No. 99 (Joey Bada$$)

41• I Never Said I'll Be Coming Back For You

• June 23, Thursday. A Week Later •

   I awoke to yelling from the kitchen. I heard Auntie's voice, Rakim's and a voice on the phone. I got out of bed and walked to the kitchen, the yelling stopped once I walked in. Aunty was crying and my brother had tears running down his face.

"What's going on? Why are you guys yelling?" I asked clearly confused.

"Come sit." Rocky said with rasp in his voice and hung his phone up.

"What's wrong with..." I pointed to Aunty with her head down. You could hear her sniffling.

She picked her head up and tried to talk but he gave her a look signaling that he's got it.

"It's about Jerome and Bridget." He said "Our parents."

"Ok..."

"Dad..." He swallowed "Dad hit Mom, Aunty and I have to go down to Charlotte to fix things.

"What? Why do you guys have to go and Dad did what!?"

"Mom is unconscious, in a coma. He punched her and pushed her down the steps. She's in the hospital right now as we speak."

A lump grew in my throat. "I need to go with you guys."

"You can't, Les-"

"What do you mean I can't? That's my Mom, so what if she's part of the problem!? Ain't no reason for her to be where she at! Ain't no reason for her to be in a coma!!" I yelled as I chocked back tears "That woman is why I'm on this earth."

"I understand that! We both in pain but you can't handle that! I can't even handle it but I need to be the man in this family. If dad ain't doing his fuckin' job I'm fillin' in!" Rakim shot back.

"Why is it that you all treat me like a child!?"

"Don't start this, Leslie."

"What do you mean don't start this?! I want to be there for her! I'm in this family too! When did I become a ghost to all of you!?!? Why do you guys think I'm bullshitting when I'm being real with you people!!!!?"

"Leslie you mean the world to me, I love both you and Aunty but I don't want you being there seeing our mom on her potential deathbed! I don't want that engraved into your soul, you've seen enough when you were twelve. It's not the first time Dad hit her!"

* Flashback *

I was sitting on the couch when we heard that thud from upstairs. Rakim was laying in the other couch writing raps. He looked me in the eye with worry then ran upstairs. I shrugged my shoulders and continued searching up life hacks on my phone, I didn't know what happened.

"STOP! MOM CALL THE FEDS!" I heard Rocky yell "LET HIM WALK AWAY! JUST CALL THE POLICE!"

My Dad sped walked downstairs and grabbed his car keys from the counter.

"Dad, where are you going? Why is Rock yellin'?"

"Nowhere." He said. He unlocked the front door and sped off.

I heard my Mom on the phone with the police on the speaker phone.

"Yes! He got in his car and drove off...no this isn't the first time...it was before my second child was born...no!...can you just send someone?...thank you bye."

Rakim stormed downstairs and took a crowbar from the garage.

"Why is the police coming here!?"

He ignored me and went outside. The police just arrived and the neighbors where outside being nosey. My next door neighbor knew something was wrong, I did too. My mom came downstairs sobbing. This was the first time I've seen her cry.

"Mom why did dad leave!?"

"Your Dad put his hands on me. He choked me."

Right after she said that its like time stood still. Every second felt like an hour passing by. It felt like the world was crashing down around me. I cried with me mom. Was this the end of our "picture perfect" family? Where we going to have to move into a shitty apartment with my mom working a million jobs and my brother being the man of the house?

My next door neighbor and her boyfriend were holding him back from destroying dads car.

"RAKIM STOP!!! YOU'RE OVERREACTING! LETS TALK ABOUT IT!" Joe, my neighbors boyfriend said

Vickie (Joe's girlfriend aka other Aunty) came and and took me to her house. My hands were shaking and I could barley speak, they wanted me to explain what happened.

*End of Flashback*

"You remember don't you!?" He said

"I do." I silently said "I remember everything."

"Exactly. Aunty and I are going there as soon as possible. I'll be back in two weeks but Aunty will have to stay for a little longer. I'm sorry it has to be this way but Dad is too much of a pussy and we have to step in."

He held me and I cried on his shoulder. Slowly but surely we're falling apart.

"Leslie..." Aunty spoke up with her voice raspy too "I don't want you to be alone so why don't you bring those girlfriends of yours up here? Aliyah and Laila."

"I can?" My voice was muffled from Rocky's shoulder

"Yes. Just make sure if ok with their parents or whoever." She croaked

"I will tonight." I said

"I don't want you staying here the whole time so I'll let you stay in my apartment in Manhattan." He looked at Aunty for approval. She nodded "Yeah. A change of scenery is what you need. You've been in the same place for about three weeks without much explorations. Your little friends will have to be mature though."

"Okay." I cheered up just a tiny bit. "Rocky I'm gonna miss you and Aunty."

"We'll FaceTime and oovoo or whatever." He wiped his tears away and smiled. One thing Rakim always does is smile even when shit hits the fan he's smiling, he has a nice one too. Teeth in line and white, no wonder all the girls love him. He's charming.
He wiped my tears away with his thumbs and we hugged Aunty.

"It's gonna pay off in the long run." She said "You all are going somewhere in life. Don't let this hurt you. Be strong for me, mom and yourselves. You guys are my children and I love y'all."

A/N: This is the beginning of No. 99. Please enjoy and grab a bag of chips. Shit is going to go down. Oh, and sorry if there are any mistakes.