Silent Nights {Joey Bada$$}

nine

I inhale deeply, shooting up in bed. I look around, looking at a sleeping Joey. I swallow deeply, getting up out of bed. What was going on? What's happening. I walk around the bed, picking up Joey's phone and taking it off the charger.

Without thinking, I unlocked it. Which was weird because in that... dream? I didn't have his password to my knowledge. But he had all of mine.

Was it weird that I remember every detail of that dream? If it was a dream. Maybe it was reality and I'm sleeping now. Maybe I passed out.

I pinch myself hardly, wincing in pain but pinching harder. Something wasn't right. That dream seemed too real, but then again, this feels real too. Maybe even realer. What was going to help me determine what's real and what isn't?

I go through his contacts, scrolling until I found the name. Okay. Okay. I gotta breathe deeply. I just about run to the bathroom, quickly locking the door and pressing on the contact, calling it.

I needed him to pick up. I needed him to be alive. I needed Jamal to live.

He didn't answer the first time, so I proceeded to blow up his phone. It took at least twelve calls until he picked up.

"Joey." He somberly says.

"Jamal, where are you?"

It sounded like he was outside. God, please help me. I couldn't let anything bad happen to him.

"Who is this?" He asks, and I shake my head. I didn't need this right now.

"Please just tell me you aren't doing anything bad right now, Jamal. Please."

"C-Camille?"

"Yes." I say in tears. "Please, what are you doing? Where are you so I can make sure you're okay."

"I-I don't know-"

"Jamal." I sob, trying to keep everything calm. "Please."

"Camille..."

"Don't do it. Don't kill yourself, please. For me. Please."

"H-how-"

"Promise me. Promise me you won't-"

"Cam? You in there? What's wrong?" I hear Joey's voice say, stopping my heart.

"Camille." Jamal's quiet voice says. "How did you know?"

"I had a dream. A terrible dream. It was so bad. Please just, don't. Please."

"Okay." He says, letting out a deep breath. "Okay."

"Y-you won't? Y-you won't do it?"

"Camille, who are you on the phone with?" Joey asks, but I ignore his voice.

"I won't. I promise you."

"Thank you. Thank you so much." I cry out, unable to stop any of my tears.

"I-I'll come over tonight, okay?" He asks, and I nod frantically.

"Yes. It's fine." I say, still nodding.

"Thank you."

"Hurry, Jamal." I say, wiping my face. "Please hurry."

~

"I think I understand." Jamal says, looking down at the tea.

"Shit, I don't." Joey says, looking around. "Like... not the dream part but like... the dream part."

"That doesn't make sense." I say, looking up at him.

"It was like... you knew the future or some shit, I don't know." He says, running a hand over his face. "I mean, some shit was kinda crazy like me cheating and that killing everyone, but the rest was... well shit, kinda... weird."

"She got something right though." Jamal says, sipping some tea. "I was gonna kill myself. In fact, you called me right before I was gonna do it. That's what really gets me. And like... the urge to answer my phone. Like... I felt like I needed to answer my phone. Like if I didn't something bad was gonna happen and I couldn't ignore it either. It's... kinda crazy."

"Kinda? This is hella crazy." Joey says, pacing back and forth. "Yo, why ain't you tell me Mal?" Joey asks, looking at Jamal. "Like... why didn't you let nobody know you was hurting? We would've tried to help, you know that. You got mad people on your side."

"I didn't want help." He says. "I didn't need it either. I knew what I was gonna do. I had it set in stone. Well..." He looks up at me. "Kinda. This wasn't expected." He says, giving me a small smirk despite everything.

The dream was starting to become nothing more than a distant memory, but I could remember his smile. It was the same as this right here.

"None of it really matters." I say. "I just... my dream was bad. And I didn't want to test if it was real or not, so I called."

"And saved my life." He says, smiling. "Thank you."

"No problem, Steez." I say, his smile warming my heart. I felt better, so much better. I just hope that when I go to sleep, that I won't wake up in that 'dream'. I don't want this to go away. So if I must, I won't sleep at all.

I'll do anything to keep him alive.