Unstable

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

It was a few minutes past three and we were only just leaving Melody and Ranell’s apartment. I rubbed my eyes as the elevator began to go down. Carlos wouldn’t stop running around so we had to wait for them to come back so that we could leave. Their place looked real expensive – nice view, nice size, and nice things. It made me wonder about the lifestyle they led. How was she sixteen and living with her boyfriend? She got pregnant at twelve, how were child services not involved?

The elevator door opened and we stepped into the reception, which was virtually empty besides the receptionist talking to the maid. They said good night to us and we said the same back before leaving. It was strangely quiet outside and as the breeze hit my face, I remembered what Katrina said.

“Can we go on a walk?” I asked, suddenly.

What she said had been constantly entering and leaving my thoughts the entire night. I wanted to tell Jerome earlier but I didn’t want Carlos to hear and ask about it after we left. Children were smarter than people usually acknowledged and I didn’t want me overlooking that fact to ruin what I had going on.

“At 3am?” Jerome replied with a raised eyebrow.

“Why not?”

“Because my ass could be sleeping right now if it weren’t for you playing Wonder Woman and saying we’d babysit.”

I laughed, “True, but I’ve got something I want to talk about wit’ you.”

“What’s on your mind Chan?”

“Well, I saw an old friend at the mall…”

“You making me stay awake to listen to your friendship problems? Girl, imma go find somewhere to sleep. You can write to a magazine when we wake up.”

I laughed again, “It’s not that that’s bothering me, it’s what she said and not about me but something I ‘did’. She had been ignoring me and shit so when I saw her at the mall, I went up to her and asked her what’s up with her and why was she buzzing me. She then proceeded to tell me I left a girl half dead but I don’t even know who the girl is.”

He just looked at me with an expression filled with shock and amazement, “You mean, you were already handling bitches before we even got in the game? Heck, we’re not even in it now. So when we are, you’re going to pop up out of alley ways and gutters on some ninja shit killing hoes? We can be the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with less turtles yo.”

I shook my head, all I could do with sigh. He was slow sometimes. It was nice seeing the kid in him come out, made you feel happier in miserable situations.

“What I’m saying is … I don’t recall doing this as in I don’t because I never did it in the first place. Someone’s putting the blame on me. I don’t know no fucking body called Maria and I sure as hell didn’t leave her for dead.”

“Damn.” He mumbled, rubbing his chin. “So what you gon’ do? Was anybody with you at the time that could help you prove it?”

“Thing is … I don’t even know when all of that shit went down. I was gone for three months and I mean gone. No contact whatsoever with anyone.”

“Huh?” He asked, screwing up his face in confusion. “So you did it and disappeared?”

“No, I did something but not that but everyone else thinks that I did what you just thought because nobody knows that I did something else and someone is spreading rumours.”

“What? Girl, I didn’t understand none of that.”

I sighed, “What I meant is everyone else thinks I did it for the same reason – because I’ve been gone for a bit – but the reason I left is because I did something but not that.”