The Overcoming Amendment: FAME

Chapter 11

"Why you treat me like your friend's daughter, but treat Amber like your daughter?" Shanti walked in Crystal's room.

"What the fuck now Shanti?" Crystal shouted irritated.

"Yesterday."

"What about it?"

"You know what in talking about!"

"Who the fuck you think you yelling at?!" Crystal stood up.

"Nobody. You treat her like she yo precious daughter."

Amber listened to their conversation hidden behind the door.

"Shanti, her fuckin parents are dead. She dont got nobody but me Shan. Im the only one that obviously took her in from that bitch she was living with. Open up your eyes. Stop worrying about your damn self cuz its just making you look bad."

"They are open. Why can't you open your eyes and see that your first child, your daughter is dying inside, huh?!"

"You dont show or tell me."

"Why should I. There is absolutely no one I can trust to have my back". Shanti started to cry.

"What if your parents died? What if one day I don't come home cuz I was in a car accident? Or one morning I don't wake up cuz I had a stroke?"

"At this point I wouldn't mind if any of that happened."

"Since I don't wanna go to jail, Ima beat yo ass."

Amber hurried to the room so she won't have to witness this shit. Crystal got a thick power cord and striked Shanti on her thighs. Shanti tried to stop her but she couldn't tame Crystal's anger being released.

After the action, Shanti had swollen marks from the cord. She walked off to her room and starred in the mirror. With marks, tears, and anger Shanti thought about everything that happened with her dad, her mom, Jojo, Meek, Amber, and mostly Davante. She looked at herself and hated herself. She punched the mirror, tired of the bitch looking back at her in her reflection.

"Get out of my house!" Crystal yelled.

With no hesitation, Shanti got her Nine West bag and left the house. Shanti walked through the dark and gritty streets of Chicago. She wondered street to street until she noticed that she was far from home. Shanti ended up on the other side of them dirty streets and was now on the nice and descent side where Chicago Beats Studio was at. Shanti sat in front of the studio door, and the day she needed somebody, no one was in the damn studio. Shanti took her phone and navigated the way to Bryanna and Tatyanna's condo.

"Shanti! What you doing here?" Brianna opened the door to Shanti looking weary.

"I need a place to stay for a while." Shanti said looking down.

"Umm...okay. Come in."

"Thanks a lot. I appreciate it."

Shanti had no other option. At least she knew Bryanna and had a nice place to stay.

"What happened to you?" Tatyanna walked out the room into the living room.

"Me and Crystal got into it." Shanti replied.

"Oh gosh. Say no more." Tatyanna said.

"Girl its always something with her. You alright?"

"Hell nah. Y'all a blessing to me. You the only person that let me in. What happen to my friends, my best friends, the people I thought cared?" Shanti said sadly.

"Like they say 'hard times will always reveal your true friends' and 'even your day one nigga will yurn on you'." Bryanna said.

"Sometimes we wish friends were like dollars- just hold them up to the light to see who's real and who's fake." Tatyanna said leaning against the wall.

"Yall right. I wish I knew that- who's real and who's fake." Shanti said back.