«Ninety-Nine Problems» by Gloria Dotson-Lewis

Who would have thought that a drug dealing drop-out could ever come between childhood best friends, Crea McCloud and Fiona Spencer and flip their lives upside down? When Fiona's new boyfriend, Romero, walks into the picture, Crea's 'reject radar' begins flashing out of control. But Fiona, blinded by her attraction to bad boys, is too caught up in the fancy cars, shopping sprees, and bling to notice that he is just a dead end. She soon discovers that the material things Romero showers her with will cost her a price she won't soon forget. Crea has an issue of her own to address. Her secret crush on Brandon Thomas is becoming a little too much for her to suppress. She is tired of pretending that she is cool with them being 'just friends'. Crea is ready to reveal her true feelings, but there's one major thing standing in her way, Alyssa, Brandon's annoying girlfriend. Complicating matters even further is Crea's brother, Vincent, who is convinced that skipping classes, getting girls, and hanging out with gangsters is what's up. He soon discovers that a cute face can be bad for your health and getting tangled up with the law is not as hood glamorous as it sounds. More than enough trouble invades the lives of these three teens. When it begins to feel like ninety-nine problems are on their shoulders, will they all be strong enough to carry the weight?