chapter 31, dawgggggggg! I wasn't sure how I was going to sequence the events in here, but I think this will be alright. :)
Intensity only has a few chapters left. When I mean a few chapters, I mean at least 5 to 9 chapters. The last chapters of this book will contain a lot of action and death, one or two of these deaths will be suicide, so don't expect a happy ending completely...maybe. And the rest of the gang will be back, so you guys can stop asking, lol. When I post the fourth book--that is coming a month or two after Intensity--the rest of the gang gets their exposure. So, I'd appreciate it if you guys continue being patient. :)
Lastly, S/O to my T.N.2., Jen! :)
______________________________
[Quote #1]
"When your heart turns cold
It causes your soul 2 freeze
It spreads throughout your spirit
like a ruthless feeling disease
The walls that were once down
now stand firm and tall
Safe from hate/love, pain/joy
until you feel nothing at all
When ure heart turns cold
a baby's cry means nothing
A dead corpse is trivial
Mothers neglecting children is daily
Loneliness becomes your routine friend
Death seems like tranquility
Sleeping is never pleasant
if u even sleep at all
u forget ideals and turn off the reason
2 make sure the product gets sold
You don't understand how I behave
Just wait till your heart turns Cold!"
- Tupac Shakur, The Rose That Grew From Concrete
_______________________________
{Gym Class, Academy For Young Writers, Friday, October 22nd, 11:40 am}
(Jas'marieé's P.O.V.)
I sat on the bleachers, watching Prince and a few other guys play basketball. I would've played, but I was pregnant, growing a basketball of my own; I wasn't trying to risk losing this baby.
I cheered for Prince's team, Ravens One, as they scored another point, putting them two points behind the opposing team, Ravens Two. Here and there, Prince would smile over my way. Other girls above my seat would think that he was smiling at them, so they'd smile, giggle, and cheer; I'd smile back at Prince and laugh at the dumbass girls who thought Prince gave a fuck who they were--which he doesn't. At the end of the day, he was mine.
As the game progressed, I saw Sevarion walk into the gym, dressed in a red wife beater, black and red basketball shorts, and gray Jordan Retro 12's. He handed Rosette, our gym teacher, a late slip. He walked over to where I was sitting, dropping his bag right next to mine. He smiled at me.
Sevarion: Hey.
Jas'marieé: Bye.
Sevarion: Cadyn, will you please--
Jas'marieé: No. I don't trust you at all anymore, you asshole.
Sevarion: I want you to, Cadyn. That's why I'm trying to talk to you.
Jas'marieé: Oh. Bye.
He sighed and walked away from me. I saw Prince look at me, confused to why I was talking to Sevarion. He glared at Sevarion before walking over to me to tie his shoes up.
Prince: That nigga bothering you?
Jas'marieé: No. He was trying to talk to me, but I kept saying bye.
Prince: Doesn't he get the hint already?
Jas'marieé: Apparently not, but don't worry about him.
Prince: Aight. (stands straight) Wish me luck, nigga.
Jas'marieé: Just for that, I wish you luck.
Prince: (fakes laughs) Funny.
He stuck his tongue out at me and I smirked.
Jas'marieé: Don't stick your tongue out if you don't plan on using it, nigga.
Prince: Smart ass.
He laughed and gave me dap. I saw why girls were sweating Prince so hard in this class--he looked hot! He had on a pair of navy blue basketball shorts, a white wife beater that was very thin, and a pair of American flag Converse. He knew he looked good, so he wanted to show out. When he got back on the court, he turned around to me, only to catch me looking.
Prince: Don't hate on my swag from that far away.
I playfully rolled my eyes, giving him the finger. He turned around, only to realize Sevarion was in the game--on the opposing team. I heard Prince kiss his teeth, saying he didn't want Sevarion playing. Sevarion laughed.
Sevarion: What? You scared I might beat you at something?
Prince: Nigga, I could beat you in anything if I really wanted to.
Sevarion: Prove it.
Prince got into his place and sent a wink to me. I sent one back as he put his game face on. The whistle blew and Ravens Two checked the ball to Tequarn, who was on Ravens One with Prince. Tequarn made a pass to a boy named Isaiah, who then faked a pass to this boy named Eric, passing it to Prince. Prince dribbled the ball, try to decide if he wanted to fake a pass to Tequarn and send it to Eric, who was open by the basket. Prince changed his mind, dribbling all the way to the two-point line. As he tried to shoot, Sevarion came out of the woodwork and knocked Prince down, stealing the ball. Rosette blew the whistle, indicating it was a personal foul. This meant that Ravens One was granted two free throws, which pissed Sevarion off. Prince was mad as hell, but I knew he'd let it rock until it happened again.
The whistle blew again, and Prince took his two shots, only missing one. The game went back to normal for ten minutes until Prince got the ball back. This time, Prince was going to fake the pass. Sevarion stood in front of Prince, waiting for the right time to steal. He came too late when Prince faked a right pass, sending it to Isaiah. Prince began to run, but Sevarion slick tripped him by sticking his foot out. As Isaiah shot the winning three-pointer, tension started to get thick between Sevarion and Prince.
Prince: You motherfucker! You tripped me!
Sevarion: Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't.
Prince: Nigga, you tried it. (gets up) Now, I'm gonna fuck you up!
Prince pushed Sevarion. Sevarion began pressing Prince.
Sevarion: I wish you fucking would, nigga. I will swing your little Mexican ass across the damn border. Do something, nigga.
Prince: Hit me first. You can hit girls, right?! Bitch, jump!
Sevarion pushed Prince to the floor, setting everything off. Prince jumped up and cracked Sevarion right in nose, causing his body to bounce back. Sevarion's nose was leaking, which automatically pissed Sevarion off. Sevarion punched Prince hard in the face. Fists began to fly as shirts were being torn and blood from each of their noses stained the floor. Everyone on the bleachers made it hot by cheering them on. Rosette ran over to the boys--who were trying to choke each other--and tried pulling them off. The weight of the two was unbearably overpowering for Rosette's short, petite body, so she couldn't pull them apart. When they noticed Rosette's struggles, the other boys tried to help.
I ran over to the commotion, trying to clear everyone away. Sevarion and Prince were eating each other's punches like they weren't painful. I peeled Sevarion off of Prince, and Prince got up, wiping his nose with his shirt. I began screaming and crying because they wouldn't stop yelling and trying to get at each other. I held onto Prince, trying to stop him from moving closer to Sevarion.
Sevarion: AND I STILL FUCKED YOU UP, NIGGA!
Prince: FUCK YOU, YOU FUNKY FEET BASTARD! SUCK A DICK AND DIE SLOW!
Jas'marieé: CALM THE FUCK DOWN! STOP!
Prince: NO! I'M GOING TO BEAT HIS ASS AGAIN!
Sevarion: NIGGA, FUCK YOU! FUCK YOUR BITCH! STRAIGHT LIKE THAT!
I felt my body go weak as I cried and screamed for them to stop screaming. My head began pounding as a striking pain hit my stomach--warning sign of baby stress. This was worse than any anxiety attack; the pain was unbearable...
Everything went black. I heard a stampede of people run over as two distinctive voices tried waking me up. There was a third voice that trapped me in a mental prison to where my body was too weakened to answer back.
***
The cooling sensation of the ice pack on my forehead soothed me as I slowly woke up, only to realize I was laying in the Nurse's office. I slid my hand down my face, blinking slowly. I turned my head to the side, only to see Prince's head on my stomach. I took in a deep breath before speaking.
Jas'marieé: Prince?
Prince got off of my stomach and smiled at me.
Prince: Hey...you're awake.
Jas'marieé: How long was I out?
Prince: About an hour. You're good?
Jas'marieé: Yeah. Just a headache.
Prince: That's good. So...
Jas'marieé: So...
An awkward silence brewed between us, which I found to be odd.
Jas'marieé: So, what happened when I knocked out?
Prince: Sevarion and I got sent to Aaden's office and we're suspended for ten days. I'm supposed to be in Angie's office doing schoolwork, but I lied about going to the bathroom to come see you.
Jas'marieé: (sighs) Prince, why did you have to fight him? I told you not to worry about him! Now look; you're suspended, which will look bad on you. Don't no college want to hear that shit.
Prince: Jas, I really didn't want to fight him this time. This time, he asked for it. It was never about you, babe.
Jas'marieé: But he'll stop at nothing now to get back at us.
Prince: Let him. I don't give a fuck if he does or not.
Jas'marieé: Prince! What the fuck? Are you delusional?
Prince: Let me finish. I don't give a fuck if he does or not because I'm not going to let him get you or anyone else I care about--that's bottom line. You have to trust me on this. Do you trust me?
Jas'marieé: Of course I do. Would I be around you if I didn't?
Prince: Good.
He smiled and I did the same, kissing him on the cheek.
Jas'marieé: Prince, you're a good friend and boyfriend. You always have my back.
Prince: Ya tu sabes. *Translation: You already know* I love you.
Jas'marieé: I love you too.
I got off the cot I was on to hug Prince. He kissed me for a long time before pulling away. I smiled.
Jas'marieé: You're amazing, you know that?
Prince: (laughs) I try.
Jas'marieé: You better! (laughs) I have a surprise for you, my guy.
Prince: What is it?
Jas'marieé: (Nigerian voice) I can't tell you, moddafucka! That's why it's a surprise!
Prince: You're a weird ass girl, but I like you for it.
Jas'marieé: Duh.
We laughed together. I heard a familiar clicking sound, and I stopped laughing. I shushed Prince as I left the room and went to the front door of the Nurse's office. I opened the door to look out. No one was there, which made me scrunch my face up in confusion. I closed the door and went back to where Prince was. He looked at me.
Prince: What happened?
Jas'marieé: Did you hear that clicking noise?
Prince: Yeah. Why?
Jas'marieé: Call me paranoid, but I think someone's watching us. When's the last time you saw Sevarion?
Prince: He went to the bathroom when me and him got sent to Aaden. When he came back, we explained what happened in gym. Aaden gave us the suspension, and sent me to Angie. When I left out of Angie's office, he was wandering through the halls to go to David. He saw me sneak down the stairs, but I doubt he followed me.
Jas'marieé: Don't ever doubt him. He's dangerous.
Prince: He isn't as dangerous as me.
Jas'marieé: (raises eyebrow) You're dangerous?
Prince: Beyond it.
The look on his face made me skeptical, but I didn't need to question him.
Jas'marieé: It's one risk I'm willing to take.
He smiled and kissed me on the lips. We were already standing in the face of death, so what more could happen? It's not like he could betray me.
___________________________
{Unknown Place, Unknown Time}
(Unknown P.O.V.)
?.?.?: You got the stuff?
This phone call solidified my chance to ruin a few lives with my partner in crime. He craved revenge and would kill anybody for it--of course I would know. The only thing we needed was the stuff; he had the first piece of it, and I have the other piece. Threats were on my head, so I needed to execute them before I get killed trying.
?.?.?.?: Yeah. Are we set yet?
?.?.?: Now we are. The only thing that we need to do is plan the time and place. I want to launch this plan to where it all falls through perfectly.
?.?.?.?: So what do you want me to do?
?.?.?: Watch their every move. Listen to them. Don't speak. Don't make any direct eye contact.
?.?.?.?: What do you want me to listen out for?
?.?.?: Any places they mention. Listen out for dates, times, or locations, and report back to me. We need to complete this plan by the weekend.
?.?.?.?: But how can I find out stuff when they split up?
?.?.?: Nigga, find a way. We don't have much time left before I leave for Toronto on Monday.
?.?.?.?: Aight, I will.
I hung up, feeling the pressure of this plan weighing down on me. A black haze flew around me, and for some reason, I felt no type of repentance;
Only the intent to kill.
First-degree.
______________________________
{New Jersey}
(B-More's P.O.V.)
I saw her die, whether Ice Gang knew it or not.
I hated that it had to come down to this, but I saw it coming beforehand. Ice Gang plays dirty, according to the countless records of the headman, Deshawn "Royalty" Gutierrez; born February 17, 1953 to Antoinette Macintosh and Wilfred Gutierrez in Albany, New York. His brother is Nick Gutierrez, who is the ex-husband to Sasha Gutierrez and the father of Jas'marieé Gutierrez, who is a former member of Mindless Angels and a victim of Royalty's abuse, along with her brother, Isadore Gutierrez, who is not fathered by Nick. His biological father's name is Carlos Johnathan Middleton, who is now deceased.
I practically knew every aspect of their family like my left hand--some may say I was obsessed with it, which was untrue. My little brother, Brandon, and I were highly intrigued by the case after it was closed six years ago. Our father obtained all of this information as Nick's former attorney. Since the case was closed, it was of no use, laying in the attic of the house. Our father told us tales about this case when I going into my preteen era. I didn't believe it was real until I began reading through the statements. Everything was there to prosecute Royalty, but no one could figure it out. Although a young Jas'marieé wrote statements and testified in court, many of the apathetic jurors and Royalty's attorney-slash-godparent-of-his-daughter, Claude, ruled it out as hearsay. I found that to be bullshit; no kid could come up with such stories like that--especially when there was a recorded dispatcher call. Now that I think about it--why wasn't that dispatcher call used as bait?
Another puzzling aspect of this case was the fact that there was no documentation of an investigation for the death of Jas'marieé's childhood best friend, Necole Leshaad O'Day. Although the case was ruled as "wrong place, wrong time" murder, why didn't Jas'marieé come to the stand as a witness to the ordeal? She was with Necole the night of December 31st, 2005 and the afternoon of January 1st, 2006.
There were so many holes in this case, that it was incomplete. Brandon knew it too, so we had decided to devise a plan to crack this whole case. Fresh out of high school, I finally went to the police, and allowed me to work on this case, but it won't be opened until I had evidence. So far, I had a few recordings from Royalty's last mediocre trap house, thanks to his daughter's mother, Sidney. Apparently, she was getting tired of his bullshit too. I also planted cameras in their current trap house, prior to them coming to Jersey. Another part of this whole crackdown was to remain undercover. Whilst in Atlanta, I had linked up with Cash Gang, the rival gang to Ice Gang. They kept quiet, false claiming me as one of them. That was how I came into contact with Prince when he was trying to buy some work and I punched him in the face. The next time he approached me with Ice Gang and backed out spontaneously, I knew he was a member for short-term and that he had heart. He still has my word, but I now need him to stay out of harm's way and protect the girl.
I virtually had this whole case figured out, as well as the holes in it. Royalty could be taken down for four counts of attempted second-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, first-degree murder, illegal gun possession, illegal drug trade, and illegal drug possession. You would swear this nigga was a walking federal warrant. If he's arrested, he'll be ass-out.
Not only did I crack down the Gutierrez family case--I managed to create a case on Claude Witherspoon for being an accessory to Royalty and for fraud. He was impersonating a Harvard official, in which he wasn't. He managed to bribe a naïve boy a chance to see his mother in her psychiatric ward, along with a full-scholarship to USC. This boy is named Sevarion Dorian Ridgewood, Jas'marieé's ex-boyfriend and father of her expected baby. You would think he wouldn't sell out his baby mother--wrong. Idiot. The sad part of it all is that his mother, Dorianna English, is no longer living in a Bronx Psychiatric Center's ward because she had died two years ago. Sad.
All I have to do is stay on my toes with this crackdown. Any step I make could make or break me, and there was no room for error--nada, zilch, zero.
________________________________
Wowweeee! I loved writing B-More's P.O.V.! In case y'all didn't know, I am obsessed with that show, Snapped! That's how I learned all of those law terms, as well as being in a Legal Outreach assembly for a day.
Snapped is that show after Bad Girls Club w. the women killing people. Good shit, guys.
Anywho, is B-More onto something?
And I wonder if any of y'all caught what he said because I somewhat revealed who Shadow is.
And what was up with that mysterious phone call?
Lastly, is Jassie catching onto Prince's antics slowly but surely?
Find out in part 2 of this chapter.
Btw, keep on looking out for the first letter title riddle I'm doing. It'll reveal what happens at the end...sorta.
Goal: Feelings towards this whole situation?
*Mindless Fact Of The Day*
Yasssss Princeton! Prince passed his permit test and got his 6th piercing, so now he has 3 in both ears.
(Ironic how 6 is my lucky number.) Congrats, my guy. :*