Stay Down

23

he ran through the crowd of people, trying to get to his car. his mind racing with thoughts.

he thought he was doing everything right, he was changing, he was becoming a better person, he just couldn't wrap his mind around why she would leave.

when everything was going good, why would she leave him.

"excuse me." a skinny women with tanned skin, stopped him, he remembered her face as the pregnant women from the park.

"sorry but im in a hurry." he tried moving around her but she followed him.

"that girl that you were with" she said making him stop in his tracks, he turned to face her, "she healed my babies." her mind still trying to understand it herself.

"healed?"

"the doctors told me that they had a twenty-five percent chance of living." her mind reliving the day. "they said my body was to weak to hold them but she.." the lady trailed off shaking her head, "tell her thank you."

and she walked off towards her husband who was pushing a twin stroller.

watching them walk away, he continued to enter his car and drive to cardinal heights. he couldn't lose her, not when she was one of the few great things he had left in his life, he got out the car, neglecting to even turn the engine off.

he rushed into the red and white building, pushing past the girls that scurried off to class.

he panted, stopping at the receptionist desk, the young girl, looking at him with worry. "can i help you?"

"yes." he swallowed, "im looking for kapree daniels, she's about five-five, brown hair, always wearing a bandanna."

the girl shook her head not remembering anyway by that name or that description.

"im sorry sir but we don't have anyone by daniels in our computer database."

"look" he stated, getting irritated. "i was just with her, check again."

"okay sir, i'll double check the files."she told him cautiously, seeing that he wasn't in the right state of mind.

letting out a heavy breath, he glanced around to see honesty, in the mist of the rushing girls to class, already staring at him.

blessing rushed over, standing face to face with kapree's friend. "honesty, im glad to see you man, ive been looking for kapree, everywhere, after the game she just left, she just disappeared like-"

"like she wasn't real." honesty finished.

blessing just stared at him. "what ?"

slowly, he started to walk away.

"honesty." he yelled screaming after him. "honesty." he shouted again, running through the crowd as he started to lose him among all the blurring faces. "honesty." he repeated, stopping because he was gone.

running back to his car, he drove back to school. his mind racing, his body trembling.

honesty's words replaying over and over again in his head.

he felt like his mind was playing tricks on him that he was just a act in some kind of magic show, jumping out the car, he ran through the green grass as his name was yelled.

"blessing."

he turned in hopes it was her, disappointed with who it actually was.

king stood across the yard from him, his eyes darker, bags apparent from lack of sleep, his clothes hanging, messily over his body, a crocked grin on his face.

students passed him, gossiping and starin' at him in disgust.

"you always thought you was better then me." he slurred, walking closer. "top of the class, star athlete, perfect son." a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "nigga you ain't shit and you ain't neva gonna be shit." he took a drink from the bottle the was concealed with a brown paper bag.

"and there i was just followin' in ya shawdows, but you wanna know somethin'?"

blessing stayed quiet, feeling sorry for him.

"i got my revenge a long time ago." his smile reappearing. "i thought it would help, killin' somethin' that could've helped you but no." the bottle droppin' from his hand. "you just had to find a way , blessing mcknight, just had to find a way to fuck me ova."

reaching for his waistband he pulled out a gun.

everything around blessing froze, his heart beating rapidly against his chest.

"i have nothing left." pointing the gun to him. "and now neither do you."

bullets went off in the air as he felt his self get knocked down and screams erupt around him. grabbing his side, he crawled over to a brick building, leaning his back against it ,"you alright man?" honor asked, looking at him, worried.

blessing looked down to see, he just had a bruise from when honor knocked him down. "yea man I'm straight-" stoppin' hisself as his eyes looked to where king once stood.

in the middle of the green grass laid, in a pool of blood, his gun falling out his hands.

he shot himself.

blessing couldn't stop his heart from hurting, he ran over , ignoring the pain, grabbing king in his arms. "call the ambulance." he yelled as people just stood there watching'.

wether king hated him or not , blessing couldn't conjure up the strength to turn his back on his own blood. loud sirens roared, a medical staff, rushing through the crowd as blessing was pulled away.

"it's okay son." coach said, holdin' his arm over his shoulder, opening the doors to the locker room and into his office, sitting him down in a chair.

"he just.." blessing trailed off, replaying the moment in his head,

coach gave him sympathetic eyes, shaking his head in sorrow, he knew the kid was trouble but he wouldn't have wished that on him.

blessing sat back in the chair, silent, his eyes drifting to a picture on coach desk, without asking or hesitation he grabbed the framed picture into his hand, standing to his feet.

"where'd you get this picture ?" he asked dazed, as he started down at the girl.

"what do you mean son" coach asked, confused. "that's my daughter."

blessing glanced up from the picture.

staring back down at a smiling kapree.