Crooked

Fifteen

Crooked

Fifteen

Fifteen

         The month of May went by as fast as it came. It was now the beginning of June and the weather all throughout New York City was starting to get hotter. People traded in their coats, hoodies, and Timbs for tank tops, sundresses, and sandals.

Shay had gotten hers for throwing water on Crook. She had gotten jumped by three girls two days after the scene she had made outside.

Ty Ty had been focused on school for the past month like his guidance counselor suggested he should be. He was going to graduate next week along with Aaliyah, Shay, and Epiphany. He came a long way and he had to stay until 5 o' clock on school days to make up for the work he had missed. He also had to come to Saturday school.

The school's guidance counselor and his math teacher Mrs. Turner tried to persuade him in to repeating the 12th grade, so that he could get better college offers. He had been absent 42 days out of the entire school year resulting in ivy league universities denying him admission despite his Einstein-like SAT score. If Ty Ty really put his mind on school instead of slanging drugs on the corner, he could've been accepted to schools like Harvard or Yale.

He was now subjected to going to community colleges like BCC and Hostos because of his bad choices but that didn't bother Ty Ty. He just wanted to get his high school diploma and be out, which he was only doing in the first place, for his mom.

Epiphany sat in her philosophy class, which was the only college course her high school offered. Even though Aaliyah was going up next to present her presentation, Epiphany could barely keep her eyes open. She was up all night with Crook. Epiphany had invited him over which was a habit she had every time Leroy went to go spend the night at Travante's.

She did it so it would fill the void she felt every time she was home by herself. She had the tendency to overthink and think about her dead father and Crook got her mind off that. Besides their deep conversations, they would fool around. Epiphany was a professional now when it came to sucking dick. She knew all about the tricks, what felt good and didn't, and what would make Crook bust within seven minutes.

They didn't have sexual intercourse yet and Crook never fixed his mouth to ask her about it. Epiphany knew that head wouldn't be able to keep his attention for long, but it was the best she could offer him in the moment. She knew eventually she would have to grow up and have sex, but she wanted to do it on her own terms; and when she felt it was right.

Crook questioned her about the time she walked straight past him on Shay's block and Epiphany just told him she was sick that day and everything was okay. However, she refused to see him for a week so her busted lip could heal. She knew that if she had saw him with a busted lip, he would ask her questions that she wasn't ready to answer.

"Um, so hi, guys." Aaliyah smiled sweetly as she looked at the class full of students. She could see that some were not paying attention to her slide show on the board as they had side conversations.

Aaliyah stood there nervously as she looked at the board to read what she had typed. She didn't like presenting in front of large crowds at all. The dark green maxi dress clung to her body. She had shed the baby weight quickly which was hardly any weight at all. You couldn't even tell that she had given birth to a baby nearly two months ago.

"Um, so the philosopher I was assigned was Socrates," Aaliyah continued, ignoring the low chattering. "He was born in Athens, Greece."

She looked over at Epiphany and was reassured when she saw her smile at her. "It was unknown when he was born but he died in 399 BC. Socrates is credited as one of the—" Aaliyah stopped speaking once she felt her nausea from earlier coming back.

Epiphany furrowed her eyebrows as she watched Aaliyah's face turn paler and paler by the second. "Um sorry," Aaliyah apologized as the class now had their undivided attention on her. "Socrates is credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy. He—" Aaliyah couldn't finish her sentence. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth before she ran out of the classroom.

The class murmured amongst each other in confusion. Epiphany slyly got out of her seat before exiting the class. "Aaliyah?" Epiphany called out once she entered the girls' bathroom. It was empty but she could hear somebody retching. She followed the noise which brought her to the 4th stall and saw Aaliyah bent over the toilet, throwing up what she had for breakfast.

She stood there watching her for a second before she put two and two together.

"Aaliyah." Epiphany groaned sadly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm sorry..." Aaliyah apologized. She wiped her mouth with some tissue. She was back living with Darren again. Aaliyah needed the money to help her grandparents and she had no one to turn to but Darren.

She knew she couldn't ask Epiphany for money to help buy food and she didn't want to ask Ty Ty because she already owed him $700. When Aaliyah tried to pay him back, he wouldn't take it, so she didn't want to ask him for money anymore because she didn't want him to think that she was taking his kindness for granted.

As much as she hated Darren, she needed him. There was no way on Earth that her grandparents could afford to feed another two mouths.

"Aaliyah... Just why?" Epiphany asked. She had been throwing up the past week at school.
Epiphany hadn't told Aaliyah about the incident in the elevator with Darren. In fact, she acted like it never happened when she was around Aaliyah. She knew that Darren would want her to not be friends with Aaliyah anymore and she wasn't going to fall for it.

"Look E... I'm sorry, don't be mad at me." Aaliyah lowered her head in shame like a child in trouble.

Epiphany just looked at her defenseless friend. She didn't know what to say about her being pregnant by that crazy muthafucka for the second time. "I'm not mad... I-I," Epiphany just stopped talking, clearly upset.

She wanted today to be a good day, but her mood had just gone awry. "Don't worry E, as soon as Rome comes home—" He was scheduled to come home in a couple of weeks.

"Yea, yea I know." Epiphany interrupted. She was tired of hearing Aaliyah saying she was gonna leave Darren forreal this time and never ended up going through with it. She didn't know why she still stayed. As much as Aaliyah tried to deny it, Epiphany could tell she loved that psycho.


                                       •••

Crook was in Harlem riding around with Candace and Taleah. They had just come back from Taleah's doctor appointment and was told that her cancer was in remission. Now the trio were on their way back to Candace's projects with McDonalds for the rest of the foster kids.

"How do you feel honey?" Candace asked all smiles as she rubbed Taleah's right shoulder.

She remembered when she took Crook and his sister in like it was yesterday. Taleah was the only foster kid she raised that had a terminal disease, so she needed extra attention and care. While the other kids went outside and played, Taleah had to stay in, often too weak to do anything but lay in bed. They had grown a close bond over the time that Taleah was present at the foster home. She was under Candace's hip 24/7. Candace was in awe to see how much the little girl had grown. Her freckles were always adorable and even though she rocked wigs now, Candace felt like she looked just as beautiful, bald.

"I feel ok." Taleah replied, eating some of her French fries out of the McDonalds bag.

"You've always been my little fighter," Candace smiled at her, happy to hear the good news from the doctor earlier. "I'm so proud of you."