Too Far Gone (Urban)

25| Meet The Washingtons

"There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater.

But sometimes it doesn't.

Sometimes it is nothing more than gritting your teeth through pain, and the work of every day, the slow walk toward a better life.

That is the sort of bravery I must have now."
― Veronica Roth, Allegiant

Shawnee Hampton.

September 24, 1963 - July 3, 1999.

Those were the words engraved on her rose tinted tombstone. If you did the math, you'd know she was only thirty-six years of age when she passed away. She was involved with Benjamin Clayton, an older pimp whose known on the streets as the alias "Ben B". She worked at her self-ran hair salon in the good parts of Stillwater -or at least what she believed was the better parts of the city... She would have been forty-four today if she hadn't been murdered right before her eyes.

"Hey momma." Chenelle greeted with a feeble smile. A bundle of flowers were cradled in her arms, thriving and lively with vivacious colors. Chenelle kneeled down onto the soft grass before twisting her legs around to sit properly. Her usually curly hair was pressed flat today, floating lifelessly in the wind every time it blew. One side of her hair was slightly shorter than the other, and a faint scar resided on her right cheek. She was also dressed down in all black clothes. Chenelle smiled at the tombstone again before glancing down at the bundle in her arms.

"I brought you some flowers, your favorites." She spoke, placing the bundle down in front the tombstone, "Azaleas."

She stared at the stone for a little while as if waiting for her voice to respond. She looked around the cemetery before letting out a tired sigh. Pierce stood a few feet away also dressed from head to toe in all black clothes. He had his hands tucked away in his pockets, gazing at her with sympathy in his eyes. He gave her a reassuring smile and she smiled back. She turned back to the gravestone and read the date again.

"I know it's been like what, 8 years since you passed?" She croaked quietly, taking shallow breaths as she spoke, "but, I miss you momma. Things have been so difficult since you've been gone."

She could still hear that fatal gunshot ring loudly in her ears as her mother let out a blood curdling scream.

"I don't want Ben's help." She sobbed, confusing herself with her aimless ramble. She took the time to collect her thoughts before rephrasing herself.

"I wish you were still here. Things have been too hard for me ma. My teacher failed my exam. I was two credits away from graduating, TWO! My certificate was almost in my hands, and she just snatched it away from me."

Chenelle leaned back on her hands and dug her nails into the ground slightly.

"I need money to pay off my tuition, and I don't want to ask dad-Ben for help." Chenelle continued, "Then Rascal, you'd like him. He wanted to help me out because he knows I'm struggling too, but I wanna get through this myself. We're not really friends now anyway..."

Merely bringing up Rascal's name made her heart ache. He hasn't talked to her since she punched him in the face. She hasn't seen him hanging around the HQ either. It's like he didn't exist. Not to mention the fact she didn't know what he did with all that money.

"I know he's mad at me." She went on, peering up at the partly cloudy sky. The weather almost matched her current mood: somber, dreary, and wretched. The gloomy clouds indicated there was going to be a dismal thunderstorm. A single faint flash of lightening on the horizon indicated it would be passing through soon.