CJ and Sweet lost their old friends who betrayed them—but their places didn’t stay empty.
Every friend they lost was replaced by someone new. In fact, these new allies feel, in some ways, even more fitting or similar to the ones who came before:
• Big Bear replaces Big Smoke — a close figure to CJ and Sweet, with a respected position in the Grove Street Families, even sharing a similar “Big” nickname.
• Cesar Vialpando takes the place of Ryder — someone loyal and close to CJ, but unlike Ryder, he proves trustworthy.
• The Truth mirrors Emmet — a strange but knowledgeable figure when it comes to weapons, who becomes involved with CJ toward the end of the story.
• Madd Dogg replaces OG Loc — the gang’s true talented rapper, and someone who becomes genuinely close to CJ.
In the end, even though CJ and Sweet were betrayed, they rebuilt their circle with people who were more loyal—and maybe even better suited to stand by their side.