"What about this one?" "Cat scratch." Kyrie replies. She and Cole sat in the middle of his bed, asking questions about the scars that they have. "Enough about me. What about this?" Kyrie says and traces a scar on Cole's left leg. "Basketball. Got kicked and I swear the dude had knives in the tip of his shoes." "Hahaha. And this one?" She says, resting her head on his shoulder and rubbing the scar on his neck. "You, Novia." Cole says and caresses his girlfriend's cheek. "I did that?" Kyrie asks and he nods. With a slight moment of thought, she realizes when she gave him that scar. He shouldn't have taken her favorite book. "And this one?" Cole's little marshmallow asks, fully intrigued by her boyfriend's body. "Boxing with Kel." He responds as he looks at the scar on his hip. Opposite of the one from the belt buckle. "This one?" Stallion asks and points to the indentation on Cole's stomach. "Stabbed myself with a pen when I was younger." He says and they share a laugh. "But what about this one?" Cole asks as he pokes his girlfriend's heart. "More than I could ever say." She says and buries her face in his neck. "Tell me, little mama." He says as he strokes her hair. With a sniffle and a tear wipe Kyrie sits up, looks up at Cole and spills her guts. Telling him things that she didn't know she could express. "Cole, to half of my family members, I'm a walking ghost. I wasn't supposed to be born. My mom had $1100 to get an abortion but she didn't do that. She went and put clothes on lay-a-way for her baby. The emotion that you have seen in me is new. Before I met you, I honestly don't remember the last time I even had a genuine laugh. My life has been hard but I knew that if I wanted better, I would have to overlook everything and everyone to keep my eyes on my own goal."
~~~
"Tray, just tell me!" Santos says as both boys walk down the street. "Baby! I can't." Trayvon responds, feeling overwhelmed. His boyfriend obviously sees that there is something wrong but he's being stubborn because he's scared of judgment and his own emotions. "Dammit, Trayvon! Look at me." Santos says and spins him around. "I'm your boyfriend. And I care about you. I hate to see you down. Baby, please, just tell me." Chresanto says and Tray looks down. It's so scary. Having to retell a story that has already been told. But the look in his boyfriend's eyes tells him that maybe, just maybe, he can confide in Santos as much as he confides in his best friend. "Ok, Santos." He says and pulls him over to a bench. "I'm not the best with things like this but I trust you and I love you. So here goes nothing." Trayvon states and breathes in deep. "My family has always had it rough. My mom was only 16 when she had me. My father was 17 and he took on an extra job to provide for us. My mother's father hated my guts. He thought I was a disgrace. Just because my mother decided to keep me and not live up to his dreams. My father fell sick when I was 8. Had a tumor. He held on for a full year. The day he died, me and Kyrie saw him. At different times but the same day. He read me a bedtime story and when my mother woke me up saying that he passed, I felt my heart die. And for years, I had no emotion. By then, I had known Kyrie and her family for 3 years. They all helped me and my mom. The life insurance money went to my mother so she could go back to school and get a decent job. We lived with the Williams'." Trayvon spoke with so much bottled up hurt it was even funny. He has only told this much about himself to one person who has been there since the beginning. Chresanto is stunned. He has everything he needs and wants. He couldn't imagine a world with only love to keep a person persevering. But that's what Tray and his family had. And this is why he takes love so strong. I mean, that word is never something to play with but if Trayvon tells you he loves you, you can trust and believe that he's telling the truth.
~~~
All of these children know one another. Three outta four have suffered from their own tragedies and continue to deal with the demons that haunt them. It's a struggle when you feel empty or unsupported. Nobody will ever understand what our youth go through. We all become labeled as delinquents but there's reasons behind the things we do. And how we feel. But our problems shape who we will become. Depending on if we let them control our lives or march on.
