Harlem, New York 2004
Rakim Mayers
"I CAN'T FUCKING BELIEVE YOU RAKIM! AFTER RAISING YOU FOR FIFTEEN YEARS AND THIS IS THE THANKS I GET!" Moms yelled at me as she was beating on my chest with tears coming out her eyes.
I recently got caught selling crack cocaine by the police. This was the first time though. They caught me on a street corner and took me to jail. Moms came down and bailed me out, but the cops said if they caught me one more time I would be arrested and get some years in the pen. When we got back home, moms went on a rampage.
"I wanna know why, Rakim," she said as she rests her fists on the arm rest of the couch. "Why the hell have you been SELLING DRUGS?! AND IT TAKES FOR YOU TO BE FUCKING ARRESTED FOR ME TO FIND OUT!"
I hated to explain this to my mom, but if I don't give her a reason she'll beat the black off me. "Mom, we live in a broken down apartment in Harlem. It's hard out here. I see you struggling everyday and I couldn't take it. I had to make money somehow," I explained to her. She still had a disappointed look on her face and shook her head at me.
"Rakim, don't you think I'm trying hard enough to provide for you and your sister?" She asked looking at me with tears still falling. "I know it's hard out here and I know I'm struggling. Why do you think I have two jobs?" She paused again and took a deep breath. "And you know what? I was wondering where you were getting the money to buy us all these nice things and shit. Tellin' me you had a job down at IHOP and shit. I should've FUCKING KNOWN SOMETHING WAS UP WHEN YOU TOLD ME I COULD NEVER VISIT YOU BECAUSE IT WOULD 'interfere with you working.' I knew I should've fucking checked," she said with her voice cracking and tears were falling harder from her eyes. "Rakim, just get your stuff and get the hell out. I can't deal with you right now."
"But momma-" I started.
"GET THE HELL OUT! LEAVE!" she hollered. The only time I've seen moms this livid was when my pops punched her. That's why the coward is in jail, that along with selling drugs.
It was no point in trying to reason with moms again. I went to my room I use to share with my brother Cameron, until he got shot and killed when I was thirteen. I got a bag that was medium sized and started packing whatever I could fit in there. I hate to admit this but I had tears rolling while I was packing. Usually she would give me another chance, but I guess this done it for her.
"Rocky?" I stopped packing and turn around to see my nine-year-old sister, Amber, standing in the doorway holding her teddy bear pops gave to her. "Where are you going and why were you and mommy fighting?" I shook my head not really wanting to talk and started packing again as I felt her beside me. It was hard to explain all of this to her, especially at her age. I don't want to leave her. I love my sister, but it's probably for the best because I don't want her to be like me.
"Amber," I start off "Moms is just a little upset right now so Rocky has to go away somewhere for a little bit. I'll be back whenever," I say and kiss her cheek.
I finish packing and was getting ready to walk out the room until I felt her grab my leg. "But Rocky I don't want you to leave," she said softly. I sighed and kept walking anyway with her still on me.
"AMBER GET OFF YOUR BROTHER AND LET HIM LEAVE!" my mom yelled while she was sitting on the couch.
"MOMMY DON'T LET ROCKY GO!" Amber screamed.
Mom had to pry Amber off me. She was kicking and screaming like someone was kidnapping her. I just walked out the front door not looking back. I heard the door slam shut and Amber still screaming. I stood in the hall thinking, it's depressing having to go through this with moms and Amber. I was making money, but now I know in her eyes and mine it wasn't the right way and it was the wrong kind of money to make.
I started walking down the hall towards the elevator until I saw the sign that said 'out of order'. These damn elevators in this building are always out of order. Lucky for me I only live on the third floor, or at least use to. I head towards the steps of the complex and start walking down those. Pretty soon I was out onto the streets. Looking around I see the typical lifestyle around me, prostitutes, drug dealing, and murder. I didn't want to go stay at the crack house. I want to get out of the drug game now, but it's not easy. If anybody tries to quit, they'll blow your head off.
I was still walking down the streets with my head down until it took me a minute to realize I was no longer in Harlem. I had no idea where I was going, but I didn't care. I didn't look back and kept on walking passing 119th street, glad to be out that neighborhood. I got friends and all in Harlem, but I guess I need to get away.
At this point I was walking past Central Park. The park was so lit up at night. It was hardly anyone out here with it being nighttime, but it was a nice setting. I was staring at the park so hard and walking at the same time that I didn't know I bumped into someone until I saw my bag on the ground.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie," I heard a lady say. I looked up at her. She looked Puerto Rican and she was pretty. She had on some decent-looking clothes but her shoes look worn out with a lot of dirt on them.
"It's fine. I'll just go," I said and started walking again until I felt her come up beside me.
"Sweetie do you have anywhere to go? Since I see you walking all by yourself with only one bag," the lady said to me. I didn't know if I should lie, but then she might have something in place.
"No, I don't," I answered.
"Oh sweetie. Well I would offer you my place, but I'm homeless too. I stay at a homeless shelter not too far from here. Would that be good enough for you?" I winced at the idea of staying around other people who weren't my family, but if I had to choose between staying at a homeless shelter and getting robbed and sleeping on a park bench, then the shelter it is.
"Yeah that's cool I guess," I said. She smiled and we both started walking towards the shelter.
I found out that her name is Shaine. She's twenty-one, went to New York University, but was evicted from her apartment in Manhattan six months ago when her parents cut off ties with her and went broke. She never said why she got kicked out but that made me think about Moms and Amber. I couldn't stand to watch or hear about them getting evicted from the apartment.
She did ask me questions like who I was, and of course why I don't have anywhere to stay. I had to lie because I still didn't know her. I ended up saying I was running away from home due to the rate of the drug game increasing, which is crazy since I was part of it.
Minutes later we stopped in front of a brick building. It was more people that looked homeless standing outside than in.
"Well this is where I stay. You may not like here now, but over time you'll get use to it. Hopefully, you won't have to stay here too long," Shaine explained. I felt the same way. Hopefully I won't have to stay here too long.
We walked inside the building and there weren't many people laying around. The room was dimly lit and the air smelt of must and chicken.
"The smell may not be what you expected, but you'll get accustomed to it after a while," I heard Shaine say to me. The smell is unpleasant and kind of what I expected it to be, but hey, I can't judge.
We walked in further and I start receiving looks from the other homeless people. They were looking at me like they wanted to rob me or shoot me and leave me for dead. I ignored the looks after a few seconds, but I was a little shaky on the inside. Shaine must've felt the stares coming at me too because she placed her hand on my shoulder.
"Don't worry, they look at people like that to those they've never seen before," Shaine whispered to me. Like that was supposed to make me calm the hell down.
We kept walking until she stopped me in front of a woman who looked like she could be the caretaker of the building. She was white and had blonde hair. She had on a fancy black and white blouse with some black pants and black heels. She was buttoning the last button on her blouse and then turned to look at us.
"Oh hello Shaine," she spoke and then looked at me when Shaine said a hi back. "Who's this young man you have with you?" The lady asked as she was looking me up and down like I was the last piece of pizza on the plate. Usually I wouldn't mind a girl looking at me like that, but she looks to be in her late forties and it's creeping me the hell out. Shaine must've felt the vibe because her grip tightened on my shoulder. She started snapping to get her attention back.
"Hello Bessie, back to me." The lady who I now know as Bessie focused her attention back on Shaine. "As I was saying, this is Rakim. He needs a place to stay for the time being. You see his neighborhood is not working out for him so he decided to runaway." Shaine sounded so convincing. She had me think for a moment that I ran away from home.
"Oh so you're a runaway?" Bessie asked me. Did Shaine not just say I decided to runaway? As bad as I wanted to say that, I wasn't going to be rude that fast. Instead I nod my head quickly.
"Alright. If you must know we have a lot of runaways come in here. Some of them are just running the streets at the moment and some of them decided to be here one day and never come back, us not knowing what happened to them. But Rakim, you are welcome to stay as long as you want to. Shaine can explain the rest to you, right now I have to head out. But the night guards Gerald and Sid will be here later on." She pushed back her hair before speaking again. "Oh and I'm Bessie, the person who runs the place. If you need anything you can ask me or Shaine. I'll see you two later." Bessie walked around us. As she was walking out I promise I thought I felt her pinch my ass. Maybe I'm just loosing my mind from that stare she gave me. I just let it go and let Shaine lead the way.
Shaine explained how the place works. I thought it wasn't too bad. All they did was eat at a certain time, sleep, and go out whenever they felt like it. I wasn't going to do much of that. I'm going to focus on my rapping skills. I started rapping when I was eight, but I wasn't serious about it until Cameron got killed. Hopefully working on my rapping skills can get me somewhere, anywhere but on the streets.
I don't know if I my eyes were playing tricks on me, but Bessie and Shaine did seem to be closer than Bessie is to anyone else in here. Shaine is homeless but yet she's like Bessie's right hand man, or woman in this case. I did ask Shaine about it and she said because Bessie found her sleeping in the alley next to the apartment complex where Bessie stays and they've been close ever since. I didn't know whether to believe that story or not, but I let go since I still really don't know Shaine.
For the rest of the night Shaine introduced me to the others who were here. A lot of them had mental problems, anger problems, or just flat out some kind of problem in their life, but I'm gonna have to put up with it for who knows how long. And like I can talk, I got problems too. Shaine showed me the room where they had the bunk beds, but according to Shaine, they were hardly ever used and the people just decide to sleep anywhere else. The bathrooms were back here too, again hardly used by anybody, but I never know with people.
I couldn't call this place home at all, but I think I could like here as long as I have Shaine.
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Hello people of Wattpad!! And here is the first chapter of Hip Hop Affairs!! My first story with A$AP Rocky and Drake since I like their music (and them) very much.
So if I can ask:
1) How was this chapter? Do I need to make any adjustments for later on?
2) Should I continue?
3) Do you guys like the main pairing for this story?
And that is all. I hope you guys do like, or love this story.
Well it is 7:43 p.m. in La La Land so as I always say:
Vote, comment, spread the word around, HAPPY 27TH BIRTHDAY TO A$AP ROCKY!!! 🎊🎊🎂🎂🎁💖 and ADIOS!!