Page 6 of On You 2

“Yeah, it’s nothing street. Just some personal shit with a few close acquaintances. Keep me updated about your nephew though. I'm praying to Allah for the little dude.”

“I got you. Safety, nigga.”

Crew dapped him up, and I did the same before he walked away from the car.

Crew and I were left standing in the hospital parking lot alone as ambulance sirens wailed nearby.

I didn't feel as guilty about keeping the secret from him anymore, but there was still a part of me that hated that I never got a chance to come clean on my own.

“Bruh, I promise you can curse me out. Shit, fight me if you have to. I value your ass too much for any strife between us. I love you like a brother, and I never wanted to keep shit from you and,”

Crew's phone started ringing in his pocket, and he held up a finger to stop me as he pulled it out.

“Talk to me, nigga.”

He answered the phone, and I'd been around him long enough to know he wasn't talking to family.

“What? When?”

“Alright, call Bam and Scotty over there. I'm on my way.”

He hung up the phone and kicked the tire hard enough to make the car rock from side to side.

After he gripped the phone tightly, he slammed his fist against the roof of the car.

“Somebody just took out Max.”

“Max?”

“You know the one who sits guard at the end of our street on Wesley.”

“Word?”

“Yeah. That means somebody may be close to our doorsteps now.”

“Hold on, but we can’t overreact just yet. Maybe it was a random robbery.”

“You know niggas not getting robbed and murdered on that side of town. That’s why we live there in the first place.”

“Yeah, I know, but I can go back to Wesley and check that shit out right now. You can stay here with Jasmine.”

He clutched his jaw.

“Nah, I'll go check it out. Stay here with your potential son.”

“Is that a joke, nigga?”

“Nah. It's facts.”

He got in his car, started the ignition, and burned off, leaving me standing there.

Now, I was wondering if I wanted to stay at the hospital or go back to my house and make sure the family who I knew was mine would be safe once they returned. Rj was a maybe, but Faith, Ciara, and my grandma were my truth.

I hope that Max’s murder was just random and my family’s home wasn’t really exposed. We are already going through enough as it is.

Chapter 3

Jasmine