Lion's Pride

Chapter 6 (Part 2)

J . a . h . ' . e . i . m

SOUNDS OF BONE THUGZ-N-HARMONY FILL MY EARS BUT SOON mentally fade away as I am too engrossed in my own thoughts to focus on it. Growing up, I was always the one to settle demons with fighting. That alone has put slight fear behind my name when it is spoken between people of the town. I don't care who someone may come off as or even who they truly are. If they aren't my immediate family, which I preferably don't have much of, I don't hold any type of remorse towards them in bad situations. Simple as that. I sit back and into the jet black leather seats, scratching my head slightly. The streets are where I thought things would get good for me and my family but now years later, I am thinking otherwise. Lights wiz over my head, some of them I'm not remembering even being green before I proceed. Speaking of which, I come to a stop at a red light. I peer ahead, seeing cars cross in front of me.

Things didn't necessarily tend to get hot in the streets of Atlanta, but when they did, the ground might as well have been made of lava. Right now, it was more than lava and they have been at that point for the longest time. Rivalries between street gangs happened to be more common than one would think. Whether it's small and low key gangs like the Rangers and the Capli, or more known ones like The Santiago Secrecy and Cartier Clan running against one other. Things are bound to always happen and never stop like a never ending song that annoys you.

Of course on the clean outskirts of Atlanta things seem safe with the nice attractions, great strips to walk with food trucks in every direction, and nice people that radiate good energy. To me though, because I have seen almost all of the city in it's brightest moments and lowest moments as well, Atlanta ain't what people think it is. Children as young as 2 years old are being shot in broad daylight and robberies happening every ten seconds. One of the most spiteful things I will never do in my life is kill someone's child. That being said, I put more emphasis on the child part. Now young adults, older than 17, are a different case. They are more capable of making their own decisions and knowing what right from wrongs are.

The light but heard sound of a honking horn tears me away from my personal thoughts which makes me look up abruptly to finally see that the light has turned green now. Letting my foot ease off of the brake, I hit the gas and started off in the same direction I was currently going in. The hospital wasn't too far now that I was already most of the way there. The hairs on my neck arise as I come to terms with the anxiety I have behind hospitals. Goosebumps come slowly as I exhale and ponder what would happen next.

Not too long ago, my mother had found herself with a tumor in the right part of her brain and I just found out from a doctor just less than a year ago that I couldn't play the one thing that I loved. So with that being said, hospitals don't necessarily rub me the right way. I know that the staff of doctors and nurses are only just doing their designated jobs, but it seems like before we go to get a check up, everything is perfectly fine but soon turns sour. Now, with dad being there as all, it makes me the most of nervous. They might just happen to tell us that he has severe bronchitis and is on his death bed.

     You never know honestly.

Spotting the familiar brown building up ahead, I turn my steering wheel and whip into the parking lot of the hospital only to see that the place was just as I expected, packed. It's times like this where I wish that I had kept my handicapped sticker from a while ago because I seriously didn't feel like looking through all of the lanes for one  small parking space. I waste no time though as I speed drive through a good three lanes with filled parking spaces. It wasn't until I got to the front of the building where a long ramp/walkway could be seen. I finally whip my car into reverse and back into the parking spot like an expert. Not to toot my own horn but I'm probably the best driver that I know. Only because of the many high speed chases that I had to deal with involving the police and enemies.