Web Of Betrayal

Chapter 1: The Big Move

My name is La'Shawn OB'neshia Hall, and yes I capitalize the first two letters not the second. I'm 16 years old, my daddy's a meth-head, my mamma only sane when she's had her medicine. I got 7 older brothers, De'Shawn, Kelly, Hakeem, Manny, Ne'Shawn, Ernie, and Kenton. Kelly and Ernie dead though, they died in a gunfight a couple years ago so if you ask me they was gangsta's. Manny and Hakeem the only ones that made it out, Hakeem in college and Manny in the army.We don't talk much about what happened to my twin Ne'Shawn, he died on our 14th birthday. De'Shawn moving in with us, he the reason we moving, my mamma want him away from danger. We moving to a town called Bentonville, the most ghetto town in the whole damn world.

"OB'neshia come on man mamma waiting for us girl!" De'Shawn yelled from outside. " Damn I'm coming and don't call me by my middle name De'Shawn!", I replied as I finished packing my backpack and rushed out the door. I was sad to be leaving my friends, we had so much history together. My best friend JuJu and I went back since 3rd grade when we got caught smoking in the bathroom. "Bye La'Shawn," JuJu smiled as the car pulled off, "Bye!" I shouted sticking my hand out the window.

I swear to god we been on the road for hours, my backpack was making my back hurt. "Girl what's in that backpack?", my mamma asked as she hit her blunt. "Nothing mamma just some pictures of me and daddy." I replied softly, she hated him. "I don't Know why you like that man,he's an ass, and a complete idiot who spends his night in jail or at the strip club" she laughed. "Then why you marry him?" I asked pushing my knees in her seat. "I don't know, I should of married De'Shawn daddy, maybe even Hakeems, anyone of them boys daddy besides yours"she replied pulling up to a driveway.

"Are we here now?", I asked as we exited the car. It was hot, slaves hot, there was barely a breeze and it had been stuffy in the car. "Yea this the place", De'Shawn replied as he unpacked the trunk. "Welcome to our new home babies",Mamma smiled hugging us tightly. I was so excited to get in the house until I walked inside. There were holes in the wall, and spiders crawling around the floor.

"Well i'm going to go to sleep,De'Shawn blow up you and La'Shawn mattress", Mamma ordered dragging her bags behind. After De'Shawn blew my mattress up he went upstairs to fix up his half of the room. I didn't have time for that it was only 4:55pm and it was still bright out. I changed into my flip flops and ran out the door. I didn't know anything about this town or the neighbor hood but I walked for about 30 minutes when I seen a Pizza Parlor, I was hungry so I said why not. I ain't have nothing but $3 and 25 cent, but I was starving and Mamma sure didn't have no money.

"What you need young lady" the fat white man asked as he slapped the clever on the cutting board. "I need some hot wings and a diet soda", I ordered as he sent someone to the kitchen. About 20 minutes later the fat man came back with my food, he handed it to me and said "Money now girl." I gave him what I had and he said it wasn't enough so I bolted for the door bumping into a fine young man. "Hey I will pay for it Mr.Berger, I think she's new around here right", the boy said with a grin. "Yea im new so what, he wasn't gonna do nun," I snapped rolling my eyeballs. "Just get her out of my store Marco" Mr.Berger said waving his clever around.

When we got outside the boy Marco asked me my name. "My name is La'Shawn OB'neshia Hall but you can call me whatever you want," I spoke softly. "Well I didn't ask for your whole name but I'll call you OB'ie okay," he replied. "Nah that's stupid you ain't calling me that unless you want a mouth full of fist," I replied. "Damn girl, how about I just call you by your first name," he answered taking one of my wings. "Yea that will work what's your name?", I asked as we turned the corner. "Marco but you can call me Marc if you want," he replied tossing the empty food into the grass.

"So where you live La'Shawn?" he asked as we walked into my yard. He stood on the sidewalk and looked down at his feet. "Come on Marco this is it, the Bronze Apartments," I spoke softly reaching my hand out. "I-I-I can't" he stuttered as he backed away slowly, "Why?" I asked curiously but I was being nosey. "This is Letizes turf and Ion mess with them cats, they stay off ours and we stay off theirs so no blood shed," he whispered. "So you in a gang?" I laughed, "Something like that but they killed my cousin a while back so you know how it be,I gotta go" he waved running off into the sun.

"I looked at my phone, it was 7:08pm and I wasn't ready for De'Shawn or Mamma. As I walked to the park behind my house I heard a dog and it started chasing me. I ran as fast as I could but stopped because I heard a boy call the dog over. "Sorry bout that Tainted can get loose sometimes," the boy smiled. "It's okay I wasn't scared or nothing you know" I lied, "I'm Kentino and you are?" he asked. "La'Shawn I smiled realizing that I didn't have time to say my whole name. "Oh you're cute La'Shawn by the way" he laughed moving my curl out my face. "Thanks, you are too I guess"I blushed.

He laughed and walked me to the park after putting his giant dog away. This boy was gorgeous, nothing like the boys back home. He was tall with black hair, green eyes and smooth skin, he was obviously hispanic. We talked for so long I forgot where I was, the next time I looked at my phone it was 12:30 Am. "I gotta go Kentino my brother gonna freak when he see me come in" I shouted as I got off the swing. "Wait lil mamma" he whispered as he grabbed me and began kissing me. At first my instinct was to stop him but I didn't care, then he stopped and smiled at me. "I will see you tomorrow okay, meet me in front of the Apartments" he demanded. "Okay" I replied walking away. He was so damn good looking, but so was Marco, and I wanted both but I had to see how this summer would go. When I walked inside I caught a slap right across the face. "Mamma what was that for?!" I shouted in pain, "You can't come in here anytime of night you spoiled brat, out there with them boys, go upstairs!" she shouted back with her breath reeking of hennesey. I ran upstairs into me and De'Shawn room, he was sitting on the air mattress getting high. "Are drugs and Alcohol a tradition ion know about?!" I spoke angrily, "Calm down, we gotta talk anyway little sister" he replied.

"About?" I groaned slamming down onto my mattress, "That little spanish boy you was with in the park, all imma tell you is he no good, he mixed up with drug dealers and shit" he replied. " I can protect myself just worry bout you and Mamma okay?" I smiled turning off my bedroom lamp. "Well I tried, just don't forget this baby sister: "Once you in the game ain't no way out of it but one" he laughed aiming his hand like a gun at me. "Good night De'Shawn" I groaned rolling onto my side. "You see the way Kelly and Ernie went" he replied before he drifted off to sleep. I hated when he was right, but I felt he was wrong about Kentino, he was sweet and funny. He wasn't gonna bring no harm, I needed to listen to my gut though. Your gut is never wrong, and my gut said Kentino.