that no matter how innocent his request may sound, the second Remy gets into Marks car he's going to be the accessory to something way over his head.
Mark took a deep breath. "Yea man that's wassup. Gimme like 15 mins, I'll be in the alley behind your house"
"Bet" Remy responded and hung up.
15 mins. Mark thought. Just long enough to roll up and take a few shots. This is going to be a long night.
It was just after 1 am in the morning when Mark pulled up in Remy's alley and put the car in park. After about 5 or 6 minutes the door opened as waves of smoke went out into the night.
"Damn nigga you already started, I was bout to see if you wanted money or bud. But i might as well roll up and match" Remy laughed as he got in the car and took Mark's blunt from him for a few hits.
"just take me down to JB's carwash real quick" Remy barely got out in between breaths.
Soon as Mark heard the words JB his heart jumped for the first time.
JB was an older gangster from the neighborhood. He was a big deal in the late 80's and supposedly used his dope money to open one of those really fancy car washes down off the avenue. It always was a big deal to get your car washed at JB's. It's where everyone always went to be seen. Where videos were shot. Car shows. Shootings. You name it, it went down at JB's. If Remy wanted to go down to JB's at this time of night. It couldn't have been for anything good.
As they got close Remy said the infamous words you never want to hear when you got a nigga like this in your car "Yo pull over right here and hit your lights"
They were a good block and a half away from the carwash. Mark said nothing, he just did what he was asked.
"I'll be right back bruh, no matter what...DON'T PULL OFF till I get back, ya heard me?" Remy's eyes bulged to what appeared to be 3 times their normal size.
Mark nodded his head in understanding. Remy hopped out and ran off into the night.
As Mark sat in the car, his imagination was on overload. He started thinking of the millions of potentially life changing or even life ending things he could be getting himself into. At this point he's officially an accessory if the police pull up.
"What if the police do pull up?" Mark began to think. He was high, and paranoid, but he didn't want to look it. But at the same time he felt he should look around.
Mark winded down all his windows, slouched in his seat and tried to control his breath. After about a minute of silence he heard what sounded like running footsteps. Mark felt a bolt of fear hit his body. He knew he had to look up and around now.
Just as he was about to look up his passenger door yanked open
"Drive nigga! Drive!" Mark didn't' hesitate at all he started the car and immediately pulled off screeching the tires as he took off down the street.
"WHOA NIGGA WHOA!" Remy yelled
"Slow this motherfucker down!" he ordered
"NIggaz get caught after they robbed a bank cuz they driving like they robbed a bank. This ain't the movies nigga. We ain't on no high speed chase!" Remy belted out
"When you ride with me nigga, take off slow, hit corners slow.....drive normal, look normal nigga...that's how you get away" Remy texplained to Mark
"Now slowly turn down Carver, I gotta make one more stop" Remy said as he re lit the blunt
Mark made a right on Carver and went all the way down to Mason street where he pulled over slowly again and turned his lights out while Remy got out and ran into the darkness.
He didn't take nearly as long this time and when he got in Mark started driving off really slow until he heard a loud horn and saw highbeams.
"Damn nigga don't get us killed!" Remy shouted as MArk swerved around the Black Ford Pick up truck that almost T-boned them through the stop sign Mark ran through.
The old man driving looked Mark right in his eyes with a certainty of recognition. Mark instantly felt guilty.
A few moments later Mark pulled back into Remy's alley. Mark cut the engine
"Look" Remy started "To be perfectly honest bruh, I ain't seen you all week forreal,...what you say?"
it was code. Mark understood "Yea man, I think the last time I saw you was some time last week forreal, I been running around"
"Yea man I feel you" Remy smiled as he dapped up his friend.
When Remy got out the car two $100 bills were in the passenger seat.
"IIght man that's you right there, I'll holla"
"Thanks bruh" Mark responded
He was still laughing as he answered the call "Yooo whassup?" Mark grinned into the phone.
The person calling was Remy. Remy was one of the craziest people Mark knew. He was also one of Mark's best friends.
Ever since they were kids Remy always had Mark's back. So Mark always felt like he owed him. It was just that when they were younger Remy never needed anything. Remy was the strongest of all his friends. He was the most popular. He was the best looking. He was the smartest. Remy was the best fighter. Remy was always the leader. Remy was the most fearless person Mark ever knew.
Now you give these traits to some white kid in the suburbs, there's no telling where they would take him. Senator, Judge, Surgeon, Astronaut, President, CEO, who knows? But give those traits to a black kid named Remy in one of the toughest neighborhoods in the city, and you get a potential crime lord.
Remy broke every law there was to break. And while he was still that well loved kid everyone from the neighborhood grew up with... in the more recent years Remy was also one of the most feared people Mark ever knew.
Mark tried his best stay out of trouble if he could. And as a result he tried to stay away from Remy as much as possible. But whereas Remy never once asked Mark for a thing all those year of saving his ass on the playground, as young adults it was like Remy was always asking for one thing or another. Amd Mark could never say no. Not to Remy. Mark always felt like he owed Remy his life. It was just that Mark was sometimes afraid that debt may fall into collection.
"Damn nigga you sound like you in a good mood. What you into?" Remy asked into the phone
"Oh nothing man, just sitting here watching TV" Mark responded
"Think I could get a ride real quick? I'll pay you" Remy negotiated
Mark thought for a second. Rides with Remy almost always end in some type of adventure. Mark knew that no matter how innocent his request may sound, the second Remy gets into Marks car he's going to be the accessory to something way over his head.
Mark took a deep breath. "Yea man that's wassup. Gimme like 15 mins, I'll be in the alley behind your house"
"Bet" Remy responded and hung up.
15 mins. Mark thought. Just long enough to roll up and take a few shots. This is going to be a long night.
It was just after 1 am in the morning when Mark pulled up in Remy's alley and put the car in park. After about 5 or 6 minutes the door opened as waves of smoke went out into the night.
"Damn nigga you already started, I was bout to see if you wanted money or bud. But i might as well roll up and match" Remy laughed as he got in the car and took Mark's blunt from him for a few hits.
"just take me down to JB's carwash real quick" Remy barely got out in between breaths.
Soon as Mark heard the words JB his heart jumped for the first time.
JB was an older gangster from the neighborhood. He was a big deal in the late 80's and supposedly used his dope money to open one of those really fancy car washes down off the avenue. It always was a big deal to get your car washed at JB's. It's where everyone always went to be seen. Where videos were shot. Car shows. Shootings. You name it, it went down at JB's. If Remy wanted to go down to JB's at this time of night. It couldn't have been for anything good.
As they got close Remy said the infamous words you never want to hear when you got a nigga like this in your car "Yo pull over right here and hit your lights"
They were a good block and a half away from the carwash. Mark said nothing, he just did what he was asked.
"I'll be right back bruh, no matter what...DON'T PULL OFF till I get back, ya heard me?" Remy's eyes bulged to what appeared to be 3 times their normal size.
Mark nodded his head in understanding. Remy hopped out and ran off into the night.
As Mark sat in the car, his imagination was on overload. He started thinking of the millions of potentially life changing or even life ending things he could be getting himself into. At this point he's officially an accessory if the police pull up.
"What if the police do pull up?" Mark began to think. He was high, and paranoid, but he didn't want to look it. But at the same time he felt he should look around.
Mark winded down all his windows, slouched in his seat and tried to control his breath. After about a minute of silence he heard what sounded like running footsteps. Mark felt a bolt of fear hit his body. He knew he had to look up and around now.
Just as he was about to look up his passenger door yanked open
"Drive nigga! Drive!" Mark didn't' hesitate at all he started the car and immediately pulled off screeching the tires as he took off down the street.
"WHOA NIGGA WHOA!" Remy yelled
"Slow this motherfucker down!" he ordered
"NIggaz get caught after they robbed a bank cuz they driving like they robbed a bank. This ain't the movies nigga. We ain't on no high speed chase!" Remy belted out
"When you ride with me nigga, take off slow, hit corners slow.....drive normal, look normal nigga...that's how you get away" Remy texplained to Mark
"Now slowly turn down Carver, I gotta make one more stop" Remy said as he re lit the blunt
Mark made a right on Carver and went all the way down to Mason street where he pulled over slowly again and turned his lights out while Remy got out and ran into the darkness.
He didn't take nearly as long this time and when he got in Mark started driving off really slow until he heard a loud horn and saw highbeams.
"Damn nigga don't get us killed!" Remy shouted as MArk swerved around the Black Ford Pick up truck that almost T-boned them through the stop sign Mark ran through.
The old man driving looked Mark right in his eyes with a certainty of recognition. Mark instantly felt guilty.
A few moments later Mark pulled back into Remy's alley. Mark cut the engine
"Look" Remy started "To be perfectly honest bruh, I ain't seen you all week forreal,...what you say?"
it was code. Mark understood "Yea man, I think the last time I saw you was some time last week forreal, I been running around"
"Yea man I feel you" Remy smiled as he dapped up his friend.
When Remy got out the car two $100 bills were in the passenger seat.
"IIght man that's you right there, I'll holla"
"Thanks bruh" Mark responded