Score: The Catch

Chapter Five

I laid in the bed, almost asleep until I heard a knock at my locked bedroom door. "Come in." Erica walked in. She walked over to the bed, took her hand and put it where my mama swung. "She got you huh?"

"Man, it's like, football was supposed to take us to the top. I was going somewhere, I knew it because I was growing everyday. I still want us to be rich. Don't you want to be rich? Don't you want that Beamer and a bigger house? This might get us where we wanna go. I was supposed to run up in a house to get us something, but I came back to talk to you first. I was trying to explain that to your grandma and my ma, but they didn't want to hear it I guess. I didn't think she was gone hit me with a bat though.

"Bae, everything happens for a reason. I understand what you trying to do, but nobody wants to see you in a casket or in a cell. When you left, you know what she told me? She scared that she gone find you dead someday, Never in a million years would your mother think her son would be out here hustling in the street. She shouldn't have found out that way, Brandon. You still going?"

"Maybe you're right, that wasn't fair of her though. Yeah, I'm so-"
she interrupted me with a long kiss and said, "Let's go then." I sat there and tried to figure out what to say, I didn't want her to go.

"What you mean? You gone come with me?"

"Bruh, who made this chicken?" Chris came in our room without knocking.

"I made it m, fool. How did you even get in here?" Erica looked at Chris and asked.

"It wasn't you, it couldn't be, you can't cook. I got in because I walked in here, what you mean? Anyway, who made it? For real, now."

"Me! Anyway, Yeah, I am. I supported you and what you did with football, this can be like the same thing. Let's go."

"Where we going?" Chris asked us. I called him to me and told him where we planned on going. Since he was my nigga from way back, I trusted him with my life and even Erica's a little and that was hard because I'm very protective. He wanted to go and of course, I was cool with that. I looked for a duffle bag to put whatever we got from the house into.

"Alright, this ain't a game, Erica. You gotta listen to me, okay?" She shook her head yes. We walked out and I called Rock to let him know I was ready. He came over a few minutes later. Something didn't feel right. "I can't do this, shorty," I told Erica before I continued, "Stay home and I'll make it up to you when I get back, alright?" She just looked at me and turned around to go in the house, I kind of felt bad, even though I was doing what I thought was right. Money was waiting for us though. I got in one of the 2 trucks that was ready to go, we pulled off. Rock told Chris and me about every inch of the house. I wondered how he knew, but this wasn't the time to ask questions. I quickly remembered the map so I would know how to move.

The truck I was in was parked in the front of the house and the other truck was parked in the back of the house. There was this lady outside, standing beside her car with her hand on the door while she looked at her phone. When she got in and pulled out of her driveway, the trucks moved forward the house a little more.

"Y'all ready?" Rock asked us. We nodded and Chris and me stepped out while sliding ski masks over our faces. Rock was the driver, so he stayed in his truck.

I knocked on the door instead of kicking it down, because I wasn't trying to cause a scene. A middle-aged man came to the door. "Hello, how are you?" Chris said fine and then asked if his son was home. He said he was but he said he was his nephew. He then went on about how they just became later and all that before he let us in. As soon as he turned around, Chris put a pistol to his head and instructed him to walk upstairs. "He will be down here in a minute, you don't want to do this."

Chris smiled, "That's why I told yo' ass to go upstairs. When we go upstairs, go get him, because he can get robbed, too." We walked upstairs to a big bedroom that I assumed was a woman's because it had a pink bedspread over the queen-sized bed. I shut the door.

"Open the safe!" I demanded.

"I don't know the code, I swear!" I hit him with the butt of the gun before he dropped to the floor. I saw two people walk in the room while Chris fought with the man. One person was this man that had his hands in the air, the other person looked like a girl. I couldn't really be sure with the mask covering the face. She had a figure like Erica, So I assumed it was her. Even though I wanted to find out, it wasn't the time now. She forced him over to the safe and made him open it. She hit him again, sending him to the ground and a few seconds later, she shot 4 times towards him. One in the ribs, two in the chest and a head shot. We didn't have time to ask questions, we just ran. I grabbed the money from Chris' hands and put in the bag before I jumped in the truck, including the girl. She slowly pulled the mask over, revealing a familiar face.

"What is wrong with you?! How did you get here? Why the fuck you here? Matter fact, I don't even care, stop talking to me."

"Shay dropped me off and I didn't even say anything, Brandon."

After she said that, we rushed home in silence. When we reached my apartment, I grabbed the took it to bedroom, and went to the shower. I needed to calm down, so the gym was the only place I wanted to go. I know I didn't ball anymore, but I loved working out. It relieved stress and all of that. After I stepped out of the shower, I grabbed my gym bag and headed to the kitchen to make a protein shake. Erica just kept looking at me. She was silent. She finally spoke, "you mad at me, huh? Well." I just looked at her and walked out of the door.

The gym was empty, just how I liked it. I walked straight over to the barbell and added some weight. I decided on what I was going to say to Erica and was ready to say it. After an hour at the gym, I rushed home. When I got there, she was sitting down, watching TV until she saw me. "Hey," she almost smiled. I sat beside her.

"We need to talk."

"Well, what you gotta say?"

She looked at me, "I didn't mean to make you mad, bae."

"Why did you even come? I know nothing happened, but something could've. I'm not mad at you for trying to help, I'm mad because you went behind my back. I know everybody want to be in a ride or die relationship, but I don't want you getting mixed up with nothing I'm doing."

"Why did you go? To get some money, right? Well, I know you going to spend it on me, so why wouldn't I help you out? You know I got you. If you go down, I go down. We in this shit forever. It's not just a ride or die thing, I just love you. We're getting rich, 'by any means.' I know that's how you think, let's do this." I couldn't say nothing.

I laid my hand on her shoulder and let her rub her fingers on my face. She kissed me. "Let me wash your hair."

"I was just about to do that, I got it."

"But I wanna do it." I gave in and we walked to the sink.

"Brandon, how much was in the house?"

"I don't even know. When we finish with this, we can count it." After she washed the shampoo out and I dried off, we walked