|Completed | A crossover w/ @_ntsha (go to her profile for her version!)
Four strangers from diverse walks of life meet on a cruise and spend an unforgettable week together-all of them on their own self-discovering journeys and onboard for different...
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"Fuck," I groaned, hearing my phone ring off the hook. I tried ignoring it for a while, but it seemed like it was getting louder. I used my pillow to cover my face, but then I gave up, annoyingly answering the phone without seeing who was calling. "What?"
"Gael," Kenya sobbed into the phone as I slowly sat up. I wasn't expecting her call and immediately thought of Terrence. "My bad. Uh, is everything okay? With Terrence?" My voice cracked as I impatiently waited for her answer. I swung my legs off my bed and palmed my forehead.
"No, well, yes, but not in the way you're thinking." She muttered, taking an exaggerated deep breath. "When did this become my life, you know? We decided to move to California for a better life, more opportunities, keeping Terrence away from the bad and there's worse. Times like this make me miss North Carolina." Kenya rambled, hurt in her voice.
"Kenya, what's going on?" I shrieked.
She took a moment to blow her nose. "AJ's gone, Gael."
I froze, slowly darting my vision at the door ahead of me. It seemed like everything went in slow motion, the movement of my eyes, my shoulders dropping, and my breathing pattern.
"What? I thought he was up and talking?"
"He was," She cried, taking her time. "He was killed last night. Someone suffocated him, and there are no leads because the cameras on that floor just stopped working all of a sudden. Someone was smart and targeted him, but why?"
Automatically, my mind drifted to Zane. It's not just a coincidence that Terrence got into it with Zane, and now AJ's dead. It all didn't feel right, and the feeling it gave me was unexplainable. Damn, somehow I wanted to believe that it wasn't true, but Kenya's voice was heartbreaking. Even with our little spat, I watched AJ grow up and the many phases he got into. He knew that regardless of anything, I'd have his back through anything, and I slipped. I slipped when I let AJ walk into the club the night he was shot, and I hated what it's doing to Terrence.
"What the—" I stressed. "I'm sorry, Kenya. I'm so fucking sorry."
"Me too," She whispered.
"Nothing? They can't find shit? How was the camera not working?" I tried digging deeper, but she didn't know anything.
"I don't know, G. It doesn't make sense, and Terrence won't talk to me about it. I know you loved him, and he felt the same, so you need not blame yourself if you are. We'll get through this, and we'll get justice. We have to."
"Fuck," I yelled, standing up as I balled my fist. "I don't even know what to say right now."
"None of us do," Kenya sniffled. "The girls loved AJ, and I don't think I can tell them he's gone because I can't believe it myself."
That hurt. "Will you keep me updated on everything?" I asked.
"Of course. I'll send the details for the funeral."
