Chicago | LA Capone Story

$$ AINT THE SAME

I struggled to open my eyes but after a while of trying, I could finally open them. I winced at the bright light in the hospital room and covered my face with my hands.

"Armani? Are you awake?" Jacie's voice sounded. I nodded as I was still covering my face. I slowly removed them and looked around the place. Not much to expect 'cuz it's a hospital but I thought more people would show up.
Only Kiara and Jacie were in the room with me. And Dezzy - well, you know.

"How long have I-" I screamed out in pain as I tried to sit up but quickly fell back down on the bed. "This shit hurts!" I yelled out in frustration. "That's why you gotta stay down, fool. You be tryna hop out the bed too soon." Jacie said as she placed an extra pillow on the bed.

"First lemme hop out the muhfuckin-" Kiara started but Jacie quickly interrupted her. "Hoe shut up. Don't nobody wanna hear that shit." She chuckled. "I like that song." I said. "Right! Fuck Jacie's lame ass though." Kiara laughed.

"Are you guys the only ones here?" I asked. Jacie shook her head. "Deja came through and Momma Capone. But you were unconscious still so they left after a while." She answered. "Lanika visited you too. Like, right when you got in here. Jacie had called her." Kiara chimed in. I nodded. "Alright." Silence fell and the scene played in my head. I couldn't believe it was her all this time. He was still messing with her - shit, he was still messing with me. After I thought that he'd changed. After all the conversations we had about us. They were all lies. Everything he had done was a fucking lie. I wasn't gonna fall for his shit again.

I was mad because I really started trusting him again. Thinking we could be something. I should've just left it at the "official breakup talk" we had at Lanika's birthday party.. and the day of my brother's murder. I sighed.

"Yo but-" I started and clamped my mouth shut again. Jacie and Kiara looked at me, waiting for me to finish my sentence. I chuckled humorlessly. "The bitch really shot me." I said as I looked at them. It surprised me. Out of nowhere, the bitch decided to gun me down. "I could be dead." I spoke. "She could've killed me." "But she didn't. And she gon' regret this, on King David. She gon' wish she never held that gun in her hand, mark my words." Kiara said. As I finally had a good look at both Jacie and Kiara, my heart sank. Kiara had a swollen black eye and scars all over her face. Jacie's bottom lip had a cut and she too had scars all over her face. I could feel my eyes burn from the tears that were forming.

"Hey?! Why are you crying?" Jacie asked as she wore a worried expression. She walked over to me and kneeled down, placing her elbows on the bed and staring at me. "You know none of this is your fault, right?" She asked.

"You're just saying that because you feel bad for me." I sobbed.

"If I broke up with L'A none of this would have happened. I got shot, for Christ's sake. Dezzy would skin me alive if he was here. He would never allow me to end up in a situation like this. And look at y'all! I can see you're hurt. And it's because of my stupid actions. What if she shot one of yall too? What if one of yall didn't survive it?" I said as I cried.

"Armani, stop this. It's not your fucking fault, stop blaming yourself. If we didn't wanna get involved in that fight, we would've fucking left! But guess what, we made our own decision to stay and to fight. Why the hell did you think I had that taser for? Cause I was ready to fight. I wanted to fight. So all this," Kiara said as she pointed to her face, "Is a result of what I chose for. So this has absolutely nothing to do with you. We been into it with Nunu. We been disliking her from day one." She spoke.
"And she's definitely going to pay for this." She added.

I nodded as I was wiping my face with a cotton cloth. "I love yall. Just know that." I spoke, my voice shaking. I tried to get out of the bed when Jacie suddenly stopped me. "What you tryna do?" She asked. "I have to pee." I answered. She chuckled and helped me up. "Thanks." I muttered as I limped my way to the small bathroom.

I couldn't recognize the face I saw in the mirror. She was pale, had bruises all over her face along with scars and abrasions. A busted lip, swollen eyelid - as if she had been in a war. I sighed and carefully washed my face. I peed - cause that's why I entered the bathroom for in the first place - and washed my hands after.

"You coulda told me I looked like this." I joked as I exited the bathroom. "Well, we all look like shit so it don't really matter." Kiara said. "Ah, the love." Jacie said and we all laughed. I groaned, making Kiara and Jacie look at me with weird faces. I chuckled, "It hurts when I laugh." "Oh." They both said in unison.
-

"So am I allowed to leave?" I asked the nurse. "You have recovered quickly. You must visit because we need to check if it's healing properly but other than that, things are getting better. So yes, you're allowed to leave." She spoke and smiled. "And how long before I can remove the bandage?" I asked. "We'll have to discuss that when we know how fast you're healing." She answered. I nodded and thanked her before leaving with Jacie and Kiara.

"Ima get that bitch as soon as I'm fully recovered, on my brother." I swore. "Oh we on that with you, Mani. We on that." Jacie said.