You Vs. Them (Jhene Aiko and Kendrick Lamar)

Chapter 1: Reality

Miko POV

They needed me. I was 17 and they needed me. I sat there staring at my siblings the youngest one 4. This was the second time this week that my mother hadn't come home. We were out of food and the only money we had was a few dollars, that wasn't enough to feed us all though. I sighed. "Mimi I'm hungry." I know I'm trying to figure something out Sweetpea." I pulled my brother Abe to the side he was like 9 months apart form me in age. "Take them to Ms Rosie's so y'all can get food and get cleaned up." "where you going." " To find Mama. "Aight." he said not even arguing with me, partially cause he knew he wouldn't win. I grabbed my back pack and left the house. Everything I ever needed was in this backpack it was my life.

I finally reached the destination and stood outside the old run down building. I went in. "Aye Mimi I ain't know you was performing tonight, it's about to be live." one of the customers yelled at me. I waved to them. I loved my fans. I reached the back where some naked girls were getting dressed. I cringed, I could never imagine taking off my clothes for money. Ya'll probably thought I was a stripper or something, nah I'm not. When i get on that stage the only thing I strip down to is my soul. I bear it all in front of all these strangers and tell my story. I sing. The club pays me, it helps out a lot when Mama don't come home too.

Here's some history:

I'm 17 years old. I have 5 other brothers and sisters. The oldest of us all is Jake, he's in prison for attempted murder, he tried to kill our father. After him its me, I'm Miko Brown, 17 year old, junior in High school, mother if four when she's not around. After me there's Abraham he's 16 until this Saturday then he'll turn 17, after him there's Mila and Joshua the twins, 12, then there's Bridgett aka Sweetpea the baby she's four. Our mother was kind enough to let us all have the same father. What she wasn't kind enough to do was allow us to have a father that actually cared about our safety. Our dad was a drug dealer and he had gotten our mother hooked on Heroine. She was in and out of rehab but it never helped. My dad started using me Jake and Abraham to make his sells, we would all end up getting separated, one night one of his buyers attacked me and raped me, I wouldn't tell Jake who did it so he ended up attacking my daddy, he beat him unconscious. That's when Jake went to prison, and that was about 5 years ago, he has two years left. I can't wait til he gets out.

I changed into a long ,maxi dress that flowed. I was short so it drug on the ground as I walked. As soon as I walked to the stage I could feel the beat to a song i had just recorded, my best friend since grade school, Kendrick; he raps so he hooked me up with his studio. He was the only one who knew why I did this. I swayed my way on stage, you could interpret this song to think that it was about a bad breakup, or something like that but it was about my dad to me, I didn't need him in my life but he was my father and every girl needed thier father.

Tell me what you say now, tell me what you say come again

If you can not stay down then you do not have to pretend

see there is no way out, i shouldn't have let you in

but you got me face down

see don't take this personal, but you're the worst you know what you done to me

and although it hurts I know, that I can't keep running away

I don't need you, I don't need you, I don't need you, don't need you, but I love you...

Kendrick POV

I watched as Miko swayed back and forth on the stage, her body lingering to the beat. I could tell this beat was about to take over her as she lifted her arms and danced like a gypsy to it. She was beautiful, she was beautiful every time I saw her, here when i was watching her perform, at school in regular street clothes. I think I was the only one who knew she did this. I made sure to always tip her big too, they passed around a hat at every performance I always dropped at least 100 in there. This song was everything though. I bobbed my head to it, the beat was dope as fuck. I just vibed to it. She did like three more songs and then exited the stage. I went outside as I do every night she performed and waited.

She finally came out wearing a hoodie. Some dude walked up behind her grabbing her arm."Aye you can't hear girl." he said to her. She snatched away. "Don't touch me!" she yelled. The dude swung and let a hand go across her face. Why did I have to see this shit, I pulled the gun I was carrying from my waist band and pointed to the back of the dude's dome. "Bruh we gotta problem?" I asked my voice stern so that he could know I meant business."Nah, no problem bruh, I was just talking to the young lady." I took my hoodie off and peeped over his shoulder to look at Miko. "Aye Miko you wanna talk to him." She shook her head vigorously form left to right. "Get outta here dude for you loose your life." I told him. He ran away.

"You okay?" I asked her but I knew she wasn't her eyes were filling with tears. "Thank you." she said starting to walk. "Let me give you a ride home." I told her. She didn't hesitate to follow me to my car. "You knew that dude?" " No, and thank you for doing that." she said. " No problem I always make sure you get home safe, I'm surprised you didn't notice that." She smiled a crooked smile, "I did." she said. The ride was pretty quiet. " You did good tonight." " thank you." "Yea I told you that song would be dope... you were dope." She didn't say anything just smiled

Miko POV

I left the stage and went to change into regular clothes so I could go home. I wouldn't be looking for my mother either, she was probably in that drug hole she was the last time I went looking for her. I wasn't going back there. I walked out in my hoodie and sweats and went up to the John the manager. "Aye Kendrick is here, he's outside. he said" I smiled, Kendrick probably thought I didn't know he came to see me all the time or the fact that he followed me home every night to see if I made it there alive. I noticed that he did that and I was flattered that he would take time out of his schedule to do so.I also wondered why he just didn't tell me he knew I was performing in the first place. I collected my earnings form John, he handed it to me in a envelope. " you made out good tonight, better then my girls." he said, I smiled. By girls he meant the ones who danced. "Thank you John see you Monday." I said as I slipped the envelope into my pockets.

I made my way to the door. " Aye Miko." some dude yelled I didn't recognize the voice so I didn't turn around. I was outside when he made another comment. "Aye girl you can't hear." with that he grabbed me by the arm. I snatched away from him, fuck this nigga think he is grabbing on me and shit. "Don't touch me!" I yelled. I guess he got mad cause his hand was coming towards my face super fast. It stung so bad. I heard a familiar voice. " We got a problem bruh?" I knew that was Kendrick thank god he was here. " Nah, no problem bruh, I was just talking to the young lady." he said. The dude who was behind he other dude peeped over his shoulder removing his hoodie. Yes it's Kendrick. "Aye Miko you wanna talk to him?" he asked me although I'm sure he knew the answer to that question. I shook my head hard no. "Get outta here dude before you loose your life." Kendrick said sending the dude running away. "You okay?" he asked. I don't know why that scared me so much, I had been through worst. I just started crying. "Thank you." I said starting my walk home.

"Let me give you a ride." Kendrick said. I wasn't about to turn down anything right now for all I knew that dude was round the corner waiting for me. "You knew that dude?" "No, thank you for doing that." "No problem, I always make sure you get home safe, I'm surprised you didn't notice." "I did." I was smiling, Kendrick was so fine to me but I'm sure he had other females that was worth his time. Our ride got so quiet. " You did good tonight." "Thank you." "I told you that that song would be dope...you were dope." Awww he thought I was dope, shit I was dope, but the fact that he noticed was dope. Shoot I said dope too much. I continued to smile.

We finally pulled up in front of my house. Abe was on the porch waiting for me or Mama I guess which ever one of us showed up first. Kendrick got out as he walked me to the door. "Aye what's up Abe." I forgot they knew each other we did go to the same school. " What's up Ken." they dapped each other's fist. "You find her?" Abe asked turning his attention to me. "No, did you guys do that?" "Yea, everybody ate, they're in bed." "Ok cool, take this." I said to him handing the envelope full of cash. He went in the house not even looking at it. "Everything good?" Kendrick asked. "Yea." "ok, see you at the spot tomorrow." "Ok." I hugged him, thanking him again for saving me and went in the house.