Try It If You Want.

We Love You , Jayden .

Cortez's POV

I sped down the road , not giving a fuck if 5.0 catches me . My life doesn't matter right now . Nor did the people's lives in the backseat mattered . Jay's life mattered . He never meant to hurt anyone . He was the sweetest one out of all of us , he doesn't deserve this . I deserved it . I'm the one not protecting my mama . I'm the one mistreating these girls . I'm the one cheating on Karyzma with my ex . I'm the one failing most of my classes , not Jay ! Why the fuck does he deserve this shit ??? I'm the one that deserves to get shot ! This is a bunch of bullshit , I will fucking kill whoever did this shit to him . Let that be fucking known .

I swerved into the hospital parking lot , almost hitting another car . I parked the car and ran into the hospital front desk . "I want to see Jayden Fortes . Please , I'm his brother ." I exasperated , holding back tears . I never felt this way before . "What's your name , sir ?" the front office lady asked . "Cortez Mitchell ." "Oh yeah , his mom listed you as such ... Well he is in room 204 , that's just down this hallway ." "Thank you ." I was halfway down the hallway when I said that . "201 , 202 , 203 ..." I stopped in front of the room 204 . I just stared . I can't even imagine what Jayden looks like now . He had this nice smile with perfect white teeth . His skin was a brown caramel color , and was always smooth . He was built . He looked nice for his age . I just can't imagine what he looks like now . Graham , Trev , and Cam caught up with me . They stared at the door too . This shit was unreal . Jayden was the last person I'd imagine getting shot . I swallowed , and opened the door . I kinda regret it . Because what I saw , I wasn't ready for . It was Jayden , in the hospital bed , with the ventilator on the side beeping . That's a good sign . He had IV needles in his right arm and his eyes were closed . He arms looked so small , and brittle . I cupped my mouth to cover my shock . I wish I was in that bed right now . On the verge of death . Not him . The rest of the guys walked in . We saw Lil Man in a chair beside him . His face was in his hands . Trevor walked over to him and rubbed his back . "I ... I talked to him ." Lil Man whimpered after a couple moments . "Really ? what did y'all talk about ?" Cam said back . I sat in the chair right next to Jayden's left side . I slipped my hand under his and locked our fingers together . Don't leave me ... "He said he knows who shot him ..." I shot a look at Lil Man . "Who ???" I almost shouted . At the same time the guys told me to shh , Jayden squeezed my hand . I looked at him , and his eyes were slightly opened . "Cortez ...." He tried to say . "Yes , Jayden , I'm here for you ... What's wrong ?" His lips barely curled into a smile . "You remember that nigga who you broke his nose and kicked in his balls ?" His voice was so fragile and faint . "Yeah .... That was a long time ago ..." "Yeah ... He shot me ..."

I have never gotten so mad in my damn life . But ... At the same time , I was calm .. "Are you serious ?" I said after a few inhales . "Yeah ... But I don't care . If I do die , which I'm sure I would , it doesn't matter . Imma still be with you guys . I'd never leave y'all . I love y'all ." A couple of tears fell from my eyes and I smiled . "We love you too ." "Can you tell my girlfriend I love her too ?" "Ariana ? Yeah , I'll tell her ." Lil Man replied . "Okay ... Here's my last words , because I know they are gonna cut the line ... I asked them too . But uhm , Damarion ? I love you . I known you the longest and the best . I told you everything . You were my baby brother . You still are . You'll always be . Just pray when I'm gone , and I promise you , I'm responding in a heartbeat ." Lil Man smiled and nodded . "Trevor , Cameron ... I know y'all are gay . I'm the first to know . You can't keep a secret from me , wether you like it or not . And I love y'all for that . You guys made me laugh the most ... You brought happiness to my life . I am always here for you two . Never forget that ." They both smiled and nodded . "And ... Cortez ?" I turned my head to him with tears filling my eyes . He fully smiled at me . "Don't cry . I'm not leaving you . I'm always with you ." "It's my fault you are in this hospital bed ... I should've kept to myself . You don't deserve this , Jay ..." "But it's okay . It's totally fine . I'm gonna be in such a better place now . I will be watching over you . I love you to death . That's why I want you to pull the plug when it's time ..." I looked at him in his eyes . "W-what ? Me ...?" "Yes . I always saw you as a role model . And when you give me that little push toward heaven , I can be your guardian angel . Along with your grandma . I can be all of your guardian angels ." He closed his eyes . "I love you guys ." Before we could say it back , the doctor , Ariana , and Jay's mom came in . "It's time . Cortez , you know what you gotta do ?" The doctor , Dr. Drake , asked me . I nodded , shaking a little . "Yes , ma'am ." "Okay ... Did you say your goodbyes ?" "They don't have to ... Imma still be there ." Jayden faintly said . Dr. Drake smiled . "Well , are you ready , Cortez ?" I stared at Jay . Imma miss this man , here . I love him so much . I squeezed his hand one last time , and with the other hand , I reached for the plug to the ventilator . He squeezed back . I kissed his forehead . "I love all of you . I really do ." He said lowly while grinning . Tears rolled down my eyes . "We love you too , Jayden ." We all replied . He smiled . I pulled the plug hesitantly . Beep .. Beep .. Beep .. Beep .. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep . His lips faltered , and his grip on my hand loosened . I couldn't hold it in anymore . I let all my tears out . Dr. Drake placed the cover over his head and backed up . It was long time when everyone stopped crying . Like ... A hour and a half . When we calmed down , we had to leave . I was the last one to leave out . I glanced at his body . I speed walked back over to him and lifted the cover . I faintly smiled and kissed his nose .

"We love you , Jayden ."