𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄.

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘.

It'd been two weeks. Nearly three since I found everything out.

Everything was different now. We hadn't pulled a job since then, nothing was moving in or out until Shaheem could figure out how to handle it all. First, they questioned me. I can absolutely understand why they would, since the man that was targeting their business and their lives was my father.

I had to let them know I knew absolutely nothing. I hadn't seen my dad since I was seven years old, I didn't even know if he looked the same anymore.

Rico kept her eye on me. I saw her watching me whenever I was near her, and I knew she did something to my apartment, probably while I was at Maj's.

I saw red dots blinking in the dark all over, and I managed to snatch small cameras from my kitchen, my bedroom and my bathroom.

I couldn't risk everyone's safety. They knew I wasn't guilty and that's all they needed to know until I could figure out whatever the hell I had to do to handle it.

I hadn't spoken to Maj in like four days. I missed him a lot of course, he's my boyfriend. But I literally have never been so stressed out in my life. I never been through something this strenuous, at least not since my mama passed. He'd been calling and texting me, but I couldn't bring myself to talk to him. At least not right now.

I needed to fix this. Something needed to be done and I needed to do it.

"Mama, you really left me here," I chuckled bitterly, laying flat on my back next to her tombstone. "All by myself, for so long. I didn't have nobody, and I missed y'all every single day, I wish I would've come home that day sometimes," I mumbled, just talking.

The first thing I did when I got paid for my first job was get my mama and my siblings some tombstones. I could never afford it when I worked for Mr. Rickey, and my grammy spent all her money on the services. I never visited my mom or siblings on the anniversary of their deaths, which was today, because I never had anything to visit.

But today, December 1st, was they day I lost everything. Usually on this day, I'd take off work and do everything me and my family liked to do together. I went out to eat and to see a movie, I went to the park and I made myself dinner. I ate in front of the tv and I always watched A Different World. That was me and my mama's show.

"But I found people, ma. I found something can live for, and I wanna keep it safe so bad. But he came back, he came back and he's trying to take it away again! Just like he took you. You and Micah and Amaia. I can't never get y'all back and now he's trying to make me alone in the world all over again," I vented, wiping the hot tears that fell from my face.

"I gotta do something to help em' but-but I don't know what, mommy. I can't figure it out, but I can't lose them, they're like my family. And Semaj, my God. He-he's so important to me ma, he's everything I ever thought a boyfriend would be like. I know you'd love him. You'd think he's so handsome and sweet," I smiled, even through the tears, thinking about him.