Loving A Gangsta

Chapter 35 (Friday)

Arianna's POV

"Where could he be, Hector? We haven't seen him since the day before yesterday, and it's four in the morning for God's sake!" Aunt Johanna cries.

A very bad vibe has been circulating throughout the house since Jessie ran out the other day. He left everyone clueless, and now my aunt and uncle are going crazy. All of this chaos and worrying is bad for my health, but I can't manage to sit down. Now is not the time to dwell on myself when only God knows what Jessie can be doing at the moment. This just isn't like him. Even if he's not talking to his parents, he still texts or calls me to check in. I've left him over ten voice mails and still have received nothing.

"Yo sé cariño, cálmate. Él estará aquí/I know honey, just calm down. He'll be here," Uncle Hector says.

"Cálmate? ¿Cómo puedes decirme que me calme cuando mi hijo puede estar en peligro? Es tu hijo también. ¿No te importa/Calm down? How can you tell me to calm down when my son can be in danger? He's your son too. Do you not care?" she asks.

"Ahora ya sabes que me preocupo por nuestro hijo tanto como usted lo hace. Lo amo y es por eso que todavía estoy aquí porque si no lo hacía me ha ido/ Now you know that I care for our son just as much as you do. I love him and you, which is why I am still here because if I didn't, I would be gone!" he shouts, his anger finally rising.

Luckily, the phone rings, distracting everyone for a brief second. It seems as if words are going to fly out that shouldn't be said, and I don't want to be a witness to them. "I'll get it," I say, taking advantage of the phone call. I rush to the phone and put it to my ear. "Hola, ¿quién es/Hi, who is it?"

"Hello, this is Nurse Avery from California Hospital. Do any residents in your home speak English?" a woman asks.

"...Yes," I say hesitantly.

"I would like to speak with the parent or guardian of Jessie Rodriguez."

I take the phone from my ear and look at my uncle and aunt. I hold the phone up, but my uncle mouths handle it, so I nod and put it back to my ear. "His parents are occupied at the moment and asked me to talk. I'm his cousin. What's the problem?"

"Jessie was shot in the shoulder and stabbed in the lower abdomen earlier in the night. I was calling to inform the parents of his whereabouts," she explains.

My jaw drops as I tighten my fingers around the phone to keep from dropping it. "Thank you for letting us know. Is he okay?" I ask.

"He is stable now."

"Great...great. We'll be there," I say before hanging up the phone.

"¿Qué pasó, Arianna? ¿Quién estaba al teléfono/What happened, Arianna? Who was on the phone?" Uncle Hector asks me.

I take a deep breath and turn around to face them. "Jessie está en el hospital/Jessie is in the hospital."

Marcus's POV

I don't have time to listen to Mike's bullshit ass apology, and I damn sure don't have time to watch those dramatic apology speeches he's giving to everybody else either. While they're acting like some type of soap opera, all I'm tripping over is the fact that I still don't exactly know what's going with Trey.

As I walk back into the hospital's waiting room, I notice that Trey's momma, Trina, and step dad, Rodney, are now here, and they're surrounded by a lot of his family members. I hesitate before walking over to them because they're all crying and yelling hysterically, especially his momma, little sisters, and brother. Seeing all of them on their knees with tears in their eyes starts to tear my heart into pieces. Tears are even rushing to my eyes again. Today is the first day I've shed tears in a long time.

I softly place my hand on his mom's shoulder, getting her attention. She raises her head and when our eyes connect, her face softens slightly. She grabs my hand and pulls herself up to stand face to face with me. "That...that was my son," she manages to let out, collapsing in my arms.

I wrap my arms around her tightly. "He still is your son. He's gonna make it through this," I say, rubbing circles into her back.

Whether or not that's true is haunting me, but I don't want her to be scared like this. Trey wouldn't want her to be scared like this, so it's my job to help her stay calm and sane. It's the least I can do since I didn't live up to keeping Trey safe myself. My job is to protect my brother like a soldier, and I failed. The fact that his parents are even able to look at me right now is beyond me.

"I need to speak with the parents or guardians of Treyvon Parker!"says a male voice, making all of our heads turn. Standing there is a doctor. Rodney grabs Trina away from me and leads her in the direction of the doctor. Taylor and Aniah both rush to my sides and hold onto my arms as we wait for what's about to happen next.