I stayed in bed, in my room for the remainder of the week, and towards
the weekend, after much persuasion from my aunt, I reluctantly got up 
and went to mind her store on Friday. My girl Ai called me, from the 
store to tell me about a gig in her neighborhood and insisted I come. I 
faked being sick but everyone knows better than try and make excuses 
with her. 

"tha's wack Keisha!" she screamed right into my ear "I wanna see your
butt herre 2nite or I'mma come there and whip your ass! Ya hear! I 
ain't kiddin Keisha, besides I need you herre, there's this busta white 
herre who keeps making me wanna front. So you get your as herre when 
you done. Iight?" 

I smiled into the phone and said "ok." 

By 7:30, after my aunt had let me up with the usual the third degree, I
left for the gig. keisha's neighborhood is a project neighborhood, and 
it isn't like any other ghetto, in her ghetto is where everything 
happens, from rape to money laundering to teen moms to murders which 
the 5-0's don't account for and don't care. From 10 miles away you 
could hear the beat of the music they were playing, it drowned into 
your ear and each time your tummy went ‘thump' with just the usual kind 
of ache to go with it. I had gotten a ride from mike and his friends 
and the roads had just enough pot-holes to give an extra ache to the 
already mentioned one. 

I got to the party by 9 o' clock and from where I stood the house seemed
too decent for a project house. Somewhat like one of those picket fence 
houses. It was white all through and from outside looked like a two 
story building. The music was now blasting loud and clear and people 
were just going past me into the house. I followed the large crowd that 
was pouring into the house and ended up in a corridor that seemed to go 
forever. I looked over my shoulder to see if I could find anyone I 
knew... 

"Keisha!" I closed my eyes tight, just the sound of the voice was an
irritation it self. "Keisha!" I opened my eyes, turned my head to the 
sound of the voice and smiled 

"Dwayne." I said and he rushed me into a bear hug. Wincing he lifted me
up from the floor where he stood about 6 foot 5 and after the crushing 
bear hug put me down. I felt the final crack in my spin... or what was 
left of it. 

"Was happening girl? Haven't seen you in a long time. Ya know, I know I
said I'd call but ya know how it is! Especially with all the other 
honeys calling me and all. didn't think you'd mind me not calling 
again. But if you want we can always get back together but I don't 
think you can...watch it foo! Can't you see where you goin ...men!... 
so I was saying me n my boys we be crusing down the streets and thought 
heard about the gig herre n decided to check...yo check this out...I 
was at da dog on a stick gettin some grub when da lady was like tryin 
to overcharge ma shih. I was like "Whaddafuh dat be fo?" all loud an 
shih an den she was like "that's the total sir" an I was like "Sir!? 
Why you creppin shiznit?" So I took da fries an straight up mashed em 
into da chalk board menu so it would be all greasy an hard to write on 
it an shih. She got all up in ma ma bizness bout it so I was like "YO 
BAYAM!" an slammed ma corndog onto da regista - den I was like "PAYOW" 
an straight up knocked over the lemonade maka! Den she was all scared 
an shih an ran to da back so I didn't haves to pay fo shih! Dats some 
crazy ass gangsta shih mutha fucka! 8mile representin!... ok check it 
out... hey yo killa!" 

"My name!" 

"Get your butt over herre! U gotta meet someone! Yo check it out... dis
herre is ma man, killa." 

"sup shorty." I smiled in acknowledgment. 

"I was saying, I got this contract ya know d one I'm talking about right
Keisha?" I nodded. "ya well I'm goin to the top! Ya know what I'm 
saying. My agent says I go be the next Michael Jordan. Ain't that right 
killa?" "thas right!" "So right now I'm playing ... yo there's big t. 
over there. Yo big t. ... just talking about you ...get your ass over herre men... so I'mma be a bawla...." 

And that's just how it is with Dwayne. Just cos he's six foot tall with
the brain of a peanut and the talent of a basketball god, he thinks 
he's the next best thing. I used to date him way back, it wasn't 
exactly dating but he liked to think we were dating so I'd rub his ego 
and go along whenever his homies asked I'd say we were. 

I guess once it got too far, at a party he had had too much to drink and
started making provocative advances to me. And try as I might I 
couldn't fight him off. Eventually the booze got the best of him and he 
fell asleep on me. I was able to get off him during that night. The 
next morning he called me to check if I was ok. He seemed to have this 
preconceived idea that I had slept with him, I didn't try and correct 
him as deep inside that man body, Dwayne truly is a baby. That was his 
supposed "first time". And just like him all his friends just like 
girls to rub their ego so from that time on I stayed far away from him 
as possible. 

Just as I thought that he was never done talking to me ... "Keisha!."
Boy was I ever glad to see Ai. "Ai" I called "come over herre." She 
came with suspicious in her eyes, as she knows me better than most 
people and knows that I'm not always exactly enthusiastic about seeing 
her. This was a first. 

"Hey Dwayne. ‘member Ai. Ai this is Dwayne and killa..." 

"sup honey." Killa said his eyes traveling down Ai's body. 

"And big T..." 

"Uh huh. Now what you want me to do Keisha? They bugging you? Huh? Cos
if they are I'll get my girls over n get their butts kicked out." She 
said eyeing them and chewing rapidly as she talked. 

"Oh no. that's not it Ai. I just wanted you to meet friends of mine." I
tried ever so sweetly to tell her, my smile was tearing up my face 
wasn't sending out the message to her. 

"Ok anyway guys we have to go. I wanna go use the bathroom." Ai said
jerking my hand along with her as we left. Thank you Ai! 

"wus sup with you? They looked ok to me." She said as the crowd began to
swallow us. 

"Yeah. That's cos you haven't spent your entire life time with Dwayne.
He's just another skeezer." I dragged her and we got to the kitchen 
where on top of the table baby, a girl of mine, was dancing on top of 
the center table while a small crowd of guys hailed her on among other 
girls too. She winked when she saw me and continued her tease. Her top 
was completely off and her pants had been zipped open. A terrific body 
that had being used over and over again, and just 18. She was 
completely drunk now, meaning she probably had problems at home. And 
the only way most people could deal with their problems in most 
projects, was to get drunk. 

We moved on to the next room which was the living room where there were
more peeps and everywhere you could see some kind of activity going on. 
There were a couple of people on the floor playing strip poker. About 7 
girls and lots of guys, most already were naked. The latest offender 
was now on a guys' lap grinding her hips on his while they made out, 
the on lookers hailed them on, encouraging the guy to go further on 
her. Somewhere in between their make out session, in the air, you could 
smell other people's sex. It was understandable. As we continued down 
the hall way, in most rooms you could hear the muffled sounds of people 
in their own little ecstasy world. By the tone of their sounds you'd 
know that they were getting skully. In another room, some guys were 
playing pool. And as we passed we felt their eyes on us.