Donald bustles out the classroom with papers flying from his unzipped bookbag. He flies down the half-empty hallway evading anyone crossing his path. A hand grips the collar of his shirt and yanks him backward bringing him to an unexpected halt. The blonde runner looks back to see his best friend, Thomas, staring at him with a perplexed look on his face.

"Where are you rushing to, dude?" asks Thomas.

Donald breaks from his grasp and turns around. "Riley and Abigail are about to have a rap battle!"

Thomas smirks. "This should be good. Where?"

"The back parking lot." He tugs on Thomas's shirt. "So come on!"

The two rushes to the doors leading to the back parking lot. Upon exiting, they could already see a gathering crowd forming a circle around the two teenagers. Donald gasps. "They didn't start yet!"

Thomas gives him a small shove. "Okay, don't pee on yourself."

The two fifteen year olds in the center of the crowd stand across from each other. Riley stands tall with brown skin and olive-brown eyes. He has a confident smile on his face as he tips the rim of his black hat. "This is going to be easy." He wears a baggy, black t-shirt, khaki shorts, and black tennis shoes. Around his neck is a platinum chain with a matching medallion hanging from it. A group of boys are saying different things to him, but only two he pays attention.

To his right stands a Hispanic boy with spiky black hair. He wears a red jacket with black pants and red sneakers. This is B.J. "Riley, as a friend, I must warn you not to use the word hoe."

Riley looks at him with resent. "What?"

Corn stands to his left. He's much darker than Riley, and sports a black, puffy ponytail. He wears a yellow, baggy t-shirt, black sweat pants, and white shoes. "Listen, man! Don't be hard-headed. This girl will deck you if you say that word."

Riley rolls his eyes. "Whatever. Just let me do what I do."

Abigail stands with her arms folded and the visor of her hat covering her eyes. She has dark brown skin and her hair is placed in a pony-tail that reaches her back. She wears a dark blue shirt with red shorts and white sneakers.

"I'm getting real tired of waiting on you, Esco." Her words bring silence among the crowd.

B.J. and Corn instantly becomes the least of Riley's focus. "Excuse me for holding you up." He gives her a mock bow. "Lady's first."

"Oooooh snap!" says a boy in the crowd.

"Shut your lame tail up!" the girl beside him snaps.

Abigail unfolds her arms and takes a few steps closer to Riley. There's a gang of girls behind her cheering her on. She tugs down on her hat. "Lady's first, you say? Didn't know you had even an ounce of chivalry in ya." Abigail snickers, gaining a few laughs from the girls behind her. Riley folds his arms with a new scowl formed on his face.

"Eenie. Meenie. Miney. Moe." She taps her chin in a thoughtful manner.

She lazily points a finger at Riley. "I catch. Wack rappas. By. The toe.

Drown em'. Out. With. The flow.

Kick. Their tails. Out. The doe'." She emits a small chuckle.

"So it's pointless that you make a sound.

It's evident I'll just shut you down." She says matter of factually.

She points a finger at him. "But you were dead before I even came around."

She curls her finger downward. "So let me escort you back to the ground."

"Abigail's an important person and you wastin' her time.

So you best to come harder than your practiced nursery rhymes."

She shakes her head with her hand on her hip. "Good grief, you about to be crushed.

This challenge you shouldn't of rushed.

Be mad at whoever got your mind puffed.

Cause you about to be another one to bite the dust."

Abigail holds her stomach as she begins to emit a loud cackle. "Yall really want Abigail to go sixteen bars with Young Thugaboo?" She laughs even more. "Just ten. That's all it takes for Abigail to get the job done."

B.J. and Corn takes weary glances at each other, and then looks at Riley. As they expected, their friend has a fierce look in his eyes. He clenches his fist and takes a step forward. Corn begins to massage his shoulders. "You got this. Just remember what we told you."

"I really don't care what you two said!" He snaps. "This…"

"Nice lady!" B.J. talks over him.

"Just disrespected me!" finishes Riley.

B.J. takes observation to the noise the crowd is giving off. "She got charisma down pack. Don't allow the crowd to psych you out."

Riley huffs. "I got this." He takes another step and turns his hat to the side. "Listen up." Abigail folds her arms again and stares Riley in his eyes with a smug grin on her face.

Riley motions his hand in a questioning manner. "I don't. Know who. YOU think you are.

But you a. Bout to. Learn quick that I set the bar." Riley slides his fingers across the visor of his hat.

"Riley F. Escobar," He shoves his thumb in his chest. "You know the name.

If not, check your friends' phone," He begins to point at the girls behind her. "And you'll see my name."

He points at her next. "And soon your phone will be saying the same.

Just like this battle, it ain't nothin' but a thang.

You got a loud bark, but all I need is a leash."

He motions for her to get down with his hand. "Sit down girl, I'm known for taming the beasts.

Got you a pretty little muzzle to cover that mouth.

Read between the lines, welcome to the dog house."

The crowd stands in silence. "Ohhhh snap!" yells the boy again. Then the crowd goes into their own uproar of cheers.

B.J. stares at Riley cautiously. "Risky move, Esco."

Riley shrugs carelessly. "I didn't make any promises."

Abigail stares at Riley with her mouth agape. A girl with a hair full of beads begins to whisper in her ear. Abigail nods in agreement. "Abigail knew she wasn't tripping!"

Corn and B.J. exchanges glances as they both notices the girls behind Abigail talking in a rowdy manner. B.J. sighs. "Will we be making it out of here alive?"

Corn gulps. "I don't know about you two, but I'm on the track team."

"You are such a great friend."

Abigail steps back forward nodding her head. "Okay, Esco! Abigail called herself going easy on you, but some people just are ungrateful." She cracks her knuckles.

Corn grabs on to Riley's shirt, but he tugs away. "What?"

"You better watch your mouth!" Corn hisses.

"Tell me, what do it takes to be a thug?

Is it baggy clothes, tough slang, and a mean mug?" Abigail is now in Riley's face. The crowd closes in on the two brining more intensity inside the circle.

"I guess that makes you a killa, pushin' drugs, and having pockets full of cash.

But I ain't seeing none of that. Just a boy who live with his granddad."

"Oh!" The crowd turns into a bunch of instigators.

"You talk like you hood, but you live in Woodcrest.

Dopeboy? Nah, you granddaddy money fresh.

Ol busta, from Abigail you get no respect.

Think you can rap because of that chain around your neck?

Thugnificent is a garbage rapper, and it shows in you.

Fake rappers, fake thugs, yall just one fake crew.

Escobar? Did you get your name from Nas?

Imposter! Just like the Wizard of Oz.

You are. No-thing. But a. Lame.

All you be is talk, but there's no game.

Riley F. Escobar, now we all know the F stands for fake.

Don't mean to bash your style, but it's time to update.

Abigail bucks at Riley, which causes B.J. and Corn to flinch for him. Riley simply stands with his lip poked out and a deadly look in his eyes. Abigail looks him square in the eye and say, "Nobody is scared of you."

She looks around at the noisy crowd that is now only two footsteps away. "Hey!" she screams. "Give me some space! Sheesh."

B.J. places a hand on Riley's shoulder. "Now, I know you kind of an…"

"You call yourself coming on my grounds trying to make me look weak?

You out of line, hoe, I'm going to teach you how to spe…"

Without a moment hesitation, Abigail's fist crashes into Riley's nose. Blood sprays from his left nostril as he falls back into Corn's arms. On cue, the girls behind Abigail begin to rush forward. B.J. jumps in front of them with his hands held out.

"Calm down!" he cries out, but this only leads to his torso getting grab. Corn begins to shuffle backwards through the crowd dragging Riley's body with him. Abigail holds her knuckles as she watches the girls fling B.J. out the way and begin bulldozing their way through the crowd.

Random Ancient Asian Elder Commentating: "It is not wise to call young maidens hoes. If you speak that way to the wrong one, she may just break your nose. *Chuckles*

Huey sits in the recliner of his grandfather's living room with a newspaper in his hand. He wears an opened, green shirt over a white t-shirt and khaki slacks. His amber colored eyes are near shut as his large fro makes an excellent pillow. The door slams, causing him to sit up abruptly. His eyes dart to the entrance of the living room to see his brother coming in holding a bloody nose.

"What happened to you?" says Huey while yawning.

"Abigail punched me in my nose!" yells Riley. He releases his nose to show Huey the damage.

Huey puts down his newspaper and gives his brother a concern look. "What did you do?"

Riley stares at him in shock. "Why do it got to be like that, Huey? You always think I did something!"

"Well, did you?" There's a small pause between the two. "I thought so."

"Be quiet!" He whines. "You didn't even hear me out."

"Okay, Riley."

"Okay?"

Huey begins to tap the arm of the recliner impatiently. "Tell me what happened?"

"Oh," He wipes his nose. "You see, me and Abigail got into this freestyle battle afterschool. And she thought she was going to show me up. That hoe even tried to put me on blast by calling me fake!"

"You don't say." Says Huey dully.

"Yea, I do say! So she calling me a fake thug and ruining my image in front of everybody, so I called her a hoe in my next verse, and can you believe that hoe hit me in the nose? Now she caught me off guard…"

"You called her a hoe to her face?" Huey says disappointingly.

"Yea!"

Huey sighs and begins to massage his forehead. "Now, I told you before that it's wrong to call women hoes. But to call one a hoe to her face! I thought you would have better sense than that."

Riley looks confused. "Are you trying to say that I am in the wrong?"

"You can't call women that, Riley. It's not right."

"They just hoes, Huey!" Riley begins storming out the room. "Hoes! Nothing more, nothing less."

Random Ancient Asian Elder commentating: Ah… Now why did the chicken cross the road? [Someone whispers.] Huh? This is not the right situation? [Whispers again.] There is always a time for 'chicken crossing the road' jokes. They're funny! [Whispers.] *Sigh* Okay… Can I do 'knock, knock' jokes instead?

Riley lies on his bed with his hands folded behind his back as Snoop Dogg blares through his speakers.

"I went to your house; your girl came in and started cussing you out.

You should have slapped her
in her face, I wanted to tell you, but it wasn't my place.

I kept it on the low, cause I know you
was gonna check that hoe.

But instead, you was quiet as a mouse, maybe you started to think it
wasn't your house.

Cause she was acting like a nut, you got a kind of b**** that would kick your
butt.

What kind of pimp holds back? Never met a b**** that a pimp can't slap, whats wrong with
the pimpin'? Why you get a whippin'? All I got to say is this

Can you control your hoe? (You got a b**** that won't do what you say)
You can't control your hoe? (She hardheaded, she just won't obey)
Can you control your hoe? (You've got to know what to do, and what to say)
You've got to put that b**** in her place, even if it's slapping her in her face.
Ya got to control your hoe. Can you control your hoe?"

"If Snoop Dogg can call them hoes, why can't I?" thinks Riley out loud. A second sound of music begins to fill the air. Riley turns over in his bed to grab his phone which had fallen on the floor earlier.

"Hello." He speaks into the phone after getting resituated in his bed.

"Esco," says Damian in a mellowed out voice. "What's up, playboy?"

"Just chillin'. What's up with you?"

Damian begins to chuckle. "Rumor has it that Abigail flowed you out, and knocked you out!"

Riley sits up in his bed. "What? She didn't do either! She sneaked me in the middle of my second verse!"

"Whoa, don't take your anger and frustrations out on me. Look, you can get back at her at the talent show."

"Talent show?"

"Yea. Abigail is going to be in it. So what better way to get back at her than writing and performing a song that will crush her hopes at winning?"

A devious smile creeps to his face. "That's not a bad idea."

"Alright then, make me proud little homie." Damian hangs up.

Riley immediately runs to his computer desktop and sits down. On top of the desk his notebook already sits in place. He turns on the computer and goes to the internet. After accessing the internet, he makes his way to Youtube and begins to look through various instrumentals. Twenty minutes of searching leads him to pick an instrumental The Game rapped on for his song Dreams.

"Okay," He begins bobbing his head to the beat as he scribbles into his pad. Five minutes of hard brain labor goes by and he attempts to rap what he has so far.

"Lately I been sitting here thinking

Thinking about big things.

Getting money, new scenes,

No wife, no wedding rings.

Just me, all me, and those on my team.

This a takeover, and I'm keeping everything.

Got your hoe…"

Riley winces as the image of Abigail's fist come flying his way. He shakes the thought. "I don't like it anyway." He rips out the sheet of paper, balls it up, and tosses over his shoulder. He then begins on a new attempt. An hour and a half of scribbling and scratching out words later he finds himself falling asleep.

Random Ancient Asian Elder commentating: "And young Riley falls into a deep slumber unaware of what awaits him next. Ah… *Chuckles* He has no idea what's he is about to get into.