Delilah watched over the downtown area, letting the breeze flow through her hair and erase her tears. She still couldn't believe that her father kicked her to the curb, and furthermore she couldn't believe that he put his hands on her. Something he never did before.
The night was unusually quiet for downtown, but she didn't mind for it was exactly what she needed... an escape from all the madness on her side of town. She rested her arms on the railing as she glanced up to the night sky in search of any stars, yet as always there were none.
" I brought you a few things. Is my gown fitting you right?" The voice of her music teacher, Ms. Nancy McNeill, said to her as she climbed out the window. Delilah smiled slyly as she took a seat on the small cushioned stool nearby.
" Yeah, it's perfect...Thank you again for letting me stay here. " Delilah sighed.
Ms. McNeill lived in a studio apartment near the downtown area. It was three levels, the bottom her kitchen and living room, the middle her room, and the top a small area where she kept her piano along with her shelves of many music records.
Ms. McNeill smiled. " No need to thank me...Do you remember how you got this cut...well gash I should say?" Ms. McNeill asked her, tapping it lightly to disinfect the cut on her left brow ridge. Delilah winced a bit before she simply shook her head. But she wasn't buying it.
" Delilah you know you can tell me anything, right?" Delilah nodded as she watched her prepare to place the bandage on her.
She only faintly remembered knocking her head against the edge of something when her father slapped her. But her emotional pain overpowered any physical pain at the moment, but now that she calmed down she felt every ounce of it.
" I can't believe he kicked me out..."she whispered once her cut was covered. Ms. McNeill's expression softened as she took a seat on the stool next to her. " I should've never sung that song... I just don't know what came over me. It's like I couldn't control myself—"
" Because it's not something for you to control. A persons' passion doesn't just go away, it remains deep inside you. And the more you push it away the harder it fights back until it just ... erupts. "
Delilah played with her fingers as she felt herself on the verge of tearing up again. Sometimes she hated how vulnerable she could be around people, her sensitivity was something she always tried to cover up but failed to do so each time.
" Sometimes I just wish that I was normal, you know?" Delilah admitted barely above a whisper.
" Normal?" Ms. McNeill frowned. " Sweetie there is no such thing as normal—"
" No, I mean. I wish I could make mistakes with my family and still feel that no love was lost like my siblings."
" Awe I see...You feel like you get different treatment because you're the middle child?"
" Nah... I know I get different treatment because I'm the foster child." Delilah shook her head as she peered back into the city.
" You're not a foster child you're adopted."
"Don't feel like it...God man , I wish they never told me... maybe I wouldn't be the way I am now..."
" And how are you now?"
" Confused and lost. I don't know, I just hate that I always feel like I have to have a tight grip on the love I get...in fear that one day it would all go away." Delilah paused before she began to mess with the material of the gown. "But I guess I'm living my fears now."
" Oh, Delilah that's not true...that's not true at all. Yes, he may be mad but he still loves you. Sometimes anger possesses people into saying things they don't mean."
Delilah shook her head at Ms. McNeill's words. " Anger ain't nothing but a truth serum... at the end of the day, I'm not their blood. I could go from their daughter to a girl that was left in the nursery as a newborn at the drop of a dime."
Ms. McNeill's mouth remained slightly agape for words failed her now as she watched Delilah stand from the stool. Delilah looked down at the street. " I just need some time to think to myself right now."
Ms. McNeill then nodded understandingly, wiping a few tears herself before she crawled back inside, bringing Delilah the silence that she needed to cry once more.
...
The weeks went by like a horrific typhoon for another murder resulted in an uproar throughout the Valley—making the streets more dangerous than they ever were before. Businesses were being robbed, and the emergency rooms were flooding with victims of the rioters that roamed the streets at night.
" As of right now, New York City has the highest rates of unemployment, poverty, and violence-related death. In just five years the Bronx has lost over five hundred thousand jobs, and now over thousands of households in the inner city depend on welfare. In almost the same span of years, rapes and burglaries tripled, car thefts and felony assaults doubled, and murders went from an estimation of six hundred a year to roughly one thousand six hundred and ninety a year." The news report woman announced as the cameras scanned the familiar streets of the Valley.
Delilah sighed as she watched the poor images that were representing her neighborhood as she remained in the living room—watching the news and eating her misery away.
Delilah sat up to grab the remote but the news lady caught her attention once again. " Just last night the body of fifteen-year-old, Jabari Razzor, was found dead inside of a closed clothing store on Kirkson Street. Razzor was weeks dead when the former owner of the store found him with a bullet hole in the center of his head–"
Flipping the channel she clenched her jaw...she desperately needed something to distract her from the negativity in life, and after a few more channels her wishes were granted at the sight of Don Cornelius.
" and now that we're back from our commercial break let us bring the soul train line to life with The Bee Gees ... Stayin' Alive." Delilah gave the screen a half-smile as the dancers made their way down the line until the sound of the door opening caused her to turn briefly to get a glance at Ms. McNeill before her attention returned to the show.
She placed her purse on the kitchen counter before making her way towards Delilah who continued to watch the show and eat popcorn.
" Delilah please tell me you gave your family a call like you promised. " she raised her right brow before standing in Delilah's view.
Delilah smacked her teeth and placed the bowl down beside her. " I'll do it after this show comes off."
" Hm sure you will ...have you even left this spot since I left? Delilah this is really getting out of hand." She continued, throwing a stack of papers on Delilah's lap.
They were covered with Delilah's face and in bold letters, her name along with missing was stamped as the title. Her eyebrows furrowed as she scanned the information about her.
" Those have been all over the neighborhood... your family is worried sick about you." Delilah glanced up into Ms. McNeill's eyes as she felt a knot build in her throat.
" I can't go back there, just for him to shoo me away like a stray animal." Delilah shook her head. It hurt to not be around her family. She missed waking up to see Alyssa sleeping across from her, she missed the teasing she'd receive from Junior, and she also missed her mother's morning smile.
A part of her even missed her father...she still couldn't believe that he slapped her. The simple fact that he put his hands on her for the first time overrode her shock of being homeless. God knows that she wanted to go home, but she was afraid to face him again.
" Look I know what your dad did was wrong, but think about Alyssa, Noah, your...mother."
Delilah bit her lip as she pondered on if she would call. The truth was that Delilah was kind of getting used to staying in this area with her...maybe it's because she had the freedom to be herself without getting chastised or without trying to hide it. But that didn't overpower the fact that she missed home.
She was running out of clothes and being cooped up in her music teacher's apartment all summer was not her agenda. So she pushed herself to the small lamp table and placed the phone to her ear, anticipating an answer.
...
Sweat beads formed on Junior's head as he tossed and turned in his sleep.
" Unbelievable man, who else in this shit? Square? Devin? What the fuck is going on?" Junior continued his stressful rant. Sincere had sent him to kill this man, and a part of him almost went through with it for he thought it would be some random off the streets. He couldn't even think about pulling the trigger now, his numbness and carelessness had ran through its course.
" I swear you better have a good reason for all of this—" Junior began to lower his gun, but suddenly Raz pushed one of the mannequins onto him in attempts to make a run for the door and without a single hesitation Junior swung around with his hand on the trigger— feeling the familiar force pull at his body as the gun fired suddenly and Raz's body dropped.
Junior jotted out of his sleep to only wake up to hear Damon's voice. " You alright? " he tapped him but instead of answering, Junior placed both of his hands on his face as he let his head fall back onto the pillow.
These past two weeks haven't been the same for the Smith family since Delilah was gone. And for Junior, these past two weeks had been a living hell. He had committed a sin so massive that God would barely allow him to sleep at night without inflicting the awful flashback of Raz's face.
Junior remembered the pause in time once the gun shot and he could never forget how Raz's body jotted, how the blood-splattered against the furniture, or how large Raz's eyes remained after he took his last breath.
He could barely leave the house without his paranoia kicking in, nor did he attend the last week of school. His life was crumbling at his feet and all he could do was stand there and take it.
" My bad... everything is just all fucked up right now." Junior said once he pulled himself together. He yanked the covers off his hot body before he stood and stretched.
" Tell me about it... I just came from passing some of these out." He held up one of Delilah's missing papers. " I saw Tasha by the way, she's worried about you man and I am too."
Junior sighed and half scoffed at his words. " What y'all worried about me for? The only person that we need to be worrying about right now is Honey."
"Yeah but let's talk about you for a minute. You ain't been acting like yourself lately."
" I mean would you be acting like yourself if your sister was missing and your old people was going at it every night?"
Damon smacked his teeth. " Man nah you wasn't acting like yourself before, don't sit here and act like you was—"
" I'm standing." Junior eyed him blankly earning the same look in return from Damon.
" That's not funny asshole." Junior began to laugh at his cousin's words but in reality, he was just avoiding conversation. He knew that he entered a deeper surface of his affiliation with the Three Sixty and as if that wasn't bad enough, his family were at war for Mr. Smith simply vanished the next day after Mrs. Smith went ballistic about Delilah's absence.
" No really I'm fine, I'm chillin." Junior assured, but in all honestly , he was scared, not only because of his crimes but also scared for Delilah. He knew that his sister wouldn't go too far but that still didn't excuse the possibility of something happening to her for ever since Raz's death...there had been violence everywhere.
Some man that lived on the streets nearby claimed to the news that an officer killed the young boy, Junior didn't know how the homeless man came to that conclusion but he was kinda glad that he did.
" Aye how about I help you pass the rest of them out then we can go to Lin's Comics." Junior suggested randomly, he needed something to get his mind off things— he needed to be a kid again.
" Hm." Damon hummed to himself, rubbing his chin as if he was in deep thought although Junior already knew the answer. " I guess... but you still owe me my comic that you claimed you lost." He said as he watched Junior wave him off and walk out the room.
" Whatever I'm getting in the shower."
" Good, cause it smell like ten cans of bounce that ass in here! " He hollered before silence took over the room. Damon stood there, eyeing the posters on the wall until a thought came to mind once he heard Junior's shower water running. " I know he stole my shit and ima find it." He continued to mumble to himself as he roamed around the room, rummaging through Junior's things.
After five minutes of searching, he paused and rerouted himself, his eyes then glancing towards Junior's nightstand causing a smirk to appear on his face.
" Jackpot!" He whispered to himself before rushing to open it. There before his eyes were many playboy magazines causing Damon's eyes to widen. " Hmm, Darine Stern... Ola Ray! " Damon began to turn the magazine different angles to get a good look at the
promiscuous woman.
He nodded interestingly after scrolling through it before he realized what he was looking for in the first place. He reached down in the drawer again and scanned through the comics until he came across a metal Wonder Woman lunch box.
" Awe shit." He snickered at the girlish colors as he reached down to pick it up. " Damn what's in this thing?" He mumbled to himself before he suddenly dropped it. He froze before picking the box up until it flung open and Junior's gun appeared to his eyes.
" What...the fu– " his heart dropped and he began to panic, especially once he heard Junior's shower water cut off. Damon immediately put everything back and slammed the drawer before he paced around the room to find a way to not look suspicious. He didn't realize how long he had been snooping through his things.
" Aye get out real quick so I can change."
" Ugh, actually I forgot... I had to s-stay and take care of my momma." Damon stuttered slightly as he backed away towards the door.
Junior eyed him weirdly. " Awe okay...you good?"
" Y- Yeah. Why wouldn't I be? I'm chilling like a villain man...cooler than a pack of mint gun–gum. I meant gum why would I say gun? Mint gun that doesn't make any sense. Gun gum, gun gum... they sound the same right?" Damon rambled on with wide eyes. Junior, on the other hand, was staring at his cousin as if he had two heads.
Damon clamped his mouth shut before pointing towards the door. " I'm just... Ima just go." He said, tripping over his feet on his way out for he was too busy trying to process what he discovered.
...
In the four walls of Barbra's Alyssa silently finished her client's hair. For the past two weeks, she found herself so out of whack, not knowing whether or not her sister, her best friend, and her other half was safe.
No matter what Delilah always found a way to contact her, but as the days went by Alyssa's hope was hanging by a thread. She was lost without her for Delilah would be there right by her side while they laughed and conversed all throughout her shift. She couldn't believe that her sister's face was plastered around the neighborhood the way it was.
She wished she never worked Easter night— she believed that she could've stopped their dad from driving her away.
" Thank you so much, you always make me look good." Her client smiled as she handed the blank-faced Alyssa the money.
" Anytime." She mumbled, before stashing her money away in her purse. Alyssa eyed the missing sign she stuck on her station's mirror and seeing Delilah's smile only added to her saudade.
The phone then rung and Alyssa stood to tend to her duty. " Barbra's Glamorous Styles how may I help you? " her voice was much less lively than the usual.
" Um, Alyssa." Delilah twirled the wire in her hand on the other end. She finally had the courage to call again.
Alyssa gasped immediately at the sound of her voice. " Honey oh my god where are you? Are you okay?"
" Yeah, I'm fine Alyssa... I've been with Ms.McNeill, she let me stay at her place."
Alyssa pressed her back against the wall in relief and closed her eyes. " Honey I was losing my mind without you... I didn't know if something happened to you or what. "
" I'm sorry, I should've called you or something but I was... I don't know I guess I was scared that if I begged to come home dad would push me away and momma would just be the submissive wife she is."
Alyssa nodded understandingly, smiling a bit to herself at the thought of her being okay until she thought of something. " Momma has been worried sick about you, I've never seen her cry so much in her life... I never cried so much in my life." Alyssa admitted causing Delilah's heart to drop.
" And um she kicked dad out... I haven't seen him since the day after Easter...everything has been a mess girl. And now Aunt Dorthy is fresh out the hospital."
" What? Why what happened to her?"
" I don't know the whole story but Damon said he found her screaming at her reflection and trying to hurt herself...then she fainted all of a sudden... but don't worry she's getting better. We all miss you girl. Me and Valentina made so many missing flyers of you that I wouldn't be surprised if people still found them in the neighborhood ten years from now." Alyssa slightly joked, bringing about a small giggle from Delilah.
" I miss y'all too, you know. I just didn't know what to do. I didn't know he would flip out on me like that."
" It's okay you don't have to worry about none of that now. Him and the family got into it real bad... I just want you to come home, our room ain't the same without you." Alyssa said causing the both of them to smile into the phone.
" You know I can't be away for too long....alright.... yeah I love you too... bye." Delilah then sighed as she hung up the phone, her soft smile still lingering on her lips.
" Now was that so bad?" Ms. McNeill appeared from down the spiral stairs with a soft smile identical to Delilah's.
Delilah let out a breath of relief. " Thank you for letting me stay here miss." She hugged her causing Ms.McNeill to stiffen a bit before she eventually hugged back. Delilah was finally going home and although it was only two weeks it felt like an eternity without her family.
....
For some reason as Ms.McNeill's car parked in front of the apartment, Delilah's stomach began to feel a nervous pain. But it wasn't until Ms.McNeill told her to look when Delilah's heart dropped.
Her family, her Aunt Dorthy, Uncle Curtis, and cousins. Her friends Valentina and Raheem... were all waiting out on the stoop for her return. Alyssa had told everyone soon as their phone call was over. They've all been waiting there since three o'clock and now it was rolling around six o'clock.
" Alright Delilah, I'll see you around." Ms. McNeill smiled over to her.
" Thank you again, I almost got used to waking up to your pancakes and piano music." Delilah stated causing them to share a small sweet laugh.
" You're a great girl, and you've grown so much." Ms.McNeill muttered sadly and Delilah's face softened as she watched her eyes glisten with tears.
" Oh, Ms. McNeill why are you crying? It's okay-"
" No, you don't understand it's not that... it's just...hard. "
Delilah's eyebrows then furrowed. " What's hard?" she questioned as she eyed her wipe her tears in confusion. Ms.McNeill then shook her head after a while. " It's nothing I'm sorry, come on I'll walk you." she said but once they stepped foot out the car Mrs. Smith rushed towards them to embrace Delilah. Holding on tight as if she'd leave again if she didn't.
" I'm so sorry baby..." she mumbled into her ear as they stood there in each other's arms for a while. Mrs. Smith sighed as she let go of her daughter caressing her face until Ms.McNeill came into her view.
She then clenched her jaw before flashing Delilah her most convincing smile. " Baby how about you go to the rest of them, they miss you so much and I got your favorite foods cooking in the kitchen." she smiled, watching Delilah make her way towards the stoop before her gaze converted towards Ms. McNeill.
" Look I'm sorry, but she needed somewhere to stay, I had to."
" No, you wanted to... We had an agreement but apparently, you don't understand, so I'll only tell you this one time, Leave." Mrs. Smith gritted through her teeth causing Ms.McNeill to glance her way.
" I'm sorry, what was I supposed to do let her walk the streets?"
" Nancy I don't have time for you...you pretended like she wasn't with you the entire time we walked the streets and passed out those flyers... You know what, I don't want you seeing her no more. So don't come to the church and if I have to transfer Delilah from Clayton then so be it."
" But–"
" You heard me... and I'm not going to repeat myself. Stay away from her." Mrs. Smith folded her arms and eventually Ms.McNeill nodded as tears filled her eyes.
" Fine... Fine! You be that way. But Delilah's almost a grown woman now so you can't shield her forever and you know it." she pointed and with that Ms.McNeill left, leaving Mrs.Smith to stand there in deep thought as she watched her car speed down the street.
Delilah
Dinner was like a breath of fresh air. Yet I still couldn't get over how off my mother was the entire time for her and Uncle Curtis kept going off to the side to talk throughout the night.
I was currently lying in bed as the night grew into the early hours of morning. I smiled to myself as I remained in the comfort of my bed, staring off into the darkness of my room. Alyssa and I were talking for hours until her eyes finally gave out which is exactly what was about to happen to me, but the sound of something tapping against my window then caught my interest.
My eyes squinted as I lifted from my bed, I was sort of scared to peek through the window for it could've been anything. Yet instead of the critter I was expecting, to my surprise I suddenly heard a beautiful A cappella.
"All I do is think of you
Day and night that's all I do
I can't get you off my mind
Think about you all the time...all the time." I heard and immediately I felt my stomach churn delightfully when I saw the familiar afro once I approached my opened window.
I then moved my curtains with a small smirk for I couldn't control it.
" I think the world of you Delilah..." Michael's soft voice spoke to me causing me to smile even harder. " And I should've said this a long time ago but I'm so sorry."
I eyed the red vibrant roses in his hand as he stood there a bit awkwardly as if he was scared of my response.
A smirk played on my lips as I accepted them, sniffing them slightly before glancing up at him. " How did you find my address stalker?" I asked causing him to chuckle a bit before his seriousness returned.
" I came to Barbra's last week to talk things out with you but when I saw the missing signs I didn't know what to do. Alyssa gave me the address so I could help pass the flyers out and I've showed up to your place every day since... I swear, I couldn't go a day without thinking of you." He took my hand softly before continuing with a sigh. " Delilah I didn't mean what I said that night, I just felt pressured by Joseph so I said anything to shut him up."
I nodded as I stared into his big doe eyes for I forgave him already. He just didn't know how irresistible he truly was.
"You don't have to explain yourself boy, I know how people can just say things in the heat of the moment." I stated and I could practically see the weight lift off his shoulders.
" I just can't believe you had Bill drive you all the way over here at almost two in the morning."
" Actually I walked." He admitted causing my mouth to drop slightly as I climbed out the window and into the early morning breeze. The Pines was at least a good thirty to forty minute walk from where I lived, I couldn't believe he'd walk that long way just to hand me some roses he could've sent or have a conversation with me that we could've had over the phone.
The thought made my cheeks heat up as he stared at me with a look I couldn't recognize fully.
" Michael why would you —"
"Because girl ... I've never met a girl like you before. You inspired me so much in the time we've known each other, it's crazy sometime, I can't even wrap my head around it. I just couldn't let the feeling of you get away." He groaned before he suddenly pulled me near him. My body stiffened as his arm securely wrapped around my lower waist.
My breath hitching for I've never been so close to a boy before...my heart couldn't stop racing at his simple action, in anticipation of what he'd do next.
I tried to open my mouth to speak, but he placed his finger over my lips to shush me causing me to glance into his eyes that were so close to mine as he began to caress my face.
My eyes closed at the feeling of his warm hands against my cheek...until all of a sudden I felt his warm lips brush against mine, making my knees weaken and my eyes widen at an instant. But that didn't stop him from reeling me into his affection with a kiss.
A kiss I'd never forget.
A/N
Let me know what you think about this chapter.