Gang Ties II: Domonic's Heart

Guilt

Eva slowly stood from her mother's wooden rocking chair and tilted her head at Cole, a rush of heartbreak broke into her body with the words he just uttered.

"What are you saying?" Eva knew exactly what he was saying, but she needed him to say it.  Eva wouldn't let him do this easily, as awful as it sounded, Eva wanted him to feel the effect of his words.  

"Eva, don't make this hard on me," Cole looked up at her, from the messy bed, and frowned.

"You're breaking up with me for no reason! I'm supposed to make that easy?"

"I'm doing what's best for you-"

"You don't get to decide what's best for me, Cole,"  Cole felt a harsh crack in his chest.  Eva called him 'Cole,' and she never does that.

In this moment, Cole realized how much he was hurting her, but he couldn't stop now.  Eva didn't realize it, but Cole had to do this for her.  Eva was building her future around him, and he couldn't have that.

Cole wouldn't be the reason Eva didn't go to her dream college, he couldn't be the reason.  Especially considering he was about to inherit one of the strongest gangs in the United States.

Eva deserved so much more.

"You're right," Cole finally stood and wiped the tears falling down Eva's cheeks. "You need to decide what's best for you, and that's not in Chicago."

Eva looked down and allowed her warm tears to fall.  Since she was a child, dreams of attending Spelman filled her head and fueled her ambitions.  As she got older, she realized how difficult it would be to leave everything behind.

The Braxtons.

Her sister.

Cole.

Eva managed to get accepted into Spelman and the University of  Chicago, both are very good options.  Her fears rooted themselves inside of her head, so she considered scrapping her dreams of going to Spelman to stay in Chicago instead.

Where her family was, where the boy she loved was.

Where her dreams weren't.

Everyone knew how hard she worked and everything she sacrificed to have these options, so they left the choice up to her.

 Not her mother, though.

Selene wanted desperately for Eva to leave Chicago, go to Spelman.

Eva assumed that her mother wanted this for bragging rights. 

Very early on, Scarlett realized that college wasn't for her, she wanted to stay in Chicago.

Eva was Selene's only hope.

So, she held her mother's opinion dear, but she wouldn't let her desires control what she did.

Cole, on the other hand, couldn't let her toss her dreams because of fear and relationships.

"It's your dream school, Eva.  You have to take it while you can."

"That doesn't matter to me anymore.  I don't want to leave everyone, I don't want to leave you," Eva started the sentence with a lie, but the end was full of truth.

"Eva, we'll always be here.  The chance to do what you worked so hard for won't," Cole pulled Eva into his chest and wrapped his arms around her.

Eva only cried harder in his embrace, she knew she wouldn't be able to change his mind.  Cole was breaking up with her.

Cole didn't want his love to see him shed a tear, but he couldn't hold it anymore.  He held her and allowed her to cry and wet his shirt before pulling away.  Cole held Eva's warm cheeks in his hands, bringing his lips down to meet hers.