Toni Braxton
"Toni..." I could have sworn I was still dreaming but Fessa yelled. "Toni!"
I jumped out of my sleep and looked up groggily at Nafessa who was looking out the window but whipped around quickly. "What?"
"Get up. We gotta get to the basement now!" She pulled me up after she said it and I noticed it was really dark outside. It was raining hard and I couldn't help but be shocked that I'd slept through the rain this easily. Still, I allowed her to pull me and when I glanced out the window, I saw something fly by. The house began shaking and you could feel it trying to hold.
"Fessa! We aren't going to make—." My words were silenced when I felt a huge force lift up on the house. Fessa cursed loudly before pulling us under her dining room table and placing me under her. She got on top of me and I clutched onto her for dear life with my eyes shut.
"Don't let me go." I begged her as I heard things crashing and clanking around us.
"I won't baby." She tried to reassure me but I could hear the uneasiness in her voice. I peeked and noticed that her eyes were opened. She was watching everything happen but I didn't have the guts too.
Rain began pouring onto us and someway I lost grip on Nafessa. "Nafessa!" I screamed but the winds were too loud for me to even hear myself. Something hit my thigh and I clutched it tightly as I opened my eyes some. The table and chairs were gone as was Nafessa but what I didn't see was the roof of the house.
I saw something heading my way and moved out of the way just before it hit the ground next to me with a loud crash. All I could hear was what sounded of loud metals clanking together. The tornado was lifting me up and I grabbed onto the pole that held one side of the porch up just before my feet began getting lifting off the ground. My grip was tight, but these winds were stronger. I was clawing at the pole trying to keep grip and right as I let go the wind stopped suddenly. I was dropped to the ground harshly, and rain was all that was felt on my skin.
Getting up slowly, I groaned. I looked down at my leg and saw the gash I had in it. Wincing, I put it in the back of my mind and went to find Nafessa. The house was demolished completely and I noticed that stuff that didn't belong to Fessa and her mom were now inside where the house once was. The walls were gone, and the only thing left standing was the poles that I hung onto and some of the living room. I was in the only room left standing.
Looking over into the sky, I saw that I wasn't in the eye, but the tornado had in fact kept going in it's trail of destruction. Rushing towards where the dining room used to be, I began picking up boards. Each movement made my thigh feel like it was giving out but I needed to find her. Grabbing the bottom of my shirt, I put it between my teeth as I ripped the cheap gas station shirt. Tying it around my leg, I cursed into the air as the pain hit from me applying the steady pressure to my wound.
Moving my leg around, I got back on task and began looking for her under the rubble. As I was throwing things, I could swear that I heard her voice. "Toni!"
I stopped suddenly and looked around. I heard her voice. I know I did. I wasn't imagining. Wincing from my leg again, I yelled back. "Nafessa?!"
Her voice came back quicker this time and it came from behind the house. "Toni! I'm coming! Just stay there!"
Ignoring her I began stepping over boards as I followed her voice and when I stepped into what used to be the backyard, I noticed that the neighborhood was gone. Fessa was holding her side limping to me. "Baby..." I called out as I rushed to her.
She noticed my thigh and spoke. "We gotta get you to a hospital."
"Me? I probably just need stitches, you're limping. Wh- What happened?"
Fessa shook it off as she chuckled lightly. "I just experienced my first tornado. That's what happened. Shit didn't even feel real."
We began walking but Nafessa winced harshly and I stopped walking. "Baby, are you sure you can walk?"
"Yeah— just keep going." She mumbled weakly and I grabbed her as her eyes rolled back and she passed out.
"Fessa... Nafessa! Baby, I need you to wake up." She didn't move and I checked her pulse and barely felt anything. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! I took a deep breath as I picked her up. My leg felt like it was on fire but I had to get her to the hospital. Walking towards the road, I looked for her car but didn't see it. I couldn't help but glance at the sky and ask God why me. "Alright God, if I have to walk it, I will but can you please just send some—."
A truck stopped in front of us and folks jumped out. "Toni! Are you okay?!"
I noticed it was Kelly and Janet and looked back up at the sky. God! Seriously? Them? Her? Janet tried to grab Nafessa and I moved back and shook my head with the rain pounding down on us. "No. I'm not letting her go."
"We can put her in the truck." Kelly assured me.
All I wanted to scream was, 'Bitch, I don't trust you!'
Kelly noticed I didn't move and she yelled. "Toni! Now isn't the fucking time! I understand we fucked up and feel free to beat our asses later, but right now we need you to let us help you. Can you do that?"
Going against my judgement, I had to realize that my girlfriend's life was hanging in the balance right now. Tears began falling as I mumbled. "Fine but please just get her to a hospital."
We put Nafessa in the back of the truck and I crawled back there with her. Kelly got back in the drivers seat and I held Nafessa's head in my lap. I can't lose someone else. No... No I can't take this loss. Not another one.
"What the fuck?!" I tuned back in to Shawn and Kelly arguing.
Kelly yelled back. "Shut up Shawnette! She's not fucking moving. You're being selfish!"
"That's what she gets!" Shawn yelled back and I shook my head at her words. She was such a fucking asshole.
"Bitch, do you want to get out? Cause you gladly can. Quit talking to my fucking girlfriend like that. Stop being a fucking asshole for a moment and get over the fact that you two fought. Nobody deserves to fucking die Shawnette, damn. Haven't we lost enough classmates already?!" Janet spoke up finally and when I met eye contact with her she broke it as she looked back out the window. "Just because you liked the girl and Toni bagged her first doesn't mean you let her die."
Shawn went silent and the rest of the ride went by in a blur. Wait, Shawn liked Nafessa? What the hell? She literally fought the girl, but the whole time she liked her? When we made it to the hospital, Kelly helped me get her into the hospital. It was a mess in the inside but I didn't care. She wasn't moving. "Help! Somebody please!"
Folks rushed over to us and nurses placed Nafessa on a stretcher. When the weight was lifted from my leg, I winced. A nurse noticed and spoke. "Let's get you some stitches."
"I'm not leaving her." I shook my head.
The nurse grabbed me. "You can't go with her. Are you family?"
"Yeah." I nodded just to see if I could get back there.
"We will notify you as soon as something happens. Let's get you stitched up."
"I just said I am not leaving—." I noticed Nafessa's mom breezing by and I yelled. "Momma J!"
She stopped walking at my the sound of my voice and looked at me. I watched the color drain from her skin as we met eye contact. She looked at my leg and back into my eyes before speaking. "Toni, please don't tell me you two were anywhere near that tornado.."
"It hit the house. We were taking a nap and Nafessa tried to get us to the basement but it was too late. Everything's gone." I cried out.
Momma J shook her head. "I could careless about that damn house. You're okay and that's what I care about. Where's my baby?"
"She was shielding me and the wind pulled her away. When we found each other she was holding her side and then she just passed out. We brought her here." I motioned towards Kelly.
She looked at the nurse. "Stitch her up and don't do a half assed job, and get her a blanket. That's my daughter in law, Hendrel. I have to get to my daughter but I'll be back."
The nurse, whose name I now knew was Hendrel, nodded. "Yes ma'am."
"Toni, they're gonna stitch you up and then wait in the waiting room. I'll come and get you." Momma J called as she was running the other way.
Nodding, I finally let the woman pull me. For some reason Kelly was following me. When they sat me in the room. The woman untied the shirt, which was now red from my blood. I cursed. "Shit."
The lady nodded as she touched and examined my thigh. "It's not that deep of a gash, it's just pretty long. Maybe a sheet of metal cut you in the storm. It'll be a lot of stitches but nothing that won't heal. We will get you a blanket, maybe some crutches and you'll be good to go."
She stitched me up and I used the crutches to go in the waiting room with the blanket over my shoulders soon afterwards. Kelly was next to me and I glanced over at her in the crowded room. "You don't have to stay."
"Trust me, I'd rather." She mumbled back. "My families fine. Janet's family is fine. Shawnette's folks are okay. All that's waiting is an argument about why I helped you... so if it's okay with you, I'd like to stay."
I shrugged because I didn't care what she did, I only cared about my damn girlfriend. Looking at her, I asked. "Can I use your phone?"
She nodded and handed it to me after typing in her passcode. I called my mom but the line was busy. Shaking my head, I called again and got the same result.
Sighing, I tried Zendaya and she answered on the fifth ring. "Yo, whose this?"
"It's me Z." I mumbled softly.
"Toni?! Toni! Where are you? Ryan and I just passed by you and Fessa's place and it's— Toni... are you two okay?"
"I just finished getting stitched up, but Fessa's not good. She passed out and she was barely breathing... I don't know what to do. I brought her to the hospital."
"What hospital? Ryan and I are on our way." She spoke quickly.
"Harbor." I replied as she quickly told me they were on their way. After I hung up I have Kelly her phone back.
Footsteps approached Kelly and I looked up to see that Janet had joined us. She mumbled. "Shawn left. She's pissed. How is she?"
I didn't answer because she couldn't be talking to me. Kelly replied for me. "We don't know. Her moms back there with her."
They began talking lowly but my mind didn't even focus on the conversation because it was focused on my family and Fessa. I didn't know who was in the house when the tornado hit, or where anyone was. This was all too much and my anxiety was approaching its peak rapidly. God... give me strength.