Show Me You Care, page 6
“Oww, get off my side, please.” He sat up with concern in his eyes.
“What’s wrong with you? I shook my head.
“Nothing, just don’t lay on that side.” He gave me a side eye before snatching up my shirt.
“You serious? Yo, Big Jay is going to kill you and you know it,” he said, running his hand over it. “It’s nice, though. I just wish you would’ve said something.”
“It was last minute. Besides, you were with your girlfriend.”
“I don’t recall being with you!” he said, smirking. I shook my head at him.
“You weren’t with me because I ain’t your girl, remember?”
“Oh, really? Well, you my girl now so come give me a kiss,” he said, making his Stevie J face. I leaned over and gave him a kiss. We kissed for forever. I didn’t know where this was going or what we were but I thought I was in love with him. “I love you, Jordyn and don’t let the way I handle business hurt you, alright?” he said, kissing me again. I knew that tonight was my last night being a little girl.
Trey:
After last night there was no way in hell I was ever going to be talking to TaKiera again. We had no reason to talk. The little boy wasn’t mine and I wasn’t in the business of disrespecting my girl. There was no turning back after last night; I was so ready to tell everybody about us you would have thought I was the girl in the relationship. I woke up to an empty bed and my car keys sitting on the dresser. Attached was a note from Jordyn: Had a Meeting today. See you when I make it to school. I looked at the time. It was still early and I had no reason to go to calculus since she probably wouldn’t be there. I went downstairs to the room that I stayed in when I spent the night and pulled out an outfit. There was no reason for me to get dressed up. My girl was the only person I cared about. It felt good to be able to call Jordyn my girl. She was my GIRL. Finally I texted Jay and told him how I felt about his sister. He never texted me back. That had me worried, as if he wouldn’t approve of our relationship.
Jayden:
I looked down at my phone, seeing I had a text from Trey. I read it, thinking it was important but instead it was just him confessing his love for my little sister. I shook my head at the text and decided not to respond. I already knew how they felt about each other. It was just up to Trey to make it happen. Jordyn wasn’t hard to please but she was hard to keep. She was hotheaded like our pops and we all knew that. I knew if trey fucked up I would have to run around like Trey who? Trey? I never knew a Trey. I laughed at myself, causing my parents to ask me what was so funny. I said nothing and went back to thinking about how different it was going to be when we got home. Big Jay probably was going to beat the shit out of Trey. That was something I couldn’t wait to see.
Chapter 12:
I walked into school happy as hell; it was as if everything was good in my life for once. I had the boy, I had the perfect family, minus Star, and I didn’t have to worry about money for the first time in years. I stood by my locker, hoping to see Trey in calculus class although when I left he was still asleep. I had good news and I hoped he was as happy as I was. I was the owner of a clothing store, “Couture Dior” and it was going to be filled with nothing but my original designs. I was on cloud nine today and no one was going to be able to mess it up for me. I walked into calculus with the biggest smile on my face as I thought back to when I was just a girl who had a crack head for a mother. I sat in my seat and waited for Trey to come but he never did. I sucked my teeth. That put a damper on my day. I walked into the lunchroom and waited at my table for my girls who walked in with sad looks on their faces.
“Jordyn, what are you still doing here?” Shy asked with a confused face.
“What? Where am I supposed to be?”
“You didn’t hear?” Nicole asked. I was starting to get worried.
“Hear what? What the fuck is going on?”
“Trey got shot…” I didn’t even let her finish. I just ran to my car with tears falling down my face. Whoever did this shit was going to die, and I meant that. I called Jayden and told him what was going on. It wasn’t as if he could do anything, being that he was all the way in Barbados. I was nervous as I sped to the hospital. I didn’t know how bad it was. I pulled up to the hospital and was met by his mother. She looked so calm.
“Jordyn, wipe your tears, okay?” I sobbed like a little kid and wiped my face. We sat on the waiting room bench. She hadn’t shed one tear the whole time but here I was shedding tears for the love of my life. In just a few months he went from a stranger to my best friend to my protector and provider. I needed him to be okay; I needed him to be with me every step of the way for the rest of our lives. I sucked up my tears and watch as the doctor finally approached us after hours of waiting.
“Are you the family of Trey…Young?” he asked, pausing to look down at the chart.
“Yes we are,” Ms. Lisa said with nervousness in her voice.
“Unfortunately Mr. Young is in critical condition and may not make it through the night. He was shot five times; three times in the abdomen, and in his neck. A bullet also pierced his lung, causing internal bleeding. We were able to remove all the bullets successfully and stop the bleeding. It’s just on him now. We had to put him in a medically induced coma so he could heal without feeling the pain and also due to the fact he might have tried to pull out the breathing tube.” For the first time Ms. Lisa broke down and I was stuck being the strong one.
“Can we go back to see him?” The doctor just nodded and we headed straight to the back. I gave Lisa her time alone with her son. I watched her break down and scream about not letting the streets take this son from her, too. She walked out and placed her hand on my shoulder and told me she’d see me later. I walked in and cried on his chest. It pained me to see him with tubes running through his body. I said a prayer for the first time in years, hopping God would listen; hoping that he would hear my voice and understand that the world still needed Trey.
It was 6:00 a.m. and I was awaken by the sounds of the machines and nurses checking his vitals. One of the older nurses came up to me and placed her hand on mine, smiling warmly.
“He made it through the night. That’s a step in the right direction.” I gave a faint smile and fell back to sleep for another hour. I watched as the nurses changed his IV medicines and checked his vitals again. They checked them every 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the last time they checked them.
“Jordyn?” I looked up from my phone to see who the voice belonged to. It was the same nurse from earlier. “Jordyn, right?” I nodded my head at the lady. She was roughly in her late thirties or early forties. “I’m Miss Tammy; I’ll be his nurse all week. Honey, it’s going to be a battle but he’s a warrior. I tell you that much. I know my nephew. He’ll fight through this.”
“You’re Ms. Lisa’s sister?”
“Yes ma’am, I’m her youngest sister and the only one who stayed close to her and Trey. I know who you are, Jordyn. I know your background and I know that my nephew loved you more than he loved anyone else. Now he’s in good hands and I’m going to need you get yourself together. Lisa is the strongest of the bunch and she’s been through this before.”
“I’m fine, Miss Tammy. My best friend is going to bring me my homework and some clothes. I’m not leaving his side. As for Ms. Lisa, she’s stronger than a lot of people give her credit for. I don’t know what you mean by she’s been through this before but I know Trey is going to make it.” She looked at me and patted my knee before continuing her rounds. I pulled my chair up to the bed and rubbed his hand. A lone tear fell from my eye.
“Trey, you got this. Stop playing and wake up. Your mom needs you. Shit, I need you. Who else am I supposed to run to when I’m in my feelings? Trey, wake up baby. Just open your eyes, grab my hand, something. Let me know you can hear me. Let me know you’re fighting this, Trey. I love you, Trey. I need you,” I said with tears falling freely from my eyes. I cried until I couldn’t cry anymore. By then Shyla was texting me letting me know she was in the lobby with my clothes and homework.
Shyla:
I watched Jordyn walk over to me with tear-stained cheeks. I pulled my best friend in for a hug. I knew Jordyn better than a lot of people did. I knew she was crushed. I also knew how crazy she was and that she was going to search high and low for the person that did this, and I was going to be right by her side.
“Jordyn, how is he?” She just shook her head and that was more than I needed. I couldn’t stand hospitals but I would stay here if my best friend wanted me to. The look in her eyes was asking me to leave, though, and that’s what I did. I handed her her stuff and walked out the hospital. I pulled out my phone and called Jayden.
“Yo!”
“Yo, Jayden? That’s how you answer your phone?”
“My bad, Shy. What’s up?”
“Trey is in the hospital barely hanging on. Where the hell are you?”
“My plane just landed not too long ago. I know he’s in the hospital. I’m on my way there now. How is he?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t go up to see him but Jordyn is there and she’s taking it bad. You know she loves him, right?” I could hear him suck his teeth in my ear before he hung up. I looked down at my phone like he was crazy before jumping in my car. As soon as I went to start my car a car came in blocked me in. Jayden hopped out. I rolled my eyes as he tapped on my window. I didn’t know what it was but Jayden always had my heart since we were kids. He hopped in the car, running his hands over his waves before giving me a kiss on my cheek. I shook my head and stared at him.
“How can I help you?” I asked with a fake attitude.
“You could stop playing and be my girl.” I sucked my teeth. Here we go.
“Only if you could stop being my best friend’s older brother.” He sucked his teeth and got out the car waiting for me to get out too. I let out a deep sigh and followed suit.
Jayden:
It was like no matter what I could never have Shy. When we were younger it was because of age. Now it was because she was Jordyn’s best friend. I would never understand that. It was okay for Jordyn to date Trey but my head would be on a platter if I dated Shy. My sister and her bad ass double standards. I pushed those thoughts to the side as I headed to Trey’s room. My heart broke into a billion pieces at the site in front of me. Jordyn stood in the corner whispering in her phone, making little to no eye contact with me. For the first time I saw the killer in my sister coming out as she asked me to stay with him. I didn’t hesitate to, but her journey was cut short when she saw our father approaching the door. I had left them in Barbados but I guess they followed suit and left.
“Jordyn, leave it for the big boys!” my father said as Jordyn sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. It pained her to watch the love of her life fight for his life. She walked out the room and didn’t return for another hour. When she returned she had on fresh clothes and her hair in a messy bun.
“Jordyn, what did you do?” she didn’t look at me. She just closed her eyes and laid her head back on the chair. Not pushing the subject, I gave her space. When she was ready to talk about it we would know what happened.
TaKiera:
I sat in my room feeling like shit. All I was trying to do was get my mother’s love and be happy, but everything I did seemed to fail. She says fight Jordyn, I fight Jordyn and get my ass whipped. I haven’t seen my mother since I was one and it was all due to me being the side nigga’s daughter. The moment shit got right with her husband I was a picture in the past and left for my grandmother to raise me. I can’t believe that I fucked up that bad and shot the only man that showed an ounce of care for me. My father was in informant for the feds and told them all about Big Jay’s operation and it landed his right hand in jail. After the sentence was given to Jay’s right hand, my father was deep in the river somewhere being shark food. But people always judged me. The only people who never judged me were my son and Trey. Trey wasn’t Tremaine’s father but I wanted him to be so bad. It was the only way I could look him and the face and not see my brother’s best friend. Too bad Tremaine’s father Larry and my brother never were seen after I sent them to rob Trey. Damn, I just keep messing up, I said to myself as the tears fell freely.
I woke up at 6:00 a.m. and got little Trey ready for school. I went and looked in my grandmother’s room and she still hadn’t returned home. Maybe grandma was getting her groove back. I walked to the front door with my son holding onto my hand where I saw an envelope with a letter. I slowly opened the letter, which read: A bullet for a bullet, a life for a life. I let out a gasp. “Oh my goodness!” I screamed out loud and held onto Trey as a black van drove past the house. I examined the envelope and saw the five bullets fall out. At that moment I knew I had fucked up royally.
Chapter 13:
It had been a month since Trey got shot and he was slowly making progress. He started breathing on his own. He just hadn’t awakened yet; it was like he was deep in thought all the time. I missed him. His mom stopped coming two weeks ago, thinking that he was gone forever. I held her that day as she cried about losing her child to the street. I got up from my seat and saw his hands move. I walked over to him and stared at him. His eyes fluttered as he attempted to open them. He finally opened them, and by the time he did the nurse was already in the room. The doctors checked him out and made sure he was okay. They looked at him as if he was a miracle. Once the doctors left I pulled up my chair and looked at him.
“When was the last time my mother came?” I looked away, scared to give him the answer knowing that the truth would hurt. “She ain’t come in a while, has she?”
“She was here just last week but she couldn’t bear to see you like that. She kept saying she couldn’t do this again,” I said as a lone tear feel from his eye.
“She thought I was gone because I lost my older brother the same way. He was out in these streets heavy. The only difference is they killed him over a game of dice. I almost lost my life because I got with you. I was in your crib when this shit happened. They weren’t gunning for me. They were gunning for you. This shit is your fault. I don’t know how many people you and your crack head ass momma pissed off, but I ain’t willing to die for neither. I can’t fuck with you until this shit blows over. I’m sorry, Jordyn. I truly am.” I smirked and shook my head. As I got up and left him lying in his hospital bed, I damn near ran to my car. Once I got in I turned on the radio and all my tears started flowing freely. I killed to protect him and little did he know I already knew who was behind that shit but he wasn’t trying to hear me out. I sat in the parking lot for a minute before pulling off and going to my safe haven. I just need space away from everyone.
Trey:
It had been two weeks since I last saw Jordyn and graduation was right around the corner. She had been by my side the whole time and I let some dumb shit make me lose someone loyal to me. That month in a coma made me look at life differently. I was trying so hard to make things right with us but she changed her number on me. I was being released today and I wished she was here to see me but she wasn’t. My mother even said she hadn’t spoken to her. I was getting more hurt the more people told me she was isolating herself from everyone. I messed up. She probably thinks I got what I wanted and I needed to a reason to live. I missed my girl so much it was hard to live without her. Jayden had picked me up from the hospital so I could go visit everyone at Big Jay’s crib. No one had told Jordyn I was coming over so I hoped like hell she wasn’t going to be mad at them.
We pulled up to the house and she was taking bags in the house with Shyla. She was laughing as if she wasn’t hurt at all. She was singing aloud to Toni Romiti’s “Nothing On Me.” It looked as though they had gone shopping for graduation stuff. They were attending the same college. I knew at one point Jordyn wanted to do hair but she changed her mind and was headed to Barry University. I was sick when Jayden told me she had finally made up her mind. Shaking those thoughts out of my head, I got out of the car and walked to the front door. She looked at me then went back to what she was doing. I was just a thought in her past.
Shyla:
I could see the hurt look wash over Trey’s face when Jordyn didn’t acknowledge his presence. She was going through something and he let her down the moment he woke up and blamed her for everything. I was pissed when she told me. She was by his side for the whole entire thing and that’s how he thanked her. Graduation was in three days and we all knew once Jordyn left she wasn’t looking back. We were going to be in Miami living that college life. I walked inside, handing Jayden some bags, I went and got my purse out of Jordyn’s car and walked inside with her on my tail. Ms. Star was cooking a big dinner but Jordyn didn’t trust her enough to eat from her. It was as if she knew something that nobody else did. We sat in the family room with everyone else but it was so awkward, like she wanted to say something but didn’t. Star turned to the news as they started showing a story on a woman in her early sixties being shot five times. All the bullets were removed from her body and the killer didn’t leave behind any kind of evidence. Star turned up the news. “The woman, police say, was found floating in the river for almost two months before the body surfaced to shore. There are no suspects at this time but police have definitely ruled it a homicide.” Everyone sat in silence and looked down at the screen. Jordyn and I both knew what happen to this elderly lady but that wasn’t everyone’s business. It was getting around that time and Star was screaming for everyone to come eat. I looked at Jordyn as she continued to pack up her clothes. We were announcing or move to Miami to everyone, we were set to leave a day after graduation. Then we only had a month before our summer semesters started. I was attending for business management and Jordyn was going for athletic training. She was too much. First she wanted to do hair, then it was clothing design, and now it was athletic training. Hopefully she sticks with it, I said to myself as I watched her pack.
Chapter 14:
I pranced around my room, getting ready for graduation. It had finally arrived. I looked in my closet and put on my cheetah print body-con dress with my black spiked red bottoms. I had gotten my hair pressed out yesterday. I put on my cap and gown and walked down the stairs. I looked up and saw Trey standing with my dad in deep conversation. Shyla ran over to me, jumping in my arms.
