RUTHLESS

18

"Antonio, I told you ion don't drops. Don't try and give me new work man." I sat at the desk, coutin everything he made from the last week, not including the checks.

"It ain't no work, it's paid trainin." Ion wanna do more work while I'm here. I only do body bag work, not drug work.

"Ion fuck with drugs. Find somebody else." I put up the money and handed him the books.

"You got a lot of excess money, use it before they cut yo shit for next year." I told him, walkin out and takin Red wit me.

"Where we goin?" She asked, followin me to my car.

"It's gettin late, you need to go home." I told her, bucklin up.

"Ion wanna." She said, a lil shyly.

"Whats goin on?" I asked, pullin out the Parkin lot.

"Ion like it there." She started fidgetin with ha fingers.

"You got otha places you can go?" She shook her head no. Parkin at a curb, I looked at Red trynna; figure out why this lil ass baby, who so damn timid and shy round people wanted to sell drugs for Antonio.

"Why you workin here? Be honest wit me, ion like liars." I asked, waitin for a lie to come out.

"I need money." She shrugged, bittin ha nails and gettin quiet again.

"You in some kinda trouble or some? You got a money issues at home?" I asked, bout to give this girl money so she can neva come back. She don't need to be here.

"It's not like that." She looked down.

Grabbin her face and examining her: her shoes were tore up, clothes were dirty and had all type of holes in em, hair was dry and fallin out, she looked like she ain't bathed in days.

"You homeless?" I asked, she looked away from me.

"How long you been homeless?" I sat back and waited for her to talk. I wasn't goin no where if she wasn't talkin.

"Bout a year or two now."

"Where you been livin at?" I started up the car.

"I been with a group of people, driftin."

"What's yo age?" I drove to my place cuss this kid is driftin with strangers, I'm assumin, and anythin coulda happened while she was doin this shit.

"12." 12? This girl is a baby. How she even get stuck in this situation?

"I'm takin you back to my place, but you gone need to start talkin when we get there. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am."

Gettin to my house, I showed her where the bathroom was at so she could wash up. I ain't have clothes for her to wear so I just gave her some of my old clothes.

Feelin arms around my waist, I leaned against Dimitri. I honestly didn't hear him come in.

"Why you so tense?" He asked, kissin my cheek.

"Too much shit goin on."

"Wassup. Talk to me." He laid his chin on my shoulder.

"Give me a minute, go buy a pizza." He nodded, then left out.

Sittin on the couch, I waited for Red to come out so we can talk. It's a lot of shit I wanna ask ha and I need answers.

"You want some food?" I asked her as she came out the bathroom.

"Yes."

"Dimitri comin back with a pizza. Till then have a seat so we can talk." She says down by me, Lookin all scared and shy.

"How long you been wanderin round and livin in the streets with them people?"

"Bout a year. I wasn't wit them at first, I was wit a older lady." Older lady?

"You knew her?" She shook her head no. This child ain't got no common sense.

"She saw me at the park and took me home. She took care of me but I left."

"What happened while you was there?" I sat back, listening to everythin she was sayin.

"Her son was... he was. He a bad man. I didn't wanna be there no mo. Then the people I live with now found me and I been with them. They real nice."

"I bet. How you end up at Antonio's office though?" Ain't no way a kid know bout Antonio's shady shit unless they went Lookin for trouble or someone told them.

"I tried to steal from somebody and they caught me. A said since I stole from him basically, I had to pay it back." Antonio, you Fuckin dumbass.

"Aight. Before you do any of that shit you need to be in school. You might have to repeat a couple grades but you need to go back to school. Then worry bout all that otha shit." If she been roaming round for a lil minute, then she ain't been in school that entire time.

"Okay."

"What's yo real name? Not yo nickname, not a fake name. What's the name yo mama gave you. And yo birthday." I grabbed a sticky note so I can write it down.

"Jacqueline Hernandez."