Strength

18.3

Excuse any mistakes. Shiloh and Travis in the mm.

Compton, LA
Later that evening..

"I will be great. It's inevitable. Don't mark my words but instead mark this affirmation for yourself. Let's be great together."

Kourtney

—

The car is silent as Zeke and Shiloh are riding to Travis's apartment. The only thing that can be heard is the music playing on the radio.

"You're quiet." Zeke speaks up.

Shiloh tears his eyes from the window and looks over at Zeke.

"Not everyday I'm bringin' a multimillionaire to Compton." Shiloh says.

Zeke shrugs his shoulder slightly, glancing at Shiloh. "Nothing I'm not used to."

"Where are you from again?"

    "Chicago." Zeke responds as he looks down at his phone. "Southside. Englewood."

Shiloh looks at him. "Oh. I thought you was some rich black kid who grew up in money."

     Zeke laughs and shakes his head. He looks up from his phone to look at Shiloh. "My mother was strung out on crack. My dad was a sinful pastor and it was five of us living in a two bedroom house. Smack dead in the hood. Far from the rich black kid who grew up in money."

Shiloh cringes. "My fault."

    "Nah." Zeke smiles a little. "As you can see, I made it out."

"Any childhood friends?"

     Zeke looks ahead while the driver continues to drive. "It was four of us. I was kind of the follower. Just tryna fit in. Leon, Calvin and Omar.
Friends since kindergarten. Leon was the ring leader. Cal was second in command. Omar was like me. Just tryna find his way."

Shiloh shifts in his seat. "Where are they now?"

     A brief silence took over before Zeke continued. "One night, we were supposed to go hang out at a local burger joint. We was young, maybe 13 or 14. Anyway, earlier that day, I overheard Leon say that we was gonna rob it. Up until that point, I had done whatever he wanted. That was my boy, I had his back. But, I made a choice to stay home that night."

Zeke looks over at Shiloh. "The owner had a shotgun. He shot Leon in the chest, Omar in the back and Calvin in his abdomen." He pauses. "They're dead."

      Shiloh's body tenses up. "Damn. I mean dang." He corrects himself. "I'm sorry 'bout that."

Zeke looks back down at his phone. "Leon and Calvin, weren't my real friends. They didn't care about me. Omar, maybe. While I mourn sometimes, and this may sound harsh, but I didn't lose anyone of value."

    Shiloh doesn't say anything. It did sound harsh, but he could see where Zeke was coming from.

"Why you say they wasn't ya friends?"

      "I wanted better. For me, for them. While I was trying to think of ways to get out, even at that age, they were trying to find ways to stay in. They didn't want better for me or themselves." Zeke explains.

Shiloh nods. "Trav the brother I never had. We go back, like when we was in diapers. Trav taught me how to ride a bike. Showed me how to get girls. I taught him how to fight."

    "Sounds like a good friend. History, always important."

"Yea ion want nobody thinkin' he a bad dude. He  not." Shiloh says.