Promise me this

Chapter 1: Truth

Friends- Chapter 1 (yes it's long 🙄)

- [ ] Here I felt safe... I wish I could go back to the spot that made me feel the safest and warmest. Listening to the rhythm of your heart beat smoothed my ears, took away bad dreams, and put me to sleep like a baby listening to a lullaby. The light kisses on the forehead were the best. I never had that before. Never felt so close to someone before. I guess it's true when they say the good things don't last forever... I'm René, I was 14 turning 15 when I met Dre. I remember it like it was yesterday.

      It was bright, Sunny, and I was sitting outside my door because my people were yelling in the house. "I'm Not happy! I'm not!" That's all I could hear through my door. My neighbor Mrs. Cheri opened her door, "Hey darling, do you mind running a lil errand for me?". Mrs. Cheri was 70 years old. She looked quite good for her age too. She lost both her kids in a house fire years ago, so she doesn't quite go out much. She pretty much treats me like her own. "Yes ma'am I wouldn't mind". "Run this box for me darling to 425 across the street, tell Dre I sent you dear". "Yes ma'am".

     I hardly go outside either unless I go for my runs around the neighborhood, but my people don't agree with me running around this neighborhood, too many "thugs" around as they say. Dice games, missing cars here and there every other weekend, even a few homes broken into. But we were use to it. I don't know what's in this box but it sure in the hell smells good. This house Mrs. Cheri wanted me to run to seemed off. This was the side of the neighborhood I'm not suppose to be on but an errand is an errand. *knocks* "I was sent by Mrs. Cheri anyone home?". It was quite. A few minutes passed by and I was just about ready to leave, but then I heard the knob turn. He unhooked the chain to the door and slightly opened his door. I couldn't see anything but 1 hazel eye peeking through. "Who you?", he said. "René.. I'm Mrs. Cheri's neighbor, she told me to give this to you". He just looked at me, didn't say anything but looked at what I had in my hands. A voice from inside the house said, "Who's at the door D?!" He looked at me again. "Nobody moe". He opened the door wide, and I handed him the box. He turned around ready to go back into the house. "Aren't you going to say thank you?" I said. He gazed up at me, "Preciate you". And closed the door behind him.

         I went back across the street and sat outside my door a lil longer. Inside the house seemed quite, but I wasn't ready to head in yet. I fell asleep. Woke up to the sound of frogs, and crickets at night. The sky was beautiful. I guess that's why I liked sitting outside more than in the house. It was 10 o'clock. I thought I had a bit of time to go for a run in the neighborhood before going in for dinner. I always ran left instead of right because the right to the neighborhood was nothing but a dead end. Our neighborhood was big ass hell but good for running. I remembered I was playing 2 on by Tinashe. That was my shit. The air started to get colder as I ran. I could feel my fro bouncing up and down with every step I took. The breeze rubbing against my skin like a feather.  I loved it. As I was running, I could feel the wind picking up. My lungs were good but not as good as I needed them to be. I had to stop to take a break and catch my breath. I slouched over leaning side to side to stretch a lil,and stood back up to put my hands over my head to cool down.

      While stretching I seen something that caught my attention. 3 black shadows on the other sidewalk across from me going behind a house. I took my right head phone out." SHIT RUN!" "DRE LETS GO NIGGA!". They started running from the back of the house into the street of the neighborhood. He ran past me and gazed at me from the corner of his eye. I couldn't see much, but he was tall. 5'9 maybe? No... had to be at least 5'11. I watched as he ran past me down the road. All I could hear is tires screeching and the blue lights like the color of the ocean. Then I hear the sirens. 12 came and looked like they were in a hurry. I quickly put my headphones back in and cut between the houses to avoid being stopped for any reason. This was Baltimore. Being black and getting held by these cops down here .. you're pretty much done for. I hopped the fence and turned back around running behind the houses. Clenching my hands in the holes of the gate, and pulling myself up. I ran as fast I could back into the house. "God please let me get home", I said to myself. *Boom* Somebody ran into me. "What the hell, stop following me!". "Ain't nobody following you shawty!". "Damn you got a big ass head that shit hurt!", "What did y'all do? 12 is everywhere!". "Nothing that concerns you, so take yo ass home." "Do you really think Mrs.Cheri would be happy about this? Your Dre aren't you?" He looked up at me again with that look... as if he knew the truth himself. *car door slams* "Shit we got to go!"

    I ran one more house down until I reached my back window. I picked up a stick to slide underneath the seal of my window to lift it up. And put the screen of the window inside my room. I climbed over into my room. "What the hell are you standing there for, do you wanna go to jail???". He looked both ways and proceeded to climb into my window as well. I lifted the screen back on and pushed my window back on the track. we both sighed in relief. "Take your shoes off, they got dirt all on them". He unlaced the top of his shoes, and began to slide his foot out of his shoes. He placed them to the side. I cut on my light. My room was small not that big. My bedroom was black and red. My comforter was white with black and red pillows. My walls had posters of my fav singers and artist. I always had Tupac laying above my bed. With his hand folding as if he we're praying. That was my favorite. I took off my shoes, grabbed his, and placed them into my closet. I Turned around. He was just sitting there.. twisting his hair. This time I had a better look of him. His hair was faded with curls at the top. He was definitely the lightest brown skin I've seen before. "So when can I bounce?" he asked. "Whenever you want, I got a shower in there if you liked to take a bath.""Ight cool".

  He walked to the bathroom and shut the door. He really doesn't have any manners far as I can tell. I was peeking out my window to see if I could see any more blue lights, which I did. These guys out here don't play. When they're looking for you, they don't stop till somebody in the back of they car. After looking through the window, I turned around. I seen a small bag. Dre was in the shower, and my curiosity lead me to look through it. There was weed, about an ounce of it. And a silver ring with a wet spot of blood on it along with 2 gold watches, heavy too. I put the jewelry back into his bag. I heard the water cut off, so I hopped on the bed quickly. He opened the door. "Don't you think you should put it back?" I said. "Why you going through my stuff?". "Your stuff or someone else's?". He smacked his lips and went towards his bag. "I told you it don't concern you."