On The Block // Jamie

13

Something was going on and Jamie wasn't telling me shit. The next morning, he left early to go chat to Dushane. I didn't know what I was meant to do, what to say, how to comfort. I just had to wait.

It was the boys dad's birthday today so they were going to the bench. I stayed behind at the flat when Aaron and Stefan left.

I slept in until about 10 and then I got up and got dressed. I was having a cup of tea when Jamie returned. He looked mad stressed. "You alright, babe?" I asked him, he came over to me and put a hand around my waist, pulling me into a kiss. "Jamie?" I asked, feeling how tense he was.

"We need to leave," He said, "Tonight," I looked at him with shock.

"Leave? What do you mean, leave? We just got home," I said, panicky and fast.

"Listen, somethin's happenin'. Somethin' bad." Jamie said, "We need to get out. Kit's cousin had a yard set up for us in Cardiff—"

"Cardiff? You mean in Wales? What the fuck is goin' on?"

"I can't tell you what's goin' on," Jamie said, taking my arms and relaxing me a little, "But pack a bag. We need to be out of here tonight."

"Why? Jamie? Tell me what's going on!"

"I can't—"

"Please!" I snapped, "Just tell me. I won't tell anyone, you know I won't."

Jamie sighed and hesitated, "Look, all I can tell you is that Sully and Dushane are onto man differently cah Kit done fucked up." He told me, "And if I don't pattern Kit then we're both done. So we need to cut, tonight," He summed it up and I looked at him with fear.

"What did Kit do?"

"I can't say," He said, "I really can't. Please, babe, we need to start packing."

I sighed and went into his room. We started to pack up a duffle bag of our stuff each. Jamie tried to start conversation and lighten the mood but I was giving him silent treatment. He didn't want to say anything, I wasn't gonna speak to him.

Jamie's phone started buzzing and he held it to his ear, "Yo, where are you?" He said, "You need to get home now and start packin', bruv," He said. Must've been Aaron or Stef. "What?"

Jamie quickly wrapped up the phone call and shoved his phone in his pocket, "I need to go get Stef," He said, "He's in trouble," He said. He reached into his bedside table and grabbed.. I think it was a strap, most likely, he shoved it in his trousers and left.

I watched him slam the door and was frozen for a second before shaking my head and getting on with it.

•••

JAMIE'S POV

It's long for the dickheads who were after Stef while we were on the phone. I left Femi in the flat and went to find him.

I drove quickly to the bins where Stefan said he was at. I quickly noticed him being pinned up by two random youts I ain't ever seen before. "Yo!" I shouted, "The fuck are you man doin'?" They let Stefan go and he came over to me, "You good, yeah?" I asked, gripping his shoulder. He whimpered slightly but nodded.

Then, I turned to the youts. They were taller than me, but that doesn't mean shit. "Yo, that's my brother, you know?" I said, stepping to them, "That's my blood fuckin' brother, you know? Are you man mad? You lot don't want this smoke, I promise you."

"Brudda, he stole somethin' from me." The one in the grey tracksuit said to me.

"He didn't steal nothin'," I spat back.