A GIRL LIKE YOU > 80's URBAN FICTION.

lvii.

May 31st, 1989.

It's been a few days since Nia has been placed into coma. Through these past few days no one had a emotional breakdown or went off at someone. Like Kim said, all they needed is peace, and that's what everyone wants doing. Some of the crew visited Nia, and some of the crew didn't want to see her like this. They gave her roses, cards and teddy bears and balloons that depicted "get well soon," on them.

It was 3 in the afternoon in the hospital, and Larenz and Dee just returned from church. Dee was too preoccupied reading a magazine that sells church hats so that the black mothers could serve looks while praising their almighty god. Larenz was distracted by playing with his braids. They were in the room where Nia was still in critical condition in a coma.

The duo heard the door open, and Eric came in with flowers and balloons. Dee's face brighted up. "Oh, Eric!" Dee said in awe.

"Ma, it ain't for you." Larenz said to Dee.

She sucked her teeth at him as she stood up. Eric placed the teddy bears and flowers on the table.

"Eric, why didn't you come over to the hospital anymore?" Dee questioned him.

"I, uh, I had plans." Eric lied to Dee.

Larenz rolled his eyes as he pursed his lips. "Yeah, I'm gonna go to the snack machine, imma be right back." Renz tells Dee, before he exited the room.

"So, you don't mind if I have some time alone with Nia?" Eric asked Dee.

"Yeah, baby. Don't take too long, though. We only have about 20 minutes left to stay here." Dee replies, as she exited the room.

Eric was in the cold room alone with Nia. He took a seat next to her, before looking at her unconscious body.

"Hey, Nia." He started to talk as he rubbed on her thigh. "I know you can't hear me at all but, I just wanna speak with you about some things." Eric spoke to Nia.

"Look, I'm so sorry this shit happened to you. You never deserved it, honestly. I don't get why the fuck these punk ass pranksters tryna front like they're all hard and go around shooting innocent people like you. Like it don't make any goddamn sense. I lost so many close friends and family member to them lil' pranksters, and it still annoys the fuck outta me on why nobody ain't doing something about this violence against people like you. It just ain't fair!" Eric ranted.

"It ain't fair, man. I don't get it. You're too young to die, you got a life so ahead of you, and you're about to graduate next week. Going onto new York to begin a new life and become the woman you've always hoped to be. We're supposed to be at the movies or at the basketball court. I shouldn't be here spending our last days with you before you go."

He then held Nia's left hand, as he watched her peacefully sleep on the bed. "Look, even if we might not see each other, remember that you're still mine, and....I just hope that all of this can be over." He finished his rants as he continued to rub Nia's hand.

He stayed in the room for 10 more minutes. Eric was too distracted with playing with the hat he was wearing. He heard the door open and it was Larenz with some granola bars.

The two didn't say a word to each other. They acted as if they didn't even see each other. Larenz took a seat that was away from Eric, and he started to eat his bars.

That was when Eric started feel a small movement in his hands. He immediately gave his attention to Nia's hands, then looked at her eyes. They were opened a little bit, but Nia's eyes narrowed when she saw the blinding light that shined above her.

Both Larenz and Eric heard a faint groan from the bed, and Larenz stood to see what's going on, before he started to yell for the doctors.

Eric's face brighted up a little bit, when Nia's eyes opened widely, before looking to her left, seeing Eric sitting right beside her.

"W-whats going on? Where am i?" She whispered in confusion.

Eric just kissed her on the lips, as doctors and nurses, and even a shocked Dee came rushing on.

Dee hysterical cries of joy began as she kneeled down on the floor, with her over dramatic ass. While Renz just gave a huge smile, realizing that her cousin made it.

"Thank you, lord. Thank you." She cried repeatedly as she looked up to the ceiling.

***

A half hour later, Nia was wide awake but was absolutely unaware of almost everything. She couldn't remember what happened at prom, but that's not the worst thing. She couldn't even remember who she was, didn't know anything about the school she attended, and she couldn't even remember the familiar names that Eric kept saying to her, who are the names of Nia's closest friends.

"Who is Jada?" She questioned Eric in perplexity.

"Well, this is gonna be a long ass week." Renz bluntly said as he stood at the corner at the wall.

"I think I remember you.....is your name.....Lorenzo or something?" Nia questioned Larenz.

"Close, it's Larenz." He corrected her answer. Nia narrowed her eyes for a minute, before giving Larenz a dirty look.

"Oh, you. Don't talk to me." Nia said to him.

"Okay, do you know a girl named Kim?" Eric questioned Nia.

"Look, Derek,-"

"It's Eric, but if it's hard to say my name, then call me E."

Nia pursed her lips. "E, or whatever your name is, I don't know who these people are. All I know is you, that Dee girl over there and Larenz. I don't know any one else."

The door opened and it was the nurse. "Visiting hours are over." She kindly said to everyone in the room.

"Um, miss?" Nia called for the nurse.

"Yes, darling?"

"When am I going to leave?" She queried.

"Oh, you'll be right out of here by the 4th of June." She remarked, but Eric and Larenz gave shocked faces.

"The 4th? What you mean by the 4th?" Eric rudely questioned her.
"She has to leave by the 4th, we can't just release her and say have a good day like that, sir--"

"Okay, but the day after the 4th, she's graduating. And she needs to get ready for everything before the big day." Larenz cutted the nurse off.

Nia's face was veiled with confusion. "Graduating? I'm graduating for what?"

"For high school, remember? You don't know? You're a senior at William Taft High School?" Larenz tried to let her obtain her memory of the school, and she only got a little of it.

Nia shrugged her shoulders, and gave a hand gesture of knowing only a little bit. "Ehh."

"Miss, please, can you release by the 3rd at least?" Dee questioned the nurse. "My kids are graduating on the 5th."

The nurse gave a big sigh. "Alright, I'll try to talk to the doctor and speak about the change of schedule so that she can be released by the 3rd. But all of you have to work together to help her regain her memory."

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement, as the nurse left the room.

Dee walked over to Nia and kissed her head. "Bye, baby. We'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay.....woman I rarely know." Nia replied back to Dee with a small smile.

Dee stood up and looked over to Larenz and Eric. "This is gonna be the most toughest 2 days in my life."