How To Love

94

Kentrell Gaulden

"This dumb rapping nigga." One of the niggas at the end of the bench said,causing the other side of the cafeteria to erupt in laughter. I smacked my lips and started stabbing my food with this plastic ass fork.

These bitches couldn't find any trace of evidence to put this dead nigga case on me. I knew they wouldn't anyways,I felt like I knew who made that weak ass call. The call wasn't gon so shit much to me though. I knocked off that nigga,and cleaned any traces of me possible.

On top of that these niggas took away my phone call privileges. When I first got here,my cell mate was fucking with me. People think all because you get up out the hood and make money you still don't got to go through shit. I knocked that nigga out,wasn't even in here for a full day when I did. Now I don't got no cell mate,only was with people when it was time to eat,like right now. Shit fucked up cause I can't write or even call my girl.

I know she fucked up right now,her lil scary ass. But I was worse,I ain't care about the charge though. I was gon beat this case,and I was confident on that. I wanted to be more involved in Jalanee's pregnancy. It was gon be the first time I was with someone while they was pregnant by me. Rest of my baby mamas went through 9 months alone,shit should've have went down the way they did back then. But i was tryna change,even if it meant no shows,no studio time,none of that...just to make sure she was straight. I wanted her to have a happy ass 9 months,she probably crying every night wishing a nigga would come home.

I pushed the tray of food in front of me,and slouched on the seat.

"When you getting outta here?" A older man said to me. He must've been doing life,he was old as hell. The older heads in here seemed to be calmer then these other niggas. All they ever did was wanna start problems with me,I wasn't really having it anymore. All that acting up was just gon mean more time away from my people.

I shrugged and picked at the cotton fabric at the corners of my milk carton.

"You?" I said.

"2057."

"Nigga you gon die in here." I said,chuckling slightly. Jalanee would've backed handed me and told me to stop laughing,I missed her proper ass.

"I sho' am. I deserve it though. Killed two young men."

"Damn. For what?"

"Raped my daughter.

"Sound like you saying they deserved to be killed."

"They did. That's not how these people see it though."

"Yeen suppose to be in here. If someone hurt someone you love,you bound to handle the situation on your own. That's law." I said. I would send bullets to Dave bitch ass if i had to again.

"Inmate 593 Times up." A security guard said grabbing me by the back of my orange jumpsuit,and forcefully pushing me into my single cell.

Jalanee Coleman

I tossed and turn in my sleep. Feeling my body get hot,I threw the covers off of me. I gave up on sleeping,and grabbed my phone on the dresser.

A week flew by,with no phone calls,no update,nothing at all from Kentrell. Not even Montana knew anything,only think we knew is that he got into an altercation at the jail before he even got in his cell..Kentrell was sometimes a hot head but I really hoped he was okay.As for me,I've been trying to think positive about this whole thing.

I sighed heavily and walked downstairs,and saw my grandma in the kitchen,with the tv playing in the Living Room. Without him the house just been so boring,I missed my baby more then anything.

"You want some tea?" My nana asked me.

"Sure." I said,sitting near the kitchen island. "Why aren't you sleep?"

"I could ask you the same thing. But I always wake up around this time."

"I can't sleep." She said putting a cup of hot tea in front of me. "The bed is all empty and cold."

"Is it Bubba?"

"A little bit more then just him." I said honestly. "I meanI miss him and everything but my head is all over the place."

"What's going on?" My grandma said cutting up some ginger.

"Dave's daughter called me. You remember her?" I said deeply sighing.

"Yeah,pretty little girl. What did she want?"

"Told me that they found the man hurt her dad..She doesn't know about me or Kentrell. I honestly want to do more for her but I always want to do more for Kentrell."

"Does she know what Kentrell looks like?  This is a very sticky situation,Jalanee I advise you to stop talking to that girl. Just for the sake of Kentrell." She said,setting her cup down,

"I'm not sure if they showed her photo,but it was all over the news so...But I wanna help her out. She's alone,literally. Nobody there for her,She asked me to go to her graduation."

"And your behind is staying here. There's nothing for you back in New York."

"But-"

"You and Kentrell aren't kids anymore. You're having his children,you cannot make risky decisions like this."

She had a point,but I refuse to just sit back and do nothing. That's not like me.

"And what about her?"

"She's innocent. God will have a solution for her." My grandma said.

"I don't know..." I said blowing on the hot tea.

"Does He know?"

"No..I plan on telling him when he gets out."

"God knows when he'll be back. You cannot hide things like this,this can hurt him."

"Grandma I know what I'm doing. I haven't even called her back,like I had promised her I was."

"Good. Keep it like that. You can't save everyone Jalanee. You have something going on for yourself now,do not mess it up please. You're a very sweet girl,sometimes very sweet."

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