Read Thug Lovin' for Free Online Page A

home safe.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Newark, New Jersey
    S abeerah lived in a second-floor, two-bedroom apartment on Hawthorne Avenue. This week had been pure heaven for her. She was
     preparing for college and as a graduation present she had gotten a new digital camera. Now all of her family was gathered
     around for her older sister JuJu’s baby shower. Sabeerah watched out her second-floor balcony window as her family exited
     the cab. They had traveled all the way from Haiti. And they had all moved over here to the States in search of the American
     Dream, but instead found the Ghetto Dream. JuJu nabbed a baller. Her baby daddy Deontay sold crack for a living. And his drug
     proceeds upgraded their lives. Sabeerah’s belly had never been empty again like in those old days in Haiti.
    Deontay was holding Deontay Jr. with pride written all across his face as he beamed down at his new son of three weeks. Then
     JuJu opened the framed picture of Deontay Jr. that Sabeerah had painted. It got oohs and aahs from everyone in the room. It
     was lifelike.
    Toying with her new digital camera, Sabeerah used her graduation present to zoom in on her sister’s gifts. She focused the
     camera on her sister’s new diamond earrings. She zoomed down to the Prada gym shoes on her feet, and then to her expensive
     outfit. Sabeerah fantasized about going to the beauty salon, getting her hair fly, nails done, a whole new outfit with those
     same Prada shoes on and going to school. Sabeerah wanted to be just like her big sister. Now if she could just snag her a
     baller. She hadn’t figured out how to do that yet, especially since her mother kept her under lock and key and couldn’t wait
     to send her off to college. But Sabeerah had made up her mind. Once she was out of here and off to college, she was going
     to get loose. Her mom was already disappointed in JuJu for having a child out of wedlock. But Sabeerah was determined to get
     her a baller or somebody who would afford her the glamorous life. “As soon as I’m out of here,” she mumbled.
    After another twenty minutes of recording everyone fawning over her new nephew, Sabeerah grew bored and decided to go on the
     balcony and get some shots of the block. If she had been back in Haiti, she would have been guaranteed to get some award-winning
     footage. But the block would have to do for now.
    It wasn’t quite winter yet, but it was definitely a brisk afternoon. She focused in on the regular runners on the block. The
     Hawthorne Avenue Posse worked the corner from sunup to sundown. Then they moved shop down the street. There were Ja, Cassie,
     Dre and Lil’ Spruce. She then panned over to a long stretch Mercedes limo as it pulled up. The scrawny Caucasian driver jumped
     out, looked both ways and jogged over to Cassie. They slapped hands and the driver turned around and jogged back to the limo,
     not giving a damn that he almost caused an accident. She had seen this same limo driver buy crack off this block on several
     occasions. Didn’t he realize this stretch limo, smack dab in the hood, stuck out like a sore thumb?
    “Oooh. There he is.” Sabeerah froze in place as soon as the words slipped from her mouth. Magnificent the God. Sabeerah had
     a serious crush on him. Ja, Cassie, Dre and Lil’ Spruce all came running over to him. “Damn, y’all, just bow down and kiss
     the God’s feet, why don’t you!” she hissed under her breath. Magnificent was as close to Ne-Yo as she was going to get and
     he ran Hawthorne Avenue.
    Beep. Beep.
The limo driver was lying on his horn. Sabeerah focused on the limo, and figured that he had probably just finished smoking
     his rock and was now hyped and ready to go. Two cars with New York license plates had blocked him in. Magnificent the God
     was flexin’ for his workers when two of the dudes from the New York vehicles came over to him. Magnificent looked over the
     two dudes standing before him and then he arrogantly waved his runners away. But