𝖲𝗍𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗍 𝖠𝖿𝖿𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇

𝟥𝟧 | 𝖯𝖠𝖨𝖭 & 𝖯𝖱𝖮𝖡𝖫𝖤𝖬𝖲

She slowly nods her head. "Northwestern is better. I'm biased but it is. Now I know you'll excel anywhere. You transferred during your most important school year and you're doing great on making lasting impressions with your teachers. So I'm asking you to fill out the application. I've already written my recommendation letter for you and I gave Mr. P and Ms. Martin a heads up that you will be asking for ones from them." He attempts to cheer her up.

Just telling her he already had her recommendations letter was all she needed to agree. She would hate to have wasted his time. "I'll fill out the application, Dr. Ramsey." She says.

"Great, now. Go make your phone call." He tells her. She steps outside sitting down on the bench slightly disappointed that she couldn't tell Demon about the new opportunity that she was presented but she dialed the number slightly distracted.

They had a co-dependency on each other, Demon found himself talking to her about his pain and problems, just as much as she did hers.

"Corinne, sweetie. How have you been?" Her grandmother's former nurse speaks. "I've been okay. How about you?" Corinne asks, thinking she dialed the wrong number.

"Not my best...but we take it one day at a time," De'Anna says. "I'll have to try that," Corinne mutters, realizing she didn't make a mistake. "Did you need something?" De'Anna asks softly.

"I didn't know Adonis was your son."

"So you're Cece." The smile on De'Anna's face got bigger. "Yeah," Corinne tells her, awkwardly. "Whew...now I can stop worry about who this girl that got him so in love is." She says. "He talked to you about me?" Corinne asks. "All the damn time. So they arrested him?"

"Yeah...like five minutes ago." Corinne solemnly informs her.

"Have you cried yet?" De'Anna asks.

"A little." She mutters.

"He had me thinking you were gonna be an emotional wreck," De'Anna says. "Well I'm at school right now and I have work later but I will most definitely be a wreck as soon as my day over," Corinne tells her. "How about you call me tonight and we can talk longer cause I know you gotta get back to class at some point," De'Anna says.

"Yeah, I can talk to you while I'm at work. I can't sit with my thoughts for too long." Corinne informs her.

"Okay, and after that, we can talk about you stopping by the hospital. I know some of the other nurses would love to see you." She says.

"I'm not exactly the biggest fan of UIC."

"Well we are having a holiday mixer at this Santa Baby and my daughter doesn't want to come. I would be happy to have you as my plus one."

"That sounds great." Corinne finds herself smiling. "Good, we can talk details later. Now you can call me if you need anything. I'm used to that boy getting himself in some shit...you just getting started."

"It's always something with him, ain't it?" Corinne asks making De'Anna laugh. "Always." She nods despite it being invisible to Corinne. "I'll call you later then."

"I'll talk to you later sweetie," De'Anna tells her before letting her hang up. She didn't mind Corinne being a part of her family one bit.

$ $ $

"Y'all good?" Corinne asks, closing her locker. Her three friends continue to look at her with sad faces when she turns around.

"We gotta tell you some, pooh." Paris starts.

"Okay, tell me." She says. "It's about- I can't do it." Five exclaims, walking away. "What happened?" She asks. "The feds got D this morning. Tadoe just told us in fourth. We ain't know how to tell you." Meech tells her.

"Do you want a hug?" Paris asks.

"I'm good. Do you want a hug?" Corinne asks Five. "You being all strong." Five says, coming back over letting her hug him.

"I already knew and I don't need people in my business." She tells him.

"What you mean you already knew?" Meech asks.

"I always talk to him during the second period and that's when it happened." She says. "And you ain't tell us?" Five asks. "He wanted me to tell his momma." She tells them. "How that go?"

"It was for me cause she taking it just fine," Corinne tells them as the bell rings. "I'll see y'all in Spanish." She adds before walking down two doors to go into her class. "You never make it to my class before the bell rings." Mr. Johnson tells her.

"I'm sorry." Corinne apologizes to him sitting down next to one of her classmates. "One of these days, I'm going to make you get a tardy pass." He says.

"You would? Mr. Johnson, that hurt my feelings." She tells him. "Yeah, yeah. Just pay attention."

$ $ $

"Look, kid. This is a really good deal, especially with your charges. You should take it." The agent tries to convince Demon to just take the plea after spending hours asking questions only to get blank stares in response.

The door soon bursts open. "Gwendolyn Parker. I'm Mr. Dragić's attorney. I would like to know what he's being charged with and a copy of the case file." The black woman starts immediately.

Gwendolyn was his godmother. She was his mother's best friend growing up. While De'Anna chose to follow love and the streets, Gwen went to Stanford before law school. Now she was one of the best criminal defense lawyers in Illinois.

"Right away, Ms. Parker." The agent says, keeping his composure until he walked into the room.

"I want to talk to my client in a conference room. He is not under interrogation right now." She says, knowing he was supposed to sit in the room with the two-way glass and metal chairs.

"Right away, Ms. Parker." A guard says walking into the room to walk Demon to a conference room that they used for preliminary hearings with witnesses. "What the hell did you do?" She asks, as soon as they were alone.

"Nothing." He shrugs.

"Tell me what I'm dealing with Adonis, or so help me God. I will whoop yo ass. You not too old." She tells him. "I ain't do none." He repeats as someone knocks on the door. "Here is your copy case file and the arrest warrant." An agent says.

"Thank you." She fake smiles before closing the door and sitting down. "Bubba, did you or did you not commit these three murders?" She asks. "No." He answers before muttering "...not all three."

"You want the usual..." She starts making him nod. The usual was to get a speedy trial. The niggas on the block couldn't do anything better but kill and if all the witnesses ended up dead with a trial date right around the corner. They wouldn't be able to hold their case.

Demon knew that they were relying on those five lying ass people but he would need a preliminary hearing or get his hands on the names and that was all he would need to start the mission.

"One of these days, Vic not gone be able to afford me."

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a/n: It's her family still being in the process of suing the hospital and them still loving Corinne for me. so...next chapter it's gone be a time jump but it's not a big time jump though..