To Live and Die In L.A. (FINISHED) Pt. 1

Prologue

Paris' POV

"Girl, you alright, it's just fireworks," my dad laughed as I grabbed onto his leg in fear.

It was a nice cool night and It was the Fourth of July. Me, my brothers, my mom, and my dad was walking around the block watching the fireworks like we did every year. We knew mostly everybody on Crenshaw and Slauson, so me and my brothers enjoyed taking these walks just to see and talk to everybody.

"Bet y'all I'll get to Mr. Gonzales' house first!" my oldest brother Kam said already running down the street to the man's house.

"Cheaterrrrs!" I chased after my brothers as they ran in front of me.

"Hey y'all be careful!" My mom yelled at us as her and my dad walked behind us.

We were running until my brother, Aaron, stopped and almost stumbled. He slowly turned around and looked at my dad with a look of fear on his face.

My dad looked up and seen three dudes with their head stuck out the windows of a red muscle car. "Aye y'all come back here." He semi-yelled to me and my brothers. We walked fast back towards our dad as soon as he said that.

My dad always told us that if we seen anybody wearing a lot of red or in red cars with tinted windows, that they were coming to start trouble and to stay away from them no matter what. Of course me being the youngest I didn't understand why, but I always listened to him.

"Abe what are you about to-" my mom started to fearfully say as she got cut off by my dad.

"Take the kids home." He started to sound irritated.

My mom grabbed our hands and directed us in front of her as the car approached my dad.

"What's going on, Yung?"  One of the guys in the car said sarcastically as he turned the loud music blasting from the car down.

"What you want man? Why you on our side of town, homie?" My dad said sounding angry. He didn't have his gun on him incase they tried to pull anything and that's why my mom was so worried.

"Where yo boy Mario at?" The man said getting my mom's attention. Mario was my mom's younger brother. She hated that he was always in some drama with the bloods on the other side of town. When she heard his name, she turned around and started walking back towards their direction. "Y'all walk back to the house. The key is under the mat." Our house was about 8 houses down.

"Mama, no!" My brother Kameron said as he followed her.

My mom kept walking anyways. Me and Aaron stood there scared and not knowing what to do.

"Kameron, go-" my mom started to get irritated with my brother before she got off.

"Aye, Tamera! Where yo' brother at?" The dude yelled at her as he spotted her from up the street.

"Aye cuz, she don't got nothin' to do with what you and Mario got goin' on so leave her out this shit!" My dad angrily yelled, walking towards the car as it drove closer to my mom.

Kam grabbed our hands and started to walk us home like my mom told him to do earlier. "Kam what's happening?" I asked as tears started to fall down my cheeks. He ignored me and continued to speed walk home.

"Nigga watch who you talking to, blood! You ain't hard my nigga!" He abruptly yelled at my dad. Me and brothers stopped when we heard him say that. I started to run back up the hill.

"PARIS STOP!" Aaron and Kameron yelled as they ran after me.

"Let Mario know I got what I wanted. We good now. We even." The man said before pulling out a gun.

From there, it seemed like everything was in slow motion. My heart was beating so fast. I didn't understand what was happening or why.  Before you know it, there was aloud "POP" and my mom was laying on the concrete with blood leaking from her head.

The red car made a sharp left turn immediately after he shot the gun.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" My Dad yelled as tears started to fill his eyes.

That whole night was a blur. I just remember crying uncontrollably and my brothers were too.

I was traumatized.

I was only six. Aaron was only eight. Kameron was only twelve.

But people don't seem to care about how people's families are going to be affected by this type of trauma.

The night I lost my mom was the night I turned into a completely different person. Life didn't feel like it was worth living anymore. But now, everything I do, I do it for her.

But hey, that's just what it's like to live and die in L.A.

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Paris, Kameron, & Aaron's mom (Tamera) in the MM.