Victorie (Urban Fiction)

Chapter 7

When I get to CeCe's the first thing I see is a bunch of Crips and blue bandanas. As I make my way inside their gate, I see the chair that Darren liked to post up in, covered with dried blood, and I turns my stomach. Inside I see Miss Joann, CeCe's mother, rocking and crying on the couch. On side of her is CeCe doing the same. Jaison is seated on the opposite side in a chair. I make my way over to CeCe and her mother as I wrap my arms around them.
"I'm so sorry, Mama J," I say as she cries on me. "I gotcha CeCe baby."
I take a seat on side of CeCe as  tears run down my own face. Jaison sees me crying, makes his way over to me, and sits down next to me. As I hold CeCe with one arm, he wipes my tears while holding my free hand.
"I just don't understand why they had to take him!" CeCe cried. "What beef is big enough to take somebody's life?"
"Don't worry about it cuz!" one of the niggas in blue said. "We gone ride for him and handle that!"
"Oh you gone ride for him huh?! And do what exactly besides keep this bullshit going?!" Mama J shouted. "Get the fuck outta my house!!"
The nigga left looking stupid.
Soon after the shit got crazier, when Malika, Darren's girlfriend, walked in hysterical. "Lawd why?! Why my baby?!" she hollered.
"Bitch you got some nerve coming up in here!" CeCe said jumping up. "It's because of you that he's dead. He was waiting outside for your hoe ass, but you never came. I texted and called your phone several times after he died, and you continued to send me to voicemail. You probably set him up. Didn't he just get into it with that blood nigga that you was creeping with?! I would whoop your ass, but I don't wanna upset my mother more than she already is!"
"That's a lie! My car wouldn't start!" Malika hollered.
"That brand new car that my brother just put the down payment on for you last week?! Really?!" CeCe said.
"Yes bitch really! I have no reason to lie, and I'm not the reason Darren's ass is dead!" Malika hollered back.
That was the last straw for me. I figured Mama J couldn't get any more upset than she already was. I freed my hands, stood up, and punched the bitch dead in her temple knocking her down while I continued to beat her ass until I felt Jaison's strong arms lifting me off her. I watched as a group of girls drug Malika out of the house onto the front lawn where they commenced to finishing the ass whooping that I'd started.
"Come on Victorie! Let's go!" Jaison demanded. "We'll be back in a minute Auntie J," he told Mama J who simply nodded.
"Where we going?" I asked following Jaison to his car.
"Hell I don't know," he barked. "I gotta get the fuck away from here." The whole car ride, we didn't talk just listened to music both lost in our thoughts.

We somehow ended up driving thirty minutes north to Hollywood, and we somehow ended up in the hills behind the Hollywood sign. "It's so beautiful here," I stated.
"It is huh," he stated. "It's only thirty minutes away, but it's actually like a world away. The people here don't know the pain and struggle that we know." I noticed that he was crying.
"Jaison, you can talk to me," I said. "You know that right? Say whatever's on your mind."
"I just can't believe bro is gone man. My heart is broken." I rubbed his back as he spoke. "I just keep thinking if I would've helped him more or encouraged him to push his music then he could've took a better route instead of gang banging. Dude could rap and sing."
"Jaison, you have no say so over the path that some one else chooses. If that's the life he wanted to live, then that's on him not you," I said.
"He was actually supposed be featured on the song I did with you. I kept trying to get him in the studio, but he never had time, was always running the streets," he said.
"Well at least you tried Jaison," I remarked as we wrapped our arms around each other.

Darren was to be buried that following Saturday, which meant a long week for me. I got so tired of folks questioning me about what happened and if Malika was the one who set it up. I kept it simple with an "I'm not sure and continue to pray for the family." CeCe had went into a depression, and was losing pounds by the day. She didn't want any company including me, but I made sure to text her just to let her know that I love her. I'd been seeing Jaison everyday, and he seemed to be in better spirits. We had really bonded, and I had really gotten to know another side of him.  

The funeral was packed for Darren's home going. I set down in the front next to Jaison and CeCe. My heart broke into a million pieces as I watch Mama J holler and cling to the casket that held her only son. I couldn't imagine the pain she must feel, both her and CeCe. I tried to be there for everybody as much as I could.

At the repast I sat next to CeCe, who couldn't seem to stop her tears. "Everyday I kept asking God why because I wanna know. Why Darren? Why so soon? There's never an answer," she ranted.
"I know you're hurting CeCe," I said. But you should never question God."
"Victorie, you've never lost anyone in your life, so you'd never understand," she said. "You walk around talking like you can relate to the troubles of this neighborhood, but the hood has never taken away a person you love so don't tell me shit!"
"Excuse me, but this hood took my daddy away from me when I was just a child in case you forgot!" I snapped back. "I've lost plenty of homies to this hood. But I'm glad I know how you feel now. You can wipe your own damn tears and sit at home withering away by your damn self like you been doing."
"Come on now," Jaison pleaded. "Y'all are better than that."
"Naw fuck her!" I say getting out of my seat. "I'm out!"
"Victorie, wait! Let me take you home," he said running behind me.

"Y'all will get past this," Jaison said when we got in the car.
"If we do or don't, I really don't give a fuck," I shrugged. "I'mma keep living."
"I got some good news that might cheer you up," he said.
"Lay it on me," I sighed.
"Well our song has peaked at number one on the radio and getting a lot of plays on YouTube and SoundCloud," he said. "I received an offer for us to perform at the Sun Music Festival in Phoenix, Arizona. They'll pay us a couple of racks plus provide the rooms. It's in two weeks. You down?"
"A free vacation and a couple of racks?! Hell yeah I'm down!" I shrieked.
"Good," he grinned. "We'll have to rehearse, but I got a spot in downtown LA that we can use for that."
"I didn't know the song was on YouTube and SoundCloud though," I stated. "When did you do that?"
"Right after we recorded it," he revealed.
"I'm so excited," I grinned.
"Really?" he laughed. "Excited enough to give a nigga a kiss?"
I leaned over and laid one on him.