The next day after Ty and Cinda's magical date.
Ty got some terrible news. Ty decided to stay at his house after their fantastic date. When Lucinda finished taking a shower, she heard her moma yelling her name.

" Yes, moma, what is it?"
Cinda yelled back in a shaky tone.

"Baby, it's JayJay. He got shot last night."

Cinda let out a whale. Got herself together
and rushed over to the Davis' house and ringed the doorbell.
But no one answered. At that moment, her cellphone started to ring. She knew it was Ty.

" Hi, baby, where are you?" She asked with tears in her eyes.

Ty answered in a voice that she barely recognized, " At Oakwood Memorial. I need you, baby. JayJay ain't doing so good." He said through tears.

" I'm on my way, baby." She told him that she loved him and she was praying for his whole family.

She arrived at the hospital ten minutes later.
Cinda saw JayJay's girlfriend and the rest of the family. She hugged them all and let them know she was there for them.
Finally, she went to Ty and hugged and kissed him on the cheek.

" I don't know what I will do if JayJay dies, baby. He is more like a brother to me than a cousin ." Ty said through tears.

" I know, baby, I know." She said in a soothing voice.

Moments later, the doctor came out and asked to speak to the immediate family. Both of his parents were there. His mom had been clean and sober for almost a year. If JayJay doesn't make it, she might start using again.

His  parents walked down the hall with the doctor
and seconds later, his moma started to whale over and over,
" Oh God nooooo , not baby."

Family and friends begin to cry and console one another.
Jayquan(JayJay)Smith died from a drive-by shooting at seventeen years old, just two months shy of his eighteenth birthday.

" I didn't get the chance to let him know that I loved him. Do you think that he knew that I loved him?" Ty said in a troubled voice.

" Baby, you two were not only cousins; y'all were best friends and more like brothers. He knew you
loved him. Don't doubt that, baby." She said in a comforting tone.

" I wish I could find those suckas that shot him." He stated in an angry tone."

" What would you do if you found them?"

" I would make them punks wish they never even came across JayJay.

" Baby, don't talk like that. Two wrongs don't make a right-

" Shut up, Cinda; I don't need you to preach to me right now. Just leave. I will talk to you later. I don't need you right now, goodbye!"He said in a nasty tone."

Lucinda was heartbroken because Ty had never talked to her like that." She tried to hug
him, and he held up his hands to stop her dead in her tracks.
On the way home, she cried until she couldn't cry anymore.
She told her moma the devastating news that JayJay died. And Belinda Jenkins dropped down on her knees and started praying for the family right then and there.

When her moma finished praying, Cinda said,
" Moma Ty was so mean and nasty to me. It was like I didn't even know him."

" Baby Ty is hurting right now. You know how close he and JayJay were. I'm not condoning his behavior, but that boy is in and bad place. He's never lost anyone that close to him."

" I get that he's hurting; I just never thought he would ever talk to me like that."

" Baby, that was anger and pain speaking. We both know how the deep pain of losing a loved one feels.

" I know, when I lost daddy, I thought I was going to die. The hurt that felt was almost unbearable."

" I remember sweetie, I felt it too. I almost lost my sanity too. I didn't want to live in a world that didn't include your daddy in it.
But I had to be strong because I had a baby girl that needed me."

" I'm sorry for not being sensitive to your pain. I didn't just lose daddy; you lost him too."

" It's ok, dear; I know that you were hurting too. I thank God for Ty. He helped you so much during that time. That boy loves you,
he just needs time to learn how to live in a world without JayJay ."

" I know he loves me. If I could take his pain away  somehow, I would." She said through sobs.

Cinda didn't see or talk to Ty for three days.
On the third day, her cellphone alerted her of a text message.

Ty: We need to talk. Can I come over?"

She stared at the cellphone for a few minutes to get her bearings. She took a deep breath
and texted, " Yes."

She heard a light tap on her window within seconds. She opened the window to let him
in.

They just stared at each other at first. Ty finally
spoke and said, " Cinda, I am so sorry. Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me? Even though I was hurt and angry over throver JayJay. I had no right to treat you like that."

" Ty, I forgive you. I love you, baby, and want to be there for you and your family. Just ppromise me one thing." She asked in a heartfelt tone.

" What is it, baby?

" l get that you were in a bad place but don't ever talk to me like that again."

He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her said, " I won't, I promise. I love you; I will walk away first." He said in a transparent and vulnerable tone. After they reconciled, they fell asleep in others' arms.