Twonder (Completed)

Chapter 21: My Sister's Keeper

" Please pick up, please pick up." Jessica sniffled into the phone as she wandered down Spring Garden Street in North Philly with ripped shorts and a bloodied face.

" Hello?" Cleo's groggy voice conveyed that the time of day was beyond a normal time for her to receive a phone call; she was whispering into the phone as to not wake a slumbering Wakeem next to her. Little did she know Wakeem was a light sleeper, and had awoken at the first hint of Cleo stirring.

" Cleo oh my God, thank you Jesus. Cleo! Please come get me." Once Cleo had picked up the phone Jessica felt her resolve waning and let her tears flow freely down her face.

" What happened? Where are you?" Cleo was already fumbling in the dark for her jeans and groping for the gun Wakeem usually left on her dresser.

" I'm on Spring Garden, near Ben Franklin, you know the school. Some stuff went down when I went to Javier's and they raped me! Then I went home forgetting that Auntie had gone outta town and I lost my keys and- and- I'm scared!" Jessica was now crying so hard that her breaths were beating her ability to produce words and it felt as if the wind had been knocked outta her chest.

" Go to Ben Franklin I'll be there in ten minutes." Cleo said as she hung up the phone now fully alert as she threw a sweatshirt on over her head and slipped on a pair of running sneaks. She'd been so caught up in getting herself together that'd she'd totally missed when Wakeem had gotten out of bed and dressed as well.

" You go, I go." Wakeem said in response to Cleo's confused stare, she should've known by now that Wakeem was loyal to her in every aspect.

" Baby girl what happened?" Cleo ran full speed to a crumpled Jessica as she sat on the steps to a high school looking like she'd been through hell and back. Wakeem was right on her heels with his hand resting on the weapon Cleo still counted as her own, the crumpled young girl sent waves of disdain up and down his body. Seeing any female in pain was a weakness of his that he fought to conceal, and the fact that the young girl was so closely connected to Cleo only multiplied this feeling.

" I- I-I." Jessica had snot running down her chin and tears flooding her eyes at record speeds, she couldn't speak and after realizing this Cleo stopped asking questions and simply led the broken girl back to the car.

" He raped me. They raped me." Jessica had composed herself enough on the ride to Cleo's apartment so that by time everyone was settled in the living room she could recount what happened.

" Start from the beginning." Cleo said in an almost mothering tone as her and Wakeem sat opposing Jessica on a loveseat. Cleo's body was engulfed by Wakeem's long and sure handed arms as she sat in the safety and security of his lap, both adults looked on with sympathy and rage at the tragedy that'd befallen the young girl in front of them.

Jessica leaned back into the couch and drew the arms of the hoodie Cleo had given her around her body and took heavy breaths so that she could recollect all the events of the night without breaking down completely.

" Auntie went to Atlantic city for her birthday weekend with a couple of her friends, and I begged and pleaded to be left home alone because I thought my ass was grown-" At the last part of her statement Jessica shook her head in irony at her relative naivety; her naturally curly hair bounced at the movement, it held a slightly looser curl pattern than Cleo's but in a quick glance once could mistake that the two were loosely related.

" So I decided to go up to Javier's and spend the night, he said his dad was working the night shift so it would be ok. Fuck, I sound stupid!" Jessica took both of her hands and grabbed fistfuls of her hair as she realized the trivial missteps she should've recognized at first sight. If her dad found out he would murder her and Javier.

" It's not your fault Jess, go on." Cleo shot a quick text to her boss advising him of the situation currently unfolding in her living room. She was torn as to whether to bring the young girl to the cops, or let Wakeem handle it like only a man who loved Cleo could, but just as she thought that was the right decision she remembered Jerome. The brother who'd risked his freedom for revenge on her behalf, she couldn't have another ruined life on her conscience.

" I went up there and his brother and three friends was there too. At first it was all cool we were just drinking and watching TV, but once the liquor started to get in them they started getting frisky and shit. I tried to leave saying I wasn't feeling well and all, but Jav said I was being a baby so I stayed. Long story short he started touching me right there in front of everybody and then they all started joining in."

Jessica's eyes were glazed over and she didn't know if her floodgates would hold before she could finish her story.

" The only reason I was able to get away was because I used this." Jessica flashed a gold encrusted, army style, pocketknife. Without a second glance Cleo surmised Jessica's father gave it to her, being that the gaudy color and gems seemed likened to the man Jess had described her father as rather than herself.

" How many?" Wakeem was counting the number of bullets he had, in his head, while asking the question to see if that was gonna be enough to silence the foul motherfuckers who'd ravaged the young girl.

" 4. Javier's brother didn't join in, he left before it got really outta hand."

" Now there's two things we could do. Tell the cops, or tell ya dad." Cleo wasn't gonna leave the decision completely up to Jess being that she was a minor, but the young woman's input would be dually noted for sure.

" I wanna call auntie first." Jessica sniffled as she rose from the couch and sulked into the other room to call the only woman who'd come close to filling her late mother's shoes.

" You're a good woman." Wakeem said the words while staring at the side of Cleo's face, he was studying the curvature to her cheekbone and the hilt to her encompassing eyes, but the real show-stopper was the soul that lurked just beneath those green flecks surrounding the irises.

" Huh?" Knocked out of her daze Cleo spun her hazel eyes on Wakeem and prodded for him to state what he really meant.

" You're a good woman for taking care of her like this."

" She's like me. Back then I had a brother and a daddy but that was it, no one understands woman shit like a woman, I know that much. This is a sensitive subject, a hurt that she'll probably carry for the rest of her life, if I can help her I will. No big whoop." Cleo spoke nonchalantly as if she wanted to brush the issue under the rug because though she usually loved being praised for good deeds, Wakeem's damning sincerity made her uncomfortable. It made a heat appear in her cheeks and a nervous nature emanate from her eyes.

Wakeem watched as she stood from the couch and went to the breakfast bar that looked into the kitchen. She retrieved her phone from the counter and looked at the time, it read 1:35 AM.

" I do have court tomorrow..well today, don't I?" Cleo spun on her heel so that Wakeem could clearly see her sarcastic nature as genuine instead of thinking she was still tryna avoid his praises.

" You do, you do." Wakeem followed her lead and sidled up behind Cleo, wrapping his muscular arms around her midsection, pulling her into him until her ass and his pelvis were in line.

" Let's go to sleep ok?" Cleo rested her head back on Wakeem's chest and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment of closeness and security.

" Your wish is always my command." Wakeem lifted Cleo off her feet and threw herover his shoulder; escorting her to the bedroom they now shared most nights.Though there was no love making going on, just yet, Wakeem adored Cleo to thepoint that just holding her in his arms at night was enough to keep him a very happy man.