Silent Nights {Joey Bada$$}

five

"Camille!"

I should start running.

"Camille, listen to me!"

My pace was getting quicker.

"Camille, please."

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be.

"Camille, Joey needs you!"

An hand grabs my own, whirling me around and the person stares into my eyes. I stare back, a horrified look coming across my features. I knew I looked horrified because that was how I felt. This couldn't be real, but it felt like it was.

"Just listen to me, please. Joey is-"

"Steez, you're dead!" I say, the sound of my echoing voice jolting me awake.

A dream. I dreamt of Steez, looked into his eyes, felt his warm hand grab mine, looked into his eyes and told him he was dead. He had looked into my eyes, grab my hand and told me that Joey needed me.

I place a hand to my heart -the same hand Steez grabbed. I could still feel his touch- and checked my phone, pulling it off the charger.

Twenty two missed calls from Joey.

Steez's voice haunted me. The sound of his pleading voice asking me to listen to him rung in my ears. Steez was probably warning me of some danger Joey was getting himself into.

Some danger I had the ability to save him from.

I quickly click on his name, calling him back. That dream was a sign of something. Steez was telling me something and I was going to listen.

"Hello?"

"Joey?"

"I thought you wanted me to lose your fucking number."

"Well, you haven't so..." I trail off, rolling my eyes.

"You right." He says, launching us into silence. "Wassup? Why you calling?"

"Joey, are you okay?"

He lets out a sigh. "I'd be lying if I said yeah. But, I'm alive." He chuckles, but nothing was funny. "Surprisingly."

"Okay, good." I say, letting out a breath. My heart was at ease and so were my thoughts. Thank you Steez,

"Camille."

"Yeah?"

"Can I see you?" I swallow, closing my eyes. "Please." He adds, the tone of his voice making me wince. The tone reminded me of Steez's tone in my dream.

What else could I say? My dream means something and I wasn't going to let it go unheard. What if Joey died because I didn't go see him? How would I have been able to live with myself? What would I have done with myself if I lost him?

I wasn't taking the chance.

"Please baby. I've missed you... a lot."

"Okay Joey." I say, closing my eyes, a small smile on my face.

He was indirectly telling me he needed me. The dream also told me that he needed me. So I couldn't give up on him.

-

"I didn't mean to push you away. I had business to take care of. That's why I had you go to your mother's."

"You couldn't have just said that, Jo-Vaughn? I thought I did something wrong."

"I'm sorry baby." He says, reaching for my hand and kissing it. "I didn't need these niggas knowing about you and going after you."

"What do you mean?"

"Camille, baby, I didn't want to put you through danger."

"You actually going through with this shit, Jo-Vaughn?"

"Yes, I got to. For Stee-"

"Do you really think he wants you doing this?" I asks and he looks away. "Jo-Vaughn, look at me."

"Camille-"

"Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, look me in my eyes and tell me that Jamal wants you to go out and kill these niggas."

He looks at me, a confused frown on his face. "Steez told you his name?"

"What?" I ask. His name? I didn't know him as anything other than Steez.

"You called him Jamal. That's apart of his name. His whole name."

"I don't... remember calling him Jamal." I say, confused as fuck. I didn't know Steez's name. "I only know him as Steez."

His frown deepens as he suspiciously looks at me. I can't remember calling him Jamal. I don't even know his whole name. He was Steez and I've always known him as such. I didn't know him under any other name.

"Okay." He says, shaking his head. "Anyway, it don't matter. Those niggas don't deserve to be walking on this earth, Cam, and there ain't shit you can tell me."

"Jo-Vaughn-"

"Nah, I don't give a fuck. I'ont wanna hear shit about it. It's happening."

I look down at my hands. He wouldn't want this, I could feel it in my soul. "Please Joey." I say, looking up at him. "Please-"

"It's the end of discussion, Camille. I don't wanna hear anything else."