𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐊𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐍⠀ᵏᵃʸ ᶠˡᵒᶜᵏ

𝟎𝟏𝟒

𝐉𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐀'𝐒 𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 — 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐋𝐘𝐍, 𝐍𝐘
𝟖:𝟎𝟎 𝐏𝐌

jimena sat on her bed, her mind racing. everything felt heavy—too heavy. the morning peace was gone, and now all she could think about was jayden. kay walked out hours ago, leaving her with this weight in her chest, knowing that by now, jayden could be dead.

dead because of kay.

she stared at her phone, the screen black, like it was mocking her. she hadn't heard anything. no calls, no messages. part of her was too scared to check, afraid of what she might find out. but the silence was suffocating.

just as her anxiety was about to swallow her whole, her phone buzzed. she jumped, her heart pounding in her throat. she grabbed it and saw an unknown number flash across the screen. with trembling fingers, she swiped to answer.

"hello?" she said, her voice shaky.

there was a pause on the other end, then a familiar voice spoke. "j."

her breath hitched. "jayden?"

"yeah. it's me," he said, his voice low and hoarse. "i'm still here... barely."

relief hit her like a wave, but it was mixed with fear. "what happened? where are you?"

jayden breathed heavy on the other end. "demarcus and his boys... they found me. i barely got away."

jimena's heart raced, her mind spinning. "are you hurt?"

"nah, i'm good... for now. but they ain't gonna stop. kay ain't callin em off."

the mention of kay's name made her stomach churn. she didn't know what to say. she couldn't defend him, not after what he did.

"where are you?" she asked softly, trying to keep her voice steady.

"somewhere safe for now. but it ain't gonna last," jayden said, his tone bitter. "you gotta talk to him, mimi. i know you already tried, but you gotta make him understand—this ain't gonna end well for nobody if he keeps pushing this shit."

jimena squeezed her eyes shut. "i don't know if i can, jay. he's... he's set on this."

"then we all fucked," jayden muttered darkly. "you know kay. once he decides somethin, there's no turnin back."

there was a long silence, the weight of the situation hanging between them. jimena didn't know what to do. how could she save jayden when kay had made it clear that there was no going back?

"jayden," she whispered, her voice breaking, "i'm scared."

"you aint gotta be scared," he said softly, but there was an edge to his voice. "just don't get caught up in this. you don't deserve it. none of this is on you."

she could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she fought them back. "i wish i could fix this," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"you can't," jayden said, the finality in his tone cutting through her like a knife. "just stay outta it. if you keep tryin to save me, kay's gonna find out. and you don't want him comin at you next."

her heart sank at the thought. kay coming after her? no, that couldn't happen. but this was all spinning out of control so fast, she didn't even know what kay was capable of anymore.

"i gotta go," jayden said, his voice low. "i'll hit you up if i make it outta this. but for now... stay safe, mimi. don't trust nobody."

the line went dead.

jimena sat there, staring at her phone, the weight of everything crashing down on her. she felt like she was standing at a crossroads—no matter which way she went, someone was gonna get hurt.

she dropped the phone and buried her face in her hands, feeling the tears finally fall. she couldn't save jayden. she couldn't fix this. but the thought of losing him, losing kay too, it felt like everything was slipping through her fingers.

just then, the front door creaked open, and jimena froze. she wiped her face quickly, standing up as kay walked in, his face hard, his eyes colder than she'd ever seen them. there was something dark in his expression, something that made her heart drop.

"yo," kay said, his voice flat as he walked in, not even looking at her.

"what happened?" she asked, her voice small.

"don't worry about it," kay muttered, kicking off his shoes and dropping his keys on the table. he glanced at her for a split second before turning away again. "it's handled."

jimena's stomach twisted. she hated how vague he was being, how distant he seemed now. "handled? what does that mean, kay?"

he sighed, rubbing his face like he was tired of everything. "marc's gonna finish the job. jayden's done."

her breath caught in her throat. "you didn't call it off?"

kay's jaw clenched, and he turned to face her, his eyes hard. "why would i? after what he did, after all the shit with ethan? nah, this had to happen."

"but he didn't do anything!" jimena shouted, her frustration boiling over. "you know that, kay. this is just revenge for something that's already done."

"so?" kay snapped, his voice sharp. "this is how it works, j. you ain gotta like it, but this is the life we in. it's him or me. you think i'm just gonna let jayden live after all the shit he's pulled?"

jimena shook her head, her heart breaking. "you're gonna kill him, kay. and for what? some street shit that ain't even about you two anymore?"

kay stepped closer, his voice low and dangerous. "this is about respect. about loyalty. you think jayden got any of that for me? for anyone? nah. he made his choice."

jimena felt a tear slip down her cheek, her chest tight. "and what about me, kay? what about my choice? you're asking me to stand by while you kill him. how am i supposed to do that?"

kay stared at her, his face hard, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—regret, maybe, or guilt. but it was gone as quick as it came. "you said you were with me, j. this is what that means."

jimena felt the weight of his words sink into her, the cold reality of what he was saying. this was the choice. him or jayden. love or loyalty.

and no matter which way she went, someone was gonna get hurt.

"you don't have to do this," she whispered, her voice breaking. "please."

kay's face hardened again, and he shook his head. "it's already done."

he turned and walked away, leaving jimena standing there, tears streaming down her face, feeling the weight of everything crashing down around her.

the man she loved was about to destroy the only family she had left.

and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

―

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 :

yal fw the shorter or longer chapters ??
if theyre back to 2000-3000 words, i can
add more things in n make it not seem
rushed & finish faster, but ik most of
yal dont like to read long ass chapters 😭
😭😭 jus lmk how u feel