Shut Up & Listen

Out My Mind, Just In Time : part one

July 16
9:42p

Cole

"Yo, earth to Cole!" I looked up from the paper I was writing on to see Cobe standing in front of me. He sat down on the couch beside me, mad close. "I ain't seen you write in a while. What you writing?" Cobe asked, Kofi walked in to the living room after him and sat on the other couch and turned on the tv.

"Nothin', just jotting down some shit."

"Lemme see" he persisted, attempting to take the paper out of my hand.

"It's private, nigga. Damn." I folded the paper up and stuffed in the pocket of my cargo shorts. Cobe rolled his eyes and put his attention onto the tv, but he was still extra close to me. Kofi, probably noticing my irritation asked, "How you feeling?".

"Fine."

"Ok."

"What you up to while you here?"

"Really just chillin'. Ma said if I stay home I gotta work, so I came here instead. She just want me out the house honestly. She got a new man."

"Nephew, stop telling that woman business."

"Shiii we ain't wanna know that anyway, Oz. He coulda kept that to his self."

"I'm just saying, cuzzo. But Anyway, what time you leaving for work?"

"I don't work there no more."

"What happened? You quit?"

"Nah, I got fired. Missed to many days."

"Boy, you just went back to work last month. How you miss that many days?" Oz came around the corner from the kitchen, butting into our conversation. Of course Cobe just had to say some slick shit to get Oz on my case. Instead of minding his business he said, "You know how he is. Priorities all fuc- messed up." Catching himself from cussing in front of Oz.

"Oh, the pop star got ya mind all wonky?"

"She's RnB not pop." I defended her, because I knew what was gonna come up next. Any time any body says Jemaika's name something like, "She not gone be anything messing with that stuff." follows and I hate that shit.

"That's all rumors. You don't even know her." I mumbled sulking back into the cushions of the couch because anytime drugs are the topic, my name is gonna be next.

"But I know you. Always gotta be like whoever you closest too. Ain't that always got you in trouble before? You just ain't ever gone learn are you?"

"Whatchu talking about?"

"You don't want to do this right now in front of everybody, Cole." Shady ass. I don't know why he don't just out right say what he wanna say. I know exactly what he talking about, but I bet he won't admit it out loud.

"I don't even know what you talking about, Oz."

"Okay." He said, with a half smile, watching me. I sat back, arms folded, eyes glued to the tv to avoid Oz's gaze until he left the room.

Everybody in this house acts like they're just too damn perfect. Too fucking happy. Too fucking chill. So fucking fake. I ran out of the shit Jemaika gave me but I remembered that Oz had a surgery last year. That nigga be on his holistic healing shit so I know he ain't take them pain meds which mean he prolly got a few full pills left somewhere in this house. I went to the bathroom and looked in the medicine cabinet only to find dusty old toothbrushes and useless shit like bandaids and peroxide and multivitamins.

I went to the hallway linen closet and looked in all the containers and drawers. These niggas really fucking suck, bro. I shook my head and went to lay down in Cobe's old room. I laid on the bed thinking where Oz would've put his pills at then it hit me. I had to wait until everybody was occupied to sneak into Oz room to look for