Post by Lily Esther Allen on May 28, 2005 1:16:51 GMT -8
Maggie sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. That woman Maria, she did bring back some old memories. Her rag and speech sent Maggie thinking back to when she first moved to New York City. She somehow found herself a member of a gang, just like that. It had been scary and exciting, all at the same time.
Maggie watched the water stream off the tangles in her hair, soaking the matted rust colored shag carpet. Shifting just a little she could hear her shoes squeak, and wriggling her toes she could feel that they were wrinkled prunes, cold and a bit numb. The room she was in was not that warm, but it was dry. Her K-Mart layaway coat had soaked up the last of the water that had fallen on it outside. She hadn’t really been able to get much sleep since she ran away from home so was a little slow taking in her surroundings.
She was standing next to a couch that had a black kid who was maybe thirteen. He was dressed in ripped jeans and a shirt with more holes than fabric. She could see that he had some kind of tattoo on his arm and around his right knee he had a purple and a green bandana. His hair flopped back and forth as he spoke and he was smoking a joint. On the far end was a black man, maybe eighteen, who was sitting on the back of the couch with his bare feet on the cushion. A thrift store reject sofa was next and two more black guys, fifteen or sixteen, occupied it. Tucked in the corner was the only white guy. He looked high or bored, hard to tell in the haze of smoke that blanketed him. On the other side of the room was the oldest person in the room, twenty at most. He had the only girl sitting in his lap, a smoky Hispanic, beautiful but looked like she was getting used up too quickly.
And that left Deeg. He had brought her here. She had met him yesterday at Ty’s place. Ty had convinced Deeg that she would fit in here. Maggie and Deeg had not shared much conversation on there way here. All she knew was that he was nineteen and was an OG, whatever that was.
Her eyes finally settled on the T.V. The beat up set was showing an old Run DMC video on MTV.
“Hey honky! I’m talkin’ to ya. You deaf or somethin’?”
Maggie dragged her eyes over to the girl in the room. She squared her tired shoulders and lifted her head, “No.”<br>
“Then what is yo’ name?” the Hispanic girl smirked.
“Margaret.”
“What kind of fucked up name is that? Can’t you yuppie punked up honky shits ever come up with a decent name?” Maggie looked over who spat that out and saw it was the floppy haired kid.
“Its Irish you freak!”<br>
She felt a smack to the back of her head, “Hey no dis’n on Peewee here. Sit down.” Maggie felt herself shoved on to the couch by Deeg. She found herself sitting between Peewee and the bare feet of the black man. She could see the telltale tracked of a herion user disappearing up his pants. Maggie new he must have been using heavy for a very long time to get that bad. Peewee reached over her and handed the joint to him. He leaned down to get it and gave her a big slow gap-toothed smile. “You are one fine looking piece of ass.” Maggie then felt his hand slide down her flat chest.
She was out of the couch in a leap, “Keep your hands off me you creep!”<br>
She stood in the middle of the room glaring at the people surrounding her. No way was she going to be used as someone’s toy. Deeg stood in front of the door to the outside. The windows all had bars so that only left an exit through a beaded curtain that probably led to a hallway. As she tensed in anticipation of making a run for it she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was the girl. She jumped but the hispanic had a firm grip, several inches and a few years on her. “You’se just anotha’ toss up. Damn girl, even with all them freckles you’se still pretty. And don’tcha worry these bruises will heal up just fine” Her fingers gently rubbed along the yellowing bruises on Maggie’s face.
“Where’d ya get her Deeg?” The bored white guy asked this question.
“She was at Ty’s place.”<br>
The room erupted and Maggie had trouble making out anything in the anger that suddenly swelled and filled the room.
“…boned out almost a year…”
“…didn’t even get jumped out…”
“…the fuck talking to that…<br>
“…ghosted…”
“…f’cker booked months ago…”
“What the fuck is going on in here!” Maggie found herself pulled toward this last shout. She was surprised to hear silence fall like snow in the room. A tall black woman had stepped through the beaded curtain. Her hair was long, braided and beaded. Her skin had a heavy cream complexion. She wore a tube top and ripped jeans. And around her right knee she wore both a purple and a green bandana.
Looking at Deeg the woman asked with a sneer, “Where did you pick up this white trailer trash?”<br>
“Ty recommended her.”
The woman’s eyes widened for a moment. She then slowly approached Maggie, studying her like a prize dog while shooing off the other girl. She walked around Maggie several times, who craned her head around to keep the woman in sight. She finally stopped in front of Maggie. “How old are you?”<br>
“Eleven.”<br>
“Well Peewee guess you get to keep your placa. You where only ten when you joined” At this Peewee asked, “what that means we’s gonna keep it? Just what we need more honky shit”<br>
“Who ya callin’ honky shit Peewee? You no better than cow shit, and smell like it too.” Maggie watched out of the corner of her eye as the man who had tried to feel her up laugh at his own joke. “Al’right anotha’ toss up, I get first poke.”<br>
“Listen up you basehead, she’s not a toss up. She can start taking over some of Peewee’s runs.” She smiled when Peewee yelled “Word!”<br>
“What tha fuck Ruby. That’s just messed up, why she gonna be a playa’ and I’m just the goddamn toss up?”<br>
Maggie watched as Ruby stared at the Hispanic girl for several moments before responding, “Because spic, your first night here you cried. Where is this honky trash refused to take any shit. Now as to a placa. Peewee is right Margaret is just fucked up.” Maggie felt herself studied again, this time it felt a little friendlier. She held still as Ruby tugged at a sodden tangle of hair and flicked at the bangs that where plastered to her forehead. “You look like a drowned kitten.”
“Call her Kit.”<br>
Maggie finally was able to pull her eyes away from Ruby and used that freedom to look and the person who had just spoken. It was the oldest guy and he was studying Ruby with a calculating eye. “How do you know Ty?”<br>
The question was directed at her but he was watching Ruby’s reaction to Maggie’s response. “He supplies my mother.” Maggie answered.
She could feel the tension build between him and Ruby. “So Ruby, is Deeg a chip dog now with Ty?”<br>
Maggie stepped back as Ruby smiled, seemingly pleased with the man’s question. Finally Ruby lifted a hand toward Deeg, who tossed her a large bundle of bills. “Yeah gotta pay for this place somehow. Here Peewee go buy us something to eat. Got to celebrate our new player.” Ruby then pealed off several bills and handed them to Peewee before heading out of the room with a follow motion to the man. Who followed close behind.
Maggie took that chance to grab his seat as Peewee and the Hispanic girl headed out into the rain, and wondered when she would feel safe enough to sleep.
Maggie watched the water stream off the tangles in her hair, soaking the matted rust colored shag carpet. Shifting just a little she could hear her shoes squeak, and wriggling her toes she could feel that they were wrinkled prunes, cold and a bit numb. The room she was in was not that warm, but it was dry. Her K-Mart layaway coat had soaked up the last of the water that had fallen on it outside. She hadn’t really been able to get much sleep since she ran away from home so was a little slow taking in her surroundings.
She was standing next to a couch that had a black kid who was maybe thirteen. He was dressed in ripped jeans and a shirt with more holes than fabric. She could see that he had some kind of tattoo on his arm and around his right knee he had a purple and a green bandana. His hair flopped back and forth as he spoke and he was smoking a joint. On the far end was a black man, maybe eighteen, who was sitting on the back of the couch with his bare feet on the cushion. A thrift store reject sofa was next and two more black guys, fifteen or sixteen, occupied it. Tucked in the corner was the only white guy. He looked high or bored, hard to tell in the haze of smoke that blanketed him. On the other side of the room was the oldest person in the room, twenty at most. He had the only girl sitting in his lap, a smoky Hispanic, beautiful but looked like she was getting used up too quickly.
And that left Deeg. He had brought her here. She had met him yesterday at Ty’s place. Ty had convinced Deeg that she would fit in here. Maggie and Deeg had not shared much conversation on there way here. All she knew was that he was nineteen and was an OG, whatever that was.
Her eyes finally settled on the T.V. The beat up set was showing an old Run DMC video on MTV.
“Hey honky! I’m talkin’ to ya. You deaf or somethin’?”
Maggie dragged her eyes over to the girl in the room. She squared her tired shoulders and lifted her head, “No.”<br>
“Then what is yo’ name?” the Hispanic girl smirked.
“Margaret.”
“What kind of fucked up name is that? Can’t you yuppie punked up honky shits ever come up with a decent name?” Maggie looked over who spat that out and saw it was the floppy haired kid.
“Its Irish you freak!”<br>
She felt a smack to the back of her head, “Hey no dis’n on Peewee here. Sit down.” Maggie felt herself shoved on to the couch by Deeg. She found herself sitting between Peewee and the bare feet of the black man. She could see the telltale tracked of a herion user disappearing up his pants. Maggie new he must have been using heavy for a very long time to get that bad. Peewee reached over her and handed the joint to him. He leaned down to get it and gave her a big slow gap-toothed smile. “You are one fine looking piece of ass.” Maggie then felt his hand slide down her flat chest.
She was out of the couch in a leap, “Keep your hands off me you creep!”<br>
She stood in the middle of the room glaring at the people surrounding her. No way was she going to be used as someone’s toy. Deeg stood in front of the door to the outside. The windows all had bars so that only left an exit through a beaded curtain that probably led to a hallway. As she tensed in anticipation of making a run for it she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was the girl. She jumped but the hispanic had a firm grip, several inches and a few years on her. “You’se just anotha’ toss up. Damn girl, even with all them freckles you’se still pretty. And don’tcha worry these bruises will heal up just fine” Her fingers gently rubbed along the yellowing bruises on Maggie’s face.
“Where’d ya get her Deeg?” The bored white guy asked this question.
“She was at Ty’s place.”<br>
The room erupted and Maggie had trouble making out anything in the anger that suddenly swelled and filled the room.
“…boned out almost a year…”
“…didn’t even get jumped out…”
“…the fuck talking to that…<br>
“…ghosted…”
“…f’cker booked months ago…”
“What the fuck is going on in here!” Maggie found herself pulled toward this last shout. She was surprised to hear silence fall like snow in the room. A tall black woman had stepped through the beaded curtain. Her hair was long, braided and beaded. Her skin had a heavy cream complexion. She wore a tube top and ripped jeans. And around her right knee she wore both a purple and a green bandana.
Looking at Deeg the woman asked with a sneer, “Where did you pick up this white trailer trash?”<br>
“Ty recommended her.”
The woman’s eyes widened for a moment. She then slowly approached Maggie, studying her like a prize dog while shooing off the other girl. She walked around Maggie several times, who craned her head around to keep the woman in sight. She finally stopped in front of Maggie. “How old are you?”<br>
“Eleven.”<br>
“Well Peewee guess you get to keep your placa. You where only ten when you joined” At this Peewee asked, “what that means we’s gonna keep it? Just what we need more honky shit”<br>
“Who ya callin’ honky shit Peewee? You no better than cow shit, and smell like it too.” Maggie watched out of the corner of her eye as the man who had tried to feel her up laugh at his own joke. “Al’right anotha’ toss up, I get first poke.”<br>
“Listen up you basehead, she’s not a toss up. She can start taking over some of Peewee’s runs.” She smiled when Peewee yelled “Word!”<br>
“What tha fuck Ruby. That’s just messed up, why she gonna be a playa’ and I’m just the goddamn toss up?”<br>
Maggie watched as Ruby stared at the Hispanic girl for several moments before responding, “Because spic, your first night here you cried. Where is this honky trash refused to take any shit. Now as to a placa. Peewee is right Margaret is just fucked up.” Maggie felt herself studied again, this time it felt a little friendlier. She held still as Ruby tugged at a sodden tangle of hair and flicked at the bangs that where plastered to her forehead. “You look like a drowned kitten.”
“Call her Kit.”<br>
Maggie finally was able to pull her eyes away from Ruby and used that freedom to look and the person who had just spoken. It was the oldest guy and he was studying Ruby with a calculating eye. “How do you know Ty?”<br>
The question was directed at her but he was watching Ruby’s reaction to Maggie’s response. “He supplies my mother.” Maggie answered.
She could feel the tension build between him and Ruby. “So Ruby, is Deeg a chip dog now with Ty?”<br>
Maggie stepped back as Ruby smiled, seemingly pleased with the man’s question. Finally Ruby lifted a hand toward Deeg, who tossed her a large bundle of bills. “Yeah gotta pay for this place somehow. Here Peewee go buy us something to eat. Got to celebrate our new player.” Ruby then pealed off several bills and handed them to Peewee before heading out of the room with a follow motion to the man. Who followed close behind.
Maggie took that chance to grab his seat as Peewee and the Hispanic girl headed out into the rain, and wondered when she would feel safe enough to sleep.
