The Overcoming Amendment: How It All Began

Chapter 6

Rain poured down in the city of Chicago. The sunshine was gone, and a storm was headed their way. Everyone was sound asleep, while Crystal was leaving to go to a hair appointment. Ashley woke up and went to Shanti's room. She spotted the guy Shanti was with last night, laying on the bed.

"Shanti, wake yo ass up." Ashley whispered.

"I'm up. Loud ass mouth." Shanti said.

"Hoe, i whispered. How about Amber came in my room while im riding the pony." Ashley whispered loudly.

"Oh shit. How the hell?" Shanti sat up in her bed.

"She opened by door, talkin' 'bout, 'Ashley!'. I looked at Bitch like she stupid.' Ashley said.

"You better hope she stay shut. We dont need a snake runnin' 'round this house, this family, or these streets. She be 11 years old and still get slumped in this motha'. " Shanti spoke to Ashley like she was dead ass. Only because she was.

"Ya'll loud." the guy next to Shani said.

"My bad, boo." Shanti turned to him.

"Davante' you ghost on a H.D." Ashley said onto him.

"Nahh. I dont think so." Davante' said. Shanti and Davante' been in a relationship for the past 10 months. There's been bumps in their relationship, but never too big problems, that they had to end the whole thing. Cheating was never the problem. Lack of communication, due to Davante's time in jail for a month, and broken promises, such as moving in together after he got out of jail, promised birthday or holiday gifts, and Shanti feeling like they dont spend enough time together. Somehow Davante' said the right words to Shanti, and always treated her to a nice lunch or dinner after all their disagreements.

"Let's invade her space." Ashley planned.

"We out." Shanti agreed.

Amber was awake watching TV peacefully, until her cousins stormed into her bedroom. When she saw their faces, she already knew what it was all about. Everything about last night, was gonna go down. 

"Why you all in my sister room for?" Shanti barged in and confronted Amber with attitude that was unaware.

"What the hell was you doing, roaming 'round this house at 4:00am, like you own the bitch and shit?" Ashley said with as much attitude her sister had.

"What the hell was ya'll doing coming home 'round that time?" Amber said back with a little attitude.

"Trick don't question us. Answer the damn question!" Shanti argued back.

The boys stepped into the room after hearing all 3 girls go at it.

"I heard something and went to go check it out. Aint my fault ya'll woke me out of my sleep!" Amber shot back at them.

"Ain't nobody woke you up. So what's up with that?" Ashley questioned.

"Aight. I went to the hallway, and saw Shanti's light dimmed. I heard some nigga voice, and i looked and saw Shanti ,and some nigga getting it in. then- " Amber was interrupted.

"Wait...so you saw me, too?" Shanti pointed to her self.

"Well, yea," Amber replied.

"Oh hell naw!" Shanti yelled, rolling her eyes.

"Then, i just saw Ashley and one of these niggas, I think dread dude, fuckin', too." Amber pointed quickly.

"His name is Jamar. Get the shit right. Don't ever disrespect my boyfriend, 'cuz it will be a problem." Ashley said clearly with extra emphasize.

"Well, if i knew..." Amber said back with extra emphasize, also.

"Listen. Keep yo mouth SHUT, and don't say a word! OK? If we get caught, its going to be your fault, 'cuz we never did. Ima blame you, and watch yo ass get beat out hear. I ain't talking a couple hits here, and there. I'm talking hard blows to yo face, bleeding out yo mouth, and even maybe yo eye balls." Shanti said like a boss.

"And don't make it obvious, either. It aint no joke out here. These bitches and niggas would slump dat ass over." Ashley addded.

"Aight. I'm closed, and shut. Don't worry 'bout nothing." Amber promised.

"Aight shawty. Don't get slumped now." Jamar said to Amber.

"It's Amber or Ambi. Get it straight." she said back to Jamar.

"I see AMBER got a lil attitude on her back." Davante' said.

"And who are you?" Amber asked.

"Yo fine ass cousin, Shanti man." he said looking at his girl up and down biting his lip, as Shanti smiled back.

"Oh." Amber said with a stank look. "Ya'll could go now, with ya'll morning breath, and fucked up hair."

The crew left and carried on with their business. Amber called her one and only good friend, Kaylaa Walker or nick name, LaLaa. Amber took the word 'friend' very lightly, because all the people she used to call 'friend', failed her. She needed to get all the crap out of her mind. Writing a poem wasn't going to satisfy her needs. She carried a feeling that she hated. Amber looked down stairs and saw the crew leaving the house after freshening up. Amber went down stairs to make her own breakfast, which was Golden Grahams cereal. She sat at the table, and all that surrounded her was silence. She sat back and thought about what Ashley and Shanti told her.

~"His name is Jamar. Get the shit right. Don't ever disrespect my boygriend, 'cuz it will BE A PROBLEM." 

"Listen. Keep yo mouth SHUT, and dont say a word! OK? If we get caught, its going to be your fault, 'cuz we never did. Ima blame you, and WATCH YO ASS GET BEAT OUT HERE. I aint talkin a couple hits here, and there. Im talking HARD BLOWS to yo face, BLEEDING out yo mouth, and even mabey YO EYE BALLS." 

"Aight shawty. DON'T GET SLUMPED NOW." ~

It all came flashing back to her. What if they DO get caught because of Amber? How would Amber know if she IS making things obvious? Will those things Shanti told her come TRUE? Will the warning Jamar gave her come and GET HER? WILL there be a problem coming Amber's way? Amber knew that she was never going to let some one punk her. She never let her step-mom punk her, and let Sandy's beatings slide. She always fought back, if she wasn't getting beat with a belt. She never let her past friends punk her, and act like nothing ever happened. She stepped up, and had them step down. Her father always said,  "Never let somebody think they own you. Show them that you are way bigger, mentally. If they hit you, hit them back, and then never talk to them again, if they're not family. I ain't raise no child to grow up and be a punk. Don't ever forget, never let a man, or boy touch you in any way. You don't sit there and let them beat on you, or bully you in any way. Respect your parents, and who ever taking care of you. Remember that yo momma ain't no punk, and yo daddy definitely ain't no punk."

Amber was way tougher, mentally and physically than she looked. Amber took a second, and thought about what she had. All that came to her mind was clothes, and an aunt providing her with food, and shelter. She then thought about what she didn't have. She didn't have a big family, at least in Chicago, her current city. She felt as if she didn't have the love and affection an eleven year old needed, and wanted. She didn't have true joy, and happiness. She didn't have a mother. She didn't have a father. She didn't have a brother, or sister to go through the mental obstacles with, and feel the way she was feeling. She didn't have friends. She didn't have it all. Amber had guilt, because of her cousins' situation, and past mistakes. Amber had depression, because the lost of both her parents. She had sadness, because all she had was clothes, food, and shelter, something to appreciate, and be grateful of, which she was. She was scared of what the future held. What more could come and destroy her young life? Amber was just ELEVEN years old, and every morning she hid all of her silent cries, dreadful thoughts, and deadly emotions with a spiritual mask, that had a smile that would glow like no other. But, deep down inside... she was dieing.

{Picture of Devante to the side} <3