"But I don't get it." Leala put her hair into a ponytail. "How could a male African American teenager with no weapons be a threat to a police officer who's armed?"
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Harmony's older brother was found dead, and the cop who killed him wasn't charge...
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I cracked the door open and scanned the area for nurses and doctors. Once the coast was clear I painfully tiptoed into the room right beside mine. I quietly shut the door before turning to face the patient whose room I was currently breaking in. I stared at the body covered in sheets as it started to groan.
"Nurse, could I get a glass of water," a raspy voice asked.
I cleared my throat before saying, "Sure thing." I prayed the person didn't open their eyes as I grabbed an already full glass of water off of the small desk beside the bed.
As I was handing the person the water, they grabbed my wrist and turned in a swift motion. It was a teenage boy with blonde hair and icy blue eyes. "I knew you weren't the nurse. They're never this nice. 'Get it yourself, Cole', they'd say; 'you need to move to heal correctly', and 'get off your lazy ass and get it.'" His grip on my wrist tightened as he got angry. "It's like they forgot that I had a surgery three fucking days ago!"
"I-I'm sorry to hear that." I stared at where he held my wrist.
Cole looked at me with narrowed eyes. "You're in a hospital gown. So. . . you're also a patient." He paused while taking in the information he just gathered. "What the hell are you in my room?"
I gulped while trying to think of a believable lie. I wasn't very good thinking on my feet. "Um. . . I-I. . ." I sighed, deciding to tell him the truth. "I was trying to break out."
"Why?" He tilted his head curiously to the side.
I scoffed. "None of your goddamn business."
Cole placed his index finger onto the button to call for a nurse. While wiggling his eyebrows amusingly, he said, "Oh, but I think it is."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm trying to—"
"Holy shit." He dropped my wrist. "You're Harmony fucking Smith."
I slowly turned towards the exit in case he was a racist white guy that hated me. "I-Is that a good thing?"
"Hell yeah!" Cole lay down on his back. "The people in the white neighborhoods mad as hell; they all fuckin' hate your ass."
"Do you?" I turned back to face him. Looked like he wasn't a threat to me. For now.
"Nah. You're a goddamn idol." Cole ran his hand through his hair. "I would have never in a million years boldly stand for something that I believed on National T.V."
I blushed wildly. I never knew anyone looked at me like that. "T-Thanks. . .?"
Cole chuckled. "You're welcome. Now, I know you didn't just waltz in here to have a heart to heart convo, so what is it?"
"I kinda need to know where the nurses put your clothes."
Cole pointed to a dresser in front of us. "Over there. Why?"
I walked towards the dresser while answering, "If I'm going to break out, I can't walk around in a fucking hospital gown."
"Riiigghttt."
I opened the brown, wooden dresser that revealed Cole's clothes. I first pulled out some baggy blue jeans that had a few green stains on them, then a plain white Polo t-shirt and a blue and white plaid shirt, and finally a huge belt that I definitely wasn't going to be wearing.
I turned back towards Cole with a nervous smile. "Could you turn around or close your eyes?" There was nowhere else for me to change without him seeing me so I might as well take a chance.
"Sure. Not guaranteeing I won't peek."
"Not funny." I took my shirt off while Cole laughed his ass off. I usually loved wearing oversized clothing, but these clothes were wayyyy too big, and he had zero taste in clothes. While I was hiding my hospital gown, I heard Cole snorting. "What's so fuckin' funny?"
"You." He laughed hysterically.
I pulled up the plaid shirt on my shoulder. "I don't look that bad."
Cole wiped his eyes. "How would you know?"
I rolled my eyes before flipping him off and walking out of the door. I felt as though I'd spent way too much time in there. My phone vibrated in the huge pants' pocket as I walked swiftly with my head down. I hoped I didn't run into anyone because then they'd recognize me.
I almost ran once I spotted Leala's car in the parking lot. I didn't realize how much I missed her until I finally seen her. I tried to walk faster, but pain shot up my leg.
"Wassup, bitch!" Leala wrapped her arms around my neck before pulling me into a hug as I sat in her seat.
"You're hurting my back," I muttered in her sweatshirt sleeve.
"Sorry." Leala smiled before putting the car into drive. "I rounded up as many people as I could on my social media accounts and since I'm. . . we'll sort of an influencer," she flipped her hair over her shoulder, earning a laugh out of me, "I'm almost certain there will be tons of people here today."
"Great." I still wasn't sure how I was going to do this protest or if I was even healthy enough to move well. I felt as though the only reason I didn't feel anything recently was because of the anxiety I was experiencing trying to break out of the hospital. I wondered if they found out I was gone and what they were gonna do if they found me.
"Harmony, you might wanna get some rest; you look tired." Leala patted my shoulder.
"Alright."
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There are so many people here! The streets were filled with so many people that the road wasn't even seen. Was that a hazard to traffic? Ah, who gives a shit?
"Harmony, you ready?" Leala held her hand out for me to enter the back of someone's truck.
As I got on the truck police sirens rang in my ears.
