Tales From The Ghetts

Elms Park

disclaimer: Elms Park is a fictional place based on real areas xxx

Elms Park. An area in the borough of Lambeth which came in between Peckham and Brixton. Nicknamed the middle ground. It had its small lane of houses, the big council estate, the big green park and a few chicken shops, Tescos and meat shops sprinkled here and there. Then there was the secondary school, Elms Park Secondary, known for its fights, high staff turnover and beefing other schoolers. An area full of crackheads, drug dealers and wannabe gang members. The middle ground for all the gang beef going on in the borough, and being the middle ground wasn't a good thing. You'd hear about stabbings every other day, or you'll see people surround a youth who's blood is gushing out of his neck, trying to save his life. The youth ran around in the streets, acting as if their home was a place to cause anarchy and gangs came here to settle their differences or to sell drugs. There was a reason people looked at you funny if you proudly announced you're from Elms Park.

She'd heard stories of how this mess started. Yardies arrived in Brixton and established their own territory. The Africans went to Peckham and established their own territory. The two cultures clashed and the two have been beefing since. It spilled to all over London, even West London. At least that's what her mum told her. It wasn't even Africans vs Jamaicans anymore. Even Asians and white boys were caught up in it. Too many young boys got caught up in the post code wars. All over money, drugs... It that wasn't even worth it in the end. Even she knew that, and she hadn't bothered to involve herself in the gang beef. She knew a boy in the years above her at school had been stabbed to death, though. That was two years ago. It was after a party and rumour had it that the birthday girl was the set up chick. All rumours though, people loved to talk. The only way you'd know the full story is if you knew everyone involved but Deshanti wasn't involved in the gangs like that. She barely knew the ins and outs, she didn't even know if there was any proper gang members in her school. She was just a regular girl.

Deshanti Lane was a Jamaican girl. A black girl with dark skin, kinky hair and brown eyes. A body more developed than her age than needed. She had only turned fourteen a month ago, but she already already more... developed than most girls her age, which she always tried her best to cover. It didn't help that she was slightly taller for her age too. She was born to a Jamaican mother and Jamaican father, raised in South London. She lived about fifteen minutes away from Brixton, by bus and twenty minutes away from Peckham. Elms Park. The perfect middle ground.

She knew a bit about the whole Peckham vs Brixton beef. Gas Gang vs PYG and if you weren't from their areas, you were an enemy. Despite her area being the 'middle ground', ain't no Elms Park boy allowed to go Peckham because that weren't his territory and the same went for Brixton. Boys at school always complained about how tired they were of all this beef, wanting to stand up for themselves, but the boys at her school were all talk. As much as they fought other schools, they never had the balls to fight gang members. Though, in year 9, more boys were starting to get riled up and angry about the situation. More started hanging around with their older brothers and the boys at the park who spent their time smoking weed and wearing North Face jackets while riding bikes. Year 9 was the year that a lot of people started changing. It had been a crazy school year for her. From kissing her first boy at her first ever party to get into her first ever fight with Chantelle, Imaani's sidekick who did nothing but run her mouth, even she noticed her character changed.

What would be the drama today? Deshanti wondered that to herself as she brushed her teeth, looking at the sunrise through her window. It was the last day of school before they broke up for the long summer break. The last day of school was always fun. Just a day of messing about and then going somewhere with your friends after school. Then she'd have a long summer of just relaxing and messing about before going into year 10. She had already come out the shower and after she finished brushing her teeth, she put on lotion, Beyoncé body spray and got dressed. It was a simple outfit, a black hoodie, black jeans with white socks and Adidas superstars as well as some diamond stud earrings. Then she reapplied a layer of Vaseline and put that in her bag. She wasn't one to dress up. In her back pocket, she put her money for the day. Only £21, she didn't need to bring in the crazy amounts of money other people at her school did.