"𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘"
𝑺𝑨𝑽𝑰𝑶𝑹 | 𝒔𝒂𝒗
NOVEMBER
Atlanta 📍
"Please! Someone call the police! Call an ambulance, baby! Go get the house phone!" My mother's voice rang in my ears as I stood behind her and the lifeless body in fear.
Was he gone for real? Would the guys come back? He would never get to see me paint again?
"I'll do it, Ma!" Shawn ran past me.
All I could feel was hot tears running down my adolescent face.
"Shit." I jolted up from my sleep and looked to my side where my phone was buzzing repeatedly.
"Yo?"
"Get up, bro. Mani was caught sneaking back in the house from last night. Ma say he came in and was tryna hide like somebody was after him or sum." Rashawn said on speaker phone.
I needed to get up and deal with it before Rashawn and Messy got there. Armani needed to be talked to first.
"Ima be there." I hung up.
I threw on some black sweats and a matching sweatshirt. As soon as I had brushed my teeth and did the rest of my hygiene, I headed over to Mama's house. I was getting more nervous the closer I got.
Parking out front, Rashawn and Messy came up right behind me. When I stepped out, I could see the anger in Shawn's face.
"Shawn? Bro, calm down 'fore we go in there." I met him at his car door.
"Nah, that nigga think he all big and tough then I'ma see how tough he is."
I knew he planned to fight him or push him around, but niggas didn't need to do that. That's what Mani was used to. We needed to do something to show him that he doesn't have to do this.
On the other hand, Messy came out of the car on the phone.
"Lemme come over later," He said to the phone.
"Messy. Listen clearly, I do not like you in a romantic way. You are just dick to me." I recognized Majia's voice as it spoke in a robotic tone.
"I don't believe you, bae." He squinted his eyes and walked toward us.
"I'm not your bae. Call me if you wanna give me dick and dick only. Annoying ass nigga." With that, she ended the call leaving Messy to actually deal with what we came for.
"You wasting your fucking time. She don't like you, bro." I told him.
"She do," He looked toward the small run down house. "Let's go check out this nigga, though. See what the fuck going on in here." Messy led us into the house.
After walking down the hallway and into his room, we first saw my mother sitting on the end of the bed talking to Mani while he sat there on the game, not paying her any attention. That ain't sit right with me.
"Mani, get the fuck up! Ion know what the fuck you think this is but now it's my turn to talk to you." Rashawn stood in front of him.
Mani only truly listened to Rashawn and even that was occasional. I was more reasonable compared to him, so now that Shawn and Messy were here, he knew he was in trouble.
"Shawn, bro, don't be on no stupid shit, mannn." He started and my mama left the room.
"Armani, I been tryna tell you to take my advice but you ain't wanna listen to me. Now, these niggas gon rough you up and Ion feel bad." I moved over and next to Mess.
"Shits not even a big deal. Y'all just like bothering me." He did that thing that teenagers do when they want to be left alone.
"What you been up to nigga?" Messy interjected.
"Nun." Simple answer.
"Nah, we know what you been up to. You came in mad early this morning, right? A lot niggas told me they heard you still fucking around in the streets." Shawn badgered him.
"It dont even matter."
"It do matter! Stand the fuck up if you such a tough ass nigga. Running from the cops and shit like it's a game," He trailed off.
I watched as Mani was roughly pushed to the floor by Shawn.
"Nah, you a street nigga right?" He laughed at Mani as he tried to get up.
And when he finally got back up in his feet, Messy was the one to push him back down this time. His back hit the wall and it was hard enough for us to hear it connect.
"You so big, get up then." Rashawn looked down at him as he held his back in pain. "We not finna do nothing else to you cause I know Sav wanna talk to you. You lucky he's here, lil bro."
I went and sat on the bed as Mani's eyes shifted over to me.
"You gotta realize this shits not cool, bro. We all been through what you're going through and we tryna help you be better. There gotta be something else you like to do besides gang banging and shit. We gon do more to help around here but that means you needa help us too. Don't let it get to the point where I have to stay here to watch you, cause I will." I made sure he was looking at me and I talked.
But when I actually looked at Armani, I saw his eyes fill with tears. Oh shit.
"Sav, Sav I'm sorry." He sniffled. "I just thought it was the best way to make money, and- and- y'all not here no more so I found people to chill with. And I- I know that I'm protected when I'm out there doing shit." More tears flowed down his face.
In this type of situations, Messy and Rashawn never knew what to do. Right now they were just standing there in shock over the fact that he was even crying.
"It's okay, bro. Come here, man" I signaled for him to shit beside me and he did. "You our little brother, Armani. Of course, we gon set you straight, but we here for you and Ma. Just cause our father ain't here and we don't live here don't mean we ain't here for you. Nigga, you can call me whenever and come chill with me, or you just gotta find better people to chill wit." I patted his back.
"Mani, we a family, my nigga. No matter what we here for you. We sorry for doing this shit to you today but it needed to happen. Ion want you to follow my footsteps. I'm supposed to be the oldest brother and be a role model but obviously I ain't a good one. You needa be looking at Sav and how he be doing this,." Shawn sat across us in a bean bag.
"Okay. I'ma try to do better." My little brother put his head down.
I thought about what else I could do to help him out. The only thing I could think of was having him stay with me for a little bit to get him away from all this. Armani needed a father figure right now.
"How bout you pack sum stuff and come stay with me for a few days or however long? We can chill for a lil," I needed to be the father figure he was missing.
Mani nodded his head and put in into his hands. The rest of us got out of his room and went into the living room to tell mama what happened.
"Y'all ain't hurt my baby, right?" Ma asked us.
"My name Bennet and I ain't in it, shit." Ain't got shit to do with me.
"Which one of y'all hurt, my baby? I'm beat all y'all asses if you don't speak up," She touched the belt on her waist.
"Rashawn! This nigga Rashawn pushed him and called him a monkey, Ma. He was being real racist to your youngest son, maam." Messy folded and shook his head at Shawn.
Shawn adjusted his white sweatshirt and said, "This nigga lying, mama. He pushed Mani first, and nobody was being a damn racist to him."
I tried not to laugh at the lies being told from both of them. Nobody liked to fuck with my mom, especially about one of her kids.
"Savior!" I quickly stopped smiling. "Why you over there laughing?! One of y'all say sum before I call Mani in here to tell me what happened." Mama scolded us and when she didn't get an answer she did. "Armani!"
He walked in with a few bags and a washed face. It looked like we had beaten him down, which wasn't our main intention.
"Yea?"
"Which one of them put they hands on you?" She pointed to all of us.
"I ain't no snitch," He looked kind of offended.
"Actually, perfect. Y'all can get out my house wit y'all lying asses."
"Ight, Ma don't do too much." I said to her.
"Bye! Love y'all," she pushed us all out the front door.
On the sidewalk, Shawn gave him a quick hug and Messy dapped him up to say goodbye. We got into my car and sped off to my place. Inside, I gave Mani the guest room to stay in for a bit.
"You gon be going to school from here, and Ima make sure you do. Don't be tryna sneak out and shit cause I'm not with that shit from now on, ight? If you going somewhere let me know. I brought you here to hang out witchu and let you get away for a minute. Don't do no funny shit cause I'll kick ya ass out, on dogs." I told him from the doorway.
"I gotchu, thanks Sav."
Going into my room, I felt accomplished. I finally did what I needed to do and it seemed like Mani was coming around.
I took a shower and thought more about my job and Jia. Me and Gee wanted to finish this project by this week and I didn't wanna leave Mani alone so she would have to come over here.
That made me remember the conversation she had with Messy earlier. He didn't get that she was one of the most blunt people that he could be fucking with. If Majia said something, she meant it.
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Better chapter to make up for that last one. How y'all feel about this situation?:
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Much love 💕