A Doll In a Dog's Eye

5

"That's what's up." A random girl said as she took a seat next to Tiana, who was waiting for her hair to be done and engaging in conversation with the other ladies in the shop.  All were being styled or waiting to be styled but that was the norm.

Every Thursday Dij's Details experienced the establishment biggest traffic. This was Khadijah's salon and way of legitimizing or "cleaning" her money. She offered a variety services from lashes and make up, to nails, and hair styling, she also housed a female barber. Thursdays and Friday's was certainly her busiest days of the week, because everyone in the 777 would be preparing for the weekend's festivities and Khadijah made sure she had the best of the best stylists who were ready to deliver.

"Tell me about it." Khadijah's cousin, Amanda, in her thick Jamaican accent as she re-twisted the dreads in her clients' as the shop conversation floured.

Khadijah was currently on Aubree's head. Everything was going on from facials, pedicures, and manicures, to eye brow threading and waxing.

"Ay' girlfriend," Khadijah called to Tiara. "Go pick your colors while I finish up."

"Sure t'ing girlfriend." Tiana smiled.

"Alright, me told you 'bou d'at." Amanda scowled sarcastically at Tiana, laughing.

"Me hear you." Tiana joked, walking over to the wall of polishes, "Y'all know I like that accent shit...It's mad cute..."

After stepping back and looking at the variety, before turning around and finishing her sentence bullets came flying through the window causing the glass to shatter and immediate chaos from customers taking cover.

By the time Aubree reached Tiana, who was over by the window, she had fallen, and was now suffering from 2 gun shots to the shoulder, and upper left chest area.

No!!!" Aubree yelled, clenching Tiana as the unmarked vehicle fled the scene. "T!"

Applying pressure to her wounds, others came rushing over, cell phones out calling for help.

"Oh my God." A shockingly disturbed Khadijah spoke. "Tiana."

"Help. Please." A sincerely hurt Aubree whimpered.

"I called the police." Khadijah stated, still in shock.

"No. Help me get her up. Please. I gotta take her. I gotta help my best friend." Aubree cried as she Khadijah and several other women helped a barely breathing Tiana to the car.

Tiana was holding on to life by a strand, and the entire time Aubree was praying that she would not experience this loss.

After entering the ER, Tiana was immediately carried away to the emergency room, with no information being released to Aubree or Khadijah. However, after seven hours of praying, crying, and mind bottling questions a surgeon finally appeared.

"Aubree Santiaga?" Dr. Lee questioned, approaching the women as they stood to their feet.

"Yes? How is Tiana? Is she going to be okay?" Aubree panicked.

"Miss Santiaga, this brings me great grief. I am sorry to inform you that after a very extensive amount of surgery, and putting forth our best efforts very best surgeons, our efforts were exhausted. The bullet that appeared to have struck Tiana's shoulder, travel downward and punctured Tiana's spinal cord. She ended up bleeding out, and we were unable to revive. Tiana died in surgery."