Nala And Mazi (Lying Next To You.)

Nala And Mazi (Part 1)

"This is the last time I'm doing this Nate." I said as I checked the bullets in my gun, for what had to be the 10th time.

"Aw, don't tell me your going soft on me Peanut" he chuckled.

"I'm not playing Nate! I need to be on the straight and narrow. I start school in two weeks and I- "

"Well don't forget what helped you pay for school! And good luck telling Dad you want out."

I inhaled deeply and looked out the window. He grabbed my hand and turned my face towrads him.

"Little sister, I don't want you in this shit as much as you don't want to be in it, but you agreed to this shit. We told you the consequences."

I tried with everything in me to stop the tears from rolling down my face. I quickly wiped them.

"Let's just get this over with. I have a date tonight." I said, as I straightened myself up and opened the car door.

"Aye, if it makes you feel better, I'll talk to dad tonight alright. I promise."

I smiled, we pulled our mask down, and we quietly and carefully proceeded to the back of the house.

See my dad was what you consider a "drug lord". Out of his 10 kids I was the only girl and of course the youngest. My mother was his 7th baby mother and the only one he married. After they divorced, when I was 6, she took me and my older sister, Jada, to North Carolina with her to start over and get the hell away from my "no good" dad. Life was normal, I graduated top of my class and I planned on doing the same thing when I got to college. Nala Denise Itayoh; top nurse of her class, and my mother worked her butt off to make sure it happened. She didn't let me or my sister work, and the discussion of us working would turn into a full-blown argument. She wasn't having it! But being the most successful traveling nurse in North Carolina, she wasn't stressing about funds. Before I was 14 I'd been to 10 different states and swam in 3 of the 5 oceans. You could say we were blessed.

But one day, May 25, 2014 to be exact, my world ended, and I seen it coming. My mom was going to New York. She said she was tired of flying and she'd rather drive. My sister and I fought and fought with her on this one. We couldn't understand why she wanted to drive 8 hours when she could of just flew for 30 minutes. But she was head strong on her decision. Me and my sister were both tied up with school and work stuff that week so we tried to get her to postpone it so one of us could drive with her but, she said it was an urgent call. So, she left us. We could finally breath when she got there, and she seemed to be enjoying New York. I was up late the last night of her trip. I couldn't rest until she got back. I looked over at my sister sleeping peacefully with her school books in her lap, and chuckled. "What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?" My phone ringing startled me. I tried to answer it before Jada woke up but I was too late. She was up and she was pissed.

"Hello?" I answered the phone annoyed myself, noticing what time it was and, noticing it was an unknown number.

"Is this Ms.Itayoh"

I could tell whoever on the other end of the phone didn't call to give me good news. Something in my soul shifted and my stomach got tight, I thought I would throw up. Tears started streaming down my eyes before she could even continue. I heard Jada screaming at me "what is it, what's going on Peanut? Who the hell is it?". She finally ended up snatching the phone and I guess she received the last end of the news. ".... with a semi-truck. She didn't make it. I'm so sorry". We cried for what seemed like 8 hours straight. Until my Auntie Suzie showed up....

"Jada, I'm not moving with her. The bitch is evil" I said pacing the floor, shaking my head. The funeral was a week ago and the shit still didn't seem real. I was a zombie. My school work went to shit. I couldn't sleep. My nightmares got worse.