Web Of Betrayal

Chapter 5: Homecoming

When we finally got up it was noon, I took a shower and Marco and I decided we would go see De'Shawn. One of Marco's friends had dropped off the red sports car. When we got to the hospital the doctor informed us De'Shawn had slipped into a coma but we could still see him. I rushed to the room to see 2 young men sitting there, one besides the bed who was Kentino and one at the end who I could not see.

"Kentino what are you doing here?!" I shouted as quiet as possible. "Do you want me to make them leave"Marco said loudly holding the gun on his hip. "We don't mean no harm, we just wanted to see him" Kentino replied still sitting down. "We? Who in the hell is this guy?" I replied turning the boy at the foot of the bed around. I almost died right there in that moment, it felt like I was looking in the mirror all over again.

"Ne'Shawn?" I whimpered moving in to touch his face. But he moved back nearly stumbling over the bed. "La'Shawn you know this dude?" Marco asked trying to catch my fall. "Know him...he's my brother, my twin brother" I replied moving closer to Ne'Shawn. "I thought you were the only kid?" Kentino asked abruptly grabbing Ne Shawn's shoulder.

My brother, my dead brother stood there silent like he saw a ghost. We never talked about how he "died" it was a no no in our house. I remember every little detail....We were 14, it was our birthday and we were just getting ready to cut the cake. Our old house was right next to the creek, we were forbidden to ever play there. But Ne'Shawn insisted we go play that day.

He said mother was so focused on the party she wouldn't notice we ran off. We were standing over the creek, I was playing trying to catch the frogs. Ne'Shawn was over the creeks cliff edge, just poking and stuff. I remember right before it happened what was said "Shawn don't hang over there we should go back" "La'Shawn your such a baby shut up" I remembered this because it was right before the fall. I was still picking at the flowers and frogs when I heard him scream, I turned around to see Shawn's shoe plummeting into the water at the bottom of the clift. I remember me screaming "Ne'Shawn" then my mother came running.

"I saw you die, I watched you sink away" I cried moving closer to Ne'Shawn. "I'm sorry" Ne'Shawn replied moving farther from me. "3 years I thought you were gone, 3 years I thought my twin was never coming back, I had to do counseling for 2 years!" I yelled. "Why would you pretend to die!" I cried as he backed against the wall. "I was tired of mom and the different boyfriends every night, I was tired of the abuse, So I faked it, I threw my shoe into the creek and hid in the clift hole screaming" He replied.

The room was so quiet, all you heard was DeShawn's life monitor and breathing monitor. Kentino and Marco were in separate corners still staring each other down. "How did you live on your own?" I asked, I had finally stopped crying. "I had Manny send me some money, I used it to move here, that's how I met Kentino" he replied sitting down again. "He's telling the truth La'Shawn, My grandma raised him like he was her own" Kentino smiled. "When I heard about what happened to our brother, I came to see him" Ne'Shawn said once more.

I wanted to be angry so bad, but I couldn't, too much lost time had passed. I just wanted to love Ne'Shawn but from a distance. "Marco let's go" I nodded as I kissed DeShawn's forehead. "Where are you going, come stay with me" Ne'Shawn smiled. "I live with Marco now, and you're the enemy anyways, Ne'Shawn Letizes" I replied turning away exiting the room with Marco.

I couldn't believe what I had just said and done. But I had so much tension from seeing Ne'Shawn that I couldn't handle time with him. "Are you okay?" Marco asked as we drove off. "Yea, it's just I haven't seen him for 3 years Marco" I sighed. "I understand but you should give him a chance, it seems like he did it to better himself" He replied.

"Not if he hangs with Kentino" I replied letting the window down. When we arrived at Marco's place my mother was sitting on the porch, beaten up. "Mom? What happened to you?!" I exclaimed. "It's Tyrone, he's crazy" she cried as she fell into Marco's arms. "You have to help me" she cried. I looked at her with a face of no mercy or no pity. "I'm sorry but I can't" I replied "Lashawn?" Marco said puzzled.

"She doesn't deserve pity or mercy, come on Marco" I smiled pulling him away from her. My mother moved up to the front door and got on her knees. "Please, I'm your mother" she cried harder. "I don't have a mother" I replied turning my head with a smile and slammed the door. "What is wrong with you?" Marco asked grabbing me by my arm. "Nothing" I smiled as my phone rang.

It was Ne'Shawn and he was yelling this stuff about stay away from Marco, he's bad news and all this other stuff. I hung the phone up and went to eat. "Who was it" Marco asked passing me a sandwhich. "Ne'Shawn" I answered shaking my head."Oh, what did he want" he asked staring into blank space. "Nothing he was just going on with this you're crazy stuff and stay away from you" I laughed clawing, pretending to be a monster.

"Hmm that's ridiculous, if anything you should stay away from Kentino" He snickered. "That's what I was thinking, like Marco wouldn't hurt me, you're my only friend here" I smiled taking a bite of the tuna sandwich. "Yeah, I wouldn't hurt you at all" he replied with a smirk. He was again staring into blank space, I didn't know what was wrong with him. "Marco?" I laughed waving my hand in front of his face.

It's like he snapped out of it so fast because next thing I know he was squeezing my wrist so hard. "Mar-" I whimpered, I couldn't even finish he had released me. "Sorry" he smiled throwing his dish into the sink and rushing up the stairs. When I went into the bathroom I stared in the mirror for so long. I could see I was slowly changing and I could see that. When I came here I was innocent and I loved everyone, now I was turnt out and disrespecting my mother.

I went upstairs to lay down, I decided I wasn't going to bother Marco tonight because he looked upset. I drifted off to sleep around 8:20pm. I was awoken by the sound of Marco's loud sports car engine starting up. I rushed to the window to see him pulling out the driveway. I called for him but he couldn't hear me. I put on my jacket and went outside, he was just down the street. I got the keys to the Benz and followed him.

He stopped at the little shack him and his friends hung out at, where I first chilled with him. He got out the car, it looked like he was meeting Rico, his right hand man. I remembered him because he was Marco's first friend I met, the day of Mimi's shooting. I slid down so they wouldn't see me, I could barely hear but they were arguing from the looks of it.

"Marco you're insane bro" "I'm insane? You wanted to rat me out to the cops!" "You killed her, what did you think I was going to do?"

I couldn't hear anything, it was too loud all I could hear was trains nearby. "I thought you would have my back on this" "I got you bro on whatever but killing innocents is not my style , especially females G."

The talking stopped from what I could see and Rico was walking away. My phone went off so I looked down to see who it was from.

"Hey Rico" "Yes Marco" "I love you man" "Ha Ha, I love--" A loud shot rang off I looked up from my phone and Rico was on the ground on his stomach crawling. Marco continued to shoot him over and over again. I was so scared I hit the horn, Marco turned to look where the sound was coming from. I immediately put the car in reverse and backed down the street.

I rushed inside the house back into my pajamas, into bed. I laid there waiting for Marco to come in. But he didn't come back till around 12:45am. I could hear him sneaking in. So I turned over to pretend I was sleeping, when he came into the room. "La'Shawn" he whispered softly into my ear. I turned over and yawned like I had been sleep forever.

"What are you doing up ? What time is it" I asked acting puzzled. "I was downstairs watching TV, it's 12: 50am" he replied looking at the clock on his mother's wall. "Oh well I'm going back to bed" I smiled. "So what'd you do tonight" he smiled with a crazed look in his eyes. "I've been here Duh" I laughed pulling the blanket over me. "Okay well goodnight" he grinned turning the light back off.

I sat the rest of the night wondering why he did such a horrible thing to Rico, how he could kill his own friend. My gut was telling me to get the fuck out this house, but my heart, my heart said stay. I would ask him tomorrow about Rico, about what happened. I just couldn't right now, he gave me chills.