Chapter 1 - Hard Knock Life
"From the dope spot, with the smoke Glock
Fleein' the murder scene, you know me well
From nightmares of a lonely cell, my only hell" - Jay Z
Jody POV
"Now, Jody...I know this is your first time meeting Stephanie so I need you to be nice. Okay, son," My dad said to me. I rolled my eyes.
"I guess," I spoke.
"She has a 5 year old daughter so try to play with her," He said.
"She's 5! I'm 8...What we gon do play hide and go seek?" I asked. My dad sighed and got on his knees to meet eye level with me.
"Look I know this hard. I know you don't like meeting new people and I know this all new to you since mom left us but I'll never leave you, Jody," He said to me. It calmed down my nerves when he said that.
"Why did mom leave?" I asked. He sighed it's been 4 years I was always under my mom.
"She left us for someone else without even telling me it doesn't matter now." Then I heard the door knock.
"Is that her?" I asked. My dad nodded his head and opened the door and there was my new mom I guess. The first thing that struck my attention is that she was white and her daughter was light brown so I'm guessing she mixed. The little girl ran up to me and gave me hug. I was too shocked to hug her back.
"My name is Gwen. What's yours?" She said in her childlike voice. She continued to hug me so I hugged her back. I don't really know her like that to be hugging me.
"I'm Jody," I said.
"Pody!!!" She exclaimed.
"No Jody with a 'J'," I said.
"I like you pody!" She said. I sighed in frustration. I could already tell that I wasn't going to like her here.
"Hey Jody why don't show Gwen her room," Stephanie said. I looked at her up and down.
"Don't tell me what to do. You ain't my mama," I said to her.
"Jody, what did I tell you," My dad tell me. I scoffed and I grabbed her by her hand to show her to the room. My dad and I lived in a big house so she had her own room.
"It's bigger than my old house," She said.
"This house is pretty big," I said to her.
"No the room," She said. I look at her with a shocked look.
"Where you used to stay at?" I asked.
"In an apartment, It was just me and my mama," She began, "Have you always been rich?"
"Not rich just...stable," I said.
"Well we can be stable together, Pody!" I exclaimed. I got mad again.
"JODY!" I yelled and she laughed.
4 years later...
"Gwen, did you take my chips?" I asked her from my room looking for my chips in my room.
"What chips?" She asked.
"The hot fries! The ones I bought from Family Dollar," I said.
"The $2 bag!"
"Yeah!"
"I ate them." I ran into her room and threw her on the bed. I started to tickle her and she laughed uncontrollably. "What I tell you about eating my food?" I stopped tickling her when her face turned purple.
"I hate you!"
"I love you too, Lil sis!" I left her room and went past my dad and Stephanie's room. I still don't like her. She was conniving to Gwen and dad but not to me. She's here for a reason and I don't know what that reason is but it ain't love. I listened in on the conversation.
"Stephanie, I'm not leaving my son here alone," My dad said.
"We can make so much money and support our kids for life. Let's be honest, Jody's smart but not enough to get scholarships for college this deal can help us support our kids," Stephanie said.
"Fuck you bitch," I mumbled to myself.
"But what about the fact that death is a consequence," My dad said.
"But what about what he did to you and Jody's mom. He's evil he deserves this," She said
"I just don't want my son to grow up without me. I'll promise him I won't leave him like his mother did," He said.
"Just trust me, Jace," She said. I heard footsteps coming to the door and I ran to my room in my bed. Then I heard the door open and It was my dad.
"Time for you to go to sleep. You got school tomorrow," My dad said to me.
"Will you be there when I wake up," I mumbled.
"What?" He asked.
"Nothing, I love you, dad," I said.
"I love you too, son," He said before leaving my room. I drifted to sleep hoping that dad will be there for me to take me to school. Sadly, that was the last time I saw my dad.
Present Day(5 years later)
"Do you have it?" The man asked me. I rolled my eyes and pulled him to the side.
"You can't be showing up to my fucking school," I told him.
"Jody... I need it, please," He begged. I sighed. I pulled out the bag full of the finest dope and gave him and in return, he gave me $300. "Thanks." He ran off.
"Jody! Who was that," Angela, my girlfriend, said to me. I ran up to her and kissed her on the cheek.
"Nothing baby," I said. She raised her eyebrow and we went back into school. I'm a senior in school and not a day goes back when I don't think about it. Shit, I used to live in a big house now I live in a one bedroom apartment. I couldn't pay the damn bills I was 12 and I needed money. I met Ashton we decided to sell drugs together since we both poor and alone. He would make them and I would sell them. Done deal.
I would've been okay if it was just me but I take care of Gwen. No matter what she family and I don't leave my family behind. Things are getting hectic for us now I got crack fiends coming to my school asking for me. I mostly kept to myself in school the only person I talked to was my girls and her friends fucking hate me because they know I sell drugs. Angela don't believe them and I can't keep lying to her as much I do.
✦✦
I just got done doing another drug deal I made $400 today. I need $200 more in order to make rent, $100 for other bills, and $70 for groceries. But I here I was at best buy because Gwen's birthday is tomorrow she's turning 15. I got to get her something. I bought her an iPhone since she was talking about it all the time. Then while leaving I felt something cold against my head it felt like the end of a pistol. We shooting niggas outside of best buy but it was 9 at night in Memphis, so anything is possible.
"If you move I'll blow your fucking brains on sight," He said to me.
"What you want?" I asked him boldly. Then I heard the guy snicker. I turned and moved the gun out of my face. "Really Ashton?"
"You've should've seen your face," He said while dying of laughter.
"Nigga, fuck you. That ain't funny!" I yelled at him.
"It's hilarious," He said while laughing.
"Mane...why you here," I said.
"Cause I gotta drop the product to you," He said.
"You couldn't just come to my fucking house," I said.
"Nah, not while Gwen there. Tell her I said happy birthday," He said.
"She don't like you," I said. He scoffed and gave me the drugs and put them in my backpack. Then he handed me a gun and some bullets.
"You gon need this," He said to me.
"Why? How you get these?" I asked.
"Nigga, I stole them from my racist ass neighbor he called me a nigger too many times."
"Why we need them?"
"Shit getting rowdy, bruh. Some of these crackheads no where I live and shit."
"They shol' be coming to my school." We began to walk down the streets.
"That's even worse because we go to the same school."
"I think Imma get a job or something. Burger king hiring."
"Nigga, what you gon do with $7.25 an hour? Can't pay rent with that shit unless you work double shifts and work them everyday."
"Yeah...but I can't get addicted to fast money."
"Nigga you are addicted." I sighed. He right. I looked behind and I saw white dodger creeping up behind us.
"You know who in this car?"
"Nah..."
"They driving pretty slow."
"Nigga calm you're paranoid ass down."
"Whatever nigga you gon need this paranoia one day." I kept looking back at the car and it seemed like it was following us.
"Aw shit...Jody run!" We both began to run for our lives when I began to hear gunshots. I ran into to a dark alley and they car sped off in another direction.
"That was close, Ashton...Ashton!" I ran out the alley and saw Ashton's body laid out on the sidewalk the closer I ran the more blood I say. "Fuck! Ashton...you okay?" He coughed up blood.
"Nigga...do...I...fucking...look...like..it," He spoke to me.
"I gotta call the police," I told him.
"Fuck that another nigga with 4 bullets for them...they might kill me." He had 4 bullet wounds two in his side, one in his stomach, and another one in his thigh.
"I don't know what to do."
"Get the fuck outta her. Use that gun. Murk these niggas and stay outta of trouble."
"Nah...fuck that. I can't leave you here. You're blood turning fucking blue."
"It don't matter nigga. What I gotta leave for? I ain't got no family. It's just me."
"Nigga, I'm your family."
"Move on...you got your sister take care of her." I heard police sirens in the far distance. "Go Nigga!"
"Ashton...dont die..."
"I can't make no promises...ssss...fuck. Nigga...go!" I ran but stopped to look back at him. His eyes were closed and I ran like my life depended on it. I went into the apartment. I hid the gun under the couch. I checked on Gwen who was sound asleep in the bed. I went into the linen closet grabbed a pillow and an old TMNT blanket. I made a pallet on the couch. I tried to go to sleep but Ashton lingered on my mind.
He helped when no one else did. I had a way to make money now with the fact he might dead I have no way to make ends meet. I can't be homeless not with Gwen around. He was my only friend in school beside Angela. Angela's friends are all against I don't need that energy. I can't sleep so I turned on the T.V. to watch the news to see if the found him or if he was dead/ There was nothing on there about him. Who tried to kill us is the real question...I just want to live for Gwen I can't live her behind I promised her.
"Steada treated, we get tricked
Steada kisses, we get kicked
It's the hard knock life!"