Law and Order: Special Victims Unit Gangster

33. Fine

Detective Juliana Price sat at her desk, contemplating her near parenthood, as well as her own parents. Juliana definitely did not have an easy or nice family life growing up, or just an easy or nice life in general. It was full of violence, lies, drugs, death, pain, and abandonment. It was a horrific thing that Juliana was relieved that her children would never have to experience themselves. Juliana remembered all the awful things that happened to her and that she had to do on the streets. It was too much to even remember all at once. There was just so much pain, all for only one person. It was what made her mother so dependent upon religion. It was the only good source of answers and explanations. Juliana remembered one of her most shameful moments of her childhood; the day that she had to teach her sister Mari how to steal before school.

"I don't understand. I thought stealing was bad. That's what Miss Bailey said," her younger sister protested, confused.
"Shut up, Mari. I'm trying to help you, okay? Miss Bailey might be right sometimes, but being right won't get you a meal, huh?" Juliana pointed out. "Do you wanna do the right thing, or do you wanna have food, and money? Mama needs our help, baby."
"Okay," Mari nodded.
"Good, now watch me," Juliana sighed. "Kids your age are the easiest. All you have to do is be quiet, and be scary enough. Watch me, stay there."

She crept up behind a tree, in front of a young girl and boy, maybe in the second grade, a year older than Juliana's sister Mari. Juliana then walked out in front of them suddenly and intimidatingly. She was a year older than the two kids, and bigger, and it was obvious.
"Hey, wassup?" Juliana asked.
"Nothing," the little boy replied, trying to walk past.
A nine year-old Juliana pushed the boy down on the ground, as the little girl screamed. "Hey! You not 'post to do that!"
"What you gon do about it, huh?" The young Juliana asked, backing her up against the tree, pulling out a piece of broken glass, holding it out right in front of her. "Now I need some money. Can y'all help me out? Huh?"
"We only got enough money for one lunch," the girl sobbed.
"Give me that sh*t, and don't you tell nobody," Juliana ordered as the girl threw the change at her, then running away with her brother in absolute terror.
"You see that sh*t?" Juliana asked. "That's how you post to do it."
Mari nodded silently
"I know it's hard for you, Mari, but we got no choice. Everybody gotta live somehow, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Right. That's why you don't finesse the same people too many times, unless they got good money. Even if you steal, you still gotta be good about that sh*t. You gotta get that money, and get yourself a lunch so you don't get too hungry, okay? I love you, Mari."
"I love you, Juliana."

That was the day that Juliana's sister Mari became addicted to stealing, and riches, the day that since then had landed her life in prison, for attempted larceny and murder. That was the day that she had given up the rest of her life, the day that Juliana had pushed her sister off the deep end. She knew that that day, even if it only bothered Juliana, would remain with her for the rest of her life. She had ruined her own sister's life, and Juliana prayed that she wouldn't end up doing the same thing to her children one way or another. She would love them, and would only do what was necessary, which thankfully wouldn't be anything that horrible. Julian would be a good mother, in a good environment. She knew that her children wouldn't have to go through what she did as a child, like what happened when her brother Chris died, or the reason that he was killed in the first place, that took place the day before the tragic drive-by.
"Y'all ready?" C-Note called to the siblings as they sat waiting on the porch.
"Yeah, cuz, just had to do some sh*t, you know?" Juliana asked as they all did the gang handshake.
He nodded. "I feel you, I feel you. Let's head to the corner, Cronut's there wit Lil D and K-Mac. Oh, sh*t, I almost forgot, J, Marlon gon be there," he smirked.
"Shut the f**k up, C," Juliana laughed.
"Aight then, let's go," Chris laughed along.

The six of them were a tightly knit part of the gang. They were all close, extremely close. They would have all taken bullets for each other, before the events that led to the drive-by, of course. When they got to the street corner, Juliana shook hands with Cronut, Lil D, K-Mac, and Marlon, her closest and only true friends back then. They all hopped into Cronut's beat up old car, and rode around carefree with music blaring on the radio. They had just stopped at the liquor store and were all beyond drunk.
  "Aye, J, cuz we gon stop at Big B's place for a minute, can you run the car?" Lil D laughed uncontrollably. "Ima jack some bars," Marlon added.
  "Aight," Juliana nodded.

The guys all ran into the house as Juliana sat in the car, with the engine running. She was nodding off to sleep when she heard a knock on the car door. It was one of Big B's cousins, Angelo.
  "Juliana! Can you get out the car real quick, I just wanna talk wit you," he called.

Juliana rolled her eyes. She knew that was code for 'I wanna fight'. She grabbed her knife out of her pocket, opened the door, and immediately socked him in the face. They threw punches and kicks back and forth, until Juliana managed to take him from behind and tackle him, then proceeding to suffocate him until he was unconscious. She panted breathlessly, dropping the unconscious man and kicking his head into the curb. Her other gang members all ran out to the car, after having stolen loads of drugs and alcohol. They all immediately sobered up after having seen what Juliana had done to Angelo, and what it meant for their set.
  "Oh, sh*t," Chris murmured. "¡Dios mío, Juliana!"
  "Holy sh*t, *****, you just took our Big Angelo! He's Big B's cousin! Man...." K-Mac began.
  "Aye, save your b**chin for later, aight? We in some deep sh*t now, we gotta go, before someone sees this sh*t," Juliana said urgently.

They all hopped into the car, rushing away from the scene. Chris sighed worriedly.
  "Aye, if y'all hear someone talkin bout that sh*t, you just tell em it was me. I can't be riskin sh*t on my sister like that."
  Juliana shook her head in refusal. "Oh, hell nah, we ain't snitching on you for that sh*t. I can protect my bread and allat, aight? Don't be worrying bout me."
  "Come on, you're my little sister. You know I couldn't leave you alone if I wanted to. What would Mama say? It was my job to keep you up off these streets, and I ain't even do that, mamas, I at least gotta keep you safe."

The rest of that car ride was completely silent.
"You good?" Marlon asked Juliana.
"I'm fine," Juliana snapped.
"Just let me know if you need something, J," he sighed.

Juliana mused about her difficult childhood silently at her desk, frozen.
"Juliana. Are you alright?" Fin asked quietly, hand on her shoulder.
"What?" Juliana asked suddenly, snapping out of her distraction. "Oh. Yeah, I'm fine, Fin. Just fine."