RUTHLESS

2

"Why you lookin sad Lis?" My best friend, Devon, asked - slangin his arm around my shoulder. We was walking home together from school but somethin was off right now. Like someone was watchin us.

"Some shit at home is all." I shrugged, keepin it simple cuss I ain't was him to get caught up in the mix of it.

Devon and I have been friends since middle school and he knows about the shit that's been happening since my dad got locked up. His parents are good people too. His moms a pediatrician and his dads a cop. They live in the back of the subs and drive nice cars. They house has 4 rooms and 2 bathrooms with a big back yard. They have a dog too. Why they sent they son to a public school is beyond me, with they type of money I woulda sent my kid to a private school.

"You wanna come over today? My dads cookin white rice and black beans with chicken, and my mom made a cake yesterday." We turned the corner, my shoe lace comin loose. I bent down to my shoe and turned my head a lil, seein a white beat up car tailin us. I knew for a fact someone was followin me now.

"Yeah, let's take the alleyway." I grabbed Devon's hand, rushin a lil to get to the back alleyway, to get out of sight. Hearin the car speeding up, I turned another corner and ducked behind the trash can in the ally. Devon right under me, while I heard the car stop but the engine kept running.

"What's goin on Lis?" I put my hand over his mouth and shushed him, I woulda thought he woulda took the hint by now. The car sped off. I sighed in relief, hurrying my head in his collar.

"What the fuck was that?" I helped him up, dusting his clothes off cuss his parents didn't like it if his clothes was dirty for no reason.

"My mama got into some shit yesterday with another drug dealer. I'm pretty sure he been tailin me since I got outta school. The back alleyway is the only ally that's connect to your house without giving away too much. If we woulda took that left turn, I woulda put yo family at risk." I was tired of this type of shit always happened to me.

"Good thing you got good senses cuss I wasn't pickin up shit." We laughed and kept walking towards his house, which was farther away now but discrete.

{}

"Bow your heads to say grace." Devon's mom, Cathy, said while her husband, Tim, said the grace. I was so hungry and tired from that walk I could eat the whole table if I wanted to.

"Amen." We all said and dug in. It's been a while since I had hot food, at home I cook for myself but that's when we actually have food. My mama sell the food stamps she get sometimes whenever she goin thru withdrawals.

"How' was everyone's day?" Mrs. Cathy asked.

"We learned differential equations in algebra and I passed my geography test today."

"Good job son. I can't wait for those report cards to come out." Mr. Tim said, nudging Devon a little.

"Thanks pops." Devon continued eating.

"What about you Lisa? How was your day?" Mrs. Cathy looked at me.

"It could've been better." I shrugged, not really in the mood to talk about it.

"What's wrong Lis?" Mr. Tim asked, looking concerned.

"My mom again." They nodded, not wanting to touch on it.

I came to realize that these people are good people but they treat me like a charity case. I guess it's their way of payin it forward or something. They seen what my house looks like, they know about my momma cuss Mr. Tim is a cop, they saw the bruises cuss Mrs. Cathy is my physician. They know about the different niggas that been in and out of my house; I know they pity me and don't want me around their son. I can tell by the way they look at me and him together. They won't say it but their disgust shows.

After dinner, I used their phone to call my mama.

"Hello?"

"Mama, I'm stayin at my friends house tonight. Aight?" She sighed.

"What happened?"

"Somebody was tailin me. I keep tellin you to stop bringing people in and out of the house but you don't listen. Now that shit falls on me." I loved my mama, but she was careless. Whenever shit backfired, I took the damage and I was tired of it.

"Alright. Be home tomorrow though, yo daddy wanna see you."

"Why?" He ain't call or write in years, why now?

"I don't know. He called today askin bout you so be home so we can go see him cuss he wanna see you." She hung up. I put the phone on the hook and just went to the guest bedroom. On the way, I heard Cathy and Tim talkin in their bedroom.

"Why can't you make normal friends?" Cathy said, Devon in the room with them then, based on the conversation.

"Lisa is a normal friend. Why are you trynna pick and choose who I hang out with?" From the sound of Devon's voice, he just stood up.

"We are not trynna do that Devon. We're just sayin that that girl is not someone you should, associate yourself with." Tim chimed out.

"Why? Cuss she's street smart and got a hard life. What's wrong with me being friends with someone that may have a weird home life?"

"That girl is gonna get you killed one day cuss she's dragging you in her mess. I have one child, I ain't trynna lose you to a stray bullet that's got her name written on it." My heart sunk hearin that for some reason. I knew that's how they felt but hearin it was different. Hearing them say I was gonna get they son killed and that I could die at any moment cuss of my moms foolishness really hit.

"You don't know what she has going on son. I've been to her house, I've seen it. We don't want you endin up dead for somethin that has nothing to do with you."