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like you, and she know it ain’t none a her concern.”
    He liked me? I wasn’t sure what that meant. But his arm was wrapped around me again, and he was looking at me in that way he had, that way that said I was something.
    â€œMatter of fact”—he put his forty back down again and turned me gently so that we were face-to-face—“I don’t even want you to leave. That’s how much I like you.” He rested his forehead right on the spot where he had kissed me. “You can be one a mine now.” His? “You can stay here long as you want with L.A. and Brandy.”
    â€œBrandy?”
    â€œShe moving in real soon,” he explained. “Another one called herself Satin was here awhile, but she just left out.” He lifted his forehead off mine but stayed close. I could feel his breath. “So I told Brandy I’m a help her out. And now I met you.” He looked right into my eyes. “And you something extra special.”
    And then he kissed me on my mouth, just a quick brush, just for a second, and I knew I’d never wanted anything more than to be his.

Chapter Nine
    â€œWE GOING TO lose the apartment,” her Daddy told L.A.
    That’s how Sex would keep on with the note. He would write L.A.’s part just how Brandy told me what she knew.
    L.A. fell for his bullshit. “I got dogged at work. They didn’t pay me. Now I owe rent. Not much, but the landlord. You know how he is. He want his coins. You can help. All you got to do is go meet my friend. You go meet my friend, and you do what he want, and you bring me back the money. What? Nah. Just this once. It ain’t nothing. You done all that before. You told me so with all them uncles and them when you was small. Nothing you don’t know how to do. You can do it this time on your own choice. You can do it and earn some money instead of it just getting stole from you for free. I bet you’re real good at it too. You had all that experience. You can put it to good use now. What? Us? Nah. Not until you bring me some money. Maybe then I’ll let you get with me like that. Nah. He ain’t going to ask you to do much. Just go chill with him. Don’t give him a hard time. Take his coins and bring it to me. Yeah. Then we good for rent. Think about it, Beautiful. Think about how you can make yourself useful. Make me real proud and bring me my money and then I’ll get with you like that. Yeah, you think about it.”
    It made sense to me then. Perfect sense. When you’re young, you’re stupid.
    The men. The money. I like my job so much better when it’s just young love instead. That’s what Sex would write.

Chapter Ten
    WHAT I KNEW was that right as L.A. was showing up, this one they called Satin was on her way out. She was old. I thought she was twenty-eight or maybe even older than that. She was the Bottom Bitch, but something happened. Brandy said Satin got in a car with the one they called Stone and chose him. Brandy said Satin had made two thousand dollars that day and broke to Stone right there in his car. Just handed him all that cash that was supposed to be for our stable. I heard on the street that Satin was out of pocket somehow: looked Stone or Whippet straight in the eye or didn’t step off the curb into the street when she was supposed to. Also I heard somebody else randomly recruited her for his and she said yes and never came back home. Whatever it was, L.A. took Satin’s place. And Brandy and I got added a long time before Lollipop arrived. I only ever saw Satin once or twice. She was small and skinny with patchy, ashy skin. Her face was bony, like a skeleton’s. L.A. said it was her HIV finally showing up. Brandy said it was smack; maybe even tweak. All I could see was that Satin looked so old.

Chapter Eleven
    BRANDY MOVED IN on my fourth day. He gave her the couch and sent me to a sleeping bag in the alcove. Brandy been talking to me