Finding Her

Chapter 9

Jo-Vaughn

"Fuck wrong with you son?"

I grabbed his collar and pulled him up, so we were face to face.

He spat out the crimson blood that was dripping from his bottom lip, and smirked up at me.

He laughed in a mocking tone.

"Don't act like you ain't fucking know." He pushed my hands off of him and glared at me.

I stood mouth agaped, I didn't know the person who was standing in front of me anymore.

His eyes pierced right through me like a bullet.

He tugged on his shirt anticipating.

He sighed and slowly took off his shirt and threw it on the floor.

Though he was wearing a black tee underneath, I was able to see the dark wording of the embedded tattoo planted on his chest.

"Ken." I took a step forward, I didn't want to be too close. It would only result in me hurting him.

"Man, why?" I clutched my hands at my sides.

The tattoo that Kenny had wasn't no ordinary kind of tattoo. Once you get that shit on you. You theirs forever, completely in lock.

"Look around you Vaughn." He picked up the teal shirt from the floor and pulled it over his head.

"We graduatin' in barely 2 months and I ain't got shit goin' for me." He admitted.

He scratched his chin, "I be thinkin' like fo' real Vaughn gon be out here goin' places. He got scholarships up and lined all for him, and I ain't got shit." He turned around and faced the window.

"My momma sick, who gon pay her hospital bills huh? Fuck who can even pay her regular bills. Not no damn McDonald's cashier." His voice was rugged.

I hadn't realize that his mom was getting worse, the last time he spoke to me on that matter was months ago. When she was first diagnosed.

He chuckled and grabbed his bookbag.

I was at lost for words but still senile with the Abby situation.

"So you needed extra cash Ken? Why you ain't talk to me bout it."

He scoffed, "Man gon' with that."

"You know my mama would've helped out, and I got money saved up Ken you wouldn't have had to do that." I pointed at his chest.

Minutes went by with us not saying a word.

"Have you done it already?" I asked.

He shook his head.

The 18th street gang was one of the roughest gangs out here in Detroit. They were some ruthless niggas.

Rapists and cold blooded murderers. Which is why I didn't understand why they would pick someone so soft like Kenny.

"Don't tell me you even thinkin' bout it?" I anticipated.

The first step was easy. You just get marked. Actually burned, so even if you wanted to remove it you couldn't.

You'd be scarred.

It would always be there, reminding you of the person you've become.

"Jo-Vaughn I took 25 from them." He punched at the locker beside him.

"25 hundred ain't a thing Kenny. I got that."

"25 hundred ain't a-" he mocked.

"Nigga I'm talkin' 25 thousand dollars."