when we were young (JEM#1)

28.

After Kareem's hospital visit Jamie suggested they go out for a walk and maybe find a place to eat. A nice calm amid a storm.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

It started nice, with them walking to the nearest burger joint and getting burgers and fries. Kareem had been on a somewhat strict diet to get ready for the incoming season. He did though have his cheat days to let loose and enjoy some junk food.

Kareem appreciated the much-needed distraction. he wanted to focus on basketball but everything was pulling him in different directions and he felt severely overwhelmed.

Feeling something brush against his hand Kareem was brought back to reality. looking down he stared at Jamie who had wrapped herself around his arm and had her head
Laid on his shoulder looking up at him. Her beautifully colored brown eyes had looked like melted caramel anytime the sun had hit it. Her lash extensions had looked so natural that when he saw her pulling them out one night he thought she had lost her mind.

"You're so pretty." Watching her face light up was like watching a thousand suns burn at once.

At that moment Kareem realized how deep in love he truly was. Finding someone like Jamie was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He would never let go of her no matter what. not again. As he was hers just as much as she was his.

"So what do you want to do now? Do you want to go home now or do wanna go to the arcade?" Jamie asked still attached to him.

"Let's go to the arcade so I can destroy you in these arcade games." He said with a smirk on his face

"It's cute you think you can beat me at anything."

"Is that a challenge I hear?"

"It is indeed."

*************

"Fix your face, Kareem."

"There is nothing wrong with my face." He replied with his face all scrunched up.

"There is no way your still upset about losing every game." She said as she laughed out loud.

They had been at the arcade for almost two hours when Kareem became a sore loser and called it quits. He and Jamie had played almost every game and he lost to her every single time and was still stank about an hour later.

"Awww my baby's a sore loser. It's okay love, I'll buy you ice cream. Does that sound better." she said in a mock-ish baby voice. As she pinched his cheeks.

"Your not serious man." He said as a smile graced his face making his dimples pop. "But I won't deny that ice cream though."

That caused both of them to burst into a fit of laughter. Onlooker looked at the lovely black couple with pride and envy. The way their energies were resonating off of each other was admirable and refreshing. In modern-day media black couples are portrayed as ghetto and toxic which often time isn't always true. The male is always painted as an abuser, cheater, or manipulator whilst the female is portrayed as a hoe, high maintenance, or ratchet for having standards. So watching a black couple, a successful one at that living their best life In real time is often a surreal experience.

Among the onlooking crowd was a woman staring from across the street. With a look of envy and contempt etched on her face. The couple's face was shielded from her vision but she could see how loved up they were with each other.

There is a reason why envy is considered a sin.

In the English dictionary, the word envy is described as a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck.

And in her perspective, she had every right to feel envious of something that was supposed to be hers. It didn't matter that the reason he was gone was because of her infidelity or her lies. He belonged to her and her only. Paint her as the bad guy if you have to, but you must understand everyone has sinned. sinning is a part of the natural course of life.

Greed and gluttony were the reasons her relationship when to hell but envy? Envy would be the true reason behind her downfall.

Watching as the light changed shakiyah started her march across the street. She was tired of looking at happy people and she just wanted to go home and sleep and quit fantasizing about what was once hers. That was until she saw their faces. The happy couple that had been unknowingly taunting her just had to be her one and only and her sidekick. Jamie and Kareem.

Of course, they were so caught up with each other that they hadn't noticed the angry woman running in their direction.

They didn't notice until Jamie's head was forcibly pulled back with the force of god. shaikyah had gripped her braids from the base of her scalps and threw her on the street before promptly getting on top of her and punching on her head.

By no means is Jamie weak but when a coked up crackhead sneaks you from behind you're gonna needed a second to get your lick back especially when she's sitting on your chest.

When you grow up getting physically bullied by your brother almost all of your adolescent life you learn how to find ways to turn fight to your advantage.

Shoving shakiyah off her Jamie quickly got up in a fighting position anticipating another attack. Shakiyah hopped up un-affected and charged for Jamie. But this Jamie was prepared.

Kareem stood off somewhat to side not entirely knowing what to do. A small crowd had formed and everyone was stuck in the same predicament. He was pretty sure someone had called the police but everything sounded..off

He tried to make his way to the fight but some older men were holding back claiming to 'let the women fight it out'. But they didn't know the whole story like he did.

All of a sudden a loud zooming noise could be heard approaching from down the street. Anyone with a brain would be able to tell that there was a car coming down the street at an obscenely high speed.

"Aye you gotta let me go break up the fight, there's are car speeding down the road. I don't want anything bad to happen.

"Don't worry they'll get out in time." One of the older men said. but Kareem wasn't hearing none of that. By that time they could see the car in question had approached much faster than anticipated and didn't look like it would be stopping anytime soon.

Finally getting fed up with the men's fuckery, Kareem forced himself out of the human barricade and stalked his way over to Jamie but when he felt a sudden gust of wind pass his face he felt his heart drop. Hearing the collective gasp from the group he slowly turned his head to where Shakiyah and Jamie were fighting only to see a large blood piddle covering two slumped-over bodies.

There are seven cardinal sins. pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. consider them carefully because they too can be your demise.

—————
Fight me later I'm tired.

Someone's dead I wonder who or maybe both 🤔