Chapter 4 segment.

Here you go, Cherokee said, holding the blunt in the air after drying it. Perfectly rolled. It was an excellent looking blunt, almost five inches long with a flawless medium diameter. Light it up, Gabe said after tossing Cherokee a lighter. Will do, Cherokee responded with a smile. The lighter made a snapping sound when he sparked it. I went to the bed and flopped down on my Rhapsody foam pillows to get comfortable. Cherokee was sitting by the desk to my right and Gabe was posted amply in the pushback Liam leather recliner. A distinct tropical aroma hit the air and we all noticed. Damn that smells delicious, Gabe praised. Cherokee exhaled and said, Mmmm, this shit tastes good as fuck! I smiled and said, Told you. He said, Tastes like some type of, lemon banana pudding or something. Ha-ha, I said. Yeah thats the weed mixed with the blunt flavor. But when you smoke it with papers it tastes like Sprite. Wow, Cherokee said before taking another puff. So what time did you end up leaving the party last night? Gabe asked me. A little after three, I recalled, while handing the ashtray to Cherokee. It must have been packed by then, Gabe said, because when I left around midnight, people were still pouring in.

Man, it was poppin like a club in that pool house, I said as I accepted the blunt. Upstairs and downstairs ... Cherokee you woulda loved it. Whose party was it anyway? he asked. Nora Beal from the school of Engineering, Gabe answered. I took a refreshing puff on the blunt. Cherokee smacked his lips and said, Damn, I knew I should have went ... While I was wasting my time studying, I coulda been at the party recruiting some fresh new pussy. Although he was quite assuming, I have to admit that he would have most likely been doing just that. He was like a fully charged magnet around females. He sexed new girls almost every week, and had more freaky tales than Too $hort. I tried to tell you to just come for a couple of hours and leave early like I did, Gabe said. Yeah, yeah, I know, he acknowledged. Oh well, better safe than sorry, Gabe joked. At least you gained a lot of knowledge from that extra studying. Ha, whatever, Cherokee complained. Anyways, I knew I should'a stopped by there. I took another puff and then passed the dessert to Gabe. So how'd you end up gettin back to the pad? Gabe asked me. Kristal dropped me off. I answered. Gabe looked at me and started to smile. I knew that shed make sure you got home safe. I rolled my eyes. Awe, man Lando, Cherokee started, you need to stop teasin' that girl and go ahead and give her what she wants! Teasin' her? I questioned. It aint like I be leading her on or nothin. Shit, if she wanna buy me gifts and be nice to me all the time, then so be it. But she know whassup, Im already taken.

Yeah, but she just wants to fuck, Cherokee rationalized. You might as well go ahead and punish that. I mean, her body is bangin! ... And your lady is in another state too ... Shiiit, I know you all in love and stuff, but you need to go ahead and chop that down. Cherokee had a medieval perspective towards women. This was typical jibber jabber from him, so I let it go in one ear and out the other. Gabe offered his two cents. I gotta agree with you on that Cherokee, he said. Shit, my girl goes to the same school that we go to, but I wouldn't, matter of fact, I couldn't pass up on constant pussy offerings from somebody as fine as Kristal. Word up, Cherokee said as they slapped hands. Well, y'all can say what you want, I said as the L continued to rotate, but Im perfectly satisfied with Shaile ... No multiple partners for me. That shit'll do you more harm than good. Take it from me. Yeah yeah, Cherokee said. I think youre just madly in love and all of your manly instincts get overpowered by your heart. Yeah right, I said while exhaling smoke. Once again he was talking nonsense, which was expected because he was almost two years younger than Gabe and I; but Gabe had no excuse, he was just talking greedy. They were right when they said that I was in love though, because Kristal was fine as hell yet I was very content with my girlfriend Shaile. Shaile was gorgeous on the inside as well as the outside, which was exactly what I wanted in a mate. She was beautiful like a rainbow and sexiness was second nature to her. During the three years of our relationship I hadn't cheated on her at all, and I didn't even have the urge to.

Yeah I might be in love, I said as I passed the bud, but at least I can admit it ... Now G on the other hand, is up here talkin' all that shit, knowin' damn well that he loves the hell out of Chantel. Oh I do, Gabe said, thumping ashes into the ashtray. But I'm not in love with her. There's a difference you know. No shit, I said, as I put my arms behind my head and leaned back on the pillows. But like I said a million times before, I'm completely happy with my baby. Oh God, I think Im gonna throw up, Cherokee jested. I guess you told us, huh lover boy? Gabe started to laugh and so did I. It was all in fun. I was actually used to hearing that type of shit from them, so it was no big deal. The blunt was still blazing nicely by the time it got back to me. The luscious smoke and the fresh outside air intertwined wonderfully throughout the room, producing a scent similar to some hot baked fruit pancakes. So Cherokee, Gabe said quickly. Your pops still pressuring you to finish grad school? Hell yeah man. Hes trippin, talkinbout, No masters degree, no executive position, Cherokee said, imitating his fathers voice to a tee. Then he gave me that same old speech, Son, an education is like a doorway to the unknown. If you let the door close, then its harder to explore what you thought you knew. Gabe looked at me, then looked at Cherokee and said, Huh? That's exactly what I said when he told me that shit! Cherokee said. I look at it like this, I said, after doing a French inhale, all you gotta do is spend one more year of studying, at your pops expense I might add, and you got it made! Hes basically grooming you to take over his real estate company.

A successful Fortune 500 Company at that! ... Sounds well worth it to me. For real, Gabe added. And lets not even mention all the loot you'll be making! Cherokee thought about it for a second and said, But Im sick of school. We were sick of school too last year, Gabe said. You remember. We used to complain all the time about the hard work. Hell yeah, I continued. As a matter of fact, even before then I was ready to call it quits and just be happy with my Bachelors degree. But I stuck with it, and now Im less than a month away from my Masters ... And youre only one year away from yours, so you cant turn back now. Yeah I know, Cherokee agreed. But Im not gonna actually drop out ... Even though a Masters degree in Finance wont help me do the job any better, Im gonna go ahead and get it anyway. After a pause he continued, Ive been training with my pops for the last couple summers, and buying and selling property is not that hard. Im sure that shit is more difficult than you think, I said. Especially running it as a business. Its not only about buying and selling. Yes it is, he said, as if he'd been in real estate as long as his father had. What matters, is my communication skills and my ability to sell. Not grad school ... Shiit, my pops didn't even finish undergrad. Gabe smiled and said, Yeah, but that extra schooling will be good for you ... You know, An education is the doorway to the unknown, in which you didnt know what you thought you knew because the door was locked and you didnt know it! We all busted out laughing. You stupid G, Cherokee said while cracking up. Anyways, everybody aint as versatile and as fortunate as your ass.

Gabe said, Me, fortunate? Shiit, look whos talkin. Cherokee replied, Man, you already got a career started. You dont even need your dental degree to be successful.