Through The Wire

Chapter One: Breaking Free

Jahmel

I looked around at the bags remaining to load in the back of my Audi truck. I hated that my brother decided to move at the end of June. The sun was beaming down hard and I wasn't tryna get any sweatier than I already was. I had a quick move to make after this and I didn't have time to change. I sighed heavily and took a seat on the edge of the trunk waiting for my brother to bring his slow ass on. He was still living with our pops so he didn't have too much to bring. Most of his things were new and already at his new spot.

I opted to let him move in with me, but his hardheaded ass wanted to be on his own so bad my pops and I both said fuck it. He got himself a lil apartment on the west side. I had to give it to him, it was nice for only $700 a month. I looked down at the iced out watch on my wrist and back up at the house seeing my dad and Allen embracing one another. My dad handed him an envelope I'm sure was filled with some money to get by. Allen tried to give it back but pops pushed it back in his hands.

He thinks because our dad and I live comfortably that he's rich too, and I keep reminding him we worked for this shit. He had a job so he was getting a bag, but his money wasn't touching ours. Our dad already built his empire and here I am falling right in his foot steps.

My pops tried heavily to keep us out of the streets. He didn't want the life he lived for us. I'm a little older, so I witnessed and remember a lot more than Allen does. I was infatuated with the street lifestyle at a young age. The fast money we always had, the nice cars my dad and his friends always drove, the women that were always around, and the brotherhood I felt drew me in.

My brother on the other hand came up right. He was into comic books and video games, which quickly grew to sports and girls. My OG kept him when she and our dad split, and I stayed with my pops. I still saw him everyday, but our lifestyles were totally different. It wasn't until he kept getting caught with girls that she sent him to live with us. He was 15 then.

While he focused on basketball and his grades, I was sneaking my way in the streets. Don't get me wrong, we both had to keep 3.5 or higher GPA's, but I had no plans for college. My brother earned a full ride basketball scholarship to UIC and he picked up a part time job at this car dealership. He started off washing the cars for them but once they saw how easily he got along with customers they brought him on the floor. His charm, that we both get from our dad, kept their sales through the roof. He made a pretty decent living off the commission checks.

As for me, It didn't take my dad long to find out what I was into considering he's heavily plugged throughout the entire city of Chicago and the surrounding areas. He didn't get on me as much as I thought he would, but he did whoop my ass real good. He told me if I could stand on two feet after taking a beating from him, he would teach me all he knew. I may have only stood for a few seconds, but I did get back up every time. He respected that and he knew no matter how hard he fought for me not to be, I was just like him.

"Nigga fuck is you day dreaming bout some pussy or sum? Come yo big lip ass on," Allen cursed as he placed the other bags in the trunk. I cut my eyes to him and stood up towering over him by a few inches. I stretched my arms above my head and let a small yawn out before slapping him in the back of the head.

"Respect yo elders bitch," I joked and made my way to the driver's side of my car, hopping inside and push starting it up. Allen closed the trunk and hoped in next to me immediately leaning over to connect his phone to the Bluetooth. "Aight pops," I nodded at him and he waved us off before going back in the house as we made our way down the driveway onto the street.