The Bricks ஐ

Chapter 24 ♥ Survival of the Fittest

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~Flashback~

"Joey...Joe...Jojo." I shook him trying to wake him up.

"Meela, I'm tired." He turned around on the cold hard floor pulling the sheet that we call our warmest blanket further around his thin body.

"Look, I'm leaving. If mom asks where I am I need you to cover." That woke him up.

"Where are you going Meela?" He asked rubbing his eyes trying to get them to adjust to the bright winter morning light shining through our raggedy blinds.

"With Hassan."

"Can I go Meela? Please?" He smiled , his dark brown eyes lighting up

"Next time baby boy... aren't you meeting up with your brother today?"

"Yea, He said that he's gonna teach me how to hoop... you should meet him one day Meela. He's really cool, you'd like him." I smiled at his enthusiasm

"Maybe next time Joey, I'll see you later, stay out of trouble." I got up to walk out of the room."Stay safe."

"You too."

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"Where are you going Meela?" Joey asked on the verge of tears... he's the only thing I'll miss about this place.

"I gotta get out of here... get my own, I can't keep going through this."

"What about me huh? You leaving me, just like my brother... you're leaving and you don't even care." The look in his eyes was one of betrayal , the same look I gave Hassan when he left me.

"Look, Imma promise you this, when I make it you can forget this place exists, you can play ball everyday... I'll have you somewhere nice, you'll be happy, I promise." He looked me dead in the eye

"Swear."

"Bet, I wouldn't leave you JoJo, I just have to leave right now, but I promise one day everything will be good."

~End Of Flashback~

Joey McKenzie. Other than Hassan really, he was the only thing that brought light to my cloudy days. When Hassan wasn't there he was. He became almost like a little brother, someone I felt that I had to protect at all cost.

Joey had a rough past like most. Parents died in a car crash when he was three, he got separated from his brother when no family was kind enough to take them in after their parents death.

Some how our stars crossed and we ended up in the same foster home while his brother ended up in one on the other side of town.

I never got to meet his brother until it was too late. I had already ran away from the foster home and started anew. I kept my promise to Joey, going back and looking out for him after I hit my first couple licks.

Only at fifteen years he's already a heart breaker. With his chocolate skin tone, and deep dimples he's the spitting image of his big brother... Meeko.

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♥Ace's POV

It's a lot of shit I don't tell her, a lotta shit I don't tell her because I want to protect her.

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"She needs you right now, she's going through some shit."

"Aight, say no more B,I'm on my way."

♥Money's POV

"Visiting hours are over, but since you're his siblings we'll give you more time." The doctor left the room leaving me and Meeko to our thoughts, thoughts that were solely war based.

I lifted my head watching Joe's chest rise and fall to the same beat of the heart monitor on his bed side.

"Typa fuckin man does this make me? I was supposed to keep him safe... That's my lil man B, he's not supposed to go through this shit, this life is not for him." I didn't know what to say so I just grabbed his hand and held it in mine doing my best to comfort him even though I don't know how.

After we did what we did we ended up back at the hospital, only me and Meeko though, everyone knew that we needed some time. By the time we got here they were bringing Joey out of emergency surgery. Four hot ones to his chest and arms and he's still breathing so I guess somebody up there is watching out for him.

"He's gonna be good."

"I know he is, but what about you?" I could feel him looking at me but I didn't turn to return his gaze.

"I'm fine."

"No. No you not." I looked in his eyes and I could tell that it was something that he wanted to say.

"What is it Meeko?" He shook his head

"The streets ain't never been quiet but since he got back Money, they been talking."

"Sayin what?"

"Ask ya boy." Meeko got up and kissed his brother on the forehead before he walked out.

I didn't have to look to see who was here, his presence can be felt in the room.

"I don't need a baby sitter." I got out of the chair and stood on the side of the hospital bed.

"I heard you sprayed some niggas tonight... I didn't know you cared so much." A lot of shit ran through my mind when he said that but something stuck out.

"You knew about this shit? They tried to kill him and you knew?" The betrayal in my voice wasn't something to be missed. "You know what he means to me... us."

"Na, I didn't know, not about this." He has a beautiful way with words, always has, manipulative.

"Oh word, you didn't know about this?" He tilted his head sideways and looked at me "What the fuck do you know then?"

"You claim to play this game so well baby, don't tell me you don't at least have the cheat codes." He walked closer to me but stopped when he saw that I wasn't trying to stop him.

"You trust me?" He asked smiling

"No."

He smirked "Good. Tell me what you wanna know." He sat in the chair that I had just sat in.

"Tell me what the streets are saying Hassan... and tell me the fucking truth."

"I've never lied to you. Even when I knew you couldn't handle the truth, I still never lied to you."

"Tell me."

"It's a couple top spots available in the bk, everybody can't be on top. Since I came back niggas been nervous, scared that the spot that they hustled hard on the field for would be snatched...they're right." Confused, I'm fucking confused and I hate that shit.

"What does this mean?"

"Me and you got the top spots right now. I'm that nigga, and you, well you Money. You make more than these niggas and you got more respect than these niggas." My trigger finger itched more with every word that he said.

"They plottin on you. They want yo spot, what you got. They willing to do whatever it takes, get rid of anybody close to you." I saw the anger in his eyes as he spoke, his possessiveness seeking out.

"So what's all of this for Hassan?"

"Baby, they want you dead."

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