The Circle of Life: Courtesy of Compton *completed *

Everyone's story is the same. You're born into a family of four or more brothers and sisters. You most likely only have a mom. She's probably still in high school or is a high school drop out. If you are lucky enough to have a dad, he's probably a junkie or a dealer, selling on the street corner to provide for you and your family. In the blink of an eye, your parent is taken from this world, like an innocent infant who's been killed by its mother. There's no hope of making it out alive. At least that's what people told me. It was Friday afternoon and I was walking down the street with my best friend Nadia, on my way to pick up my younger sisters California, Nevada, Mariah and Kelly from elementary school. My own school had just let out about 10 minutes ago. "So what are you doing this weekend? Are you gonna go to that new rave Ultra?" she asked. I nearly spit out the grape kool-aid I was drinking. "Naw, I gotta take care of my sisters. You know I don't got time for that stuff." I laughed. "I feel you. Me either. I gotta watch Dequan, Dwayne, Apollo and Remi plus the baby JoJo. I wish my momma didn't have to work. I always get stuck with these naughty kids. Stinks to be the oldest" she said, linking her arm with mine. "You feel me? Wish my daddy and mommy was still here. Got shot six and eight years ago." I said, reminiscing of the night that fate changed everything. It was a regular night. My dad was making a regular drop on the corner of South Alamaeda Street and East Compton Boulevard. He kissed my forehead and said he'd be back. And of course I believed him. Since I was born, he'd never leave for more than a few hours at a time. I figured he'd be back when I woke up. Boy was I wrong. The next day at school, Nadia told my her brother was killed in a drive-by...along with my father. Two years later, my mom was killed in a hit-and-run. My world collapsed all around me. How could my rock, my protectors, my shields be gone. It was the circle of life here in Compton. After a couple of years, I moved on. It was destined to be. I just hoped it would have happened later. Oh well. That's life. My grandparents died that way, my aunts and cousins died that way. That's how it was. As I turned the corner, my heart raced a little bit. Lying on the ground was the oldest out of my younger sisters, Nevada being beaten up by a group of girls. She was 13 years old and in the 8th grade. She was a little small for her age which is why she was often bullied. I jogged over to the girls and pushed the girls off of her. One of the tried to hit me so I ducked and kicked her leg out. I rounded up the rest of my sisters and headed to the nearest hospital, carrying Nevada in my arms. "Is she gonna be ok?" Nadia asked, running along side me, like the roadrunner. "I think so. It's not too bad. But I just wanna make sure she's ok." I said. We soon reached the hospital. "Last name Vegas, first name Nevada. Yup. My sister's name was Nevada Vegas. Ratchet right? Two of them were named after places in the United States. The rest of us have names from famous people. The second part of my name is from the singer Aaliyah, Mariah is named after Mariah Carey and Kelly is named after Kelly Rowland. But that's another story. The receptionist peered down at me, smacking and popping her gum loudly. "Can't ya see I'm on the phone? Don't interrupt. Rude". Her nameplate read 'Bon qui qui'. Well the name fits. When she finally got off the phone, she rolled her eyes heavily and acted as if it was such an issue to assist me. "What seems to be the prob?" she sighed. Did she? Did she really just ask me that? Clearly you could see that my sister was in need of medical attention. "Are you stupid? Clearly your knuckle headed self can see that my sister needs medical attention." I growled, quickly growing agitated. "Don't get loud with me. Do. Not. Get. Loud. With. Moi." she said, clapping her hands. "I need a doctor for my sister. Last name Vegas, first name Nevada." I said, becoming more impatient by the minute. "How you spell that?" she asked, glancing down at me. Is she serious? Could she be any more stupid? "Last name V-e-g-a-s, first name N-e-v-a-d-a." I spoke through clenched teeth. This woman was surely testing the patience that I did not have. "Oh. You LaToya's kids?" she said, smiling a bit. "Yea." I mumbled. "Why you ain't say so? I need a doctor from the children's wing." she said into the phone. I sat down in the waiting room with my sister on my lap. She had a black eye, a split lip, multiple bruises all over her body and a head wound. I used her jacket to try and alleviate the bleeding. Within minutes a doctor entered the room. "Come on back." he motioned. After settling into her room, the doctor explained her condition. "So she has a split lip, head wound, bl-" "Black eye, yes I'm well aware Doc. What do I need to do?" I asked, still feeling a little irritated. "Alright alright. No need to get snappy. I gotta put some stitches in her head to close up the wound and then I'll bandage it up. I'll give you some prescriptions for pills to aid with the pain and an ointment to heal with the bruises. I just need you to sign off on a couple of documents. Are you her legal guardian?" "Yea. I am." I said. "How old are you? You look a little young." he asked, peering at me. "18." I said, lying about my age and whipping out my fake ID. After reading over the documents, I signed them and then waited for her to come out. 30 minutes later, she was brought back to the room. "She'll be fine. The anesthesia will wear off soon. You can take her home now. Just make sure she rests." After signing her discharge papers, I carried her onto the public bus, heading towards the drug store. "I'll see you later Nadia." I said, once my sisters and I got off at our stop. I headed straight to the pharmaceutical counter. After filling her prescription, I headed back on the bus towards our apartment complex. Upon reaching their, I discovered that we were out of cereal and milk. I put some TV dinners in the oven and told them I'd be back soon. "If anything happens, you know I have a gun stored in the bottom drawer in the kitchen and one in my closet. Keep all of the doors and windows locked and don't open the door for anyone. I have my own key. Be careful. I love you guys. I'll be back soon." I said, kissing each one of them on the forehead before walking out. The cold November winds whipped at me, like a child who's disrespected his parents and was paying the price. I tightened my scarf, fixed my beanie and buried my hands deeper in my jacket. I sped to the corner store, hoping to get in and get out. Moving swiftly through the isles, I grabbed a jug of milk and 2 boxes of Cocoa Puffs. I grabbed an arizona for myself, placing my change on the counter. After collecting my items, I disappeared into the night. I walked briskly down the street, constantly checking my surroundings. Compton was very dangerous at night. Especially for kids like me. People were like lions. They waited patiently for the prey and then without any warning, they pounced. As I arrived closer to the apartment complex, a series of gunshots ricocheted. I quickly ducked down, shielding myself from the crossfire. Things like these were normal in Compton, California. After I deemed it safe, I picked up my bags and carried them down the street. I noticed something spilling onto the sidewalk. As I glanced closer, I realized it was blood. After I glanced around me, I didn't notice anyone.I quickly dropped my bags, rolling up the bottom off my hoodie. There I was met with my destiny: two gunshot wounds. "No! No! No! This could not be happening." I thought to myself. Too many people were killed this way and I was determined to change my fate. I sprinted towards my complex until my legs could carry me no more. I collapsed, leaning against the wall for support. "Help! Help!" I shouted. I continued to yell and scream until my voice went horse. In Compton, you could easily find yourself in this type of predicament. Lonely, scared and fighting for your life. As my blood continued to pour out on the sidewalk, my memories came flooding back, like a dam that had been waiting to be released. I had four sisters at my house. Four flowers that I needed to fight for. I wasn't even 18 yet. I hadn't graduated yet, never got a boyfriend. I'd miss out on so many opportunities. I was so close to achieving my goal. I reached for the stars but instead of landing on the moon, I landed onto the planet of reality. If there was a God, I needed him more than ever. A vision of my entire family, back when we were all together, flashed before my eyes before those heavy boulders called eyes closed for the last time. As I drew my last breathes, thoughts of Nadia flew around my mind. But there was nothing I could do. This was my fate. It was the circle of life. Compton's circle of life. And there was no way to break the barrier.