Limelight

Adventures In The Bronx

Junior crept up his fire escape to the fourth floor with immense caution, peeking through the crevices of his living room's white curtains to see his mother still resting on the couch.

He felt a slight weight lift off his shoulders at the sight of her. Mrs. Smith couldn't remember the last off day she had, her job was really beginning to take a toll on her being; it was evident with everything she did.

Those early morning cleanings right before she cooked breakfast vanished and the Smiths were left with silence instead of the music she'd play to get them in the morning spirit.

It seemed as if each and every one of them split off onto their own path, seeking their own journey, a journey so vast that they barely acknowledged each other like they once did.

With a small sigh, Junior took one last look at his mother then lifted his bedroom's cracked window. And once he had a decent space, he climbed in– careful not to knock any furniture down in the process.

His room was exactly how he left it, his dictionary was still in place to keep his window cracked, his door still closed, and his bedsheets still undone. He knew that his mother didn't come check his room by any chance.

His heart still pumped at a rapid speed as he removed his jacket, his body on fire, and his room seemed to be closing in on him the more he thought- hearing the gun clicking repeatedly. A terrifying echo.

He exhaled deeply before his trembling hands slowly reached for his near-death that was tucked slightly in his pants.

" Yo Junior. Where you been at man?" He heard from behind him and immediately his heart spiked at his chest before he quickly removed the gun. Placing it on the window's ledge directly behind him.

At his door, Damon stood with a handful of new comics, a large bag of candy, and a small smile.

" H-How did you get in here?" Junior questioned, moving the gun further behind him gently.

His question caused Damon's face to scrunch as he took a dramatic bite out of his Charleston Chew. " Nigga the fuck you mean how I get in here? I live here just as much as I live in my place. You forgot about this or something?" Damon dangled the extra key he had to their apartment.

" Oh...Yeah right my bad. My mind just been all over the place." Junior shook his head in attempts to shake his nerves off.

Damon sighed then, telling him how Tasha told him what happened Monday as he discreetly examined Junior's eye.

The swelling had gone down significantly due to the home remedy Junior remembered. He managed to hide his eye all week, which surprisingly wasn't hard for him.

His mother was too tired, His dad was too busy fronting an act with the Jones family, Alyssa, of course, worked day through night, and Delilah's attention seemed to be only focused on two things lately.

Words couldn't describe the depths of fear that he indulged within the past week. He should've never made the decision to go to Napoleon, but if he didn't– the harassment Fernando put him through would continue.

As he glared at Damon he found a sudden urge to just tell him everything, but he couldn't get Damon dragged into anything. Something in him told him that the moment he met Sincere...he was already in too deep.