No Love In The Game, No Trust In The Game!

Chapter 4

I got on the bus and headed back to the hotel. Melissa was watching Tammy for me while I went to audition. I didn't really expect to get the job so I had no idea who was gonna watch Tammy for me while I worked that night. I didn't really feel comfortable with leaving her at the hotel by herself all night, it's too many creeps that run in and out of there. I thought about calling mama but quickly changed my mind because she was most likely high anyway. Besides, I knew Tammy wouldn't want to stay with mama. When I got off the bus as I was walking through the hotel parking lot I noticed a red car following me. The car had tinted windows so I couldn't really see who was inside. It creeped me out so I started walking faster. Once I got to the front door entrance the car drove off. It had me feeling un easy but I brushed it off. "I'm back" I said as I walked into the room. Tammy was jumping up and down on the bed and Melissa was on her phone taking pictures in the mirror. "How'd it go girl?" Melissa asked. "Bitch he took one look at me and gave me the job!" I said as we jumped up and down screaming of excitement. "Omg this is gonna be so much fun. Us working together and making money at the same time girl it's LIT!" Melissa said. "I know but I need to find someone to watch Tammy while I work. I didn't think about that part." "Why don't you ask your bestfriend Rachel?" She asked. "Idk, Me and Rachel haven't been on the same page lately. Don't get me wrong she's still my bestfriend and I love her to death but she has her own agenda going on and so do I so we haven't really been talking that much lately. You know she just had her baby plus she's taking online classes so she can graduate next year. Even though she dropped out when she got pregnant I'm proud of her for going back. Even if she's graduating a year late it's still an accomplishment." I said proudly. "Yea you're right but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't mind watching Tammy. She has a baby so it's not like she's going anywhere tonight anyway." Melissa said as she grabbed her purse and jacket. " Whatever you figure out let me know and ill see you tonight girl." She said as she walked out the door. "I'm going over Auntie Rachel's house tonight?" Tammy asked. She must've been being nosey and overheard my conversation. "I haven't been over there in a while and I miss Kayla" she said. "Idk yet Tammy. Let me think about it." Being at Rachel's house always brung back flashbacks of when her father Jermaine was alive. He used to pimp, beat, and some of everything else to Rachel and her mom. All of that stopped after he died but the memories were still there. I was so overprotective of Tammy that part of me didn't want to leave her there but Jermaine was long gone and I knew Rachel and her mom would never let anything happen to her anyway. They loved us like family. "Fine you can go." I said. "Yayyyyyy" Tammy yelled. "I can't wait to see Kayla and brush her hair and dress her up like a little baby doll." She said as her eyes lit up. I laughed because looking at Tammy was literally like looking at a younger version of me. I used to be the same way with her when she was a baby. I loved taking care of her and playing dress up. She loved Rachel's daughter Kayla like I loved her when she was a baby and it made my heart warm inside to see the cycle repeating. "Get you're stuff together so we can go T"

I sat in the nail shop getting impatient because I had been waiting for over an hour and it was getting late. I still had to get my hair done too and if I missed my appointment I was gonna be pissed. I had to look like a edible arrangement tonight. I was planning on taking every nigga's first of the month check up in that club. "Okay I do you nails now come" Ming lee said. "Damn, finally." I said frustrated from waiting so long. "Why you have attitude? You so pretty you look like model. Models no have nasty attitude hunny. Come on now I do nail for you make it look real nice." She said. I laughed and walked over to her station. As soon as I sat down my phone started ringing. "Hello?" I said. "Kay where are you can you come help me?" "Tammy! What's wrong? Where's Rachel and why is Kayla screaming like that?" I yelled into the phone. "I don't know. That's why I need you're help. Kayla won't stop crying and I don't know what to do. I changed her diaper and feed her but she's still crying. I think she just wants her mama." She said. "WHERE IS RACHEL TAMMY?" I said panicking. "I don't know Kay. She went to Walgreens to go get Kayla's medicine but that was hours ago and she hasn't come back yet." "Where is her mom at Tammy where is Jackie?" I asked grabbing my jacket and heading for the door. "I told you Kay I DON'T KNOW! She left right after you dropped me off. It was just me, Auntie Rachel, and Kayla here but then Kayla started coughing really bad and Auntie Rachel said she was going to go get her asthma medicine. Walgreens is right down the street so she should've been back which is why I called you. Karmen Kayla won't stop crying and I really don't know what to do just please come get us!" She cried. Hearing her cry reminded me that she's still so young. I put so much responsibility on Tammy that I sometimes forget that she's only 9 years old. She's so young but so mature for her age that I forget she's still a baby herself. "I'm coming Tammy I'm on my way right now it'll be okay. I'll be there in 10 minutes just try to calm Kayla down." I said. I hung up and called Rachel furious but she didn't answer. She probably dipped off to Mark's house to get a quickie or something I thought. Mark is her baby daddy that's she's always on and off with. I can't believe she would leave Tammy and Kayla in the house by their self for some dick. She better hope I don't beat her ass for this shit cause the way I'm feeling right now I could kill somebody I thought. "Rachel why tf would you leave those kids in the fuckin house all alone? And for what? Some dick? I know that's where you went cause it don't take 3 fuckin hours to go to the store down the street! This is a new low even for you. Call me back asap!" I yelled into the phone as I left her a voicemail for the hundredth time. I got to her house 20 minutes later and seen 3 police cars outside. Oh no. Somebody must've heard Kayla screaming and called the police. Fuck! If they find out Tammy and Kayla were here alone they're going to try to call child protective services I thought as I tried to hold the tears back. I walked up to the police as my heart pounded fast. I was trying to think of a good excuse. "Excuse me miss do you live here?" one of the police officers asked me. "Ummm yes, did someone complain about the crying? I'm so sorry, I just ran to the store for 5 minutes I swear I wasn't gone long." I said nervously. "No, no one called and complained, its about Rachel Jackson. She had her ID on her and it had this address on it. I'm sorry but there was a shooting outside of the Walgreens down the street and she was-" "Oh god no please" I cut him off. "Please don't say what I think you're about to say." I cried. "I'm so sorry but she didn't make it. A stray bullet hit her in the chest and she bleed out." "NOOOOOOOO!" I screamed as I fell to the ground. "Please no, go get her please. Just go get her! Do something, resuscitate her, bring her back, do something, anything!" I cried. "I'm sorry ma'am but it's out of our hands, she's gone." "Karmen what's wrong?" Tammy yelled as she ran out of the house with Kayla on her hip. "Kay get up what's wrong?" She started to cry because I was crying. "It's Rachel Tammy. She's gone." I said barely able to catch my breath from crying so hard. "What do you mean she's gone? Where did she go?" Tammy asked. "She's gone like Grandma Ester Tammy. She's not coming back okay?!" I yelled. Tammy started to cry uncontrollably. I got off the ground and picked Kayla up from Tammy. I held her in my arms while I cried. She had been crying all night because she wanted her mother and now her mother was gone and never coming back. My heart felt like it was leaving my body. Rachel was my bestfriend. My ONLY real friend. She was more like a sister. We grew up together. I didn't know how I could make it in this world without her, she was always my back bone. We took care of each other. When mama would disappear for days and leave me and Tammy in the house starving it was Rachel who would sneak out and bring us food. Whenever Rachel would have nightmares from all the times her dad used to pimp her out it was me who would stay up all night with her until she fell asleep. I was there when she gave birth to Kayla. I was there for everything and now all I had left were memories. As I held Kayla and cried I saw a red car pull up in the driveway. It was the same red car that was following me earlier but I was too distraught to notice. I saw Rachel's mom Jackie and her brother Kevin get out and they ran over to us. "KAY WHAT'S WRONG??? WHY ARE ALL THESE POLICEMEN HERE? DID MARK COME OVER TRYING TO FIGHT RACHEL AGAIN?"  She asked worried. "No, it's Rachel. She's gone! They said there was a shooting at the store and Rachel got hit by a stray bullet." I said as the tears started falling again. "NO GOD NO NOT MY BABY!!!" She screamed as Kevin held her. Kevin was Rachel's older brother. I hadn't seen him in a couple years. After their father was killed Kevin moved to Atlanta. Word around town was he tracked down who killed Jermaine and returned the favor to them and their whole family so he had to get out of town until things died down a bit. He ended up staying down south for a couple of years. He just got back in town a couple of days ago. I remember having the biggest crush on Kevin growing up. I tried to make a move on him when I was 15 but he shut me down quick. He's 7 years older than me and Rachel so he was 21 at the time. He would always say "Stop it, you a shorty to me." I stared at him as he held his mother and cried thinking how fucked up it is that he just came home and reunited with his family after all of these years and this happened. What a fucked up welcome home surprise. "Did anybody else get hit?" Kevin asked the police officers as tears streamed down his face. "No just her. Why? Do you think you know who could've done this?" He asked Kevin. "Nah, but imma find out."