• • •

I wish I had a phone to call Kyser and tell her what was going on.

The streets were dimly lit from the lights that happened to still be working as I walked back to Demond's house.

It didn't seem like I ran that far, but a 20 minute walk had turned into double that, and I still had a ways to go.

Pausing at the end of the street, I made sure no cars were coming before I crossed to the other side.

In these neighborhoods, you were more likely to get hit by a stray bullet than a car, yet that's what scared me the most.

That's how my daddy, my bestfriend, my everything died. Killed in a car accident on his way to come pick me up from a friends house.

He didn't even want me to go but me being the stupid teenager that I was, I went anyway.

Imagine the guilt and hurt I felt when in the heat of an argument my mom told me that if it weren't for me, he'd still be here.

That was because I knew it was true.

Not in the mood to make myself sad when I didn't have any uppers, I pushed those thoughts away and paid attention to the sidewalk in front of me.

It's a good thing I did, because a dog was waiting for me.

I froze, waiting to see if it was on a leash and if it would chase me.

It wasn't on a leash.

And it did chase me.

The barking was loud on the otherwise quiet street as I hauled ass so I wouldn't get bit.

Darting across the street, I jumped on top of a car, holding my chest, "I'm so fucking over tonight."

"You real bold to be sitting on top of my shit like you own it or some." A voice said, scaring the shit out of me.

_________

Hakeem pov

I sat outside on the porch eating a cheeseburger and ignoring the texts from my sister asking me to bring her
some money.

Ian never seen somebody want so much shit but won't go get a job. She treat me like an ATM, and be lying saying she gone pay me back.

She owe me so much money. I was been 'posed to kill her.

I looked out towards the street as I heard a dog barking and the sound of shoes hitting the pavement. I saw the crackhead girl running before she came across the street and jumped on my car.

Now how the fuck she end up over here and she was just on the whole other side? I think I remember reading crackheads don't get tired though so she must like walking.

Leaning up, I tried to see where her friend was at, but didn't see her.

She put a hand on her chest and said something that I couldn't hear.

"You real bold to be sitting on top of my shit like you own it or some." I told her, watching her jump and look around for where the voice came from.

Standing up, I walked out into the street talking to the dog, "Take yo stupid ass back to the house."

"Who you talking to like that?" She asked with an attitude, "You keep coming at me wrong like I'm one of these niggas in the street."

I couldn't stop myself from laughing. "If you was one of these niggas in the street, I would've beatcho' ass for putting your dirty ass shoes on my car." I replied, "Wasn't nobody even talking to you."

She wanted to be hard so bad and prolly ain't did shit a day in her life.

The dog went back down the street, sitting on the sidewalk and waiting for somebody else to chase.

Once she saw he wasn't coming back, she slid down and started walking again.

I really don't know what made me stop her, but I wasn't feeling her walking in the middle of the night.

An easy target.

"Where you going?" I asked following behind her.

"Why you worried about it? Go sit back on the porch."

"You got a nasty ass attitude boy." I said while shaking my head, "Ion like that 'bout you."

She ignored me, continuing her walk.

"Lemme give you a ride or some."

She stopped then, "I'm not having sex with you."

"Ion fuck with girls who do crack. That ain't me."

I can deal with weed, but that other shit a no for me. Walking 'round this hoe looking strung out? Nah.

"I don't smoke crack!" She yelled, "Just because I'm walking I do crack?"

"Shid, it's more of the fact that you look like a crackhead. Ya' hair in that weak ass ponytail and your clothes ain't fit earlier. The walking part don't help though."

I guess I hurt her feelings since she started back walking.

"I just told you that allat walking make you look like a crackhead and you still don't want no ride?"

"Nigga fuck you!"

It really ain't matter if she wanted me to give her a ride or not, she was finna get in that damn car.

"iight you ain't a crackhead." I lied, "Now where you going?"

"The Village."

"You finna walk through the village in the middle of the night by yourself?"

It wasn't nowhere I was scared to go, but that ain't mean she shouldn't be scared. Ain't nothing but rapists and killers up there. She might just fuck around and run into both.

She rolled her eyes, "I did it before."

"'Cause you dumb as shit apparently. Lemme give you a ride."

If she said no this time then fuck it. I already did a lotta good shit this month so if she wanted to walk up there and some happen then it shouldn't mess with my total.

I know God or one of them angels see me tryna help her.

She sighed, "Fine. Don't try anything though 'cause I got mace."

"I got a gun. Which one you think gone hurt more?"

Turning around, I walked back to my car.

_________

author's note: listen... stop calling my sis a crackhead 😂😂 it's COKE, not CRACK.

"crack is cheap, i make way too much money to ever smoke crack. we don't do crack, crack is wack" - whitney houston.