What Brought Us Together

I Guess I'll See You Next Lifetime...

August 21st

Virtue gags in her hand as Tareek's casket was lowered into the ground. She sits quietly as her students, Mama Carryn and Exodus attempt to comfort her but she just didn't want to be touched, talked to or bothered. It has been 3 weeks since she got the news that Tareek was murdered. Once she left Maddox house, her phone wouldn't stop ringing. It was all sorts of numbers and she was just confused. Magnus called her during that time and informed her that Tareek was killed by Antwan's crew.

She learned that Tareek just wasn't killed because he stole from Antwan's organization but he was telling the ins and outs of Antwan's business to someone else which resulted in a large shoot out which ultimately killed Antwan's mother. Antwan wasted no time to kill Tareek because he was not only a rat and a thief but he got his mother killed. He did what needed to be done.

Virtue was sick to her stomach as she cried at the news. She was too afraid to go to her apartment so she'd been at Mama Carryn's house. For the first week, she barely ate, showered or moved around. She received endless calls and texts from people she knew but she didn't answer none of them. Her insides kept turning as she basked in the thoughts of Tareek. She felt horrible because she felt responsible.

She often wondered what she could've done differently in regards to Tareek. She thought of the time where Tareek dropped out and she should have tried harder for him to stay. Or the time where she caught him selling drugs and how she should have snatched him up and talked him out of that life. Or just to simply encourage him to do better but no, she feels like she just accepted whatever he did because no matter what, she wanted to keep him around.

She looked at his casket and released her white rose into the ground with him. Exodus and Tarryn watched her from afar just to give her some space. Ephraim couldn't make but he sends his regards but Exodus stands in place for him. When Exodus got the news, he immediately called out of work and made his way to D.C. His heart broke for her and he wanted nothing more than to see her and comfort her. He missed her anyway.

Someone cleared their throat behind Exodus and Tarryn and they both looked over their shoulder and seen Maddox. Tarryn was the first to approach him and pull him in a hug while Exodus dapped him up. Maddox feels just as bad especially since he was on Tareek's case. During their time together, Virtue ended up talking about Tareek because Maddox sensed her tension. He told her what she needed to hear but it all became real for her when she got the call that he was dead. He, too, felt sick to his stomach.

His exact words were 'From what you told me, this nigga gonna get killed eventually, just by the way he moving. If he gets got, it's on him.' That night he said it so carelessly but yet he found himself not being able to look into the mirror as of lately.

Whether he put it into the universe or not, he felt like complete and utter shit. Just arriving to the scene and pulling back the sheet and ID'ing him as Tareek; the same Tareek that Virtue was talking about made his heart sank.

He was the one who had to call her right after she left his apartment.

As Virtue continue to stare at the hole in the ground, one of her former students, Charles came up to her. "Ms. Stratton, I gotta tell you something." He said hesitantly as she decided to tune in to what he has to say. She didn't respond but she gave him eye contact. "It was supposed to be me." His revelation didn't move her but it was surprising. It seemed like every person in her life was meant to leave whether that was death or them willingly walking away.