Oh My...

22.) Murder

When I got to Marshall's house, I saw him and Deshaun sitting on the kid's play equipment that crowded his front lawn, drinking a six pack and smoking cigarettes. Marshall looked grouchy, with a bruised eye and scarred face, but when he noticed me stumbling up the road his expression changed to puzzlement. "Yo, Alex?"

When I finally reached the boys, I fell into Marshall and sobbed into his chest. My nails dug in his back as he wrapped his arms around my trembling body.

"Marshall, what did you do?!" Deshaun yelled.

"Nothing! I mean, nothing recently!" Marshall grabbed the sides of my face and forced me to look at him. "Alex, calm down. What happened?"

I was a little shocked at how caring and concerned he seemed, like the last few days hadn't happen. I couldn't calm down enough to speak, so I brought my hands to the hickey he gave me and hoped they'd catch the idea.

Marshall just seemed even more confused, but Deshaun was able to follow along. He grabbed my shoulders. "Alex, did someone touch you?"

I nodded, my sobs shaking me harder. "He-He's at my house! He threatened me, he said he would kill me and Claire!"

"Was it that son'uvabitch at the club?!" Marshall raged. "I swear to God I'll-"

"N-No, Claire brought h-him home. And he...." I cried harder into Marshall's neck. He comfortingly played with my hair, but I could still tell how tense his body was.

"Alex, you're safe now," Deshaun told me. "Just calm down and tell us what happened."

I shook my head. "Oh my God he probably killed Claire--and it's my fault!" That petrifying thought left me in more of a wreck. I shook even harder until I couldn't even cry anymore, all that was leaving my lips were strangled gasps.

"Alex, calm down! Please!" Marshall begged, holding me tighter. "Nothing else is going to hurt you, I won't let it."

"Alex, I swear to God I can call up a few homies right now and we'll smoke this bitch." Deshaun promised me. "Just say the words."

I tried to take a few deep breaths, but panic and fear kept lingering in the back of my head. Finally, I turned my head to face Deshaun. "What if he already got her?" I whimpered.

"Alex, I doubt he was really going to kill her-" Marshall tried to begin, but his statement only left me feeling worse.

Without realizing what I was doing, I screamed: "HE HAD A GUN, MARSHALL! HE FUCKIN' SHOWED ME!"

"Alex, tell me what happened." Deshaun's calming tone somehow broke through my chaotic state of mind, and I carefully tried to assort my thoughts together.

"I was walking home," I began in a whisper. "And I saw this dude Claire brought home earlier smoking a cigarette, and he started hassling me. He grabbed my hair and started kissing me and shit, so I kneed him in the dick. I had no where else to do, so I came here." I concluded, pushing my face back into Marshall's neck. "It was so terrible, how he could just-..." My words drifted off and I closed my eyes. At that moment, I didn't care about what happened in the past, I was just beyond thankful that Marshall was here to hold me.

"I'll kill him," I heard him growl. "I swear on my soul that I will."

"We need to check on Claire," I gasped. "We need to go now." I tried to get up, but Marshall pulled me back onto his lap. "Hey! Fuck off!"

He wasn't looking at me. He was facing Proof, waiting to see what his opinion on the situation would be. "Alex, I think you need to just chill for a minute. Have a beer."