Her Black Cross

Someone was knocking on the door, the bell was ringing, but I wanted to sleep more so I kept ignoring it. I had been ignoring many things and many people lately, and that wasn’t bringing me anywhere. ‘’Okay – okay, I’m coming,’’ I called as I got up from the bed, leaving the sheets messy and getting to the door. I opened it up quickly, not knowing who to expect, but there was Anna smiling at me.

‘’Where the hell have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you girl.’’ She stepped inside and I closed the door behind her as she went ahead and sat on the couch.

‘’Here, obviously. Sleeping the rest of the day off,’’ I replied and stepped into the kitchen. I made two cups of coffee with a little bit of milk, just like both of us liked it, and stepped into the living room. I set both cups on the table before I got up and went to the bathroom. My eyes had dark circled under them and my hair was really messy.

‘’Have you seen the twins lately?’’ Anna called.

‘’Not really, it’s been a week – almost two,’’ I replied stepping outside of the bathroom once I had tied my hair up in a ponytail.

‘’I knew it. They were just rumors. Like you'd actually break Jay's arm.’’ Anna scoffed, taking of her black jacket and putting her red bag beside her. I was trying to understand of what she had just said, while I studied her appearance. Her short hair was styled so that it hugged her neck and made her seem sweeter. Her red dress hugged was falling freely around her, making it comfortable for her to move. I always adored these types of dresses and I had a couple of my own.

‘’What?’’ I asked, once I realized what she had just said. She caught me off guard because I had no idea what had happened.

She looked at me like I was insane. ‘’Where have you been? Jay’s arm is broken and Jay-Jay has scratches around her neck and face. The rumors, about you hitting Jay and Jay-Jay fighting with you because of it, have been going around to every gang for the last few days.’’ She stated, her hazel eyes shining along with the pale, green eye shadow.

I gapped at what she had just said to me before I asked, ‘’Why am I hearing all of this now?’’

‘’Maybe because you're a little absent minded as of lately, and no one can find you these days,’’ She said to me with a sort of smile on her face. She was right. I had eyes and ears only for Mia and the only thing Mia did was leave me in order to be with that asshole that I didn’t even want to remember. Someone had to protect our gang, and if Mia was always busy, I had to do it since I was the second in command. I wouldn’t throw away our gang, like Mia was constantly throwing me. The gang was my family, the family I had built with her.

‘’Shit! Wait for me to get ready and we’ll go to their apartment right now.’’ I trailed off as I turned to walk towards the bedroom to get changed. ‘’I need explanations, and I want them now.’’

After wearing the same type of dress like Anna was wearing; I did my make-up and picked up a white jacket and a black bag to match the dress. I wore my boots and we left the house, in order to visit the Jay twins, as I liked to call them.

By the time we reached their apartment, the sun had started making me dizzy while giving me a terrible headache. It was really sunny and I wasn’t that much of a sun lover. I was a night owl, just like Mia. I opened up my bag and grabbed an aspirin, which I swallowed down without drinking water. I had forgotten to grab a bottle on my way there so that was my only choice.

Anna rang the bell and once the door opened, I came face to face with Jay-Jay. Her round face was scratched and it honestly looked ugly. I stepped inside the house while she said nothing, Anna following behind me. We sat in the small living room but no one said anything. I was just staring at her face and she was looking her dark brown carpet like it was gold at her feet.

‘’Care to explain how you got these scratches on your face? And don’t tell me it was a wild cat; I’m not gonna buy it.’’ I said at her with a loud voice, loud enough to make Jay get up from her bed and come join us in the living room. She sat beside Jay-Jay and intertwined their hands, their couch seven steps away from the one Anna and I were sitting on. I had my legs crossed and my back was against the couch. It was so comfortable.

‘’I got in a fight with Chelsey, the blonde one.’’ Jay started explaining with her eyes to my eye level, looking deep into my eyes. Her dark brown eyes were honest, yet filled with sadness.

‘’Why, and what happened next? How come the rumor going around is that I beat you up?’’ I asked, waiting to for them to get to the bottom of this.

‘’I don’t know how the rumors started but what I know is that you weren’t there to help us. You and Mia are always missing, without our leaders the gang is finished and the other gangs in the city known this too. It was their chance to get us and they did it. I’m amazed they hadn’t created trouble for so long.’’ Jay-Jay had already raised her voice and was yelling at me as she stood up from the couch. This wasn’t going to end up well. Even if they were right, they weren’t supposed to have that attitude with us. Especially after everything Mia and I have done for them.

‘’First of all, sit back down,’’ I said calmly and when she didn’t listen to me, I turned to look at Anna. Once our eyes made contact, she got up from beside me and pushed Jay, making her sit on the couch like I wanted. That was Anna, my second hand. Words were useless between us because she knew to whom she believed in and that was me.

‘’Second, Mia and I are doing our best with the gang as it is. You have no idea what the fuck we are doing so that you can keep this apartment and have drugs to sell in order to survive, so stop giving me your fucking attitude. Did I make myself clear?’’ I was yelling, emphasizing the words that had to get to their heads so they could understand.

Loyalty was a must in our gang and they seemed like they had forgotten its meaning.