𝐆𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈

𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

I sat in the hospital chair, my leg tapping restless as tears streamed down my face. Alone I waited for my dad. He then burst into the room, his eyes on mine. We rushed towards each other, and he hugged me. "Daddy, he's gone" I sobbed, my voice cracking. "He's gone." I repeated as if saying it twice would make it less true.

My dad held me close, his tears welling up as he stroked my hair. "It's gonna be okay, baby. Everything will be okay." He whispered, kissing my forehead.

our moment was interrupted by a detective. "Solem Henderson?" a black woman called out. I lifted my head from my father's shoulder, nodding slowly.

She gestured to a room across the hall. "Could we ask you some questions in there?" I hesitated, unsure if I was ready.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, Solem." my dad told me. But I wanted to, I wanted to see what questions they had for me. I hugged my dad once more before following the detective into the room.

I shifted uncomfortably in the chair as the detective pulled out her notepad. "Okay, Solem, can you tell me what happened tonight?" she asked, her pen ready to write.

   I nodded slowly, collecting my thoughts. "We had gone out to eat and after we ate we left. We were heading to find his car since it was dark. That's when the officer stopped us. He asked if we had any ID on us. I did, Gemini didn't, so he made us get on the ground and put our hands behind our backs."

   The detective nodded, her eyes focused as she scribbled notes. "Did you guys do as he said?" she asked.

I nodded again. "We did everything like he asked."

The detective adjusted her glasses  "So, what happened after that?"

"He patted us down, not once, not twice" I said, my voice shaking. I struggled to recall the exact number, but it was more than once.

"He found nothing, he told us to stay put, and we did. Gemini..." I paused, saying his name, and took a deep breath before continuing. "Gemini reached his hand over to me, and that's when...that's when the officer shot." I tried to say, but tears fought against me, threatening to spill.

"Do you know why Gemini reached over?"

I nodded "He wanted to know if I was okay."

"Who is Gemini to you?"

"He's my best friend"

"And you're sure this is all that happened?" she asked

"Positive" I said

  She finished writing her notes and then closed her pad. "Okay, well, thank you, Solem. I'll walk you out."

    I stood up, following her back to the lobby. My heart sank as I saw my dad and Mama Rose sitting together.  The detective told me "I'm so sorry about your friend, Solem" She patted my shoulder and left.

   Mama Rose embraced me, her hug tight. "I'm sorry, Mama Rose " I whispered.

"I'm sorry too, Solem" she replied, her voice trembling. "It's not your fault." She held me at arm's length, her eyes scanning my face, then dropping to my sweater.

Her eyes on the bloodstain, and I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. She pulls me into a hug, her hand on my face. "You look tired" she says. I am tired - tired of today. My best friend is gone.

     My dad put his hands on my shoulders. "You ready to go?"  he asked. I wasn't sure. I wanted to support Mama Rose, but I needed to process this alone. Mama Rose understood and mouthed, "Go, get some rest, baby." I hugged her.  Then, I turned to my dad, and we headed out to his car.

   The car ride was long and silent. We were on the other side of town, and the drive felt endless. I had nothing to say, and my dad seemed to understand. When we arrived home, I went straight to my room, closing the door behind me. I collapsed onto my bed.