Shut Up & Listen

Fear Not

Thursday, February 6
At the Truck stop Sometime after 3am

After Cobe and Cecil leave the bathroom, Dame turns off the sink and looks at Cole's face in the mirror.

"I don't care what it is, you're supposed to come to me."

Cole looks at Dame with an irritated face. Dame took his reaction as dismissal of his statement.

"What? So I'm not there for you? I always look out for you nigga. You always been my priority, since day one.."

"Yeah until I'm not"

"Fuck you mean?!"

"You left me here by myself."

"You not by yaself no more Cole! You got a fucking family, you don't need me!"

Cole raises his eyebrows at him with his mouth ajar.

"Oh" he says nodding his head. "So that's what is is huh?"

Dame just looks at him waiting to see what he has to say about the revelation of his true feelings.

"I don't HAVE a fucking family no more Dame! Everybody's fucking dead! And I haven't seen any of my brothers in YEARS nigga. And you left me! And you keep leaving me! I don't got nobody." He licks his teeth, trying to suppress the built up emotion.

"Nigga" Dame takes a deep breath looking at the floor then back to Cobe. "I'm just trying to make a life for myself. I don't have the shit you got Cole? If I fail, there's nothing for me to fall back on."

"You got me nigga! Just like I THOUGHT I had you. We was supposed to stay together."

"You wasn't alone when I left baby. You was living with ya pops and everything was gravy. I waited a whole two years after I graduated before I went to school. I did that for you nigga." He says inching closer and closer towering over him. He's heated now because Cole is dismissing everything he's ever done for him. His feelings are hurt.

"You ain't do that shit for me nigga! You did that shit cuz you was scared of being by yourself again."

"Nah I ain't letting you do this shit to me Cole...." he says throwing his hands up preparing to walk out of the restroom.

"Man you always actin like you saving me or some shit. Nigga you just like me! Ya college degree ain't gon change where you came from nigga. Niggas like us don't fucking matter. We was thrown in the fucking trash my nigga, That's what the fuck we are!"

"FUCK YOU" Dame yells with mad base in his voice as he snatches open the door to the hall. He turns around and finds himself face to face with a white officer. His mouth is turned upside down with the ugliest frown Dame has ever seen.

"Can I help you boys?" The man taunts them with his fingers tucked into his belt. Dame mugs him up and down. He flares his nostrils at him but keeps quiet. When Dame moves to walk past the officer, he sees his hand move from his waist to his gun. Dame's immediate reaction was to put his hands up. He stayed still. Fearing what might happen if he turns his head to check on Cole he just says, "Cole you aight?". Walking backwards into the bathroom, the man follows him closing the bathroom door behind them.

"I got a call about a fight. You boys come down here making trouble?" The officer asks, hand still firmly griping the gun fastened on his belt.

"No sir. We was just leaving." Dame said keeping eye contact with the man. His hands are still up and he's standing beside Cole now whose hands are also up.

"Let me see some identification" the officer scowls at them with his thick southern accent.

"It's in the car sir. We don't have nothing on us." Dame replies.

"Up against the wall niggers" the officer says to the two men. Cole starts to move but then freezes remembering that Dame took his pills. If the officer finds them, he's taking Dame in for sure,

The officer pulls his gun in them and yells as his pale face turns a fiery red. He puts the gun to Cole's back forcing him up against the dirty bathroom wall. "Do what I say boy" The officer sneers at them.

"You ain't got a right to be frisking us, we ain't done nothing."

"That's your words against mine nigger boy." He says smacking the back of Dame's head with his gun while frisking Cole.

"And the camera right there." Dame brings to the officer's attention the camera on the wall across from where they are.

"There's also camera's outside and in the hall sir." Dame says matter-of-factly.

The officer moves away from the boys looking them up and down. He leaves the restroom but not before spitting at their feet.

Dame looks over to check on a stunned Cole. He notices that his pants are wet and his face is covered in tears and sweat. Cole was jumped and beat real bad by some white police officers when he was younger. The officers were never reported and Cole never got justice. He hates police officers, but he fears them even more.

Dame goes over to the sink and wets some paper towels. Without a word, he wipes the fear and humiliation off of Colins face.

"You can change in the car, but we gotta get outta here right now Aight."

Cole responds by quietly following Dame out of the restroom. They walk back to the truck where the officer is parked only a few spots down. He's standing by his police car watching them with a haunting smile.

"Yal boys have a good night!" He waved at them as they climb into Cobe's truck.

"Aye yal good? Yal was in there for way too long." Cecil asks looking back at Dame and Cole from the driver seat.

The two men just look out of their respective windows without a word. Cobe looks back at them and notices Cole's pants, then looks at Dame and the out the window at the officer. He quickly deciphers what happened and urges Cecil jr to quickly pull off. Cobe makes eye contact with the officer as they pass at him up on the way out.

After driving for about 45 minutes, Cobe tells Cecil jr to get off at the next exit where a Walmart is located. Once they pull up, Cobe hops out and opens the trunk. He grabs a bag instructs Cole to come with him. Once they leave, CJ unbuckles his seat belt but continues facing forward. Dame is sitting directly behind him.

"What happened?"

"..."

"Did he touch you? Or Cole?"

"..."

"Are you okay?"

"No." He finally responds wiping his nose with his arm. Frowning at himself, he continues "that's the second time I've watched my brother get harassed by an officer and I couldn't defend him."

Dame is still looking out of the window and Cecil is still looking out of the windshield before him.

"Did he have a gun?"

"..."

"Did he pull it out on you? Did he threaten you?"

"..."

"Fuck" Cecil responds rubbing his bottom lip with his hand.