Ghetto *An August Alsina Fan Fiction*

Chapter 18- Shaking My Head

"King is workin with ya' boy. You see, if me and him team up, we can rule this whole city. Do you know how much money we're gonna make?" Ace replied, smiling at the thought of all the money to be made.

Mel has turned against the boys, and is now working with Ace. The same man who killed one of his closest friends. What kind of person turns their back on their on blood?  Never in a million years, would I have ever thought that Mel would be essentially "working with the enemy". I was in a horrible position at this moment. On my left, was the man who had supplied the drugs for my mom to carry on her addiction, and on my right, was the man who had killed my brother. These were the two men who ruined life, and here I was in the middle of them.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard the front door opening. I looked up and my eyes widened. I looked around, trying to plan my escape route. I had to get out of here. I was scared out of my mind. I hopped up, only to be pulled right back down by Ace. He kept a tight grip on my wrist, preventing me from going anywhere. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before looking back at the person who had entered the house. I stared at Rodney as he took a seat across from me. When nobody said anything for a few moments, I began to wonder if I was really seeing  Rodney. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me.

"How's Kim?" Rodney asked, breaking the silence.

"Good," I answered quietly. I didn't want to look crazy if I was talking to someone who wasn't actually there.

"Aye, I need one of y'all niggas to go make a drop for me," Ace said, only moments after I answered.

"I ain't goin'," Rodney responded quickly. Well at least now I knew I wasn't just seeing things. Now, I just wanted to know why he had faked his death. He had caused all of us so much pain for no reason.

"I'll go later," Mel stated. I wish I hadn't forgotten my phone back at the trap. I could've called someone to come get me. I really didn't want to be here.

"No, go now. Money waits for no one," Ace told him. I waited to see what Mel was going to do. Surprisingly, he got up and walked off to an unknown destination in the house. I was shocked that Ace had that much power over him. Mel was almost 25 and Ace couldn't have been older that 21. It didn't seem like Mel to take orders from anybody else. I couldn't help but think that maybe Mel was on drugs now.

"Can you let me go," I asked Ace. He was still holding onto my wrist from when I got up earlier. He looked down at my wrist before finally removing his hand. I scooted over to where Mel had been previously sitting.

Mel came back to the living room, keys in hand, and stopped at the door. "Don't try no stupid shit while I'm gone," Mel said, looking directly at Ace.

"I ain't makin' no promises," Ace said  with a grin. He let out a small chuckle before scooting next to me and putting an arm around my shoulders. Mel shook his head and walked out. He brings me to an unknown place, for an undetermined reason, and then he just leaves me. I wonder how August will react to all of  this.

"Why am I here and why did you pretend to die?" I questioned, looking directly at Rodney. It was time for someone to give me some answers.

"That day at the trap, I wasn't supposed to get hit. Nobody was, it was more of a warning. I was in the wrong place at the worng time, so I got shot. After y'all left,  Mel took me to the hospital. When I got out, we decided that I should fake my death. It would be easier than trying to work behind y'all's backs like Mel's been doin'," Rodney answered. You never know who you can trust. Not only had Mel turned on August and Denzel, one of their closest friends had also went against them.

"You're here because I need your help," Ace said, answering my first question.

"Well you're wasting your time with me. I'm not helping you, Rodney, or Mel with anything. Y'all should know where my loyalty lays," I quickly answered. I would never do anything for him. I felt like a traitor just sitting in this room right now.