We Belong Together

The Other Direction ..

A lot has changed. For one, me and my mom don't have those once a day fights. We're up to at least three fights a day. And now I know why she has so many mood swings. She's a heroine addict. One day I caught her getting high in Jamal's room and that stemmed out to a fight. That was the first day that I drew blood from my own mother. I beat her relentlessly until I thought that I heard Jamal talking to me. He told me to stop.. To let her learn this lesson on her own. He said that I couldn't make her change and to pick which one of his awards I wanted to keep for myself because she was going to get to them whether I liked it or not. Since she'd already took my favorite trophy I settled for his gold metal and I took one of his blue ribbons. I'd keep them for forever.
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I walked down the street on my way to the park to chill with my friends. It was Saturday and that's just what we did.

"Aye, let me holler at you, sexy!" Some dude said to me. He was riding in the passengers seat of a blue Chrysler 300 "damn, mami, that's how you gonna play me. I love me a spanish chick,"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not spanish dumb ass!" I hissed. Damn, just because I'm light skin with long hair doesn't mean I'm spanish, I'm very much black.

"What?!" He looked like he couldn't believe that I'd came at him like that. "Who this bitch think she talking to?" The dude looked back at his friend.

I stopped walking. I wasn't scared of no punk ass nigga. "If you see a bitch smack a bitch!" I challenged him. Another car was creeping up the street. I recognized it from anywhere too. That was none other then Rivera. The nigga opened his door, about to obviously approach me just as Rivera came up on the scene.

He rolled down his window and his boys put there automatics on display. "I don't think you wanna do that, lil homie," Rivera said. His voice was cold and there was no smile on his face.

The dude looked at the guns on hm and then back at me. Defeat. He hopped back into his boys car and they skirted off.

"Rivera wanna see you, girl," one of his boys that I know as Marco said.

I sighed. "Is he gonna talk to me or are you gonna keep talking for him even though he has a mouth of his own?" I didn't wait for his answer as I walked around to the drivers side of the car. "Yes, sir?"

Rivera sat there looking like a million bucks. His neck and wrist was ever so icy. Rivera was as fine as they came but I kind of blamed him for my brothers death. It was his fault because he wasn't there for him. Why didn't he die but my brother had to? Something about that just seemed fishy. And no one would tell me the story of what exactly happened so...until I heard otherwise it was his fault.

"How you holding up?" He asked me.

"I'm okay," I shrugged. "Is that all that you wanted?"

He glared at me. "No, that's not all. I been hearing shit about you through the streets. I don't think you really ight," he said. He must've been talking about the balck eye I sported last week courtesy of my mom.

"Fuck you and fuck the streets! I'm oh fucking kay, alright?! Why weren't you this worried when Jamal was out on those streets hustling for you? Huh?! If you were maybe he'd be alive right now!" I screamed. When I was done my chest heaved.

He rubbed his temples. "You just don't understand, do you? What happened the Jamal wasn't my fault. Your blaming the wrong person, Toya. You need to be pointing the finger in the other direction." He responded calmly.

"That's bullshit," I spat. I walked away. I didn't know where I was going because I had turned away from the direction of the park. What the hell did he mean I need to point my finger in the other direction? What other direction? If he knew something he should have clued me in right then. That's how I know that he is somehow responsible.
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DEX

"Where is my money at, Rochelle?" I barked. This crack head trick be thinking I'm playing with her.

She dug down in her pockets and came up with about five dollars. I slapped her hand sending that shit flying. "T-that's interest for y-y-you, Dex," she stammered.

"Fuck that shit! I want my motherfucking money, bitch," I hissed angrily. If that bitch didn't cough up my 5k we were gonna have a motherfucking problem. One night I had a party and I let a few bitches in. There was coke out everywhere for people who did that kinda thing. What's a party without people getting high and drunk as hell?! Anyway, this bitch said fuck what's on the table and went sniffing out my stash. She stole five thousand dollars worth of product. So, what the fuck is five dollars to five stacks? Not a goddamn thing.

I unbuckled my belt and let my pants and boxers fall to the ground. "You'd better get to sucking bitch," I said darkly. She scrambled over to me and got to work. That's what I'm talking about. This crack head bitch knew how to give some good ass neck.
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TOYA

I got so heated talking to Rivera that I just took a walk and then went home. When my firls called asking where I was I told them that I felt sick. Being the good friends that they are they offered to come over. And having the dysfunctional life that I do, I declined there requests.

"Back so soon?" My mom was sitting on the couch looking at nothing. She'd taken the tv to where ever a few days ago. I had to keep my door locked in order for her not to try and take my stuff.

"Is that a problem? I do live here," I said flatly. I so wasn't in the mood to fight or argue. I wanted to take a nice hot bubble bath and just relax.

"No. Um, do you think I could go...in your room and watch tv? Jerry Springer is on," I busted out laughing.

"Hell to the no! You want me to let you go in my room so that I can get jacked by Santa Claus? No thank you," I giggled all the way up the stairs. She must've gone coo coo in the head or something. I went into the bathroom and started me a bath and then went into my room and locked the door back. I kept my room on lockdown when I was there and when I wasn't. I looked through my closet and pulled out a white spaghetti string shirt and some cute monkey pajama shorts. I laid them out for when I got out the bathroom.

I took a nice relaxing bath, thinking about everything you could imagine. Spring break was almost over and I didn't enjoy a single day of it. I stood up and finished off in a shower before wrapping a huge soft white towel around me and going back to my room. I rubbed on some lotion and then got dressed. I wrapped my hair up into a bun and then laid down across my bed. Today had turned out to be another boring day. Seemed like everything was boring now that Jamal was gone. If he were here we'd be having a field day. Him, me, and our mom.