Bread: A Hood Love Story

Gabrielle (XII)

Did ya miss me? ;)

Gabrielle

June 19th

9:12pm

I had been running for God knows how long. I heard the gunshots Melanie was telling me about earlier, but I paid them no mind. No matter how far or how fast I ran, the image of Amiyah on top of Michael burned in my mind; I couldn’t escape it. My face was soaked with tears and my hair all disheveled from running. I nearly cried out in joy when I saw my Aunt Mattie’s car in the driveway, meaning I was almost home.

I saw Nelson sitting on the porch, but I was too distraught to stop. I just flew past him up the steps into the house.

“Gabi?! What’s going on, why you out here at night, and where’s Michael?!”

I choke back a sob and almost run right into Aunt Mattie.

“Gabrielle now you know not to run in this house!” She pauses and sees the tears on my face. “Baby girl, what’s the matter?” 

I wanted to tell her. I really did. But my heart was in pieces and it hurt too much to even think about. Once she looked into my eyes, she knew.

Auntie just gently rubbed my cheek, wiping some of the tears away. “You go on upstairs and lay down. I’ll bring you that green tea latte you like, alright?”

I nod at her and head upstairs. I really loved my Auntie right now.

As I was going upstairs, I hear Nelson talking to Auntie.

“Ma, is she okay? She just ran in crying like hell.”

I hear her say something about not cursing in her house, then something else I couldn’t hear.

“Alright. But I swear if it was Michael I’m –“

She says something else in a scolding tone, then Nelson kisses his teeth. “Alright, Alright! I’m going to go check on her.”

I just lay on my bed, holding my teddy bear from when I was little. I hear Nelson come up the stairs, then step in the room and sit on his bed facing me. I turn my head and look at him.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” he says, his eyes softening.

Nelson and I were closer than normal cousins, so sometimes we just communicate without even speaking.

I just blink at him in response.

He nods. “Alright. Was it Mike?”

I just simply turn my face into my pillow.

Nelson gives a dry chuckle and he comes over to lie next to me. He kisses my temple and starts rubbing my back. At that, I couldn’t hold it in anymore, and I just broke down crying all over again.

“Shhh, it’s alright, Honey.” He whispers.

I don’t know how long I cried for, but Nelson stayed with me all night. I think he even started to fall asleep a while after he came in. I cried myself to sleep with a broken heart.

But knowing my cousin was here for me made me feel a thousand times better.

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June 20th

10:35am

I was running to God knows where. Panting heavily, I came to a doorway in the middle of an abandoned street. For some reason, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach as I moved to open the door. Once I did, I wished I hadn’t.