vengeance

Part 1 the beginning

Jaylani Pov:

My jaw was clenched, my hands were tight around the steering wheels as I drove away from my mother's house. My white T-shirt was covered in blood and my shoes were ruined. I stayed like that for a few hours getting as far away from that house. Until I saw a sign that said "welcome to Chattanooga Tenessee. As soon as I passed it there was a small grungy looking motel but I didn't care about the quality at this point. I pulled into the steep parking lot where only one car was parked. I checked into a small room, turns out the car belonged to the manager. I jumped into bed for 30 seconds until I fell asleep.

The next day 

I woke up in the bloody clothes from last night. I walked to the bathroom and brushed my teeth than did my business. I didn't really have anywhere to go so I figured I'd just travel to different places in my car. But then I realized my brother Stokeley lived in Florida. I called him and he answered on the second ring. 

I loved Stokeley with all my heart, he was like the brother everyone wished they had. Even though he was my brother he was more of a parent than my mom or dad ever were. 

My dad wasn't perfect either. My mom was always cheating and he was really depressed, he ended up getting addicted to meth and committed suicide. And the thing is, my mother made it look like it was my fault. And I believed her, for a very long time.  I shouldn't say; "believed" because I still do. That's a whole other story for later and I hate thinking about my dad because it upsets me so much. 

Stoke knew that so he never brought him up. Stokeley was broken when my dad died, and so was my mom. I could tell she regretted how badly she treated him and felt guilty. Like she was responsible for his suicide. When the truth is; he had been through so much and he was so broken that he couldn't stand to live with it anymore. Which, I understand, I've felt like that many times but it's just selfish to do that when you're the glue keeping other people's lives from falling apart like a three-year-olds art's and crafts project. 

He loved talking to me because he knew that I go through a lot.  He ran from the cops because he got caught selling drugs because our mother didn't work so that's how we made our money. To survive. My friend Mariah was always there for me she would let me and Stoke stay on her couch when our mother was too drunk or being too aggressive. One time Stokeley came home late at night and caught my mother beating me he threw a vase at her head and she passed out. After that, we stayed at Mariah's house for two weeks then her parents made us leave.  After times like that, we'd find our mom cold hungry, or really malnourished. The electricity would have been cut off and Stokeley would have to pay it.

 For my 16th birthday, Stoke got us a phone plan to share and got me a phone that way I had social media but I didn't have any followers just Stokeley and Mariah.

 He answered in an excited tone that he tried to play off as chill and said: "hey sis."