In Love With a Thug✔️

Chapter 1

                                                               I M A N I ' S > POV

"Will you go to the store for me Imani!" my mom yells from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes, momma," I yell back despite the fact that I don't want to. I have two other sisters. Why can't one of them go? Because I'm the oldest. And wouldn't even let Lisa walk down the street by herself being that where we reside isn't the "safest" place in the world. Definitely not the dangerous but nowhere near safe enough for a 13 year old to walk to the store by themselves.

Getting up from my twin size bed, I put on a pair of jeans and a black hoodie. Grabbing my phone and headphones I make my way downstairs.

"Took you long enough Mani." my mom sneered.

"Sorry, momma. I had to change."

"It's okay, listen, there should be at least $30 on the EBT card. You know what to get?"

"Yes, momma. I got it. Love you."

"Love you too."

Walking out the house I started down the street. I pulled out my headphones, connected them to my phone playing the music loud but still quiet enough for me to hear the bird chirping.

As I walk down the street I grew up on, I shake my head at the crackheads around every corner. The ran down abandoned houses with blocked out windows. Smiling, thinking of the memories of me and my bestfriend running through them to get away from the cops and the local crackheads who we used to bother, just because we were young and bored. This is where I'm from. Where I had my first fight. Watched my sister get into her first fight. Where I got jumped for the first time. My first kiss was on the corner of the very store I was heading to now. Everything happened here, and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Yes, I'll admit. On more than one occasion, I did wish we didn't live here. Along with the good times, there is also a lot of pain that comes with it. The most prominent memory in my life is when my dad left us. That was, by far, the worst day of my life. I still remember, while my sisters were too young to remember. Only me and mom bare the pain of watching him walk out the house that night. I was 8 when he left. Meaning that it was 9 years ago. I am now 17 years old. My sisters Lisa and Mariah are now 13 and 10.

You would think that that day he left would start to fade away, considering the fact that I was so young but no. It's still there. I still remember and bare all the pain like it was yesterday. Everything he's done to mom, I remember it all. To him putting hands on her, to him finally just leaving, I remember it all. And still to this day, I can't understand how HE left HER. He was the one who got caught cheating, who had a hand problem, but HE left.

Shaking the thoughts of my dad off I dance to my music continuing my walk to the store. Every time I think about my dad I want to cry, and I don't even know what exactly for honestly. I don't know if I want to cry because he left. Or if I want to cry because of the way he treated my mom and then after years of abuse he decided he was going to leave her.

Looking around I notice Miss Garcia sitting down on her porch. Miss Garcia is a little old lady who used to babysit me and my sisters when my mom was at work. This lady would always get the utmost respect from me. She may have been mean at the time but me being older now, and aware of all the dangers in the world, I appreciate her so much for keeping me and my sisters safe.

"Hello, Miss. Garcia." I greeted, still jamming to my music.

"Hello, Imani."

Getting closer to the store. I pass by three dudes. Two of them start calling for me.