JR SWAT 1: The Basics

Chapter 1: Brand new start

Senior year. Wow! Who could've imagined? Not him, for sure! He could've sworn he'd be dead or in jail by sophomore year! But...alas! He's here! He made it to senior year of high school. It was so surreal!

Never in a million years would he, Maverick Cornelius Stone, imagine even the possibility of graduating from high school. None of his cousins had, and after his father was sent away for life, his brother also got locked up and his older sister got pregnant and dropped out, it looked like nobody would achieve it at all. He had a strong feeling that wasn't going to change in quite some time. His younger siblings Tamika and Jordan, plus his cousin Nilsie, were still in elementary school. However, the future didn't really look all that bright! Jordan was currently serving probation after having a knife and going after one of his teachers and the principal of his summer school. In addition, Nilsie and Tamika both failed to pass the grade and had already been kicked out of one school for fighting!

This hot Monday morning he woke up with a sleepy head, tired body and tight sleeping arrangements. Even stretching his arms over his body was a challenge! I don't wanna got to school. He didn't see any point in going anyway. What's the use? No matter what he tried, he still lived in a dump, with a thousand people cramped up in a small apartment. He was always hungry and broke. He was better off just slinging dope...at least the income was stable. But...he was determined to make it! He needed to graduate, one way or the other!

BEEEEEP BEEEEP BEEEP

His alarm continued to sound, as the only artificial sound in between thumps and bumps of other people getting ready outside. The walls of the apartment complex were so thin, the residents could hear their neighbor's breathes. Marv hated the dump, but he had no other place to go. He did have other options, but none were 'clean' or unrelated to shady business. The two bedroom apartment was just going to have to cut it for now!

Since he made a promise that he was going to make the most out of this year, making a pledge to do everything possible to stay out of trouble and get that diploma, he got up from bed and began getting ready. The two girls and the boy who shared a room with him didn't move, even when he turned on the little flashlight in the bathroom. It sucked not having a room or even a mattress to himself, but at least he didn't have to worry about getting shot in the middle of the night. It's not that it was a far fetched possibility, it could still happen, but the probability is much lower with his family's place than a gang house.

His older sister, two female cousins and their three babies were still sleeping in the other room, as Marv changed into the only clean shirt he had left. The house was definitely too crowded! His mom slept in the couch when she could, since she worked day in and day out. His older sister Mariah and cousins Le'Andra and Shaneequah occupied most of the small room, with babies Amour, A'shary and Garshell sleeping peacefully on blankets by their side. With so many people in the apartment, there was never any silence during the day, so the night was sought out the most by the older siblings in the house, especially Marv.

Just as he grabbed his toothbrush, the flashlight turned off. Marv clicked on it again, then again. Nothing.

"Damn it!" he complained. Another late payment on the electrical bill had caused the family to resort to flashlights and one or two candles to light the place at night. His mother was adamant about the use of the devices, scolding anybody that wasn't using it for the 'real necessities', as she called them.

He searched for a new pair, the last ones in the plastic bag beneath the babies' things. He needed to make those last for as long as possible! He snatched them and dumped the empty bag on top of the formula and milk cartoons bought by the cousins with stolen food stamps. His older sister managed to get some money for a used crib from her last boyfriend, before he split after finding out he was going to become a father.