"TJ."
"Yeah what's up?"
"We gotta go to my house real quick. My brother said it was urgent." I tell him, we both lay on the edge of his bed, while the LOGO channel is on, I don't even know why we were watching that mess, and all those queers running around on RuPaul's Drag Race. I lay on my stomach with my legs wrapped around TJ's waist, who was sitting up right, my butt was in the perfect positioned to get smacked.
"But, I'm so comfortable!" He whined, and pucked out his bottom lip like the big ass baby he was.
"Me too, but this seems important." I whine back, doing the same. TJ takes his hand and gently caresses my left cheek, and teased me with his thumb. I made my right one jump and he grabbed them both.
"Okay let's go before you get in trouble." He says looking down at it and concentrating on not attacking me right then and there. I loved teasing him and making him hard, just to say no. The look on his face is always priceless. We both get up and put clothes on and prepare to depart for TJ's first real visit to my mansion.
We settle in his truck, after making sure all doors were locked, and we had our phones with us. I plant a small peck on TJ's cheek just to show him how much he means to me once more. Now that I know life is too short, I'm cherishing every small moment I have with him. "I love you Tevon." I whisper in his ear before he cranks the truck up, and revs up the engines, causing us to jerk onto the main road and then eventually to the highway.
After riding for about twenty minutes, we arrive at the brick security booth on the perimeter of our gated community. I punch in my pass code, and the gate opens. The guards are almost never there, to check exactly who was coming through, but only if they got the pass word right. Then, they'd let basically anyone who knew it come in. Maybe that's a bad thing, now that I think about it. We cruise through the neighboring mansions, belonging to big time lawyers, some celebrities, and even one of Oprah's houses were on my block. But I guess TJ never knew that, which is why his mouth was open the whole entire time.
"Looks different when you're not sneaking me into the house at 5 am huh?" I laugh.
TJ nods his head in awe, and we pull up to my home. I notice the landscapers are not outside working on the yards, and the hedges. They usually are always here everyday around this time. We both step out of the truck and approach the front promenade leading to our driveway. Then I saw it.
Hykeem's truck. Right next to Zeph's Charger. I can't believe this sorry mother fucker showed up at my home! And my own brother called me over to talk to him I bet! I break out into a run, and TJ quickly follows me after catching on to the fact that their's an unwanted vehicle at my home. A vehicle that belongs to someone who raped me, and tried to kill me twice.
I burst through the glass front doors, and I panic. "Mom??" I scream up the stairs, and get no answer.
"What's going on Cedric? Is that car whose i think it is?" He asks, semi-whispering.
"Yes! And he better come out wherever he is or there will be some problems. Hykeem! The fuck you doing in my house?" I say circling the first floor. I look in my mom's study, and she isn't there. "TJ, go check upstairs for Zeph, or Hykeem. Hopefully both." I order him and he bolts upstairs. I make my rounds into the kitchen, where the stove was on with no food on it. Was he trying to burn us down? Finally I reach the door from the kitchen leading into the garages. My mom's Mercedes wasn't there, so I guess she left before this bastard showed up. I swear I'm gonna kill Zeph. After I realize its too quiet, I collect my thoughts, I begin to run up the stairs to see where TJ was, and then I heard a sudden crackle and bang. My heart sank immediately. My mind only put together the worse scenario which made my eyes water and my stomach bubble. I ducked down on the steps and listened for more gunshots and there were none. Then, I hear screams from my brother. I race up the marble steps, remembering getting fussed at for running up and down them by my parents as a child, and I reach the den, where the cries were coming from.
I come to discover Zeph, who is tied up to a chair and crying, Hykeem standing with a glock faced directly at TJ's still body on the floor.
"What have you done??" I gag the words out as waves of tear filled my soul and dropped down to my man's body and cry into his chest. "TJ?? Wake up!" I yell, he doesn't move. I check to see where the bullet went, and its a hole right in his shoulder. "Tevon!" I continue to yell, and hug his body. I pull out my phone in attempt to call the police, and Hykeem snatches the phone from me and points the gun at me.
"What do you want from us?" Zeph cries out, struggling to break free from the ropes that pinned him to the chair.
"I want what's mine." Hykeem roars. I can't even fathom why he was still messing with me. I already told him I was done with him and he continues to haunt every aspect of my life as I know it. He shot my fucking boyfriend in my own home! What else could he want?
"What is yours?" I ask, standing with the gun inches from my heart. You already took my virginity! And my dignity by raping me... And for a long time I thought you took my chances at ever loving another man ever again. You shot my boyfriend! What more do you want Hykeem??"
"Ahh-hahh!" TJ turns over and cries softly, and grabs his shoulder. I gasp and stoop down to him and supports his back as he sits up.
"Cedric you was the only nigga I'd ever love! And you abandoned me. You left me for some lil rich bitch that you not even attracted to. What we had is irreplaceable and I don't plan on that changing." He says, aiming for TJ's head
"Keem! It is nowhere near that deep bruh! Put the fucking gun down... He said he don't love you no more. What part of that can't you understand, nigga?" Zeph asks, still struggling.
"Shut up!" Hykeem points the gun at Zeph and he freezes. Hykeem then points the gun back to TJ and I put my hand in front of the shaft of the gun, and I block it from him.
"Cedric!" Zeph calls as I try to make my last statement to Hykeem.
"I'll take you back!" I scream loudly.
"What?" Hykeem says, lowering the gun.
"I'll take you back!" I say, kneeling before Hykeem, humiliating myself to save TJ's life. I look back at him with a look that says "it's not for real baby" and he nods.
"Under one condition." I add.
"Whats that?" He says, gun still slightly pointed at TJ.
"Let my brother go, and let me call an ambulance for TJ. Let TJ live, and I promise I'll be with you. Just like you wanted. Just like we used to be?" It burned my throat to say this but I knew it would buy him. "I love you Hykeem."
"Last time you said that, you stabbed me in the back with a pen." He says, cocking the gun. "I don't believe you." He assures me.
I lay TJ's head down, and I stand up and gently grab his wrist, which was holding the gun. I lowered it myself and have him the most baby-faced, pleading look I could think of. When he lowered it all the way, I sent a punch dead in his stomach causing him to bend over. Then I elbowed him dead in the center of his back, and kicked his arm, sending the gun flying across the room. I sprint to the weapon, but Hykeem grabs my leg, preventing me from doing so. I kick Hykeem square in his nose and feel his bones cracking under my Jordans. I grab the gun and I stand pointing it to him. He stands up and holds his hand in the air.
"Give up, Negro. It's over. Just give up." I say, out of breath.
Hykeem gives me the most deadly look. His eyes petrified me with anxiety and I shook as he stepped forward.
"Do it." He says. "Shoot me." He says, putting his forehead right on the gun. "SHOOT ME!"
I squeeze the trigger out of freight, and nothing happens. I instantly get nervous, and back up away from him.
"I bet you feel stupid huh? I only put one bullet in the gun. To limit the damage I made when getting my revenge on your ass. The stupid ass security bought my story about how I was your mom's new trainer, and that our first workout was in five minutes. They let me right in." He begins to say, still inching closer to me. "I come to your doors, expecting your mom to answer, but clearly she was gone, so my nigga Zeph opened the door for me, thinking I was you. I popped his ass dead in the jaw and dragged him upstairs to prevent from anyone calling the police. I knew you'd be on your way soon, because he told me he was gonna share some news with you, as I tied him up to that chair." I trip over my own feet and fall to the ground, and Hykeem stood over me. "When you got here, I got excited to see you, but it wasn't you who came up the stairs, screaming my name, but none other than the infamous Tevon James. The one who stole the heart of my first boy love. The nigga who I want dead with every bone in my body."
"You have no reason to wish that upon anybody but me! I'm the one who left you, not TJ. If anything you should want me dead!" I scream.
"He busted in the door all high and mighty with his big ass, and I shot him down." He says laughing. "Too bad I missed a few inches from his heart. Would've been bye bye TJ."
I am red with fury right now, and frustrated because there was no way out. Zeph was tied up, and TJ was too weak to even stand, and I was no match for Hykeem, this 6'5" 245 pound basketball player.
"My plan worked out even better than I'd expected it to. Soon, your little boyfriend will bleed out, and Zeph won't be able to help him." He continues, to hover over me. "Now, I'm sure one of your bouji celebrity neighbors heard the gunshot, and has called the police. If you want to assure safety to your little boy toy over here, you will come with me right now. So we can be together. Isn't that what you wanted? To be with me in the end?" He says.
"You just don't get it, do you?"I stand up. "There is NOTHING on this earth that will EVER convince me to be with you under ANY circumstances ever again! Can you not comprehend that??" I scream.
Hykeem looks down at me and nods his head. Then he pulls another gun out of his back pocket. "Didn't think I'd have to use this. But you managed to leave me, humiliate me, draw me back in, and humiliate me again. I cant deal with this shit no more. I lived three years of my life, trying to get you to forgive me for what I did to you when we were younger. I have explained myself multiple times, but you still can't find the means to understand it from my point of view, and forgive me. That's all I asked of you. Yeah I was fucked up, yeah I was wrong. Yeah I let my hormones and my anger take a hold of me that night. And when I chased you in the school that day, I just wanted to know what it felt like to hold you one last time. But nah, I see I can't have that anymore. No more chances. I understand." He raises the gun to his temple.
"Hykeem please. Don't I-"
"I know y'all probably think this is just a high school sweetheart thing, but no. Cedric was the first person, not first dude, but the first person I'd legit fallen in love with. And I cherish our memories every day I breathe. Even when I was with other people over the years, your face was the one I imagined when I kissed them. It was always you." He clicks the weapon.
I stand there stunned. I can't even begin to explain how I'm feeling right now.
"I look back on what happened that night, and I cry about it at least twice a day. You don't understand the impact you had on my life. I love you Cedric King, and I always have and always will. Life to me isn't worth living without my king by my side."
"Hykeem no!" CLAP!! I close my eyes and I hear his body collapse. I stand there in silence and listen to the subtle breathing of TJ, who is fighting for his life, and Zeph who had no choice but to watch his best friend, of seven years, blow his own brains out. Right in front of him.
*******************************************
"Cedric, Zephyrus, you two young men are some of the bravest I've ever seen." The detective says to us. We both sit on the edge of a fire engine, who arrived shortly after security realize the mistake they'd made by letting an outsider into the neighborhood, and called 911 after someone reported the gunshot. I am traumatized about the situation.
"Will Tevon be okay?" I ask ignoring the detective's statement.
"Tevon James will be just fine. A bright skinned woman walks up, and shakes the detectives hand. By the look on her face, and her proper demeanor I guessed she was the DA. "Just a flesh wound, no severe arteries or organs damaged." I sigh in relief at her notation of TJ being okay.
They both walked away, and Zeph and I look down at the ground. I hear several men counting down from five, as if their about to lift something. Then I notice a group of paramedics, carrying Hykeem's body, zipped up in a leather body bag. I begin to cry softly to myself at this image. I can feel Zeph doing the same thing. Shortly after them taking Hykeem out, I see another group, carrying TJ wrapped in bandages and moaning. I hopped off of the truck and I run over to them.
"TJ? You okay?" I ask, they bump him into a curb. "Be careful!"I screamed, as they slammed the ambulance door, shutting me out. I returned over to Zeph, who was staring up at the sky.
"Senior year huh?" He says under his breath.
"Tell me about it."
"I'm going to Duke." He says.
"You've made your decision? I'm happy for you. Congrats! Now you're almost certain to get drafted." I say.
"Yeah." He sighs and smiles. I hug him from the side and pull him close to me.
"This is gonna be a long summer." I say.
"Hell yeah."
My mom skirts her tires in an entrance to the scene. She jumps out of the car with every piece of jewelry on her body shining in the sunset. She runs over to us and squeezes us tightly.
"My babies! Are you okay?" She asks.
"We're fine." We both say.
"I can't believe this! Oh this is just tragic. I have to call your father." She says.
"No, don't." Zeph cuts in.
"Why the hell not? He needs to know." She argues.
"Fine, whatever." He seems annoyed. I give him a look and we both look at mom, as she calls his number. She makes a disgusted face at whatever it is she's listening to through the phone. "Guys listen to this bullshit!" She puts it on speaker. And it's the sound of a female saying ,"Listen to me!"
Zeph's jaw dropped, and he looked at the time. "I gotta go!" He says, running to his car and speeding off. Me and my mom are left in the driveway looking as confused as ever.