Tick's strutting toward the center of the backyard and toward Pillar, who's by the fighting pit.
Shambling behind, I ask him, “Where's Spyder? Need to speak to him.”
Tick's back looks as though he's suffered multiple gunshot because of the sizzle of his brother's Lucky Strikes. His skin even looks dusty, like an ash tray. Over his shoulder, so I can only see one of the horns tattooed on his forehead, Tick replies, “Kayda, you missed it. He's pissed we couldn't find you.”
“What happened?”
“Roach is ghost. Spyder's out lookin' fo' who did it.”
Dead? Just like that? “How?” I ask.
“Ask Pillar what ‘appened. That fat f**'s the one that found him. But later. Right now, you need some of this action. f**in' Pillar thinks that white p**y rooster you got can beat Rex. Stupid b**h.”
Pillar turns from the ring made of chicken wire and asks, “Foo', what you just say?”
“I said you a stupid b**h for bettin' on the new bird,” Tick says, then he turns to me and adds, “This what ‘appened. After all the sh** this mornin', Spyder said to wait ‘ere while he looked for who wasted Roach. So ‘ere we was, waitin' and talkin' ‘bout who coulda done it‘, when Pillar, stupid b**h, points at the two co*ks and says the white one would beat Rex. And I was like, ‘Puto, Rex slaughtered the last four gallos he fought.' I mean, homeboys don't even bet no mo' ‘cause he always wins. It ain't like the old dog fights when no one knew what the f** would ‘appen. But Pillar, stupid b**h, says the white one can win. So we started takin' bets. Want in?”
“Came for Spyder,” I reply.
“Well, wait around. He be here soon. But be ready, puto. Like I said, he pissed we couldn't find you.”
Pillar says to me, “Yeah Kayda, watch the fight. You the one that picked this co*k anyway. And it gonna win. It shy right now, but after we force it, it gonna win.”
Tick rolls his eyes to me and mutters, “Stupid b**h.”