1
“Ay, Quan, check this shit out!” Tay shouted while staring down from the mountain cliff they were standing on.
“What’s up?” Jaquan asked, making his way over to where his best friend was standing.
“Look at them lost spirits down there,” Tay said while pointing his finger down toward the long fall from the cliff they were standing
on.
When Jaquan stepped closer to the edge of the mountain cliff,
he saw the lost spirits reaching their hands up at him. When he saw their eyes turn red, he quickly stepped back, not wanting to fall off the edge of the Cliff. “Man, you saw that shit?” Jaquan asked.
Tay didn’t respond back to Jaquan; he just kept staring down the bottom of the cliff.
“Nigga, you deaf or something? Tay!” Jaquan shouted.
When Tay looked up in Jaquan’s direction, his eyes were red as
well.
“What the fuck,” Jaquan mumbled under his breath as he began
to back away from Tay.
“I’m about to jump,” Tay said.
“Nigga, you tripping. You ain’t gonna make it,” Jaquan said,
trying to convince his friend not to jump.
“I’ll make it. Besides, I came this far. Why turn back now? You
should jump too, maybe you’ll feel better,” Tay responded. “You talking crazy, my nigga,” Jaquan said.
“Be easy then, my nigga,” Tay said as began to jump from off the cliff.
“Tay!” Jaquan shouted out loud as he began to run toward the edge of the cliff. When he reached the end of the cliff, he stared down toward the bottom of the cliff and saw the lost spirits looking up at him. All of a sudden, the edge of the cliff started to collapsed. When the cliff collapsed, Jaquan began to fall from off the cliff.
“Oh shit!” Jaquan yelled while waking up out of a bad dream. He had been having the same dream over and over for the past five months now.
“Jaquan, get yo ass up and come get these dirty-ass boxers out of my bathroom! And hurry up!” Jaquan’s mother shouted. That was Kim, Jaquan’s mother. She was a single parent raising Jaquan all alone without a father figure. Jaquan’s father was murdered when he was two years old. Kim worked two jobs just to make sure Jaquan wouldn’t starve. At the age of thirty-four, Kim still looked young. She was five-feet-six-inches tall, weighing 133 pounds. She had a light skin complexion with hazel eyes. Her long natural hair hung down the middle of her back, and she also had a nice physique.
When he walked past her, she slapped him across the head. “Nasty ass,” Kim said, watching him walk inside the bathroom. When he walked back out the bathroom with his boxers, he walked back to his room. “If you need a ride to school, you better get ready. I gotta be at work by 8:00 a.m.,” Kim said while standing in front of his bedroom door.
“I’m good, Ma. I’ma catch the bus with Tay,” Jaquan replied.
“Okay then,” Kim said, closing his room door. When he was alone in his room, he lay back in his bed, staring up at the ceil- ing, thinking about the dream he just had. Out of nowhere, his cell phone started ringing, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Hello,” Jaquan answered.
“Ay, I’m on my way to ya spot,” Tay said.
“Alright, fam,” Jaquan replied while hanging up the phone. Jaquan got out of bed to get ready for school. He looked over at his alarm clock, which read 6:20 a.m. He grabbed some fresh boxers and a towel to go shower. When he walked to the bathroom door, it was locked. “Ma!” Jaquan shouted while knocking on the door. As he continued to knock on the door, his mother opened it. He watched her put on her earrings as she was just about to leave. “How I look?” Kim asked, wanting her son’s honest opinion.
“You look good, Ma, like always,” Jaquan replied while making his way into the bathroom.
Kim was the type of woman who always made sure she looked good everywhere she went. She had on some Baby Phat jeans that fit her curvy hips for the cold weather she was about to walk into.
“Thank you, baby,” Kim said, placing a kiss on her son’s cheek. “No problem,” Jaquan replied while turning on the shower.
“I left you $50 on the kitchen table. I’ll be home around 5:00
p.m.,” Kim said while leaving the bathroom.
“Alright,” Jaquan replied while closing the door behind her.
After he took his shower and dried off, he brushed his teeth and got ready for school. When he was done putting on his clothes and shoes, he was on his way out the door. He grabbed the money his mother left him off the table and left the house.
When he walked outside, he saw Tay waiting for him down- stairs. He locked the door to his apartment and walked the steps to meet up with Tay. “What’s good, fam?” Jaquan asked while giving his homie some dap.
“Nothing much. You want to hit this joint before we head off to school?” Tay asked while handing over the lit joint to Jaquan.
“Yeah, let me hit that,” Jaquan said as he began to take a few pulls from the joint he was now smoking.
As he and Tay started walking toward the end of Third Street, Lil Robert was now pulling up in a white Charger. “Quan, Tay, what’s good,” Lil Robert greeted. Lil Robert was the same age as Tay and Quan, which was sixteen years old. For his young age, he was well respected throughout the neighborhood of Belle Glade. Most of the people around his age was terrified of him because of his reputation.
“What’s up, Lil Robert,” Tay and Jaquan replied.
“Nothing much. Y’all niggas going to school?” Lil Robert asked. “Yeah. You ain’t going?” Jaquan asked. Nawl, dawg, not today. It’s money to be made out here,” Lil Robert replied.
Just then, the school bus arrived.
“See you niggas around,” Lil Robert said as he began to drive
off.
When Tay and Jaquan got on the school bus, the bus drove off.
After Jaquan and Tay took their seats, a pretty brown-skinned girl sat right next to Jaquan. “Why you ain’t call me back last night?” the girl asked. That was Kenteria. She and Jaquan first met each other when they first started high school. Jaquan tried out for football, and she tried out for the cheerleading squad. They were both freshmen at the time and got very close with each other.
She was a very pretty girl who always carried a beautiful smile on her. She stood five feet and seven inches, weighing 128 pounds. She had a light-brown complexion to her skin and had long dark black hair that stopped in the middle of her back.
“My bad. I had fallen asleep,” Jaquan replied.
“Umm-hmm. Ever since you got a new girlfriend, you forgot all about me,” Kenteria said.
“How can I forget a friend?” Jaquan said with a bright smile on his face.
“If you say so. And next time, you better not have me waiting all night for you to call me back either,” Kenteria said, playfully bump- ing Jaquan on the shoulders.
“I got you,” Jaquan replied.
The school bus was now pulling up at Glade Central High School. When the bus stopped in front of the school, everybody got off the bus, including Tay and Jaquan.
“Ay, you wanna leave school after fifth period?” Tay asked.
“Nawl, I’m good,” Jaquan said while making his way inside the cafeteria.
“Hey, bae!” Jaquan’s girlfriend shouted out while making her way toward him with her arms out for a hug.
“What’s up, shawty,” Jaquan replied.
Her name was Shannel. She and Jaquan were deep into each other. She was a very intelligent and gorgeous-looking girl. She was
the type of girl a nigga like Jaquan would kill for. She was also the type you couldn’t leave alone because a nigga would be all up on her, trying to get her number.
“I miss you,” Shannel said.
“I miss you,” Jaquan replied.
Just then, the bell sounded, and it was time for everybody to
get to class.
“Come on, let me walk you to class,” Jaquan said, wrapping his
arms around her waist as they began to walk to class. After he walked his girl, he made it to his classroom late.
“Late again, Mr. Miller,” the teacher said, spotting Jaquan try- ing to sneak his way inside the classroom.
“My bad, Mr. Hills. It won’t happen again,” Jaquan said while taking a seat next to his special friend Kenteria.
“For you to be a star football player, you sure got a bad habit of showing up to my class late. This is my last warning, Mr. Miller,” Mr. Hills warned.
“I got you, Mr. Hills,” Jaquan replied.
When Mr. Hills heard what Jaquan said, he went on to teach the class.
“So why you was late?” Kenteria asked with a curious look on her face.
“I got caught up,” Jaquan simply replied.
“Why you got to lie?” Kenteria asked while laughing to herself. “Why I got to be lying?” Jaquan asked.
“Because everybody know why you be late every day, Quan,”
Kenteria responded.
“If it’s like that, then why you asked?” Jaquan asked.
“You know what? You right. I don’t know why I asked,” Kenteria
replied, now focusing back on her schoolwork.
“Damn, it’s like tha—” Jaquan managed to say before he got
cut off.
“Enough, Mr. Miller! Get back to work,” Mr. Hills said, raising
his voice.
When Jaquan saw Kenteria doing her work, he got straight to
his schoolwork like he was told.
89
Rodney ViRgil
liVin’ on the edge
After school, Jaquan went to football practice. When Jaquan saw Kenteria at cheerleading practice, he nodded his head up at her with a smile on his face. When he saw that she wasn’t in the mood to talk to him, he walked off, playing the situation cool.
After long hours of practice, he was on his way out the locker room. Out of nowhere, Jaquan’s cell phone started ringing. He reached inside his pockets and answered his phone. “Hello,” Jaquan answered.
“You still at practice?” Tay asked.
“I’m just now getting out. Why, what’s up?” Jaquan asked.
“Me and Fella coming through to get you,” Tay said.
“Alright then,” Jaquan said, hanging up the phone.
Moments later, a money-green Cutlass 350 sitting on 24s pulled
up in front of the school, blasting Webbie’s “How U Ridin.” Jaquan opened the back door to the car and hopped in. As soon as he got in, Fella pulled off.
“What’s good, Quan,” Fella said, turning down the volume to his music player. Fella was Tay’s oldest cousin. His main occupation in the streets of Belle Glade was hustling. He was six foot one and well-built. He had long dreads and had a mouth full of gold. He wasn’t a big-time hustler, but he hustled enough to get by in life.
“Nothing much,” Jaquan replied.
“Ay, hit this shit,” Tay said while handing over a lit-up joint. “Nigga, it’s safe?” Jaquan asked with a smirk on his face. “Nigga, you got me fucked up,” Tay said as he began to watch
Jaquan hit the joint.
Jaquan took a hard pull from the joint he was smoking. As soon
as the smoke entered his lungs, he started coughing uncontrollably. “That shit good, huh?” Tay asked.
“Hell yeah. Where you get that from?” Jaquan asked.
“The juboy corner,” Tay simply replied.
Several minutes later, they were pulling in front of Cadillac’s. Cadillac’s was a restaurant in the hood everybody went to eat at. They served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Belle Glade didn’t have any five-star restaurants like Miami or any other major cities. They only
had local small restaurants, but that was enough for everybody in the hood. Cadillac’s was one of Jaquan’s favorite spots to eat at.
When all three of them hopped out the car, they made their way toward the restaurant.
***
Meanwhile, Kim was in the house, sitting on the sofa and watching television. She was watching Everybody Hates Chris, which was one of her favorite shows to watch after work. While she was deep into what she watching, there was a disturbing knock at the front door. She quickly got up off the sofa to go see who was at the door. When she peeked through the peephole to see who was at the door, she sucked her teeth and unlocked the door.
“Sam, what the fuck you want?” Kim asked while standing in the doorway.
“I want you,” he said as he began to make his way inside the house.
“Uhh-uhh. My son is about to come home, so you got to go, Sam,” Kim said while placing her hands on his chest to keep him from coming inside.
“Why you trying to get rid of me so easy?” he said as he began to wrap his arms around Kim’s waist, trying to kiss her.
“No, stop. You drunk,” Kim said while smelling the strong liquor from his breath.
“Bring that ass here and stop resisting a real nigga,” Sam said while grabbing a handful of her round, plump ass.
“Stop!” Kim yelled as she began to push him off her.
“Fuck your problem is? Huh?” Sam asked, now backing her up inside the apartment with force.
“You my problem. I told you it’s over between me and you. What part you didn’t understand, Sam?” Kim asked with tears well- ing up in her eyes.
“It’s over when I say it’s over,” Sam said as he began to snatch her arms.
“Let me go!” Kim shouted, trying to get him off her.
10
11
Rodney ViRgil
liVin’ on the edge
“Shut up!” he said while slapping her to the floor.
She quickly got up off the floor and tried to run toward the front door.
“Bitch, you ain’t going nowhere,” he said, pulling her violently away from the door.
“Please, Sam, don’t do this. Please, just leave me alone,” Kim pleaded as tears started falling freely from her eyes.
“I can’t do that,” he replied as he began to unzip his jeans. When he grabbed her by the arms, she dug her fingernails into his face, causing blood to slowly leak from his face. “Aww, you bitch!” he shouted as he began to backslap her against the wall.
When Kim got up, she ran to the kitchen to grab the cordless phone. As she began to start dialing the emergency number, he got a hold of her and snatched the phone from out her hands. He pushed up against her and started unbuckling her jeans.
“Stop, please! Let me go!” she shouted.
Sam picked her up and carried her to her bedroom. On the way to her room, she tried her best to squirm her way from his strong grip, but it was useless. When he made it to her room, he threw her down on top of her bed. She tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down and climbed on top of her. He quickly pulled down her jeans and snatched them off her. When he saw the print of her pussy through the white thongs she was wearing, his dick started to get harder.
Sam ripped Kim’s thongs off and forced himself inside of her. While he was inside of her, she started swinging her fists at him. He grabbed both of her arms and held them down to the bed. When he continued to fuck her, she screamed out for help.
“Help!” Kim screamed out.
“Bitch, shut the fuck up!” Sam yelled as he began to slap her across the face.
When she continued to scream for help, he picked the pillow up and placed it over her face to block off the loud screaming she was causing. When he began to put pressure on the pillow that was against her face, she started to let out a series moans and anguished cries from under the pillow. While Sam was humping his life away,
her body stopped moving. After he was satisfied with his pleasure, he realized that Kim wasn’t putting up a fight anymore.
When he lifted up the pillow from off her face, he started pan- icking. He quickly rolled off her and started putting his clothes back on. When he looked over her way, tears started forming in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Kim,” he said as he began to turn around and leave.
***
Fella was just now pulling up in front of Jaquan’s apartment on Third Street.
“Alright then. See y’all niggas later,” Jaquan said, getting out the car.
“Alright, my nigga, be easy,” Tay said as he and Fella began to drive off.
When Jaquan made it up the stairs, he saw Sam coming his way. “What’s good, Sam,” Jaquan said.
When Sam saw Jaquan coming his way, his eyes got wide. He nodded his head up at Jaquan when he walked past him.
Jaquan looked back at Sam and saw that he was in a hurry. Fuck that nigga problem is? Jaquan thought to himself. Once he made it inside the apartment, he saw the huge mess inside the living room. “What the fuck happened in here?” Jaquan mumbled to himself as he began to make his way inside the house. “Ma!” Jaquan called out. When he didn’t get a response, he made his way straight to her room. He started knocking on the door. When he didn’t get a response, he opened the room door and let himself in.
The room was dark when he stepped inside, but he could see his mother lying on top of her bed. “Ma,” Jaquan called out. When she didn’t reply, he walked up to her bed to wake her. “Ma, wake up,” Jaquan said as he began to shake her. When she didn’t wake up, he reached for the lamp on the nightstand to turn on the light.
When the light was on, he saw the bruises on his mother’s face. He continued to shake her, but she wouldn’t budge. Tears started to fall from his face when he realized she was dead.
12
13
Rodney ViRgil
***
Kenteria ran down the street to Jaquan’s apartment when she found out the police and the ambulance was there. She stayed down the street from him, so it didn’t take that long to get to his apartment. When she arrived at the crime scene, she saw the paramedics carrying a body bag out of Jaquan’s apartment. When the paramedics placed the body bag in the back of the ambulance, she saw Jaquan coming outside of the apartment with the sheriff ’s officers.
When he made it down the stairs, she ran toward him in full speed. “Jaquan, what happened?” Kenteria asked.
He looked up at her for a while and turned his back. She grabbed his right shoulder and turned him around. “Quan, please. What happened?” Kenteria asked once again.
“Somebody killed my mother,” Jaquan answered in a soft tone of voice.
She saw the hurt and pain in his eyes when he revealed to her what happened to his mother. She couldn’t help but cry because she truly felt what he was feeling and what he was going through at that moment. She walked up toward him and gave him a hug. “I’m sorry, Jaquan,” Kenteria said through her tears.
Jaquan was too hurt to say anything, so he just continued to hug her. He was glad Kenteria had showed up because at the moment, he needed her love and support. Even though they had an argument earlier and avoided each other, at the end of the day, they were there for one another. The friendship they shared was pure, and no one could break that but them.