__________________________
Keep Going
__________________________
"Maybe you don't deserve all of the shit that's being thrown at you, that I know .. but me. You do. We both deserve each other. We make each other happy and if anything, I think we deserve to at least be happy."
- Layton Iman Westbrook
__________________________
Thursday | November 28th
A had month had passed. A month since baby Legend had departed this world and left the biggest hole in his parent's heart. Everything was different now that they no longer awaited the arrival of the son. Especially for Benji, who had rearranged his whole life. He was very different now. Distant. Quite. Heartless. Cold. All that he'd worked so hard to change about himself had now resurfaced inside of him. All of the progress BG made over the last year, had died right along with his child.
Benji stood under the shower head, bathing himself til the point that his skin became tinted red. Today would the first time he had left his house since his the funeral and it was a start for him. He'd sunken into depression over the lost of his son and he was slowly trying to get out. Previously he hadn't been ready to face the world he had once known, but today he'd finally felt ready.
After showering, he used the clippers that Layton had bought for him and cleaned up his facial hair. It was a thing he'd learned while being locked up for all those years. Benji liked a neatly trimmed goatee with a thin mustache, he wasn't a fan of a full beard. Once he had taken care of his hygiene, he'd dressed in a green shirt that had "Pussy Builds Strong Bones" written in white writing, along with Amiri jeans, and Nike Dunks. The attire was simple today, but it was also Thanksgiving.
BG paired his outfit custom green NY fitted cap, since his waves had grown far too long and he didn't have a lot of time for a freshcut. The first thing on his agenda today was to handle the nigga that had put him in this, that was priority number one. Jace had already hit him with the address, so now all he had to do was pull up.
"Babe, you in here?" Layton called from the hallway, slowly making her way into the bedroom. Benji gave himself another glance into the mirror before leaving. He didn't want to think too much into it, so he left it.
"Yea," he said as he joined her in the bedroom. To see him up and dressed this way had caught her off guard, but made her smile all in one. It was refreshing to see, especially after weeks of him being cooped up inside. Lately Layton had been walking on eggshells with his attitude, so it was good to see him up in better spirits.
"Where are you going?" Layton questioned. The smell of his YSL cologne danced within her nostrils, making her weak in the knees. If there was anything she loved about her man, it was definitely his hygiene and scent.
BG sighed, clasping his Rolex around his wrist. "I'm bout to go link with Jace to handle some business." It was the simplest response he could give, while giving just enough to satisfy her but not enough to worry her.
"What you got planned?" He went on to question her.
Layton's face now held an uneasy expression, making it clear to Benji that his response wasn't good enough. "They are hosting a family visitation day at my mom's center, for Thanksgiving. Since she decided to stay for a little while longer, I'm gonna go and visit her there."
Benji nodded. "Bet. You still coming through with me
after?" BG asked. He'd promised Jada that he'd come to their house for Thanksgiving, but he didn't know if he could stand to attend such social gathering without Layton being there with him. She was the last thing he had to keep him going these days, so he needed her.
Layton nodded. "Of course. I'll meet you there after." This whole situation had BG clinging to Layton lately. Not that it was a bad thing, but it was different for her. This was a new side of Benji that she wasn't used too, it was hot and cold with him these past couple weeks.
BG nodded. "Bet." He responded briefly.
Layton walked around the bed and embraced him into her arms. She'd taken him off guard, but he obliged in her embrace and wrapped his arms around her too. "It is a scary world out there, so be careful. I love you."
"I love you too," he told her as he kissed her forehead. With that, they both headed out of the condo into their own separate directions. Benji was headed over to the address Jace had given him with the drop. Benji felt a rush of adrenaline as he drove over. It had been a long time coming for him to handle this, but he was finally about to get it done and he couldn't have been happier about it. This nigga was a month and some overdue.
Benji pulled up to the secluded warehouse and parked his car out front. Upon walking inside, he stepped into blue shoe coverings like they wore in a hospital just to protect his shoes. Once inside, he quickly examined it. It was well lit from the broken windows, but the smell reeked of unpleasant scents within the air, causing BG to scrunch up his face in disgust as he walked inside.
"Wassup bro," BG greeted his younger brother Jace as he stepped closer to him. The two slapped hands, then pulled one another into a quick embrace. BG couldn't show his appreciation to Jace enough for him stepping up like he'd done. Not only had he put in the work for him to find this nigga but he stepped up into BG's role until he was ready to return. Both meant a lot to Benji, and in due time he'd show his appreciation to his little brother for it. They had started off on a rough foot, but they had grown closer than ever now and would die or do a lifetime sentence about the other. It ran that deep.
"It fuckin' stink in here." Benji commented as he held the rim of his shirt up to his nose. The smell was foul.
Jace laughed. "Well nigga, he been sittin' in this damn warehouse for weeks. This nigga shitted and pissed on himself. I had to feed this nigga to keep him alive, but all that extra shit wasn't apart of the plan." Jace spoke, referring to the opp not using the bathroom properly.
A sly smirk had formed on Benji's face. "It's all good. This nigga gone smell a lot worse once I'm done with his ass." He said as he approached the tied up man.
In the middle of the warehouse, they had his arms and legs tied up with chains to a chair. A piece of duct tape covered his mouth so he couldn't speak. The stench he let off was revolting, damn near unbearable to fathom. It wasn't for BG though, he had vengeance and no bad smell was gonna change the way he'd handle this shit.
"Wake the fuck up!" BG yelled as he kicked at legs of the wooden chair. The dude sat up quickly, looking all around the room. He had been in here so long alone, it was shocking to see that today he had an audience. He was even more shocked to see that Benji had joined in on the party. The presence of BG had given him all of the confirmation he needed to know that today was his very last day of being alive, after waiting for a month.
"You know, I thought about this day for over a month. For a whole fuckin' month I thought about the shit I'd do to you." BG began to speak, laughing to himself in a sinister way. "If I would set yo bitch ass on fire or if I would tape a hose pipe in yo fuckin' mouth and blow yo bitch ass up. Some of the craziest, inhumane shit. It took me a whole fucking, just to not know." He spoke. BG's anger hadn't spiked yet, but it was soon to come.
"What the fuck make you think you could live?" Benji was next to ask, but he'd wanted a response. "Take the fuckin' tape off his mouth." He instructed of the goons who handled the body disposal after. The goon moved quickly as he was told, ripping the silver tape from his lips. As soon as he did, vomit rushed from his mouth.
Benji frowned, disgusted. "Speak nigga, you wanted a message sent. You got it. Speak," He yelled, wanting a clear response out of the dude for some odd reason.
"Fuck you!" He spat out and that's what landed him a right hook across his jaw, so hard he was likely to had popped his shoulder out of place. The punch had went in collision right with his jaw, flipping the chair on it's side and causing him to lose a few teeth. Blood leaked out from his mouth as he laid over in his pile of vomit.
"You hit like a bitch," He said with a smile, spitting up some of his teeth out from his mouth. The dude knew what he was doing, he wanted to get under BG's skin.
"Stand this nigga back up." BG instructed.
"Nigga if you gone kill me, then kill me. Least I ain't the one with a fake ass nigga in my circle." He said in a sinister voice. Those words had caught BG off guard a bit, he hadn't been expecting that, out of all things it could have been. Now it had Benji utterly confused.
"Nigga shut the fuck up before I split yo fuckin' head. Fuck is you talkin bout." Jace was quick to say before BG could even respond. He walked closer to his older brother, giving the bloody and battered man a glare.
The dude wore a sloppy smirk. "You gone tell him or you want me?" He spat, his eyes trained on Jace who now stood a couple steps behind BG, who continued to wear a look of confusion. He didn't know what the fuck was going on between the two, but he was damn sure about to find out and get some straightening too.
"Nigga shut the fuck up," Jace retorted, quickly going for his gun. He wasted no time pointing it right at him. That reaction didn't sit too well with Benji. He'd been around a lot of guilty ass niggas growing up, and they acted just how Jace was acting at this very moment. It was clear that he was on defense mode. Jace wanted a way out of this situation and the only way to get it for himself, was to try and turn the attention off of him.
"Yo, what the fuck is he talkin' bout Jace?" BG asked, directing his question at his little brother. He was now also gripping his own pistol in his hand, because they obviously knew something that he didn't and he hated that feeling. True colors were being shown right now, clearly and it wasn't looking too good on Jace's end.
Jace sucked his teeth. "Kill this nigga before I do it." At the sound of those words, Benji got more and more confirmation of what he just didn't want to believe. He didn't like the response he'd gotten, which is what had him raise his own gun towards his younger brother. Its clear that Jace was hiding something, so this was how Benji had decided to find out what exactly that it was.
"Bro, what the fuck?" Jace questioned in surprise, BG pointing his gun at him had come as a total shock to a frightened Jace. He hadn't thought BG would react so quick to what had been said, but he could tell this was about to go completely different than he'd expected. It was the look in Benji's eyes that scared him the most.
BG wasn't the same as he was a month or so ago. The passing of Legend had changed him, in most ways not for the better. It'd brought back the cold hearted ways, along with the lack of trust he had in everyone around him. Jace wore a look of terror on his face as he stood in front of his brother, caught with his pants down. He knew very well he'd better start talking, but he didn't.
"What the fuck is he talkin' bout Jace and on my mom I ain't gone ask yo' ass again. It's been cool havin' you lil bro, but if it's one thing ion do it's that fake ass shit. Loyalty is everything to me and ya colors showin' real clear right now." Benji said quickly, his finger secured around the trigger. He was ready for whatever, even if it was him pulling the trigger on his brother for lying.
Jace lowered his gun. "Can we do this after we finish this nigga bro." He insisted again, hoping that Benji's desire to kill the opp was stronger than finding out the secret he was hiding. For two reasons, one Jace didn't want the dude to have the satisfaction of watching his brother handle him. For two, well you know how that goes when one person knows something that you dont want anyone else to find out .. so you dead the issue.
Benji declined, shaking his head. "Nah, I wanna' hear this shit right here .. right now. Ima' give you the time and opportunity to speak up. If you can't do that, then this nigga ratting you the fuck out. I'm telling you this now tho, if he have to tell me some flaw shit when the floor was yours .. shit gone be ten times worse for you Jace. He gone die regardless.. fuck he got to lose? But on my momma, depending on what I hear .. you might be going right behind his ass. Now let me hear it."
Jace sighed, he was panicking. "Please BG, not here." He begged, the nineteen year old kid in him was now surfacing and breaking down his hard exterior. It was only angering BG more, which next caused his finger to squeeze the trigger of the gun. It went off, echoing throughout the empty abandoned warehouse. Jace was quick on his feet and had ducked. Once he felt around his head, he looked back to see the bullet pierced into the wall behind where his head once was. Any wrong move and he could've been dead. That showed him it was serious and he had to come clean to his brother.
"Next time I won't miss," BG retorted, allowing that menace in him to come out. He had the meanest snarl on his face and he wasn't letting up. What he thought was about to be one murder was soon about to turn in to a fucking bloodbath if Jace didn't start talking soon.
The dude sat watching the scene unfold, but he grew a bit tired of Jace's bitch ass. "Fuck it. Yo boy hit me up wit' the drop on you the same day we caught you over at the gas station. He gave me yo whole circle, all that he knew including yo babymom and yo fine ass girl." The dude said, running his mouth like Jace should've.
At the sound of Layton being indirectly mentioned, it caused BG to frown. "What nigga?" He said and with that, he pulled the trigger and sent a bullet right into a cap in his right knee. It caused him to scream in agony from the pain. "Disrespect me again and watch I stick this fucking gun down yo throat and blow yo fucking stomach up. Now keep talking." He instructed him. It was too late for Jace, the cat was out the bag. He didnt know if he should've been running for his life or if he should've been on his knees begging for it. Either way it was a fucked up situation to be in and he despised it.
"Fuck! Ian' mean No disrespect." He winced in pain.
"Talk muhfucka, before I shoot the other one."
He took a deep breath, ignoring the rush of pain down his entire right leg. "After I popped you and you didnt die, I linked up with yo baby mom. I made the plan to get you right where I wanted you. I'd take you out the minute you were vulnerable, and out of it from losing your son. All this shit boil down to your precious little brother who set you up. I'm the nigga you killing, but this nigga in yo' circle? At least you know I'm an opp, but yo own blood brother? Nah, that snake ass nigga."
BG replayed the words, allowing them to register for a second and even third time. "Jace, that true?" Benji found himself asking, just for the fuck of it to see just what type of dude Jace really was. Just by the look on his face, BG already knew the answer to his question.
It fucked with him to know that his whole brother was the one that could've cost him his life. Benji was livid, he was angry, he was hurt .. but he kept it all at bay.
Jace sighed nervously. "Listen bro, hear me out. That was before all of this. Before I even knew you was my fucking blood. I was jealous of you after that shit you pulled out at the crib and I let that shit get in my head and I did it. Bro thats on me and I know I'm fucked up for never telling you, but what's done is done and you know I'd lay my own life for you now. I love you bro and I'd do whatever for you. You know that. Ian know how to come to you and tell you some shit like this, so I didn't. I understand the rules of the game now, cause you taught em to me. So if you gone kill me bro, kill me and get this shit over with. Just tell my sister I'm sorry." he said as he closed his eyes and waited for the bullet that he was sure was to come for his disloyalty.
Jace was indeed apologetic for what he'd done to BG. He'd done a dirty deed and allowed his own pride and jealousy to cost him much more than it was worth. He was too afraid to come clean about it, so now he was a sitting duck at the hands of BG. Jace's intentions were not for shit to go this way, but he was caught in his act and now he had to accept the consequences of it. It ate him up inside to look into his brother's eyes, full of all the hurt and betrayal that he'd caused him. Jace was in a horrible spot and he acknowledged his huge fuck up.
BG was very hurt, he felt betrayed, but most of all his anger was his strongest emotion. It took a lot for Benji to open up and accept the thought of a family let alone this family, but to know that his own blood brother put him in harm's way was not a good feeling for him. He tried his best to mask his feelings, but Jace saw it. The nigga he would've done a sentence or a grave about, it was a really hard hit for him and he couldn't hide it.
While staring at Jace, BG moved his hand slightly and pulled the trigger on his gun. The sound echoed within the empty warehouse, causing Jace to jump in fear. He closed his eyes expecting to feel the rush from a bullet entering into his body for the disloyalty, but it'd never came. Soon Jace re opened his eyes and looked to find the bullet pierced right in the center of the opp's brain, which it very well should've been him lying there too.
BG's face held a mix of emotions as he tucked his gun back into his waistband. With that, he walked upon an already terrified Jace and threw a clean right hook. He had punched him right in the face, causing him to fall. It wasn't enough, Benji then got on top of him and the two tussled as Jace accepted blow after blow. He tried to cover his face, but he was no match for BG's speed.
"Enough!" One of the goons yelled out, finally able to successfully pull a raging BG off of the battered Jace.
After that BG's adrenaline was rushing and he wanted to beat the shit out of Jace again, despite what damage he had already done to his brother's face. Jace was the new owner of a black eye, busted lip, and maybe even a broken jaw. In Benji's opinion, he was lucky that his DNA was similar or else he would've gotten a bullet.
Jace removed his polo shirt and wiped the blood from his face, wincing in pain from all his injuries. BG was hot and as much as he wanted to fight his brother, that was the end. Benji pointed his finger towards Jace and began to speak, "Stay the fuck from round me, bitch."
"I'm sorry," Jace attempted at apologizing, but Benji's mind was made up and he didn't want to hear nun of it from him. Jace grew frightened again as BG turned on his heels and headed back for him. Instead, Benji went on to unload the clip from his gun and removed one of the bullets from the black steel clip. He grabbed Jace's hand roughly and forced the golden bullet inside of it.
"This should've been in yo fuckin' head, cause I don't even play round like that. So when you get home, kiss yo sister on the forehead and thank her 'cause Jada the only fuckin' reason that bullet in yo hand and not your head fuck nigga." BG retorted and exited the building.
With that, Benji got into his car and pulled off quickly. He caught himself shaking uncontrollably, so bad til it was affecting his driving .. so he pulled over at a local Walmart. Upon parking BG punched the window next to him, causing it to shatter out onto the pavement. He didn't even feel all of the pain from his battered hands due to his adrenaline. They both were oozing blood, if not from the beating he'd given .. from the window.
The uncontrollably anger problems he'd once had was resurfacing inside of him, he was angry and it shook a nerve in his body, where he couldn't sit still. He could not believe that he was in this situation right now. The audacity of Jace to sit in his face while holding shit in as big as this, that fucked up his trust with everybody.
In the midst of Benji's episode, Layton had just left to see her mom and she was in a great mood. They had a great visit together and her mother was doing well. All of the things her mother had sad to her, she apologized for and they'd agreed to start fresh upon her release. It had made Layton genuinely happy, and she was quick to call up her favorite person to share her happiness.
Benji heard his phone ringing from his pocket, but he wasn't even moving to answer it. His head rested onto the steering wheel as he tried to calm himself down. It had soon stopped ringing, only for it to start again. He fished it from his pocket and answered Layton's call.
"Hello, babe where are you?" Layton exclaimed into the phone. He could hear the excitement in her voice, he could tell that her visit had gone well before she'd even said anything. In that moment, he wanted to just be happy for her .. but it was hard for him right now.
"Benji .. you okay?" She was next to ask after he had not responded. Layton could hear his heavy breathing in the background, which quickly alarmed her and she naturally became concerned about him. Today was his first day leaving the house in over a month, so for him to not respond to her .. she'd assumed was going on.
"Layton, I need you to come get me." He finally said, giving her a sense of relief to hear his voice, but even the sound of his voice was still concerning for her. In a little shy of a year, Layton had grown closer to him. It was to the point that she could tell his mood just by the way he spoke, and she could tell he wasn't happy.
With a deep breath, she responded. "Calm down, just take a deep breath and then tell me where you are."
"I'm at the Walmart, right outside the city." He spoke, first attempting to do what she had asked of him.
Layton nodded and headed there. "Okay, I'm headed to you now. Do you want to tell me what happened?"
Benji sighed. "Layton, I want to murder my brother."
She was shocked by his response, not really knowing what to say back or how to respond. Her priority was to remain calm while speaking with him. Her therapy sessions lately had involved Benji and dealing with a person that was going through what he was, so they'd gone over how to deescalate or diffuse a situation and it truly helped when dealing with his anger. In order to do so, you have to focus on listening to the person and not speaking much. Next would be to moderate all the personal emotions, as Layton was doing by remaining calm. Lastly, offer support if desired. It had helped.
"Why do you want to murder your brother?" Layton's next question was calm as she tried to get him to talk. In the midst of that, Jada had sent him a text message.
Hey bro, Happy Thanksgiving! Are you still coming to have dinner with us today? I miss you and I really do want you to come. I hope to see you soon.
- Jada
"I'll hit you back." BG said breaking the conversation at hand. Initially he had changed his mind about going to his father's house, but he'd promised to Jada that he would. No matter how much of a snake Jace was, he'd done that by himself and he couldnt punish Jada for it.
Layton sighed. "Okay, whatever it is ... just stay calm. You're bigger than your emotions and whatever that it is causing you to feel like this, don't react. Give your mind some time to process and then react. Please. I'm about ten minutes out." She informed and he nodded, as if she could see him before the two ended their call.
While BG sat there attempting to collect his thoughts, Layton finally pulled up next to him and got out of her car. She'd came around to his driver's side noticing all of the glass on the ground from his shattered window. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion as she looked in to see him with his hands wrapped up with a tshirt.
"Benji," Layton called to him, causing him to look up. She stepped over the glass and opened his car door. It was blood coating the leather in his car, along with the clothes he wore. "Come on let's go." She continued. It was once he gotten out of the car that she noticed both of his big hands were battered and bruised with blood.
Despite that, she stepped into his arms. "You okay?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I need to go clean myself up then I guess we can head by Jerome's for a minute." He said, his arms wrapped around her tightly. Benji was happy to have her here by his side when he needed her to be.
"Are you sure you're feeling up for it?" Layton was in no way trying to stop him from going, but by the look of things and what he'd said to her .. she wasn't sure if being in the same place as Jace was to good an idea.
"Nah, but I promised Jada I would." He told her as he got into the car and she understood. They'd left his car there and had triple A to come and pick it up for repair while they headed to his place to let him get changed. BG went into the house to shower, let Layton clean up the cuts and blood from on his hand and then bandage them before they left to head back again for Jerome's.
_______________________________________
"Layton, BG! You guys finally made it." Jada grinned as she opened the front door. She quickly pulled Benji in for a hug, Layton following right behind. Jada had to be the woman of the day that everybody should've been giving thanks too. She was the reason she didn't lose both of her brothers, one to a cell and one to hell.
"I'm so glad you guys came." Jada continued to smile as she ushered them inside. Benji just gave a stiff head nod as he went for Layton's hand again, while making their way further into the house. Jada could sense that something was up with BG and his mood was off, but she'd decided not to even bring it up. She was just the happy little sister to see her brother after a month.
They all went inside and quickly greeted the family. It was mostly Layton doing the talking, Benji just giving out his usual head nods as he clung to Layton's side. It wasn't until they'd settled into the living room, that he finally broke away to speak to his father about the key to his house. He was able to get the keys today, which he was grateful for. BG was cautious as he moved, he was looking at every one suspiciously as if they could no longer be trusted. He wasn't even sure he wanted to stick around this fake ass family. Jace was the one that had wronged him, but he was a product of this family and that alone made him look at all of them the same.
"Hey, is BG okay? He seems out of it and I noticed he has his hands wrapped up." Jada was quick to ask Lay, as soon as she settled onto the sofa. The family was all scattered around the estate, but some of their uncles & cousins were watching a football rerun from Saturday.
Layton shrugged her shoulders slightly. "He's doing a lot better for the most part. He's just going through it, but taking one day at a time." She responded, sure that she didn't spill any of her man's tea. Jada expected the type of response she got and respected it. Benji was so private when it came to most things, so she left it.
"Son you finally made it." Jerome smiled, greeting his eldest son, whom reluctantly slapped hands with him. "It's good to see you up and out of the house. We have all been worried about you." He continued, which had Benji wanted to roll his eyes and think to himself, You don't need to worry about me, worry about Jace bitch ass. He didn't speak it aloud though, he held it in for a peaceful evening. He was hoping to chill for half hour, collect what he'd come for and then be out. He did not plan to be here no longer than he had too, especially if Jace would be rolling in pretty soon for family dinner.
"You got them keys?" BG questioned, straight to it.
Jerome chuckled. "Damn kid, you just got here and yo first priority is business. This is a day to give thanks to family. Relax, dinner is almost ready. I'll make sure to give them to you right after." He went on, that was his way of making sure that BG would stick around for it.
BG shook his head. "Nah, let me get em." He said, not at all going for the bullshit because he had no plans on staying for dinner. Jerome shot him a strange look and then directed his attention towards Layton who just so happened to be watching the scene unfold. It was very awkward because they'd all looked to her for answers, and she wouldn't give them any more than he had.
"Are you sure he's good? He doesn't seem okay." Lay sighed at the repetitive question from Jada, yet again. She wished that everybody would stop asking her. Yes BG was a fireball and he sometimes acted out, but she didnt have all the answers and they needed to get that.
"He'll be fine." She reassured her. "Anyway, how you doing with school? I hear you're thinking about Clark Atlanta? They have a great Psychology program there, that's what you plan to major in right?" Layton asked.
Jada nodded. "Yes, that's my plan. I'm undecided for the most part about schools though. I want to go some place further away, like UCLA. I want to move out to Cali eventually and I think it'll be fun to experience it in my college years. I'm just ready to move out. Jace's condo will be ready at the beginning of next year, and I don't want to be stuck here for them to smother."
Layton nodded, she understood to an extent but then it was a world she never knew of. "I wouldn't rush to go so quickly. You have a good support system and all of your family is local. Don't rush yourself to be an adult Jada, trust me. Ive been on my own for years now, and it's not all that it seems. You're blessed don't give that so soon." Layton tried telling her, which Jada nodded.
BG come back inside with the keys in his pocket. His next stop was over to Layton, and she gave him a look of concern. He'd calmed down, but she could tell that his mind was every where but here. He sat next to her on the sofa, grabbing her hand and looked at her. "It is gonna' be fine." She reassured him and kissed his lips.
"I wanna kill him." He was next to reassure her, but it wasn't loud enough for everyone around them to hear.
Layton sighed. "No you don't, you're just angry. Let's just try to enjoy your family for a while and then go." She finished and he nodded. In the midst of that, Jace himself made his entrance into the house. He was just as shocked to see BG there, as BG was to see him too.
"Jace, what the hell took you so long?" Jerome cursed at his youngest son. At the sound of his name, Benji's jaw clenched along with his fist which caused Layton to grip his right hand tighter and to shoot him a look. "What the fuck happened to your face?" Jerome said, eyeing his son's bruises. Jace had managed to get the blood off, as he now stood in a white wife beater. He sucked his teeth and somehow his eyes went for Benji and it was a dead giveaway. Their eyes locked and all of the room noticed. Jace's eyes were apologetic, but it looks could kill .. Jace would've been in a morgue.
Jace turned back to his father. "Nun, I'm good." It was the best response he had as he tried to walk away. The protective father in Jerome was couldn't let that be. It was his next move to grab Jace's forearm to stop him. Jace just wanted to go up to his room and think about the dumb shit he'd done, but his father was interfering with that. Jace's eyes darted back to BG which Jerome noticed and did the same, staring between the two.
"What the fuck happened to his face?" Jerome asked, this time directing the question at BG. Why? It was a trigger for BG and with that question, he exploded.
"Man, don't ask me shit about that fucking clown ass nigga. You heard him, he got his ass beat. That's what happen to disloyal ass niggas. Shit, you should thank me that the nigga still breathing right now cause if he was anybody else he would've been in a fucking body bag." BG said aggressively, his eyes trained on Jace. It caused the whole family to join in the living room just to see what the commotion was about. Benji stood out from his seat, Layton following suit. She didn't want a fight to happen, so it was best if they just left now.
Jerome was utterly confused at them both. "What the hell is going on here between you two?" He cursed, it was clear that the tension in the room had grown, and he wanted to know why. Jada too was shocked at BG, his sudden outburst had shaken the entire living room.
"Look, Ima keep the peace cause all yo family here. I ain't even tryna' be disrespectful and take it there, so I choose to spare yo ass and leave y'all function. I don't belong here anyway." BG retorted as he moved to go.
Jerome stepped into his path. "You're not leaving until one of you start talking." He said in a threatening tone of voice. The thing is, it frightened Jace .. but it didn't move BG one bit. He wasn't afraid of Jerome and that was what Jerome sometimes hated the most, he didn't fear anything or anyone. It was a ruthless trait to have.
BG sighed. "Jace, tell ya pops what you did."
Jace sucked his teeth, pulling away from his father. He had already felt humiliated by it happening in front of people back at the warehouse, but he damn sure didn't want to be humiliated in front of his father, his mother or the rest of the family. The one person he didn't want to see the disappointment from though was his sister.
Benji grew impatient. "Fuck it. You wanna know? Bet I'll tell you. Yo fake ass son could've got me killed. It very well is what got my son killed. Yeah, cause he so jealous hearted that I was higher up than him, and that gave the drop on me to the opps. Now my son is dead, hell I could've been dead because of it. So you best be glad all I gave that nigga was a busted up face." Benji voiced angrily, only adding fuel to the burning fire.
Jerome frowned. "This true Jace?" He questioned.
Jace couldn't even look at his dad. "I said sorry." He shouted, sounding like an adolescent and not a man.
Benji tried to get closer to him, his anger now soaring through the roof, but Jerome and their uncles held BG away. "Nigga, sorry? You said you was fucking sorry? Does that bring my kid back? What the fuck does your sorry do for me? Shit! So keep yo dumb ass sorry. I'm sorry I even fucked wit yo ass. I'm sorry to have even called you my brother. I'm sorry to even think that yo ass wouldn't do me like that." BG said, and he should have stopped there but he didn't. "I'm sorry that your mom didn't swallow yo bitch ass like she should've." He finished aggressively, disrespecting Jace's mother.
"BG, enough!" Jerome's wife said in disbelief at that disrespectful statement, but Benji couldn't have cared any less about who he was hurting in the process. The shit started with their son, so he didn't care about it.
Benji snatched away from his father. "Man fuck all of y'all fake ass, I wish I never met this fuckin' family. I ain't one of y'all and I'll never be. I'm out this bitch." He cursed as he headed for the front door, it slammed behind him .. shattering the custom windowpane. That was the least of his worries, he was pissed all over.
Layton stood there apologetically. "I'm sorry, we will just leave. Thank you for having us." She said, trying to soften the blow but that was damn near impossible.
After she did, Jada was next to be upset. She ran up to Jace and started to beat his chest over and over again. "I fucking hate you! You could've gotten him killed. I can't even believe you. You are so selfish, and jealous hearted to the point that you'd give up your own? Jace really? And for what?" She cursed at him, now crying.
"I didn't know he was my brother! It was before!"
"It doesn't matter! You did it and then did not say shit after all this time? I don't even know who you are, but you're no twin of mine. You just fucked things up for me. The one good brother I had, you pushed him away and at this point I don't even have a brother at all." He stood there and took it, his sister's words cut into him like daggers. Jada pushed him roughly and ran up the spiral staircase to her room, leaving him in shambles.
Layton had made her way outside to BG to find him at the passenger side of her car. They got inside and they headed for his place, riding in silence the whole drive there. The both of their minds were so crowded with a million and one thoughts upon pulling up to park, they both just say there for a moment to collect themselves.
"Tell me." BG mumbled, throwing his head back onto the red headrest and looking over towards Layton.
"What?" She asked in confusion.
"Just gone say it Layton, I know you want too." He'd said, waiting for her to chew him out for his behavior. BG had grown, despite his recent detour .. he knew he had taken things too far and he needed to hear that.
Layton sighed. "I don't even know what to say to you, I don't." She understood his situation to an extent, but the disrespect he'd shown was uncalled for in front of his step mother, sister, grandmother, and all of the rest of the family. It was all unnecessary in her opinion.
"I was angry Layton, I wasn't even thinking."
"You were disrespectful and you allowed Jace to get you out of character in front of your family. That was wrong and you owe your family an apology for that."
Benji scoffed. "Me? I owe them an apology? Fuck an apology. That nigga almost got me killed, but I owe a damn apology to them? Fuck outta here." He said.
"Did you hear what you just said? He did that, not the rest of his family. What Jace did to you was horrible, I am in no way dismissing that. At the same time, it did not call for you to disrespect all of them or their home in the way that you did. I love you to death Benjiman, I do and I understand how hard this is for you .. as you should feel angry and upset .. towards Jace though. He did that, not them. You were wrong, that's that."
Benji sighed, he understood. "So you mad at me too?" He questioned, hence she had called him by his name. That was the very first time she'd ever done that, ever.
"I don't know what I feel, can we just go inside."
"Don't call me Benjiman." He retorted stubbornly.
"Well don't act the way you just did." Layton retorted, killing the engine to the car as they got out. They went upstairs. Benji went straight for the shower while Lay went right for her busted HP laptop to study. Yes, they were on their break week, but finals would be starting as soon as they returned on Monday. Layton held a 4.0 GPA and she wanted to maintain it throughout school.
About an hour had gone by of the two doing their own things, until Benji finally exited from the back and sat down beside her. Layton didn't pay him any mind, she was deep into her studies and she wanted to finish that module before she stopped to take a break. It was a lot of tension in the room, which Benji was trying to kill.
"You mad at me?" He asked her again, disrupting her studies. She was in the middle of her work, so she had ignored his question and continued until she finished.
"Layton, don't do me like that. I can have anybody in the world mad at me right now, but not you too."
Layton sighed, that broke her. She closed her laptop to look over at him. "No, I'm not mad at you. I just want you to learn how to react and control your anger. That episode you just had today .. that was scary. You were doing so good Benji, but the today your old ways bled through to the surface and if I'm honest .. I hate it."
"C'mere." He requested, causing her to sit her laptop aside and straddle his lap. Benji wrapped his bruised hands around her, while she rested on his chest. "I'm sorry." He continued, "for all this shit I've caused."
"Don't be."
"I am. I'm trying so hard to be okay and better cause I know you tired of this version of me, but I don't even know how. You the only thing that's keeping me sane, I promise. I swear if it wasn't for you, ion' know what or where I'd be right now." He said honestly. Layton's mind drifted to suicide and she tried to push it away.
Layton sat up to look at him. "Don't say that, please."
BG looked her dead in her eyes, "I'm dead ass though Layton. All this shit I been through? My mom, my kid dying, Rick, now Jace? Mann, you can't tell me I dont have a reason to crash out behind all of this shit man." He said, which he did. Only the strongest survived so much shit in this world, it was truly hard .. and to just think that there was always somebody that had it that much harder than you did was crazy. Life was hard.
Layton sighed as she caressed his freshly shaven face. "You're right, you have every reason too .. but you're strong and you're brave. You get up everyday and you keep going, that's what I love about you. All the shit I have witnessed you go through, you keep going. Your past and even now has thrown you so much shit, but I watch you keep going every single day. You're a work in progress, we are. We're never going to be perfect. I know all of this is a lot on you and I get that, which is why I would never complain. I'm all in and no matter how long it takes, I'm here and we will get through it. Okay?" She finished, speaking to him in a way that he had never been spoken too. Layton just didn't know it, but she was making this man fall deeper and deeper.
"Fuck, I love you so fuckin' much." He said as he'd pulled her closer to him and kissed her forehead. He needed her in more ways than he could ever say. She saw shit in him, that he never saw in himself and that was kept him from crashing out a lot or letting go.
"I love you. It's gonna' get better." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his torso. "You ready to go back and see Mrs.Tate yet? She's been calling you."
He shook his head. "Nah, I ain't ready yet."
Layton picked her head up again. "Okay, I'm not on you about it .. but she is going to help you. That was a great thing for you and could be what you need. I saw the change in you from working with her and she is a great thing for you. She knows you, your story, and if she can help you then I think that you should let her."
He sighed. "I know, I'm just not ready to face her yet. I literally went from square ten back to square one."
"And she will understand and never judge you for that babe. She is there to help you get in a better spot. She is there to help you find yourself again. Not the dad in you, not the boyfriend, son, brother, or anything else .. just you Benji. I know it's all still so new for you, but I believe in you and I know you will be better again. I have watched you grow so much for yourself, for me, for Legend, for everyone around you .. so I know you can do it again. This is only a minor setback. This too shall pass," Layton said, telling him all that he needed to hear. He just looked at her and shook his head.
"What?"
"Ion' deserve you."
She shook her head, before resting is back onto him. "Maybe you don't deserve all of the shit that's being thrown at you, that I know .. but me. You do. We both deserve each other. We make each other happy and if anything, I think we deserve to at least be happy."
In all honesty, these days that's all they both wanted. With all of the odds against them .. that just wanted to be happy. Would they ever just get to be happy?
_______________________________________
Hope you all enjoyed. I tried to give a longer chapter since I been gone for a minute 🥹
Excuse any minor errors.
Tell a friend to tell a friend.
Questions. Comments. Concerns.
I have a few questions of my own.
1. A few of y'all called it, but Jace gave the drop on BG before he got shot. How do y'all feel about that? Did BG go overboard in beating his ass? Should he forgive his brother who is genuinely apologetic for what he'd caused? Let's talk about it.
2. Do you think BG owes the rest of the family an apology for what he said or do you think his actions were excusable for the cards he'd been dealt?
3. Y'all ready to for them to be happy? I know y'all been begging for a happy ending on my wall 😂 I still don't know yet, we shall seeeee!
- Vanessa
_______________________________________
If you're having thoughts of suicide, you're not alone. We stand together and we help one another fight to be better. Please, know that it too shall pass. Whatever you're going through, you're bigger than it and you are strong enough to overcome any situation that is thrown your way. Just don't ever give up, keep going.
I BELIEVE IN YOU.
If you need immediate help, please call 1-800-273-8255.
My inbox is always open, I will talk to EACH and EVERY one of you about it anything, any time. It's a safe space and if you ever need to talk, I'm here.
p.s please listen to the attached song. ✨
p.s.s. I always have a message in my books. Some are clearer than others, but there is always a message. In this book, the message is to never give up. Keep going and never give up. No matter all of the obstacles you may face, KEEP GOING. Against every odd that may be against you, KEEP GOING. It too shall pass.
🤍