Summer 2003: NYC jumping right about now, Hov had the Roc on top of the game, up until Nas dropped ether, 50 had Get Rich Or Die Tryin', and the Hometown kid Cam had Harlem shaking with Come Home With Me. Yeah we was lit...a nigga was about to be a senior in high school, couldn't get any better. A little background on me: I live with my moms and little brother, Dev. Pops dipped out on us when my moms was pregnant with Dev, so I basically been the man of the crib since I was 10. I'm 17 now, ain't shit changed. I do well in school, you know, honor roll, 4.0 GPA all that, colleges sending me letters, and I was good with that. But in the midst of all this, we struggling, you know the game. Moms busting her ass being a nurse to get a little bit of money, I can't get a job, too busy making sure Dev ain't out here getting into shit. But something had to give.
Anyway, it all started this hot ass day in June; heatwave type hot. My moms had went to work, left me to watch my brother, which I was perfectly fine with. I ain't really fuck with a lot of kids out here, and if I did, I barely saw them so I was out the loop.
I was chilling watching tv, I don't remember what, but Dev was bitching at me for something to drink. Wasn't shit in the fridge, and I really wasn't trying to go outside in that hot ass shit, but I did. I took it upon myself to run to the bodega, it was right up the block I figured Dev could hold the fort down. So I'm on my way to the store, I got $2 which could go a long way back then, that's 4 bummies, 40¢ sodas. Yeah so I copped them, whatever whatever, and I'm out, but as soon as I step out the store, some next nigga ran up on me. For what? I don't know, misconception runs common out here, niggas only know figures. So this nigga comes up, I already know shit about to get thick, said some, "Ayo, my mans lemme talk to you real quick." I made the dickheaded decision of letting the nigga get within 5 feet of me because as soon as I'm within his reach he dropped my shit, I'm looking around to see if anyone is going to be able to recall this, or even call one time, but for some reason it was oddly quiet out here, I didn't even peep on my way here. In the 6 second span of me doing that, the nigga pulls out a piece, got that shit pointed at a nigga. "So you don't remember me now, huh? Over in Queens on Linden when you robbed me nigga?" Shit got me baffled, all I could rattle off was "Yo, I don't even know you, you got me confused with another nigga!" And in that moment, I'm staring down the barrel of the gun, and before I pray, I hear tires screech; some nigga hopped out I can't see him right now, but it had to be something serious because the nigga who was about to kill me got to dipping, I get up and wipe myself off and hear shots, nigga on the ground bleeding out, nigga from the car walk up to me, and I can't believe that it's this nigga Snow, big time drug dealer nigga from my hood. "Yolanda your moms right? Yeah you lucky I seen this or you would've been a dead nigga, get home I'll holla later." He got back in his drop and pulled off. At this point, I couldn't think of anything else besides getting home.
