Gangland.

Chapter 42 - I.D.

I kept on asking Isaiah what was wrong, but he wouldn't answer me. After he stood there in a daze, he crumpled up the paper with his right hand and dropped it onto the porch, storming off to the car. I bent down and glanced at the note, reading it as Isaiah got into the car and slammed the door. I sighed and jogged to the car, getting inside of the drivers seat.

I myself was hurt about the fact that Tyler left without a heads up.

"Isaiah man.." I sighed again as I shut the door beside me, glancing at him. "Listen-"

"She fucking left and ain't even say goodbye." Isaiah growled.

"I know but just liste-"

"You know what, this is EXACTLY why I don't do relationships!" Isaiah interrupted. "I'm going right back to fucking bitches and tossing they asses to the curb."

"Isaiah!"

"This is why I don't change for nobody because they can't even stick around. Fuck 'em! Fuck 'em all!" Isaiah snapped. "I'm still gone be the same tatted up gangbanging drug selling ass nigga. Fuck Tyler!"

"Isaiah, you saying this because you emotionally frustrated!" I said in a loud tone. "You speaking out of rage right now!"

"Nah fuck all 'at!"

"You only acting like this hard boiled ass nigga on the outside to hide the fact that you hurt!" I continued. "You only doing this so that nobody can see that you got feelings!"

"I ain't got no feelings.." Isaiah lied.

"Well I'm yo' cousin and I know you the best so I KNOW that you lying to me right now." I said as I shook my head, glancing at him.

I could see in the shaking of Isaiah's fingers that he was hurt. He always had outbursts like that when something hit him right where it hurt the most. I watched Isaiah clench his jaw and look out of the window, still trying to act like he wasn't bothered by Tyler leaving him.

"It's alright to cry, man." I said in a lower and more calm tone. "You got feelings to express, not hide."

Isaiah shook his head and clenched his fingers by his mouth, looking away. Soon after, I watched him clench his jaw in hopes of holding back his tears. It wasn't working. I watched Isaiah's face sadden up a little as tears filled his eyes while he glanced at the home. While he was managing to get all of his anger out, I tried to comfort him even more.

This was years worth of anger of always being left behind.

"You wanna do something today to help you get your mind off of this?" I asked.

"Just take me home." Isaiah said quickly afterwards.

And with that, I drove back to the Schaefer projects.

One thing I noticed when we arrived there 20 minutes later, is that Isaiah didn't get out of the car. When I went inside of the home, Isaiah jumped into the drivers seat and went to go see the one person that helped him get his mind off of things. Lucy. He picked up a dozen roses and surprised her at the nursing home, making her day again.

But when he seen Lucy, he noticed that her face was a lot paler than before. Her eyes looked drugged, and her demeanor was different. When he visited her a month before, she was up and moving in her bed. Now, it looked like she couldn't even move. The veins in her arms were starting to show a little bit more as well.

"Isaiah." Lucy smiled, talking in a weak and raspy tone as she struggled to keep her eyes open. "You brought me.......flowers...."

"Yo' favorite of course, Lucy." Isaiah smiled as he placed them onto the counter. "Roses."