Ride or Die pt.2

chapter twenty-two

Two Days Later
"I'll be down in a second Maddie i'm coming" I said through the phone and put my shoes on. Today I was going to tell Maddie and Jazelle's family what had happened to her and I hated every moment leading up to it. "Okay Damian bring me my bitch please I miss her!" She said through the phone "I...can't" I said giving her a clue "what? Never mind hurry up" Maddie said confused. I was leaving my room and shut my door. "Mom i'm going with Maddie, i'll be back soon if not later" I said to my mom "Damian Hernandez you be careful, I love you" she said and continued cooking. "I love you mom, bye I have to go" I said and walked out the door. Maddie was in her car looking out the window. I opened the car door and got in the passenger seat. "Why are you alone? Where Jazzy?" She asked me confused "i'll tell you later go to Jazelle's house please." I said "okay..." she said suspiciously.
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   We were about to be there and I was scared and nervous. Mostly worried about what they were going to say. My leg was bouncing and I was playing with my rings trying to calm myself down. "Damian what's wrong" Maddie said and turned towards me "you'll know soon" I said and rubbed my chin with my thumb. "The hell?" She said and faced the road once again.
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   "Damain!" Emma said excitedly and jumped then put her arms up so I could pick her up. I picked her up and hugged her. "Hi Emma!" I said forcing a smile on my face. "Where's my-my sissy?" She asked and put her hand up to my cheek the same way Jazelle did when she was dying in my arms. "She's-um-she is going to be away for a long while okay?" I said and slightly smiled. "Oh? Wh-when is she coming back?" She asked "soon pretty girl" I said and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Hey darling" Lauren said and took Emma from my arms and side hugged me. "Hi..." I said and slightly smiled then hugged her back. "What are you doing? How's my Jazelle?" She asked me. I was going to tell them the truth now but I couldn't with Emma being in the room. "Can I?" I said and asked Lauren to give me Emma back so I could go play with her. "Yes of course" Lauren said and handed her to me. "I'll be back in a second" I said then took Emma with me to her room.
   "Do you want to play with you baby dolls?" - "yeah!" Emma said excitedly and ran into her closet to grab her toys. "Listen you start playing and set it up for us okay! I-i'll be back soon, so we can play, okay?" I said "okay!" She said and sat and the floor then started setting up the dollhouse. I then walked out of the room and headed back to the living room where everyone was now at. "I-I don't know who y'all are going to take this but i'm just going to say it..." I said to them at looked at each of them which was Maddie, Lauren, Steve, and Gabriel (Maddie's boyfriend.) "Damian spit it out" Maddie said. I took a deep breath and tried not to cry but emotions got the best of me and I started crying. "Jazelle, she, um, she has passed away..." I said with my lip quivering and tears now hitting my chin. "What?" Lauren said with a face drained of color. "Quit fucking around Damian" Maddie said not believing me. "I'm not, she got shot in the chest and bled out to much blood. She died in my arms" I said trying to contain myself. Lauren then leaned into Steve's arms and sobbed. "No! Not my baby! Why! Why! Oh god, NO!" She yelled. I felt her pain but not to her level. Her daughter had died. She stayed there and sobbed for a long time. "It's not true. Damian tell me you're lying." Maddie yelled and got up from the couch. "No Maddie I would mess around with things like this, i'm sorry, I-I couldn't save her. I tried and tried but I couldn't save her." I said and looked at her in the eyes so she knew I was serious. "Jazelle! No! FUCK!" She yelled then sobbed and hid her face into her palms. I pulled her towards me and hugged her tightly. She sobbed in my arms and I did too. Gabriel got up and her her also. I moved my head and wiped some of the tears from my face. "When was this?" - "The night before yesterday" I said to her "oh my god! Who did this" she said and picked her head up while wiping her tears. Her face was red and my t-shirt was wet from both of our tears. "I took care of it already, don't worry about it." I said and hugged her again. Lauren got up and walked over to me. She just stood there and she finally pulled me towards her and hugged me. "It's going to be okay darling. I-I know you loved, love, her and I do to. The important part is that we need to keep moving forward. Also thank you for not letting Emma hear this I know she'll appreciate it in a few years." She said and cried while holding the back of my head and hugging me. "She asked me to, so I had to. Thank you Lauren for everything. You raised an amazing daughter." I said and hugged her tighter. "Yes, go play with Emma she's waiting for you" Lauren said and let me go. I walked to Emma's room silently but still heard all of their sobs from no matter how far I was away from them.
   "Hi pretty girl!" I said as soon as I entered the room. "Damian! Play! Play!" Emma said and waved her dolls around. I sat and the floor right next to her then wiped the rest of my tears. "Here you go!" She said and handed me a doll "thank you! How is your day so far princess?" I said. It felt weird to call someone else that but Emma seemed to love it. "It's-it's good" she said and grabbed some more toys. "That's good" I said and forced a smile on my face. "Here take horsy!" She said the. handed me a toy horse. I took it and started playing with it with her doll that she was holding.
We played for about an hour. "I-i'm tired Damian..." Emma said and dropped the toy she was playing with. "Are you now?" I said and got up from the floor. "Yes..." she said shyly. "Okay c'mon let's get you up in bed." I said then picked her up from the floor. "Nap time" she said and smiled then hugged me around my neck putting her head next to my neck. I rocked her gently and after a few minutes she had fallen asleep. I walked over to the bed and moved the covers then placed her gently on her bed not wanting to wake her up. I took her shoes off then covered her up with her blankets. After that I walked over back to where the toys were and picked everything up and put it back where it belonged.
I walked back to Emma bed and laid down next to her a few inches away from her body. I rolled over to face the wall and fell asleep while playing with her hair softly.
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   "Damian, wa-wake up" Emma said slightly moving me. "Mhh? What's wrong? Are you okay?" I said and got up quickly. "Yes, I have to go to mommy" she said then climbed off the bed. "Ohh, okay, go" I said then moved my legs. She got off her bed and left her room. I got up and sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes.
   I got up and walked to the kitchen and found Lauren sitting on the counter on her laptop. "Hey Lauren, I-I have to go okay? Text me the details on Jazelle's burial if any okay? Call me or text me. Th-thank you for everything." I said then walked to hug her. "No, thank you. And I will. Please be safe and be careful on the road darling. Drive safely." She said then hugged me back. She then pulled away and I walked out, but Emma came running towards me. "Thank you for playing with my toys with me" she said and wrapped her little arms around one of my legs. "You're welcome princess, tell mommy to call me when you want to play. Bye Emma. Have a goodnight." I said then looked down at her and smiled. "Bye, bye" she said and let my leg go and waived at me. I waived back and closed the door behind me then walked to my car.
I got in and started playing music. I pulled out of their driveway and drove home speeding.
"I'm back" I said and opened the door to my house. "Baby i'm so sorry" my on said and instantly came up to hug me. I knew what it was about since she always found everything out. "I'll be okay mom" I said and started crying immediately. She started tearing up. "I know baby, I know" she said then kissed my cheek then pulled away from the hug. "I love you" I said "I love you too Damian" she said then hugged me again and after a few seconds let me go. "I'm going to my room" I said then slightly smiled and walked upstairs. "Okay" she said then watched me walk away.
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Two Week's Later
   Today was Jazelle's funeral and I don't know if I was ready to see her in that casket. I really didn't want to go but I had to, to get over her one day. I had to give her a proper goodbye.
   I was getting dressed and I put a suit on with some dress shoes and wore some jewelry that I knew she liked.
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   I was at the cemetery in my car hoping that something would happen so I wouldn't  have to see her like this. I grabbed my phone and got on it for awhile then finally Lauren, my mom, Emma, Maddie, and Gabriel came up to my car. My mom knocked on my window. I rolled it down. "Son you have to come out. Please. We all know this is hard for you but you must tell her a goodbye, for good. Please son. Do it for you, if you don't do this I know you'll regret it later in your life." She said and rubbed my shoulder slightly. "Fuck" I said and rolled the window up and turned my car off then got out. "Language" - "i'm sorry" I said the. walked over to where her casket was. Some of her old high school friends were there. Old teachers, aunts, uncles, cousins, everyone was there but me. I made my way through the people surrounding her casket. I pushed through the last person and was finally right next to her. I walked slowly closer to her and feel to my knees. "Hi princess, y-you look beautiful." I said and put my hand on her casket. "I just wish you looked beautiful alive my love. What am I going to do Jazelle? I don't see my future anymore like how I saw it with you. We would get married, have children, fight, make up, grow old, live with reason." I said and sobbed my way through every word. "I love you princess, please wait for me my love. Fuck I hate this. I hate every part of this. I shouldn't have to say goodbye to you when your only 18. We were supposed to have our forever princess?" - "I love you, I love you, I love you." I repeated and slowly got up on my feet. "I'll see you soon princess" I said then slightly smiled. Just then My mom and my dad came up to me and pulled me away. I then saw two excavators come and two ropes places her in the bottom of the hole she was gently. I started panicking quickly. "What? No!" I said and started fighting my parents off. "Son it's time to go. Please. Damian, DAMIAN! STOP!" My mom said and pulled me. "Mom no! They're taking her!" I said and sobbed more. "Let me go! LET ME GO!" I yelled and managed to get my moms grip off of me but not my dads. "Dad...dad please let me go!" I said frustratedly. "I can't Damian. It's time to go!" He said then held me tightly and kept pushing me towards my car. I then finally gave up and accepted the fact that she wasn't there anymore. I calmed dow. and walked myself to my car. "I'll be home later" I said to my parents. "Where are you going" my dad said "okay Damian, please, please be careful." My mom said "i'm going to one of Jazelle's favorite places." I said then turned my car on. "I love you" my mom said "don't do anything stupid, I love you kid" my dad said and patted my shoulder "i'll try" I said and smirked then rolled my window up. Mom and Dad started walking to their car and I stay there for a while waiting for my cab to heat up since it was cold and it was raining. I played Jazelle's playlist about us which made me cry.
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"Hi my love, I-I miss you." I said and started crying on the edge of the balcony that was hovering over the lake. "I don't know how to do this without you princess. I feel empty and alone." I then fixed my hair that fell below my eyebrows. I took my rings off and my necklaces and threw them into the lake. "These are for you, I-I know you like them, find them and hold them for me darling." I said out loud then wiped my tears. I got up and jumped in the lake with all of my clothes on. I was going to regret it later but I didn't care in the moment.
I swam for what felt like forever which was really only ten minutes. I was tired, so I got out of the lake and shivered my way to my car.
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   I was driving back home when I had the urge to drink. I pulled over to a gas station and out off. I walked inside and grabbed some beers and liquor. I payed everything and walked back to my car.
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   I was actually going home this time but look to my right because I saw someone from the corner of my eye and there she was. She was sitting there holding my hand and looking at the road. "What the fuck" I said out loud confused in why I saw her presence. "Damian pay attention please" she said and smiled then looked at me. She looked so damn beautiful when she smiled. "Princess, w-what?" I said dumbfounded and kept looking back a forth between the road and the passenger seat. I could feel the car accelerating and it swerving. I heard honking from other cars and one in particular sounded closer that the others. "DAMIAN! LOOK NOW!" She yelled and shook me hard. I looked at the road and saw two headlights coming straight at me.
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This is my story completed. I'll make a bonus chapter if you guys want one, but other that that thank you for the support in this book. I wish I still had part one of the book but unfortunately it's was deleted somehow. Thank y'all for the support and i'll start writing another book soon:)