*Royce in media*
RAYLYN
Hard to believe this is what my life has come to. I was so happy 2 years ago, I had a few close friends, my family was in a good place and money wasn't and issue. That's until my mom and dad went out one night and never came back.
The bastards we call police officers claim they were sitting outside of a food truck when two groups of people started arguing and eventually started shooting. I'm not stupid so I know dam well that's not what happened.
My parents left me and my younger brother with my grandma and left me in charge of their money. My grandmother however, died 2 months after my parents were murdered. She had cancer and refused medical care, all I have now is my brother.
I'm focused on raising Royce, my younger brother . He was only 13 when they died so I have to turn him into a well mannered young man that my parents would be proud of. Royce is now a Lil 15 year old "pimp".
He has a light, almost yellow complexion, light brown eyes, medium sized pink lips to match his perfect white teeth and dark brown curly hair. These lil fast ass girls be goin butt ass wild for him. I can't even be mad though, it runs in the family.
"Ro, why it say you didn't turn in a homework assignment that was due Tuesday?!" I yell . He already knows that don't slide with me. My parents always demanded good grades from both my brother and I, and now that they are gone I refuse to start slacking.
"Man why do I have to go to school when we have money? We set so I don't need a job." he stated calmly.
It's took everything out of me not to get up and slap the chapstick off his lips. He doesn't understand why getting an education is important. These past few years he's been dressed in the nicest of the nicest and has always got what he wanted. He never once saw me work for it so I understand why he thinks the way he does but reality is, we only have a year left before funds start to run dry."Boy shut up, this ain't nothing new, now answer my dam question and quit playing with me Ro!"I say, slowly getting mad.
He sighs the says "Man I didn't understand it. She sit there and read exactly what's in our book, hell I can do that I need somebody who will explain this shit to me."
"That's all you had to say, bring it here and let me call Aubrey to see if she can help you". Aubrey is my unrelated sister. Me and that girl been through thick and thin and ain't never had a fight about anything. We just click like that.
I pick up my phone to hit her up.*ring ring ri-* "wassup boo!?" She yelled all enthusiastic and shit. "Hey booski, you think you can help Ro with his homework? " I asked.
"Why you couldn't just ask me to come spend the night? You know you the fucking Albert Einstein of math!" She joked being sarcastic. Ever since 7th grade I have had nothing but A's in math, but when my parents died I stopped focusing on school so I don't know much about algebra.
"So is that a yes orrr...." I dragged. "It's a duhh, I'll be over in a few." she said seriously. "Alright lil girl" I hung up.
20 minutes later she was at my door with 2 duffle bags. "Girl it's only one night, the hell you got 2 big ass bags for?" I laughed.
"One is clothes and one is my job" she walked in with a serious face. "Huh?" I said with a dumb tone. "Girl how you think I'm driving a fully loaded car and got the newest of everything? I provide for myself " she smirked as she opened the bag.
Just then Royce ran down the stairs. "Hey au- is that weed?" He said with a look of amazement.
I look at her to zip the bag up but instead she opens the bag up and puts it on the table.
"Yea and I got a few other things but that's none of your business nor concern so bring us that homework." She said with a serious face.
He ran upstairs to get his homework. I looked at her with a 'bitch wtf you doing?' Face. "What?" She asked cluelessly. "How you just dry ass sit there and pulled that shit out in front of him ? That shit ain't cool!" I said feeling irritated.
"Look Ray, if you hide it from him , he's going to be curious and smoke it behind your back. Don't hide it from him, expose him to it . Trust me, what I got I grow, what them kids he call friends will probably give him ain't even real so if he was to smoke weed, would you rather him smoke that fake shit and die or the real shit and let the curiosity die? She said. "You're right, but why did you bring it here? I asked.
"Because I want you to work with me. I'm tryna be the biggest female kingpin yet. I got it all hoe!" She joked being ratchet. "Me? Girl you know I got money what I needa sell for?" I ask.
"That money ain't gone last forever." She said
I thought about it and declined. There are other ways to make money and I refuse to let my parents down by taking that route. "Ray think about all the fast money coming in. You'll have racks just laying around!" She tried to convince but I was budging. "No. We just graduated, I'm not going to end my life before it starts." I argued.
"Ryan agreed to do this with me." She mumbled trying to reason. "Then you and Ryan can do y'all thing, we can still hang but if shit gets too hot I can't be seen with y'all for the sake of Ro. Oh, and don't bring nothing like that around here again. Go put that in your car." I say standing to go help Ro as much as I could.
After I helped Ro as much as possible I went back downstairs and told Aubrey she could take her turn being a teacher. I decided on calling my other friend , Ryan , to try and talk her out of ending her life. "Hello?" She spoke into the phone.
"Kim, please tell me you aren't really going through with selling dope?" I questioned. She sighed before speaking. "Ray, I could use the extra money. College is expensive and McDonald's ain't cutting it. Believe me when I say I don't want to do this, but what other option do I have?" She asked.
"Do you not understand the severity of the situation? Murder comes with the game, Kim are you willing to kill people?" I ask. "We aren't going to get that big into it! Just enough to get us stable and then we're out." She tried to convince herself more than Me. "That's what you want to believe, you know as well as I know that you will get obsessed with the power and addicted to the fast cash. It'll be just like the Books Kim!" I warn.
"Well, once I'm able to go through college I'll be done and it'll be a part of my past. Ray this isn't a permanent thing, I promise." She pledged but I grew furious and hung up. Was I the only sane one here?
They insisted it would only be temporary but I had a feeling it was going to last much longer than anyone expected. Aubrey included. Sighing, I stood and returned to my computer to search for jobs. I'd rather start working now and still have money left then wait and be broke as hell.
"Hmmm, Maybe me and Ro can work here." I mumbled to myself looking at a foot store ad. "ROYCE!" I yelled trying to get him to come downstairs. "Wassup?" He asks plopping down on the couch behind me. "I think we should go work at Champs." I suggested.
"Why when we have money?" He asked. Obviously he doesn't realize why I'm talking about jobs right now. "Ro, we are low in money and to continue to live this life your living we have to get jobs. Your old enough to work and daddy always said you needed to get a job young." I reminded.
"Dang, okay ummm.... sign me up I guess. I don't know how this works." He said and I nodded before filling out two applications. "They will call or email me in a few days." I said and exited out of the screen. "Lets go down there and scope things out, we always order online so I don't remember what the store looks like." He said playing with his hair.
"Bet." I say grabbing my keys. On our way out Aubrey was on the phone but quickly hung up once she saw us getting into my car. "Where we going?" She questioned. "We are applying for jobs at a shoe store and wanted to go look at things." I say already knowing she was about to say something about hustling with her
"Whatever you wanna do Ray." She said shaking her head.
Once inside the mall we walked around for a few minutes before going into the store. "Dang, I already know I'm going to be coming home with a new pair of shoes everyday." Royce said looking at the walls of shoes. "You better not." I say sending him a serious look.
"Girl look at what this fool sent me!" Au said laughing showing me a picture from Kim. I looked down at the phone continuing to walk u til I bumped into someone. "Oh shit my bad." I said to the person I bumped into.
When I looked up I saw the finest lightskin nigga I have ever seen in my life, my legs felt weak as I watched him lick his full pink lips vefore speaking. "You good Lil mama, just watch out next time." He said in a smooth voice lookin me up and down.
I nodded and quickly walked away. "Do I really wanna work here?" I mumbled to myself.
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Just a taste of what's yet to come. This book will be filled with excitement, plot twists, drama, love, ya know, all the good stuff😉.
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