Yatta's POV
"My OG out this bitch soon!" I was cheesing hard once I got on video call with my pops.
"Yadadamean! You already knowing son son, 6 more months."
"Mayne! That shit was forever! Time really wasn't tryna fly."
He smacked his lips. "Shit, who you tellin. Where's Mamé and my G-son."
"She in LA with her family for the weekend, her lil bro had a basketball game at UCLA too."
He nodded. "That's wassup, he raw?"
"As fuck, but he can't beat me."
My pops smacked his lips again. "Boy I beat he'a break you like a toothpick. Ball ain't yo life."
I chuckled. "Whatever, you know I'm a football nigga though."
"Mayne, you decent. But I'a rake yo shit lil nigga."
"Naaaah OG, got me fucked up." I shook my head.
"You know it's true, youngin."
"Hell no. I will work you, old man."
"Fashoo doe, we just gon have to see." He shrugged.
"Bet." I replied. "But aye, you be a good lil negro in there ight? I need you out here as soon as possible."
He waved me off. "Lil negro? I'm a grown ass man. But you know I ain't gon fuck shit up, already missed too much."
"What Im talm bout." I nodded.
"So what y'all decide on, young blood?"
"Karl Avery." I smiled since Mamé and I decided to name him after Cork.
I watched as his smiled grew wide. "Karl Avery Jones, that's what the fuck I'm talm bout. Rest up to my son."
"Yea, RIP to my brother mayne."
"You doin good son, you really grew up mayne. I'm proud of you." My pops spoke up again after some time of silence.
"Preciate it, Kenyana." I laughed once I saw his facial expression.
"Ima slap yo big, baked bean headed ass once I get out this bitch. The first thing ima do." He shook his head.
"Got me fucked up, we gon be fighting."
"I used to beat yo ass as a kid, don't think I won't do it now."
"You all talk." I waved him off.
"Whatever foo, but I heard bout yo bro."
I sighed. "Yea..."
"That lil nigga really fucked his life up." He shook his head, speaking on Sheik.
Last week, Sheik was sentenced to life with no parole. He plead guilty to the crime, not really caring anymore. That shit fucked me up forreal. I really didn't want to see my young nigga go down at all, but I guess people have different ways of getting over shit. I really couldn't believe it though, because he had so much shit going for him. I understand he was pissed off, but we could've had some goons take care of allat.
"Yea." I spoke, not really wanting to talk too much about it so I wouldn't get pissed off. "Anyway, I'm working on allat Fare Game gear, so you can re-up when you get out."
Ive been working on a clothing business for my OG to run when he gets out. I didn't even want him working at first, since I'm getting paper how I'm getting it. But, he wanted to make money on his own of course, so we came up with the idea of a clothing line.
"Much love, son. Preciate it."
"Don't worry bout allat, you know I got you."
Me and my pops talked some more, until it was time for him to go. I really can't wait until he gets out. It's free my OG until it's backwards.
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Omniscient POV
"Girl it's too hot." Mamé turned the fan up some as her, Imani and Gio sat in the living room of her old house.
"Quit being stingy, I ain't getting no air and you got it all to yourself." Gio moved the fan towards himself.
Mamé smacked her lips. "My son needs some air too." She moved the fan back towards her.
"That lil nigga ain't feelin shit from in there." Gio shook his head but started to talk to Mamé's stomach anyway.
"Why can't we put the a/c on again?" Imani asked as she fanned herself.
Mamé sighed. "My mama being cheap and said so."
Gio placed his hand over his growling stomach, indicating that he was hungry, since he didn't eat all day. It was going on 2 pm, and all they did was sit at home and watch TV.
"Aye bruh, I'm starving." He spoke as his mouth watered, just thinking about food.
"Me too." Mamé added.
"Let's go get food at tha park right quick? I know they throwin it down."
Today was Hood Day, a day where the gangbangers celebrated their different hoods. Since their family was full of crips, they had many family members at their hood day celebration out in Compton.
"Ion know man, I'm not trying to stay long. And you know how they get." Imani spoke.
"We gon grub right quick and go." Gio was too ready to eat.
Mamé didn't have a problem with it, as long as she got her food. The three of them stood up, making their way to Mamé's car. Gio took the keys from her, driving them out to East LA. On the way there, they blasted the a/c, along with some unreleased music by Yatta, Milli, and KE.
Mamé was hoping nothing went down while they were there. Sometimes rival gangs would start shit, since they knew their enemies were going to be out all day. The three looked around to see some of their family, who were members of the Rollin 60's Neighborhood Crips.
"On Hood! Say that ain't my cousins." One of Imani and Mamé's cousins spoke up once he spotted them. He went by the name of Tiny Knoccout, which was self explanatory.
"Aww, hey Knoccout." Mamé and Imani both gave him a hug. Gio dapped him up.
"Damn cuh, yo ass shoulda been here earlier." He spoke to Gio.
"On vernon, but I'm here now." Gio responded, putting it on his hood.
They talked some more, before he showed them over to the food. The three of them talked to some other family and friends, before stacking their plates with food. They all sat down at a bench, automatically digging into them.
Mamé watched as Gio and Imani flirted with one another here and there. She knew that they wouldn't usually talk while they ate, but they must've been really feeling each other. Gio finally grew the balls to speak to her, on some grown man shit. Imani felt weird about it at first, but soon stopped looking at it in that way, since they aren't blood.
Rj's -Throw Yo Hood Up blasted through the speakers as they ate. Mamé thought about Yatta as she looked around at everyone, noticing they had shirts for their dead homies, and watched as some oldies crip walked to the music. Most were just laid back and relaxing, smoking while in the mix. Mamé's hungry ass cleaned up her plate, and Imani threw away all their plates.
Even at 7 months pregnant, Mamé was full of so much energy. She watched as the kids jumped around in the bouncy house and sighed, because her inner child was speaking to her.
"Let's go now? I can't risk some shit go down while you're still here." Imani felt nervous for some odd reason.
Mamé nodded and they all stood up, heading to the car. They quickly hopped in, and headed to Imani's mothers' house.
"I'll see y'all later, bye baby boy." Imani spoke to the two before she kissed Mamé's stomach.
"Where my kiss at?" Imani just laughed and waved Gio off.
He waited until Imani got into the house, before following her. Gio was dead serious about that kiss. He knocked on the front door and once she opened it, he slightly pushed her back and leaned in for a kiss. Their lips connected and soon, they both got all into it. Imani had to pull back, since Gio damn sure wasn't. She pecked his lips once more, before they hugged, saying their goodbyes and departing.
Gio came back into the car with a huge smile on his face, too happy that he finally got to kiss Imani. Mamé didn't think too much on what they did, her mind was still stuck on Yatta since she missed him so much. They've only been apart for 2 days, but it felt like forever to her.
Even though Gio told Mamé he just started feeling Imani, he's been crushing on her since middle school. He never really had the balls to say anything about it though, especially since everyone thought they were real cousins. Gio was two years younger than her, but that wasn't stopping him from shooting his shot.
They stopped at a red light, and Gio pulled out his ringing phone. As soon as he answered, his father started screaming at him with anger in his voice. Gio didn't really know what he did this time, nor did he really care, but he was tired of his dad. Gio hung up the phone, but made his way over to his house anyway.
"What happened?" Mamé asked, since she heard how mad his father sounded.
"Pops bitchin again, its regular though." He responded with a shrug.
Once they got to his house, Gio parked in the drive way. Mamé didn't feel like getting out, so she stayed in the car to wait for Gio.
Gio walked up to the front door, and just as he was about to pull out his keys to unlock it, his father swung the door open with an angry look on his face.
Gio sighed, drowning out his father as he yelled up in his ear. He could smell the liquor on his breath, causing him to move away from him. His father just got closer and closer, causing Gio to push him back as a reflex.
His father took that the wrong way, pushing Gio back with so much force, causing him to hit the wall and trying to attack him with punches. Gio knew his dad wasn't in the right state of mind, so he shook his head and moved from him, going into his room and locking the door.
His father banged on the door, yelling and cussing in the process. "Giovanni! Open this damn door!!"
Gio shook his head as he continued to pack his bag. He knew he couldn't stay here while his father was intoxicated and acting all crazy. This was so regular for him, so he already had some clothing in his bag.
Mamé sat in the car, still waiting on Gio who she thought was going to be quick with whatever. She got out the car, making her way up to the front door, hearing all the yelling his father was doing.
"What the fuck...." Mamé found the door cracked open. She walked in to find a picture that used to be hung up, broken all on the floor. "Gio!" She called out once the yelling stopped.
Gio was preparing to walk towards his door, when the door handle was shot, making it easy for his father to get in.
His heart beat race once he got in. Knowing that he was intoxicated, he was scared that if he moved wrong, that his father might accidentally pull the trigger.
"I told yo stupid ass to open the door!" His father yelled, with the gun still pointed upwards.
Gio watched both his father and the gun very intently, barely moving. "My fault, pops."
The two stood there quietly, before his dad spoke up again. "Where you going?"
"I can't be here right now, pops. I gotta go stay with somebody." Gio was scared to death, watching his father's low eyes.
"Why you leaving?!" His father yelled.
Gio sighed as he slowly fixed the bag on his shoulders. "I gotta go pops. You ain't right, right now."
Gio had a feeling this would be his last day ever. He was in the streets and all, but with this really happening right now, he just couldn't believe it.
"You not going no where!" His father yelled, charging at Giovanni.
Mamé was startled once she heard the gunshot. Her heart raced and the first thing she thought to do was to find Gio. Not thinking about anything else, she hurried around the house until she got to his room, hearing the groaning and cussing as they tussled.
"Gio!!" Mamé yelled, running toward the both of them to try and get his father off him.
"Mamé, go!" Gio yelled once he spotted her.
Her eyes widened once she spotted the gun in his father's hand. She quickly backed up, before running her fastest out of the room and toward the front door.
"Oh shit!" She ran into one of Gio's neighbors.
"Are you okay?! I called the police once I heard the gunshot!" She checked Mamé to see if she was okay, extremely worried since she's pregnant.
"I'm fine! But my cousin is in there! His dad is drunk and he has a gun!" Mamé was in tears as she spoke.
"You guys okay?!" A male neighbor came in with a worried look on his face.
"Can you check on Giovanni? Him and his father are fighting again!" The female neighbor spoke, trying to calm Mamé down even though she was worried herself.
"Yeah, you ladies stay here!" He ran into the back where the rooms were.
"Everything's gonna be fi-"
Another gun shot rang out, cutting the female neighbor off.
Mamé's mouth hung open as she slowly fell to the floor. The female held her up with her shaky hands, before Mamé bursted into tears. "GIO!!"
Mamé was trying to get out of her grip, but the neighbor knew better than to let her go.
Gio's father ran out of the hallway, throwing up once he got in their sight.
"What the fuck did you do?! I swear I'm gonna kill you!!" Mamé yelled as she swung her body, trying to get loose.
"You fucking idiot!!" The neighbor yelled as her eyes watered. She's been knowing Gio since he was about 7 years old, since they live right next to one another out here in Carson.
Gio's father looked down at Mamé, realizing who she was. He was still trying to process what he had just done to his son, as he walked closer to the two women.
"Don't fucking touch her!" The neighbor yelled as she moved the both of them away from Gio's father.
"I-I'm sorry." His father spoke, still unaware of what he really did.
"Stupid bitch!" Mamé tried to swing at him but he stumbled back. Once he regained his balance, he hurried out of the house.
Mamé cried harder and harder, then the other neighbor brought Gio's body into the living room. His hand shook rapidly as he chocked on his own blood. Mamé rushed to his side, holding his head up as he spit up all over her. Tears ran down her face, and blurred her vision but she quickly wiped them away before tending to Gio. 0Gio please, pull through. You gon be good, I already know." Mamé spoke what she didn't even believe. "Where are the goddamn police?!" She raised her voice, causing the veins to pop out the side of her neck.
Gio stared up at Mamé, trying to fight the light that was starting to take up his vision. All he could think of was his mother and the rest of his family, especially his little cousin he was never going to meet. He didn't understand why his father did this to him, and why he would run out on him.
"Gio, it's not your time yet! I need you...your mom! We all need you to stay." Mamé was trying to say anything that would help at this moment. She was shaking rapidly as she held him up.
"We gotta take him to the hospital! The ambulance won't get here on time!" Mamé tried to pull him up.
The male neighbor quickly helped her, taking them to her opened car. He put the keys in the ignition and backed out the driveway, quickly pulling off. Mamé sat in the back with Gio's head in her lap. She tried her best to keep his eyes open, watching as he fought to keep himself from choking on his blood. He was hit in his chest, so Mamé began to apply pressure in that area. She allowed the rest of her tears to fall as she traveled to the hospital with some strangers. Once they pulled up, she swung the door open and they all helped the pull his body out of the car.
The nurses rushed to put him on a stretcher, taking him straight into the emergency room. Mamé and the other neighbors stood there, shook and terrified. Mamé felt herself get weak in the knees, almost falling. The male neighbor caught her, taking her to a seat. All eyes were on them, with the few people in there. Mamé pulled out her phone, calling her mother.
"Hey baby." Her mother spoke from the other end.
"M-Mom." Mamé's voice was shaky and almost gone.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Her mother spoke as she turned down the music. Mamé's parents were coming back from Beverly Hills. The couple were on the freeway while Mamé told them the bad news. Her mother damn near dropped the phone, after putting it on speaker. Hearing his daughters cries, her father asked what was wrong, but wasn't getting a response out of any of them.
"Craig, go to the Harbor in Carson." Was all she said.
Mamé's father knew something was wrong, but didn't question it. He listened to his wife and merged onto another lane.
Mamé's heart raced as she called his mother. It was about 7pm in Virginia, so she was hoping Gio's mother was out of work.
"Hey Mamé! Haven't heard from you in a while, sweetie." His mother spoke, on her way home from work.
Mamé sighed, making Gio's mother very worried. "Is there something wrong?"
"Ms. Parker-" Mamé has to stop, since she started to cry again.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong? Is it Gio?"
"Kevin shot him-" Mamé called his father by his first name.
"HE WHAT?!" Ms. Parker almost hit another car. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach, and her hands shook tremendously as she thought about her only child. Her blood began to boil as she thought about her ex husband harming her baby. This was another reason she wanted Gio to leave with her, but since he was a legal adult, he decided to stay.
"Mamé, Mamé. I'm coming back to Cali, oh my God." She didn't know what else to say as she stepped on the gas peddle, not really caring anymore.
Mamé put her head in her lap, before calling Imani. She needed someone by her side at this moment, and knew this is something that Imani needed to know anyway.
Once she called her with the news, Imani rushed to the hospital. Gio was all on her mind and she felt so heartbroken.
Mamé got an incoming call from Yatta. He had a show out in Houston and was calling so she could get him hyped up like she usually does. He thought she might have forgot about the time difference, and didn't call him. But little did he know. Mamé didn't want to talk to anyone right now, if it didn't have anything to do with Gio. She let the first facetime call go through, but Yatta called right back.
Mamé tried to fix her face, before answering the facetime call. "Y-Yes?" She stepped outside.
"Aye shorty! Turn me up right quick!" Yatta was smiling through the phone, showing off his grill.
Mamé stood quiet, staring at the screen as her eyes struggled keep the tears in.
Yatta was confused as to why she wasn't speaking, before realizing she wasn't smiling or anything. He moved away from his gang, before walking into a more secluded area.
"Baby, you ight?" He asked with a look of concern.
That's when Mamé burst into tears, barely able to hold the phone up right.
"Mamé, what happened?" He asked again, wishing he was with her right now so he could just hold her.
"No! Gio got shot, Yatta! I can't-" She started tearing up again as she watched Imani and her mother pull up.
"What? Oh shit! How this happen? You good?" He bombarded her with questions, getting worried.
She shook her head. "I gotta go."
Yatta didn't really know what to do at this point. He watched her intently on the screen. "O-Okay, I love you."
"Love you too." She choked up again before hanging up.
Yatta's whole mood was ruined now. He didn't even feel like performing anymore, knowing his shorty wasn't good. He sighed before motioning for KE.
"Wassup nigga? You ready?" He was obviously hyped up.
Yatta shook his head. "I gotta go."
KE looked at Yatta like he was crazy. "What nigga? Why?"
"Mayne, some shit happened back in LA. My shorty was calling me crying... I needa be there for her." Yatta wanted to be with Mamé right now. He didn't want her stressing herself too much, especially since she's carrying their baby.
"Damn, you forreal?" KE wondered what happened, but thought if it was his place to know, then Yatta would let him know.
"Deadass." He nodded.
"Do what you gotta do, blood. We'a hold it down fo' you out here. Fans gon be disappointed, but go take care of yo shorty."
Yatta nodded. "Preciate it, bro."
They dapped each other up and Yatta grabbed some of his shit, ready to roll out. The gang was asking him questions, about where he was going and all that, but he didn't answer as he made his way out to their personal driver who was on his way out.
"Aye blood! Hold on right quick!" He caught up to him.
"I need to get to the airport, pronto." He started looking for a last minute flight to LA.
Back in LA, Mamé was surrounded by some family and friends. They prayed, but mostly cried and stayed to themselves. A couple more hours went by, and Yatta hurried through the automatic doors. Once he spotted Mamé with Imani, he made his way towards her. For some reason he thought that she was mad at him, but when she saw him, she damn near jumped into his arms.
He kissed her forehead before hugging her tight, rocking back and forth with her. "You good?"
"I'm alright." She spoke, even though she felt like shit. "I'm sorry I didn't answer the first time-"
"Don't worry bout that, as long as you good. Y'all hear from the doctors yet?"
Mamé shook her head no and he sighed.
"How this even happen?"
She told him the story from the very beginning, and all he could do was shake his head. It pissed him off that Gio's father couldn't get his shit together, and now ended up killing his son over his bad drinking problem. Yatta couldn't imagine acting like a child, while raising one.
Yatta couldn't help but to look down at the blood covered on her clothes. It pissed him off even more to know that the love of his life had to go through all this pain right now. He didn't want her all stressed out, especially while carrying his seed, so he comforted her as much as he could.
After 30 more minutes, a doctor called for the family of Giovanni Lynch. They all stood up, and he looked around at them all with wide eyes, before he started.
"I'm so sorry." The doctor was truly saddened.
"Oh my God!" One of Gio's aunts broke down, along with a lot of other family members.
Mamé felt so numb, she felt as if she couldn't cry anymore. The room became hot to her and all she wanted to do was go home.
"I uh, I need to go." She walked away from the group but Yatta stopped her.
"Come here." He pulled her into a hug. Mamé held onto him tight as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry bout to cousin mayne, this shit crazy." He shook his head.
Mamé allowed a few tears to fall down her face, as she held onto Yatta. It's crazy how you could be with someone one minute, and the next minute they're gone. She honestly never thought Gio's father could do something like this. It hurt her so much to know that Giovanni was really gone. She really wanted to go back there and see her deceased cousin, but she knew damn well she wouldn't be able to stomach it, and would probably go crazy if she took her last look at him.
What she really wanted at the moment was for Gio's father to have some bad karma come his way. She was never the type to wish bad on someone, but she wanted him to rot in jail, then rot in hell for what he just did to his son. Even though he got in trouble a lot as a younging, he was never an actual bad person, nor did he deserve what happened to him. As Mamé dried her eyes a little, she wished that her younger cousin rested peacefully in Heaven.
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LongliveGio 👼🏾🙏🏾