CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

THE PARTY

 

No one in the party knew Tabitha was gone...

How could they?

She had filled them with weed, food, and more than anything lies. And now Tabitha was waiting for her big pay day.

Ready to settle old beef, Dandre stepped up to Lakota and said, “So I heard you been looking for me.”

Lakota laughed and observed Mo-Mo and Keith behind him who he was already aware of that caused drama in the streets. “Is that what you heard? Because I heard the same thing.”

“Stop fucking around nigga,” Dandre said louder. “It’s not a game for me. You stabbed me in the hand and then send your girl to beg you back into my graces.”

Lakota laughed. “Is that what she said? If she did she got it wrong.”

Dandre shrugged.

“All I want to know is why you killed my cousin?” Lakota asked. “You been telling everybody but me and we were close at one point.”

Dandre laughed. “The niggas robbed my man right here,” he said pointing at Mo-Mo. “And we got tired of him bragging about it in DC. Just like I’m tired of talking now.”

Dandre hit Lakota in the mouth, and shattered his teeth. Blood spewed everywhere and that one blow lead to a full fledge fight in the living room. The second for the week.

 

BARBY

 

I was watching Kaden chant over and over why we shouldn’t kill Tabitha because she didn’t do anything. She was getting on my nerves. “Tonight is gonna be bad,” she shook her head. “Tonight gonna be real bad.” She paused. “Maybe we should leave her alone. Something tells me to leave her alone and leave this apartment.”

“Listen, I’m not leaving her alone and you not leaving this apartment!” I yelled. “So stop asking. Put your mind at ease by realizing that ain’t happening.”

“At this point it’s dumb to try and back out anyway,” Sahira shrugged. “We already got the groundwork laid. Now we just waiting on our prey.” She looked at the door and rubbed her hands together.

“So why isn’t she here yet?” Kaden asked. “Anybody thought about that? Maybe she’s on to us. Maybe she got cameras in here or something and knows it’s coming.”

When I heard yelling outside I put my hand up and said, “Hold up?” I was trying to listen because I thought I heard yelling over the music. “What’s all that screaming?” I pulled my door open and I saw Dandre and Lakota on the floor fighting with everyone standing around watching and cheering. Most of our neighbors left and the only people there were Dandre, Lakota, Chaviv and their friends.

I rushed up to them and I could feel Sahira and Georgia walking behind me. “What’s going on?” I asked trying to break them up. “Why yah Fighting this time? Please stop this shit!”

No one answered. Instead I saw Dandre remove a gun from his jeans and fire into Lakota’s chest. Blood splashed on my mouth as I watched him drop.

It felt like the room was spinning. For a second the only thing I could hear was Kaden’s loud cries as she dropped to her knees and tried to lift Lakota’s limp body.

I felt like I was in a scary movie as Chaviv walked to the door, locked it and held a gun to the back of Dandre’s head before squeezing the trigger. Lakota’s friend Perry tried to leave and Chaviv shot him before killing Mo-Mo and Keith when they tried to escape also.

At that time I noticed Chaviv’s eyes were rolling all around his head as he was reloading his gun. He looked insane like he was on something.

Now it was just me, Kaden and my cousins. He wiped the sweat away that fell into his eyes. “Yah two bitches started a lot of shit, you know that?” He said to me and Kaden.

I put my hands up and could hear my cousins whimper. “I don’t know what you talking about, Chaviv. We real cool with you.”

“You know what I’m talking about. And there ain’t no way I’m letting you get out of here alive.” First he shot Kaden who was still on the floor, distraught over Lakota’s death and then he shot my cousins Georgia and Sahira who tried to run into my room.

I peed on myself and it ran down my inner thighs and onto the floor.

“I realize something about you.” He pointed the gun at me. “You caused more problems then anybody I ever met. You know that?”

“I’m sorry…I just…”

“Just what? Like to keep shit up?” he paused. “I warned you bitch and now—”

Without another word he shot me.

From the distance I could hear the police coming and was slightly relieved that I would survive until things went dark and I could no longer breathe.